The next day, Tsuna's trio arranged to meet again at Inoue Orihime's house.
"Eh? Arisawa-san, Sawada-san, Kurosaki-san—you're here again? Welcome."
Orihime stepped aside to let them in and asked curiously, "Didn't you already finish your homework? What brings you here?"
Tsuna lifted the bag of fruit in his hand.
"You're living alone, so it's easier if we just hang out at your place. Tatsuki, Inoue-san—could you wash these fruits first?"
"This is too expensive…" Orihime said as she accepted the bag. Fruit wasn't cheap, and this was quite a lot.
"Don't worry about that. Come on, Inoue—take me to the kitchen," Tatsuki said affectionately, linking arms with her.
This had been Tsuna's plan all along. Tatsuki would distract Orihime first, while he and Ichigo went to talk to Inoue Sora.
The two of them walked over to the corner where Sora was crouching. As expected, he was still there, quietly watching over Orihime's life.
"Can we talk, Inoue-niisan?" Tsuna said softly, trying not to attract Orihime's attention.
"You can see me?"
Sora, who had already accepted the fact that he was dead, asked in shock.
"Inoue-niisan, you haven't passed on for so long… are you worried about Orihime?" Ichigo asked.
"You're Orihime's classmates—you should know why I can't rest easy leaving a middle school girl to live on her own," Sora sighed, his face full of worry.
"But if you don't pass on, when the Chain of Fate on your chest disappears, you'll turn into a monster. If that happens, the one in danger will be Inoue!" Ichigo said according to what he understood.
"A monster?"
At the mention of Orihime's safety, Sora's expression immediately turned anxious as he looked at the chain on his chest.
"You mean this?"
"Ichigo… that chain still looks pretty long," Ichigo muttered as he looked at the Chain of Fate, which was still over a meter long. It was obvious it wouldn't disappear anytime soon.
Tsuna already knew Sora wouldn't become a Hollow anytime soon. According to the original timeline, he would only be devoured by a Hollow and become one himself after Orihime entered high school.
That meant Sora had maintained this spirit body state throughout her entire middle school life.
Tsuna's eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
Normally, it was impossible for a soul to remain in the Human World for that long. Yet Sora had endured purely through his concern for Orihime—until, eventually, Orihime constantly talking about Ichigo caused a sense of emptiness to grow within him, allowing a Hollow to devour him.
Could Sora be different from other souls?
Tsuna quietly manipulated Reishi behind his back and examined Sora.
To his surprise, he discovered faint Reiatsu emanating from Sora's spiritual body.
Perhaps that was the key to why Sora had been able to persist for so long.
"Tsuna, how is it?" Ichigo asked.
"Inoue-niisan, you possess a small amount of Reiatsu. That's both good and bad," Tsuna explained.
"The good news is that you can remain in the Human World for quite a long time—maybe a year, maybe two."
"But the downside is that your Reiatsu could attract the attention of Hollows. If a Hollow devours you, there's no guarantee it won't turn its attention toward Inoue afterward."
"Hollows… the monsters you mentioned?" Sora asked.
"That's right."
"What should I do then?" Sora asked anxiously. He worried about his sister, but he didn't want her to die at the hands of monsters either.
"Normally, after a soul passes on, it goes to a place called Soul Society," Tsuna explained.
"There, you can live a second life as a soul. Since you already possess Reiatsu, you could train to become a Shinigami. When Orihime eventually dies of natural causes, the two of you could meet again in Soul Society."
"Wait until Orihime dies naturally…" Sora murmured, his mood sinking.
"But during this time, I still can't stop worrying about her…"
"Don't worry," Tsuna said, patting Ichigo on the shoulder.
"Ichigo will take good care of Inoue."
"Hey, Tsuna—why me?" Ichigo protested in a low voice.
"Should I do it instead? Tatsuki would beat me to death," Tsuna replied calmly.
Ichigo fell silent. He couldn't refute that.
"Well… but… but…" Ichigo desperately tried to come up with a reason, but it wasn't easy for him.
"You're Ichigo?" Sora suddenly asked excitedly.
"Orihime mentions you every day. So you're that person."
Yesterday, Sora had assumed Tsuna and the others couldn't see him, so he had focused entirely on Orihime and hadn't even noticed Ichigo's name.
"She… talks about me?" Ichigo said in confusion. They hadn't known each other for very long.
"Yes," Sora replied seriously.
"Orihime said you're like a ray of sunlight shining into her world. Ever since she met you, she's been smiling much more."
"Me? Am I really that amazing?" Ichigo didn't know how to react to that.
"You have no idea how attractive kindness can be to someone living in darkness," Tsuna said.
"Um… this may be rude, but could I ask you to look after Orihime?" Sora suddenly said.
"I'm sorry. I have nothing I can give you. All I can offer is my most sincere gratitude."
He immediately dropped into a deep dogeza, bowing to Ichigo.
"H-Hey, get up! Even if you didn't ask, I'd still do it!" Ichigo said in embarrassment.
He started flailing awkwardly, but Tsuna quickly stopped him—too much noise might alert Orihime.
"So, Inoue-niisan… you can rest easy now, right?" Tsuna asked.
"Well… I suppose I have no choice," Sora said with a smile.
"Young man, even if I refused, you'd still find a way to deal with me, wouldn't you?"
"You're very perceptive, Inoue-niisan."
"When you survive in society, you learn a few basic skills," Sora said before turning back to Tsuna.
"Thank you."
"Alright Tsuna, let's call Inoue over!" Ichigo urged.
"You want me to watch Orihime leave…? I suppose that's fine…" Sora began.
But Ichigo immediately interrupted him.
"That's not it! We want Orihime to see you one last time. That should fulfill her wish, right?"
"See me?" Sora wiped tears that technically didn't exist on his spirit face.
"Orihime really didn't misjudge you, Ichigo. Her future… I'll leave it to you."
That look Sora gave Ichigo made him even more flustered, while Tsuna simply watched the scene with a smile.
That gaze clearly looked like an older brother evaluating his future brother-in-law.
At that moment, Orihime came out carrying the washed fruit.
"Kurosaki-san, Sawada-san—the fruit's ready."
"Inoue, come here! We have a surprise!" Ichigo said eagerly.
Amid Orihime's confused protests, Ichigo pulled her in front of Sora's photograph.
Just as she was wondering what was going on, Ichigo and Tsuna both placed their hands on her shoulders.
After practicing the day before, Ichigo could already mobilize a small amount of Reiatsu.
Together, the two of them infused their Reiatsu into Orihime.
Her vision suddenly blurred.
Her pupils trembled, and tears instantly streamed down her cheeks.
"Brother… I missed you so much!" Orihime sobbed.
The fruit slipped from her hands, but Tsuna quickly caught it.
"Orihime… I'm sorry…"
The siblings cried as they spoke to each other.
Both of them knew this might be their final meeting.
Tsuna, Ichigo, and Tatsuki didn't interrupt—they simply waited quietly.
They talked until evening.
By the time the conversation finally ended, two full bags of used tissues sat beside Orihime, filled with tears.
"That's enough, Orihime," Sora said gently.
Then he looked at the two boys supplying Reiatsu.
"Thank you both… and the other classmate as well."
"Thank you… Kurosaki-san…" Orihime said through tears.
Being able to see her brother one last time had completely cleared the darkness in her heart.
"And lastly… Ichigo," Sora added with particular emphasis.
That gentle, entrusting tone was so obvious that even Orihime's slow nerves noticed something was off.
"B-Brother, what are you saying?!" Orihime shouted, her face turning bright red as she flailed her arms helplessly.
"You talk about how wonderful Ichigo is every day," Sora said warmly.
"Your brother here heard everything."
Orihime's face turned completely crimson. She couldn't say a word.
She even wondered why her annoying brother hadn't disappeared yet.
"Don't worry, Inoue-niisan," Tsuna added helpfully.
"We'll invite Inoue to Ichigo's house more often. I'm sure Aunt Masaki will be very happy."
"Huh? My mom? Why?" Ichigo asked, completely confused.
At the mention of Ichigo's mother, Orihime nearly fainted from embarrassment. Fortunately, Tatsuki caught her in time.
Seeing this reaction, Sora became even more certain of his guess.
"Well then… I'll leave it here," he said with a smile.
"Be happy, Orihime."
Sora floated toward the door.
After asking Ichigo and Tatsuki to look after Orihime, Tsuna followed him outside.
Sora was waiting there.
"Can't you pass on directly?" Tsuna asked.
His appearance changed—he now wore a black suit, casually spinning a black Zanpakutō in his hand.
If it were another soul, Tsuna wouldn't bother talking and would simply perform Konsō.
But this was Sora.
"No matter what, thank you," Sora said.
"My wish in life was to watch Orihime grow up. Maybe that's why I couldn't pass on."
He looked down at the Chain of Fate on his chest.
Because he was a soul, he could meet Orihime again.
But because of that chain, he also had to stay away from her.
"Don't worry. You'll meet again in a hundred years," Tsuna said as he raised the hilt of his Zanpakutō toward Sora's forehead.
"A hundred years is too long," Sora replied firmly.
"Mr. Tsuna… is there any way for me to witness Orihime's growth?"
"No matter the cost."
Seeing the determination in Sora's eyes, Tsuna understood.
What bound him here was his lingering obsession. Meeting again a hundred years later wouldn't resolve that.
Tsuna carefully recalled Sora's few appearances in the original story.
Perhaps… there really was a way.
"Even if you become a monster?" Tsuna asked.
"A Hollow, you mean?" Sora said, already remembering the name.
"Please, Mr. Tsuna."
"I understand," Tsuna said.
"But I'll be honest—I'm not sure it will work."
"Well… I'm already dead anyway."
If it failed, it would simply mean his death had truly come.
Looking at the man before him—so open and resolute—Tsuna felt the power of something called obsession for the first time.
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Sagamaster789