"Visored…" Rukia Kuchiki looked at Muten Natsu. "Are you really planning to join them?"
"I just want to discuss experiences with Hollowfication." Muten Natsu shook his head.
"Joining them… I don't have the patience for that."
"Your experiences are similar," Orihime Inoue said, blinking. "You should be able to get along well."
"Not necessarily," Muten Natsu replied, shaking his head. "Even if our experiences are alike, our perspectives can differ."
The people Kisuke Urahara referred to as skilled in Hollowfication were the captains and lieutenants who had been Hollowfied by Sōsuke Aizen.
At the time, they had been on the verge of Soul Suicide, and only with Kisuke Urahara's intervention did their condition stabilize.
Later, Yoruichi Shihōin helped them leave Soul Society, while Kisuke Urahara continued studying methods to reverse Hollowfication in the World of the Living.
Over time, these captains and lieutenants mastered Hollowfication themselves, forming what is now the Visored. They remained hidden in the World of the Living, continuing to strengthen themselves while preparing for revenge.
Although Kisuke Urahara maintained contact with them, the relationship was strictly cooperative—he could not directly order the Visored to assist Muten Natsu.
He could only relay information about Muten Natsu to them.
What the Visored might do in response was uncertain even to Kisuke Urahara.
Regarding mastering Hollowfication, since Kisuke Urahara had never undergone it himself, his research focused on reversing it, leaving him with only limited understanding of how the Visored had gained control over it.
According to the Visored, the sensation could only truly be understood through personal experience.
If there were a concrete method, it would be…
"Get along with your Soul." Muten Natsu repeated Kisuke Urahara's words. "I feel like I get along with my Soul just fine…"
Rukia Kuchiki and Orihime Inoue exchanged a glance, each seeing the same hesitation mirrored in the other's eyes.
Bang!
A noise erupted from a nearby alley, followed by the loud, brazen shouts of several young men.
"What the hell! You bastard!" "Looking for a fight, huh?" "Get up!" "Hand over the money!"
Muten Natsu paused, then headed toward the depths of the alley.
Three young men were surrounding a short-haired youth, beating him mercilessly. The youth lay helpless on the ground while the attackers continued kicking him relentlessly.
"Isn't that Sueyoshi?" Orihime Inoue tugged on Muten Natsu's sleeve. "Do you remember him? From the boxing club next to the Dojo."
"Hmm… the kid who was always whining?" Muten Natsu vaguely recalled. "He really hasn't improved at all…"
Just as he stepped forward to intervene, a semi-transparent figure descended from above and merged into Sueyoshi's body.
The three attackers rifled through Sueyoshi for money, spat on him, cursed, and turned to leave.
Sueyoshi staggered to his feet and flexed his arms.
Thud!
Sueyoshi darted forward, punching one attacker in the face, elbowing the second, and kicking the third flying. Amid their screams, he delivered several more kicks, retrieving the stolen money.
He took a few steps, still unsatisfied, and spat three times on their faces.
As the men prepared to leave, Muten Natsu called out, "Wait."
"Huh?" Sueyoshi—or rather, the entity controlling his body—glared at Muten Natsu with narrowed eyes, his tone sharp. "You didn't say a word when they were beating me, and now you want to lecture me?"
"You were in the wrong." Muten Natsu rifled through the three attackers' pockets and tossed the money back to Sueyoshi. "Mistakes must be punished."
"…" The man instinctively caught the money and stared at Muten Natsu for a long moment. "Ah… you're the Sleeping Tiger—Muten Natsu?"
"You know me?"
"You're pretty famous… protecting pretty girls and all that." He glanced at Orihime Inoue. "Well… I did act wrongly." He jingled the money in his hand. "Thanks."
"That's not what I meant by 'wrong.'" Muten Natsu shook her head and dragged Sueyoshi to a more secluded spot. "It's wrong for the soul of a dead person to possess the body of a living one."
"You can see me?" The flat-headed Soul emerged from Sueyoshi's body. "You can really see me?"
Sueyoshi's body collapsed. The flat-headed Soul floated before Muten Natsu, chains across its chest clanking loudly. "This is the first time I've met someone who can actually see me!"
Compared to Sueyoshi, the flat-headed Soul's appearance was far more menacing.
"Staying in the World of the Living is too dangerous." The black bandages formed by Raku Zetsu loosened slightly as Muten Natsu reached out toward the flat-headed man's head. "I'm sending you to the Soul Society right now."
"Wait, wait, wait a minute!" The flat-headed man dodged. "What are you doing?!"
"…Something like that." Muten Natsu briefly explained the Konsō.
"I see. Got it." The flat-headed man slapped his thigh. "But I can't leave right now!"
Muten Natsu felt a strange sense of déjà vu. "You don't have some unfinished business, do you?"
"Look at him." The flat-headed man pointed to Sueyoshi lying on the ground. "This guy is completely useless."
"I think he can take a beating." Muten Natsu spoke honestly. After all, he hadn't even cried out in pain from all that punishment.
"He's about to represent the club in the tournament! If he loses because of an injury, it'll be the biggest regret of his life!"
"Regret is part of life. Losing a match because you got hurt is at least better than losing because you're not strong enough."
"Sueyoshi is really strong!" the flat-headed man shouted indignantly. "As long as he takes it seriously, he'll definitely win!"
"Wow, that's impressive." Muten Natsu's voice was deliberately casual. "Well, he'll take it seriously in the ring, so you can relax and go."
"That's exactly why I can't leave—I'm worried!"
"But doesn't that mean you don't believe he'll take it seriously?" Muten Natsu stared at him. "Let me guess… your plan to make him serious is to possess him and fight in his place?"
"No…!" The flat-headed man averted his gaze. "That's not it…"
"Do you want to see how guilty you look?" Muten Natsu warned. "Possession is extremely harmful to the living. The body is the vessel for a soul. Trying to fit two bottles of water into a container made for one is bound to cause problems."
"But… I have a reason why I have to do this!"
Orihime Inoue blinked in curiosity. "What reason?"
"Don't ask…" Muten Natsu sighed, unable to stop herself.
"My name is Kyōma. I'm in the same class as Sueyoshi…"