"Squad Five Captain... Aizen..." Ichigo murmured, fixing the name in his memory. "So what exactly do you want with Rukia."

"Nothing in particular." Kisuke Urahara said flatly. "To draw Aizen into the open, we naturally need bait, bait compelling enough to get his attention."

"...So Rukia is the bait." Ichigo's tone went cold. "Don't you think that's going a bit too far, Urahara?"

"Too far?" Kisuke Urahara's face was expressionless, eyes almost vacant. "Ichigo, don't misunderstand, what's coming has nothing to do with our old training sessions."

"Once this conflict truly erupts, it could very well escalate into a war that sweeps through all three realms. For the sake of victory, even placing my own life on the scales is acceptable."

"..." After a moment of silence, Ichigo asked again. "What happens to Rukia?"

"Under normal circumstances, Kuchiki wouldn't face any particularly serious charges." Kisuke Urahara pulled the brim of his hat down. "But Aizen isn't the type to play by the rules... she could very well end up facing the death penalty."

"...In other words, you need me to go. Right." Ichigo's expression went flat and cold. "From the very first day — when Rukia asked me for help — you already had today in mind, didn't you."

"I have no intention of forcing you, Ichigo." Kisuke Urahara said honestly. "You're only a human. You have no obligation to help us Soul Reapers..."

"You!" Ichigo grabbed him by the collar with his right hand and spoke in a cold, hard voice. "Is that really what you think of me?!"

"..."

"If you need help, just say so directly. Why go about it like this?!"

"...I'm sorry..."

"Tch!" Ichigo released the collar and walked away without looking back. "Next time, I'll cut you down."

"...Why does he feel more and more like one of those Squad 11 guys." Yoruichi shrugged and mocked her old friend. "You played it wrong. Same as with Kuchiki, why not just be straight with him from the start."

"He's just a human. A fifteen-year-old high school student, Yoruichi." Urahara hung his head and said quietly. "His strength is not an excuse for us to rely on him."

"When it comes down to it, I'm an adult. Asking Ichigo for help... I can't bring myself to do it."

"And now you decide to have some pride?"

"It's not pride. It's the dignity of an adult."

"And you've preserved that dignity, have you — by using something close to coercion."

"At the very least, I didn't lose too much of it."

Whether human or Soul Reaper, everyone carries complex emotions, and sometimes those complex emotions are nothing more than a personal stubbornness. Neither clearly good nor clearly bad. Hard to say which.

...

"Ichigo! Any plans for the break?"

It was mid-July now, the end of term drawing near. Keigo had fully shifted into vacation mode, head stuffed with holiday fantasies, already living out an imaginary happy summer in his mind.

"Nothing special." Ichigo glanced out the window. "Just probably have to head off to another world."

"Hah?! You finally gonna die or something?!"

"What is wrong with you?"

Ichigo rolled his eyes. The low mood left over from the conversation with Kisuke Urahara had lifted a little.

"The spirit world. The spirit world." Ichigo glanced at the empty seat behind him. "Rukia hasn't been coming in, right, she was taken back to the spirit world."

"Ohh, " Keigo's eyes went wide with realization. "So you're going to go confess to Kuchiki! I'm telling you, Ichigo, your taste really is something, sure, Kuchiki's got the age thing going, but there's nothing else going for her, how can she even compare to Ori, ow!"

A sudden elbow to the ribs made Keigo swallow the rest of the sentence whole. Must have gone down too fast, a little white spittle escaped at the corner of the mouth.

"Say another word and I really will go all out on you."

"Yes, sir!"

"People down there, keep it down!"

...

After school, the moment Ichigo stepped out the school gate, Yasutora Sado, Orihime, and Uryu were waiting to cut him off.

"What's going on?" Ichigo looked at his friends, baffled.

"Aren't you going to explain yourself?" Uryu pushed up his glasses. "What you're planning to do next."

"What do you mean, what next?"

"Were you really going to go alone?" Orihime clutched both fists. "Rukia is our friend too! We want to go save her!"

"...Hah?"

"Stop hiding it, Ichigo." Yasutora Sado said in a low, steady voice. "Mr. Urahara already told us, you're planning to go to Soul Society to rescue Kuchiki, right."

"Tch! That damn hat-and-clogs!" The second the secret was out, Ichigo ground his teeth together. "I'm definitely cutting him down tomorrow! Bastard!"

"Were you going to go alone?" Uryu said evenly. "Even Ryuken has said it, the Soul Reaper Captains are packed with powerful fighters. No matter how strong you are, going alone isn't going to cut it."

"On my own I could still, "

"Besides, right now your head is nothing but muscle."

"What the hell are you saying?!"

"Ichigo." Yasutora Sado looked at Ichigo with complete seriousness. "We want to help you. Just like you helped us."

"...Tch."

Over a year ago, back in second year of middle school, Yasutora Sado got into a fight with some delinquents who simply didn't like the look of Sado. In the scuffle, they broke a pendant Sado treasured. Sado fought back, and then suddenly awakened a power, beating the delinquents into serious injuries.

One or two of them should have died. But Ichigo happened to be nearby. Sensing an unfamiliar spiritual pressure, Ichigo went to investigate and found Sado in the middle of pounding people into the ground. Stepping in just in time to stop it, Ichigo and Sado made a pact afterward: don't use that power recklessly. Only raise your fist for someone else's sake.

Orihime was different. The power awakened on its own, just a few days into the new school year. Ichigo noticed something was off and, speaking from experience, made the first move to approach.

Shun Shun Rikka felt strangely familiar to Orihime, almost welcoming, but a high school student living alone who could suddenly see spirits wasn't something easy to accept all at once. Without Ichigo's timely guidance, even someone as easygoing as Orihime wouldn't have known what to do with herself.

"Uryu has a point." Ichigo scratched his head. "Soul Society is not a tourist destination. Those Soul Reaper Captains are all seriously strong."

"Don't underestimate us, Ichigo." Yasutora Sado said with confidence. "These past two months, Orihime and I have been training under Yoruichi's guidance. Our strength has grown by leaps and bounds."

"Sure, sure... but still..."

"We... want to help you and fight by your side." Orihime's expression turned sad. "Are we not even qualified to do that?"

"...Ugh, fine, I get it!" Ichigo threw up his hands and started walking. "Come on then! I'll take you to meet some people, their abilities are more varied, you might get better guidance there... We don't have much time to prepare!"

"Okay."

Behind Ichigo, Orihime turned to the two companions at her side and flashed a mischievous grin, the very picture of a plan coming together perfectly.

'So easy to handle... in the future, definitely going to be completely wrapped around Orihime's finger...'

The two exchanged a glance. The exact same thought had surfaced in both their minds at the exact same moment.

➤ Next: The Visored