"...He kept talking about boxing as a pure sport, but in the end, he was still fighting for something beyond just victory." Kyōma scratched his head. "While I was protecting him, he was protecting me in his own way too. Seriously... I wish I had realized that sooner."
Muten Natsu lifted his eyes. "Didn't you realize it a long time ago?"
"Huh?"
"If all you wanted was to indulge in violence under the excuse of protecting someone, then you never would have taken him to learn boxing." Muten Natsu pointed at Sueyoshi in the ring. "From the very beginning, what you wanted was never just someone to protect, or some excuse to use violence. You wanted a partner who could move forward at your side."
Kyōma stared at Muten Natsu in a daze, clearly surprised. "So you actually can talk like a normal person."
"I only just found out that you can understand normal human speech."
"...I take that back." Kyōma turned away in disgust. "When I was dying, I actually thought going down in a fight was kind of cool. But now that I think about it... if I had the chance, I really wish I could have said goodbye to him as the person I used to be."
Not as some punk who died trying to prove he was tougher than everyone else, but as his boxing partner. That would have been better.
"In Sueyoshi's eyes, you are still the same person you were back then," Rukia Kuchiki said firmly. "That never changed."
"No way." Kyōma waved a hand. "In his eyes, I stopped being that person a long time ago."
"When he realized you were Kyōma, he wasn't afraid at all. He accepted it almost immediately," Rukia Kuchiki reminded him. "Even after you became a ghost and took control of his body, he never once worried that you would hurt him."
Orihime Inoue added, "The fact that he accepted it so quickly might mean he had already imagined reuniting with your Soul countless times in his heart!"
Tears welled up in Kyōma's eyes. He wiped hard at them twice, but they would not go away. So he straightened up and bowed deeply.
"Thank you so much!!!"
Muten Natsu reached out and pressed a hand to Kyōma's forehead. The hilt in his palm left a mark there.
A circle appeared on Kyōma's forehead, with [Life and Death] set inside it. The circle bloomed with a soft rainbow glow, and a purple ring of light gradually swallowed up his body. A black butterfly beat its wings, passed ghostlike through the roof of the boxing arena, and flew up into the sky.
A figure hung upside down in midair, watching the Jigokuchō disappear. The downturned corner of his mouth curved up slightly.
"Muten Natsu... pretty capable, huh."
…
"I~~~~~chigo!" Keigo Asano ran straight at Ichigo Kurosaki.
Thud.
He was dropped by a single Thunder Lariat from Ichigo Kurosaki.
"Hi." Ichigo Kurosaki walked right past him with a blank expression.
"L... long time no see," Keigo Asano said from the floor. "Ichigo."
"I feel like I've seen this exact scene a lot of times already." Muten Natsu yawned. "Is this some kind of weird flirting between you two?"
Ichigo Kurosaki shot him an irritated glare. "I'm doing this precisely because I don't want people misunderstanding it like that."
"Morning," Mizuiro Kojima said in greeting. "Looks like everyone's the same as usual today."
"Morning, Mizuiro." Ichigo Kurosaki answered and went back to his seat.
"Morn..." Muten Natsu got halfway through the reply before yawning again.
"Muten Natsu is just as unenergetic as ever." Mizuiro Kojima crouched beside Keigo Asano. "And you're just as energetic as ever."
Keigo Asano said, "Drop dead!"
Muten Natsu strolled lazily into the classroom and immediately heard the excited voice of Chizuru Honshō.
"Orihime~" Chizuru Honshō lunged straight at Orihime Inoue. "I missed you so mu... ngh!"
She was intercepted halfway by Tatsuki Arisawa.
"Unbelievable." Tatsuki Arisawa grabbed Chizuru Honshō. "Does this flea ridden cat act like this no matter the season?"
"Yes!" Chizuru Honshō answered loudly. "I need the nourishment of love in every season!"
"Must be nice..." Keigo Asano sighed. "I want to live that honestly too."
Mizuiro Kojima's mouth twitched. "I think you're already pretty honest."
"The three of you are together again today!" Mahana Natsui waved, her untied collar hanging open and generously revealing a glimpse of pale skin. "I'm so jealous."
Rukia Kuchiki's face immediately flushed red, and she greeted them in a fluster.
"G... good morning!"
"Don't say things like that out loud..." Michiru Ogawa nervously tugged at Mahana Natsui. "Stuff like that..."
No one knew the exact details, but Muten Natsu, Rukia Kuchiki, and Orihime Inoue went to school together every day, went home together every day, and even lived together. The rumors going around class were pretty explosive.
Still, because everyone was intimidated by Muten Natsu's reputation as the Sleeping Tiger, hardly anyone dared to say anything openly.
But saying it that directly was a whole different matter.
Ryō Kunieda flipped a page in the book she was holding. "I think your worry is unnecessary."
"Huh?" Michiru Ogawa turned her head and saw the look on Orihime Inoue's face.
"Hehehe..." Orihime Inoue did not look embarrassed in the slightest. If anything, she looked a little pleased with herself.
Tatsuki Arisawa rubbed Orihime Inoue's head helplessly. "You're grinning like an idiot..."
The bell for class rang, and their homeroom teacher, Misato Ochi, looked pleasantly surprised.
"Not bad! Full attendance! I'm very happy!"
She flipped through the roll book.
"Even though Oshima and Sorimachi are missing, it's fine. They're punks anyway, so I'm sure they're fine! Even though he's also a punk, Natsu always makes people feel so reassured... ah, asleep again. Sweet dreams."
Closing the roll book, Misato Ochi looked up.
"All right, I've got some huge news for everyone! Let me introduce a transfer student!"
"The Hira from flat, the Ko from kid, the Shin from stretching it out loooong, and the Ji from cod roe." The pale-yellow bowl-cut boy gave a lazy, offhand bow, the corners of his mouth hanging in a relaxed droop. "I'm Shinji Hirako. Nice to meet you."
"Hey..." Misato Ochi pointed at the mirror writing Shinji Hirako had put on the blackboard. "Hirako, didn't you write that backwards?"
"Not bad, right? Writing backwards is what I do best."
"Oh, is that so?" Misato Ochi sounded totally uninterested. "Looks like you've already finished your self introduction. All right, go sit over there."
"No problem." Shinji Hirako sat down in the empty seat beside Muten Natsu and reached out to poke him where he was slumped over the desk. "Yo."
The atmosphere in the classroom immediately grew tense.
All the students stared at Shinji Hirako in shock.
Everyone had heard the title Sleeping Tiger. In the whole class, other than Orihime Inoue and Rukia Kuchiki, nobody had ever dared disturb Muten Natsu while he was sleeping.
"We're sitting next to each other," Shinji Hirako said with a smile. "Let's get along well..."
Muten Natsu suddenly lashed out, his hand shooting for Shinji Hirako's throat, his wide eyes streaked red with bloodshot veins.
Rukia Kuchiki called out, "Muten!"
His clawed hand stopped in midair. Muten Natsu blinked, lowered it, and said, "Ah... let's get along." Then he dropped back down and went right back to sleep.
"Don't mind him..." Ichigo Kurosaki whispered. "Muten... well, he's actually a really good person. He just doesn't like people disturbing his sleep."
"Ah, it's nothing." Shinji Hirako waved it off. "It's fine, really. About what I expected, honestly."
Ichigo Kurosaki: "...?"
Did this guy do that on purpose just now?
The school day passed quickly in Muten Natsu's sleep, and after classes ended, it was time for club activities.
As a member of the Sleeping Club, Muten Natsu should have gone home to sleep, but today he came to the Handicraft Club with Orihime Inoue. Rukia Kuchiki came along too, with Ririn.
"This is everything I've made so far." Uryū Ishida opened a clear storage binder. Inside the transparent sleeves were one tiny dress after another. "There are some small accessories too."
Uryū Ishida was the president of the Handicraft Club, and he was especially skilled at sewing.
Back in Soul Society, Ririn had been running all over the place, so some wear and tear on her doll body had been unavoidable. At the time, it was Uryū Ishida who repaired it for her.
After seeing how skilled Uryū Ishida was with his hands, Muten Natsu had asked him to make Ririn a few more outfits so she could change them up.
"Wow!" Ririn exclaimed happily as she flipped through them. "These are amazing!"
"This bunny one is so cute!" Rukia Kuchiki said, picking out one of the dresses. "It's all fluffy."
"This one is really cute too~" Orihime Inoue thanked Ishida on Ririn's behalf. "Thank you, Ishida."
Uryū Ishida adjusted his glasses. "It was no trouble."
Seeing how happy they were put Muten Natsu in a better mood too. "If there's anything you need help with, just say the word."
Uryū Ishida refused without hesitation. "I have no need for a Shinigami's help."
Muten Natsu was speechless for a moment. "Then why are you helping a Shinigami?"
Uryū Ishida drew a firm distinction. "I'm helping Ririn."
"Um..." Orihime Inoue hesitated. "Ishida, are you really sure you don't need help? Your Reiatsu..."
"Hm?" Rukia Kuchiki focused for a moment. "Your Reiatsu... it feels like it's fading."
When Rukia Kuchiki had returned to Soul Society, Uryū Ishida had not yet begun his special training.
So Rukia Kuchiki had never seen the powerful Reiatsu he possessed after that training, and when his Reiatsu began to fade, she had not realized anything was wrong.
It was only when Orihime Inoue brought it up that Rukia Kuchiki noticed something was off with Uryū Ishida.
As for Muten Natsu... his sensing ability had always been poor.
Uryū Ishida lowered his head and packed up his things. "It's nothing worth worrying about."
Muten Natsu looked doubtful. "Really?"
"It's not a Shinigami's place to question a Quincy's judgment." Uryū Ishida slung his bag over his shoulder. "Worry about yourself."
...
Leaving school alone, Uryū Ishida returned to his empty home.
"I'm home."
No one answered.
Uryū Ishida had never expected anyone would.
He made dinner alone, ate dinner alone, and cleaned the kitchen alone.
He had long since grown used to living like this.
But today...
Uryū Ishida paused in the middle of washing the dishes.
Things at Muten Natsu's home were probably different.
Maybe it was because they had talked a little more than usual after school, and because he had seen them walking home together, but his thoughts started drifting on their own, imagining what they were doing right now.
Three people... four, if Ririn counted too.
What was life like for four people living together?
Muten Natsu was probably sleeping in, Kuchiki-san was probably working hard on her homework, Inoue-san was likely in the kitchen experimenting with some bizarre recipe, and Ririn was probably trying on different doll outfits.
Each of them doing their own thing. In that sense, maybe it was not so different from him.
They would probably chat now and then, or help each other out...
That part was very different from him.
I can manage just fine on my own.
Uryū Ishida started washing the dishes faster, as if he did not want to leave himself any room to think.
Finish his homework, clean his room, improve and sew a new Quincy battle uniform based on the issues he had discovered in his previous fight in Soul Society...
Was there still any point?
After destroying the Sanrei Glove, Uryū Ishida's Quincy powers were steadily disappearing.
He cut the thread with a pair of scissors and tied off the loose end.
After checking the materials he had left, he realized it was time to restock, so he changed clothes and stepped out into the night.
Sunflower Sewing Karakura Shop was a tailor shop that stayed open twenty four hours a day.
Because its business philosophy did not focus on profit, it was beloved by a great many handicraft enthusiasts and had an excellent reputation.
By the time Uryū Ishida left the store carrying a shopping bag, the turmoil in his heart had gradually settled.
Even without the power of a Quincy...
The darkness behind him suddenly twisted, and a figure wearing a Hollow mask appeared soundlessly.
Uryū Ishida spun around just as a white flash came straight at his face.
He leaped back and avoided the Hollow's attack. When he landed and looked up, he realized that the strike that had nearly hit him was actually the Hollow's tongue.
The Hollow's body resembled a double-layered spinning top, with half of it protruding from a black fissure while the other half remained hidden inside.
Its pale Hollow mask was strangely and visibly damaged, with a rough broken edge that exposed half of its mouth.
Coming out of a tear in space...
Uryū Ishida immediately understood how serious this was. He had seen something like this before, during his match with Muten Natsu, when that massive Menos had appeared.
What intense Reiatsu!
As the Menos charged out of the spatial fissure and came straight for him, Uryū Ishida sprang backward and broke into a run, scanning his surroundings as he moved.
His Quincy powers were fading, and what little strength he had left was not enough to destroy a being that appeared to be a Menos. Rather than waste power firing his Reishi Bow, it would be better to use what remained to widen the distance between them.
Even without his Quincy powers, he was not completely out of options.
Uryū Ishida pulled down his zipper, took four Gintō from inside his clothes, and hurled them at the Hollow behind him.
They were containers he had used during training to store Reiryoku, and at this moment they were perfect for dealing with this Hollow.
"Take the field of battle formed by the atmosphere!" Uryū Ishida seized the moment, curling together his middle and index fingers to activate the Gintō. "Heizen!"
The burst of Reiryoku wove itself through the air. The square outline it formed suddenly blazed with brilliant blue light and pierced straight through the Hollow's body.