Chapter 11: Not Aizen's Doing? That Is Even Worse
Spirit Arts Academy, Special Class, also known as Class One.
Hachihara poked Shimiya Takeru in the back and whispered,
"Hey, Ichigo looks awful. Did he have a Hollow nightmare last night?"
"Maybe," Shimiya Takeru replied lazily, "but knowing his courage, to really scare him you would at least need a Hollow that steals his girlfriend, beats him up twice, and then punches a hole through his heart."
"Hey! I can hear you, you know!"
A vein throbbed on Ichigo's forehead in the next seat.
"So what if you heard it? Want to fight?"
"…,"
On any other day, with Shimiya Takeru openly provoking him like that, there was no way he would back down. He definitely was not the type to cower just because the other guy was strong, even stronger than him.
But this time, Ichigo held back.
That alone made Hachihara's eyes widen.
"Ichigo, did you… really have a nightmare about a Hollow stealing your girlfriend?"
[?]
Even Rindo Yu slowly drew a question mark in the air, silently expressing concern for his housemate.
"Don't listen to that bastard's nonsense!"
Ichigo exploded, then glared at Shimiya Takeru in irritation.
"Don't think I don't get it. You are just looking for an excuse to show off your Shikai by picking a fight, but I am not giving you that chance."
"Who said I wanted to show off?" Shimiya Takeru sighed, sounding genuinely hurt. "I saw you were sulking because I mastered Shikai before you and never gave you a chance to surpass me, so I just wanted to broaden your horizons and help you grow. Brother Kurosaki misunderstands me so deeply, it really breaks my heart."
"I am too lazy to argue with you. Anyway, my Bakudo has already reached the entry level. In terms of difficulty, my Kido is now on the same level as yours, hehe."
"That is genuinely impressive."
"…,"
Shimiya Takeru gave him a thumbs up, his admiration seeming completely sincere. Ichigo's face froze. Whether it was sarcasm or honesty, it was incredibly annoying.
To be fair, Shimiya Takeru was not lying.
Under Aizen's careful guidance, Ichigo had not only reached the entry level in Bakudo, he had also solidified his basic foundation. His rapidly climbing spiritual pressure showed no signs of losing control.
Clearly, his Quincy talent for manipulating spirit particles was starting to reveal its fangs.
His Zanjutsu, Hakuda, and Shunpo had not been neglected either.
In a straightforward spar, even a Third Seat of the Fifth Division was no longer his match.
Early graduation was already a foregone conclusion.
Calling that "impressive" was an understatement.
Of course, Shimiya Takeru was no worse.
Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Shunpo, Kido, across the board he was only stronger, not weaker, than Ichigo. With something like Hadō level Shakkaho, he could still retain half the power even without an incantation, something that even the normally confident genius Hachihara found hard to believe.
After the final class ended, Uryunahara Gengo suddenly entered the classroom. As homeroom teacher of Class One, he had many duties, but none was more important than ensuring his students' personal safety.
And that bottom line had just been crossed.
"I will only take a moment of your time. On behalf of the Spirit Arts Academy, I am here to deliver an urgent notice."
Uryunahara Gengo's expression was unusually grim.
Everyone felt a bad premonition at once.
"Just now, it has been confirmed that one student from Class One and one from Class Two went missing without a trace in the outer district of Runrinan. If anyone has any information, report it to me immediately. Also, until the investigation is concluded, all of you are strongly advised not to leave Seireitei."
With that, Uryunahara Gengo hurried out.
The classroom fell silent for a heartbeat, then broke into a noisy buzz.
"I never thought something like this would happen."
Hachihara stroked her chin and muttered, "I really hope those two are okay."
"What is with that look? You look like you got beaten up already."
Shimiya Takeru glanced sideways at Ichigo's dark expression.
"Didn't Gengoro Onabara sensei say the disappearance happened in Runrinan?"
Ichigo's tone was heavy.
"Relax. Even if there is some villain at work, they cannot threaten the Elder. That place is nowhere near as weak and easy to bully as you think."
"The student from our class who disappeared, I did not really talk to him, but I remember he was also from Rukongai, just not from Runrinan."
…
A flicker of doubt passed behind Shimiya Takeru's eyes.
A commoner from another district had gone missing in Runrinan. The critical point was that no one knew why he went there in the first place. If they did, the report would not have used the word "unprovoked."
And the fact that another student had also vanished "for no reason" made the whole matter feel even more suspicious.
Could it be the teachers?
The chance was very low.
After all, the era when troublesome people needed to conveniently vanish had long since passed.
Which instead made it feel like danger was quietly coiling somewhere out of sight.
"I admit your worries make some sense," Shimiya Takeru said finally, "but this is not our responsibility. Look at them."
His chin jerked toward the noble students as they chatted animatedly.
"They are practically wearing 'here for the show' and 'this is exciting' on their faces. To them, commoners from Rukongai matter less than entertainment. Things like classmates' bonds do not even exist."
Hearing that, Ichigo turned and looked at the noble-born students, who were deep in heated discussion, and fell silent.
"…You are right, but still…"
"But speaking of which, it has been a while since we last saw the Elder. It is about time we paid him a long overdue visit, reported we are safe, all that. Want to come?"
Shimiya Takeru's tone shifted as if he had thought of it on the spot.
…
Ichigo blinked, then snorted.
"Do you even have to ask? I do not want people saying I am an ungrateful jerk behind my back."
"You two are seriously thinking of getting involved in this?" Hachihara leaned forward from behind them. "That is really dangerous. This is not like messing around in a normal practice match."
"You are right, which is why…" Shimiya Takeru turned around. "Want to come?"
"Guhahaha."
There was no need for an answer. That sly laugh already said everything.
"And Rindo… looks like there is no need to ask."
Shimiya Takeru met Rindo Yu's steady gaze head on.
Nothing needed to be spoken.
"Takeru, you really can be an idiot sometimes," Ichigo snorted. "We are in the same living group. Of course we advance and retreat together."
His words sounded like a jab, but they were more like a sideways way of stating his stance.
"No time to waste, we head out tonight. Go, go, go. Hachihara Squad is going to conquer Rukongai!"
Hachihara clenched her fists, eyes blazing with excitement.
"Why Hachihara Squad? I brought it up first, didn't I? It should be Kurosaki Squad… no, that sounds kind of lame too. Forget it, let's drop the name thing."
???
Takeru stared at Ichigo, baffled.
You started it? Since when?
And that line "head out tonight" sounded very foreboding for a team.
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