The morning after Orihime Inoue was attacked—
As soon as Yoh Asakura stepped into the classroom, he felt four burning gazes locked firmly onto him.
Yoh naturally understood the meaning behind those looks. He cleared his throat twice, and suddenly a gentle young man, who appeared to be in his late twenties, materialized from behind him.
The young man looked somewhat bashful, but the moment Orihime saw him, she stood up in a flurry of excitement.
Prompted by the questioning looks of her classmates, Orihime sat back down and tried to compose herself, though her face remained flushed with joy.
Ichigo Kurosaki was genuinely happy for Orihime, but Rukia Kuchiki's heart was far more conflicted.
Although she wished for it to be true, the idea of a Hollow reverting back into a Plus was simply too inconceivable...
Before they could dwell on it any longer, Sora Inoue's body rose higher. The monstrous form below his neck once again sent a jolt of shock through those who could see him.
Wasn't he exactly the same as yesterday?
No, the only difference was that the massive hole in his chest was gone. That hole, the proof of a Hollow having lost its human heart, had somehow been filled in completely.
Rukia firmly held back Ichigo, who was ready to spring into action. She could clearly feel that while Sora still looked like a Hollow, he didn't give off even a trace of a Hollow's aura.
Sora's massive frame should have been far too large for the classroom, yet he drifted right through the desks, the floor, and even the other students until he reached Orihime.
Orihime waved at him with a bright smile. She wasn't disappointed that her brother hadn't returned to his human form; for her, as long as her brother was still her brother, that was more than enough.
Tatsuki Arisawa squinted her eyes. She could faintly make out something massive lingering around Orihime, which reminded her of the dream she had the previous day.
That dream had felt so vivid—far more real than her actual 'memories.'
In the dream, she had been at Orihime's house when they were attacked by something invisible. Orihime had collapsed as if her soul had been snatched away, and then Yoh Asakura had jumped straight out of the window.
She had followed him and seen the ground and walls shattered for no apparent reason, then saw the transfer student, Rukia Kuchiki, come running over.
Finally, she heard Yoh say something strange to Rukia before the dream abruptly ended.
No matter how she looked at it, the dream made no sense, but if she went by her 'memories,' things were even more ridiculous.
Her 'memories' told her that a massive Yokozuna wearing nothing but a fundoshi and carrying a spear had suddenly charged into Orihime's house to wreak havoc.
Because that was so absurd, Tatsuki was much more inclined to believe her dream was the reality.
Unbeknownst to everyone, the expression of the refined-looking boy with glasses had turned incredibly grim.
He stared fixedly at Sora Inoue's form, his eyes behind the glinting lenses filled with shock, confusion, and anger.
When lunch break arrived, Ichigo, Orihime, and Rukia—who had all planned to confront Yoh immediately—found themselves beaten to it by an unexpected individual.
"Asakura, I have something to say to you."
The classroom fell silent instantly. Almost everyone pricked up their ears, eager to see how this would play out.
It was exceptionally rare for these two to have any sort of interaction.
Yoh Asakura was essentially an outsider in the class, with an attendance rate of less than thirty percent. Because he had never been warned or threatened with expulsion despite this, rumors swirled that he was the principal's illegitimate son.
Furthermore, because Yoh was quite handsome, many girls were curious about him, but they were mostly kept at a distance by his close friendship with Ichigo and Tatsuki.
As for the other person, Uryu Ishida, he was a ghost in the classroom who never socialized. However, he was famous for being the top student in their grade and the ace of the Handicrafts Club.
There were also rumors that his family was incredibly wealthy, making him a rich second-generation heir.
With these two suddenly facing off and a faint scent of tension in the air, the students were both anxious and intrigued.
"Hm? If it isn't Uryu. It's rare for you to approach me. But didn't you tell me not to talk to you at school?"
Yoh's familiar tone and the way he addressed Uryu triggered a wave of whispers throughout the room as everyone speculated on their relationship.
Meanwhile, Ichigo remembered Yoh calling him 'Little Ichigo' the night before and felt another shiver of disgust.
Although Yoh had explained that it wasn't him but the spirit inside him who had said it.
Even so, Ichigo felt incredibly uncomfortable. When he had asked who the spirit was and why it called him that, Yoh's answer had been frustratingly vague.
He only said that because the spirit had been with him since he was very small, it had basically watched Ichigo grow up, hence the nickname.
It sounded plausible, but Ichigo's gut told him that Yoh was definitely hiding something, and it was likely something very important to him.
"Follow me."
Uryu Ishida adjusted his glasses, maintaining a mysterious and aloof air. Yoh curled his lip, knowing the guy just loved playing the cool, detached type—he really was a perfect match for someone with Sasuke Uchiha's voice.
Yoh rolled his eyes in exasperation. First he was dragged off by Rukia, and now Uryu wanted an explanation. What did they take him for? Didn't he have any dignity to maintain?
Yoh put on his headphones, turned the volume up to block out the world, and promptly fell asleep on his desk.
He had been up all night dealing with Sora Inoue's situation and was absolutely exhausted.
Seeing that Yoh hadn't followed, Uryu stood frozen in place for a long while. Eventually, without saying a word, he sat back down and took out his lunch.
'(How pathetic...)' the entire class thought at once.
Orihime watched Yoh sleeping on his desk. She looked at him, then looked again, and before she knew it, she had started to daze off.
Seeing this, alarm bells rang in Sora Inoue's head. Although Orihime was his sister, she was more like a daughter to him. They had a large age gap, and he had raised her with his own hands since she was born.
He now felt as if his precious prize cabbage was about to be snatched away by a wild boar. Unfortunately, this 'boar' was both his savior and the person he feared most, so he could only nurse his headache in silence...