Chapter 48: “Why You Build House in My Spot?”

After crashing back into Menos Forest with my pet Aizen on my face, I lay there in silence. Sand in my teeth. Bone mask cracked a little. Tail twitching. Pride: gone. Braincells: none. Mood: excellent.

Because I just remembered—I have a house now.

A big, ugly, deformed sandcastle-house. It's terrible, but it's mine.

I lumbered over to it, dragging Aizen by the tail, ready to flop down and do nothing in peace.

But there was a problem.

A big one.

There was a Hollow already sitting inside it.

No, not sitting. Snoring.

A stupid, fat-looking bat Adjuchas, drooling all over the sand floor, using my skull-decorated flag as a blanket.

I stood there. Quiet. Calm.

And then—

"GUOOOOH!!"

(Translation: WHY ARE YOU SLEEPING IN MY HOUSE!?)

The bat Hollow blinked awake. Saw me. Stared.

Then said:

"Why you build house in my spot?"

I froze.

Then looked around.

Sand.

Sand.

Slightly more sand.

It's all sand. What spot!? Every direction looks the same!

I pointed at my sandcastle. Then at my cracked skull. Then at him.

He pointed at himself. Then at the floor.

"I nap here yesterday. You build house on top of nap spot. Rude."

Aizen barked twice, rolled over, and started chewing on the bat Hollow's tail like it was a chew toy.

EP Reward: 10,000

Reason: Accidentally built house on someone's sacred nap spot.

I tried to explain by drawing on the sand: a stick figure of me, the house, and a happy face. But what I drew looked like a potato with legs.

EP Reward: 12,000

Reason: Drew yourself as a potato.

The bat Hollow stared at my drawing.

He nodded solemnly. "Ah. You're dumb. I forgive."

I nodded proudly. Finally, someone who understands me.

But then Aizen peed on his tail.

The bat screamed, flew away, crashing into a nearby cactus (yes, there's cacti in Hueco Mundo, don't ask why), and I took that as a sign I'd won this territory dispute.

I sat down in my busted-up sandcastle, with Aizen now digging holes in the corner.

He found a beetle. He ate it. It was probably poisonous. He seemed fine.

EP Reward: 15,000

Reason: Won a territorial battle by doing absolutely nothing but existing.

I leaned back, stared at the sky.

No thoughts. No plans. Just vibes.

And then I remembered—I still can't talk.

Current EP: 1,564,500 / 100,000,000