"What a terrifying ability..." Shinji Hirako looked at Kensei Muguruma and couldn't help but marvel. "Having support that powerful around really takes a load off."

"Mm." Ichigo gave a noncommittal sound, then said, "Aren't you going back? To Soul Society."

"No." Shinji shook his head and tugged at the corner of their mouth. There was a hint of desolation in their voice. "Those guys back then went too far. Some people are fine, but others ended up deeply disappointed in Soul Society itself."

"It's not like you were fighting to protect Soul Society anyway." Ichigo spread his hands. "Don't you all want to get a few swings in on that guy?"

"We do, but forget it." Shinji continued. "We're not like you. When you invaded Seireitei, honestly, a lot of the captains were just going through the motions."

"Oh? Why's that?"

"Because you're just a human. A human." Shinji smiled, and the words were pure mockery. "Those old fossils don't take people like you very seriously. Whatever else you are, you're still just a human teenager — it's not like you could turn the whole place upside down, right?"

"Hmm... I suppose that's not a wrong way to think about it."

"But we're different." Shinji swung the blade in their hand idly. "We've been thoroughly branded with Kisuke Urahara's name, and you haven't. You going to Soul Society doesn't really signify anything on its own. But if all of us went — wouldn't that just prove Kisuke is planning something big?"

"A situation that chaotic is not something we want to see. If things get too out of hand, we might end up taking casualties ourselves."

"I see..."

Rubbing his chin, Ichigo realized he hadn't actually thought that far ahead. His plan had been simple: charge into Seireitei and hack away at everything. The bigger the chaos, the easier it would be to flush Sosuke Aizen out into the open. But thinking about it now, too much chaos wouldn't be ideal either.

"What a pain!" Ichigo shook his head and sighed. "Can't it just be a straight fight — winner takes all, loser gets lost?"

"By that logic, we'd be the complete and utter losers here."

"...Fair point." Ichigo patted Shinji on the back and laughed. "Don't worry about it. I'll avenge you all. When the time comes, I'll put a few extra cuts on that guy."

"Well, many thanks for that!"

The days that followed fell into a simple routine. Yasutora Sado and Orihime Inoue were practically just bouncing between school, home, and the Visored's warehouse, a three-point circuit. Once break started, it narrowed to two: home and the warehouse.

Not even two weeks later, under the guidance and sparring of Love Aikawa and Kensei Muguruma, Yasutora Sado's strength had grown enormously. The mutant ability in the right arm had evolved, and something new had started mixing into the spiritual pressure as well.

Love Aikawa and Kensei Muguruma both felt this firsthand. What had started as an effortless, crushing advantage had slowly become a real struggle. Now, in Shikai without masks on, they were actually at a disadvantage. The sheer scale of improvement quietly stunned the Visored, and every one of them privately arrived at the same thought: a monster's friends were naturally no ordinary matter.

As for Orihime Inoue, the progress wasn't as dramatic as Yasutora Sado's. It wasn't a question of gender or effort, the structure of the ability itself simply wasn't suited for frontline combat.

After Hachigen Ushoda pointed this out, Orihime Inoue essentially gave up training on offense and shifted focus entirely to defense and healing, especially the latter. As spiritual pressure grew, the recovery speed for both wounds and spiritual pressure became far faster than before.

And gradually, the Visored began to notice that something about Orihime Inoue's ability seemed a little... off.

As for the Quincy in the World of the Living group, Uryu Ishida was training quietly at home. It wasn't for any reason like preferring solitude, Quincy training has its own established system, and among those known to have fully mastered that system, there was only one person: Uryu's father, Ryuken Ishida.

Ryuken Ishida wasn't particularly willing to send a child into battle as a Quincy. But when Uryu expressed the desire to help Ichigo, Ryuken agreed without hesitation and launched straight into targeted training. The details were truly difficult to describe, and left Uryu more than a little regretful about having asked.

As for Ichigo, his training was plain and simple. He stayed in Jinzen, training continuously within his inner world. It wasn't that he was unwilling to train in a more conventional way, it was more that there was genuinely no one in the World of the Living who could guide him.

Not Kisuke Urahara's group of three, not the Visored, not his own father. Even all of them combined would have a hard time offering effective guidance.

It wasn't that Ichigo was already strong enough to defeat them with ease. The problem was that in a guidance-and-training format, neither side could truly fight at full strength. Some Bankai, once released, risked injuring allies, and one careless moment could turn a training session into a real battle. Not everyone had Ichigo's precise control over how hard they actually hit.

So roughly half a month passed this way, and then Ichigo's group of four received word from Kisuke Urahara and gathered at the Urahara Shop that evening.

Just like the Visored's warehouse, the Urahara Shop looked completely ordinary from the outside, but beneath it lay an expansive space. Judging by the architectural style, the two locations were almost identical, given the difference in intellect between the two parties, it was a safe bet the former had copied the latter.

"Oh! Ichigo! Long time no see!" The voice belonged to Keigo Asano. "We came to see you all off!"

Standing beside Keigo Asano were Mizuiro Kojima and Tatsuki Arisawa, Ichigo's classmates and close friends, both high-spirit-power individuals. Nothing had been deliberately hidden from them. Once they became able to see spirits, Ichigo had introduced Urahara to them.

Keigo Asano in particular was a concern, high-spirit-power individuals were more likely to be targeted by Hollows, and Keigo was from neighboring Naruki City, meaning a timely rescue might not always be possible. A few special protective items were needed for self-defense, and Kisuke Urahara was exactly the expert for that.

"Oh, hey!" Ichigo called back. "You all came. You really didn't have to, it's nothing special, just a trip to Soul Society."

"Easy for you to say." Mizuiro Kojima smiled. "Someone who didn't know better might think you were going on a day trip."

"Close enough." Ichigo nodded. "Once I get settled in over there and carve out a couple of streets, you can all come get an early look at what the afterlife is like."

"Listen to you." Tatsuki Arisawa couldn't hold back the complaint. "Didn't you just say it was a day trip?"

"Close enough. It's all the same thing."

"First, a quick briefing." Kisuke Urahara pushed the brim of his hat down. "According to reliable intelligence, Rukia Kuchiki has been sentenced to capital punishment, and the execution has been moved up. It's set to take place in approximately seven days. We don't have much time. The Senkaimon is right behind me."

Behind him stood a rectangular gateway made of white paper, covered in intricate patterns. To call it a gate was generous, it was really just three pillars roughly assembled together.

"Seven days is plenty." Ichigo said without a care.

"That said, what a rough-looking thing." Uryu Ishida pushed up the glasses. "Not a shred of aesthetic quality."

"Hah!" A fan appeared from nowhere, and Kisuke Urahara snapped it open in front of his face. "I'm a practical type! Appearances don't matter! As long as it works!"

"Fair enough. Function is what counts." Ichigo nodded and stepped toward it. "Let's go, everyone."

➤ Next: Rules? Rules Are Exactly What I Hit!