When the day's duties are over—sometimes after training depending on the time—I return to my room and continue Jinzen (Sword Meditation) for about an hour; this has been my daily routine since joining the Fourth Division.
...I do forget sometimes, though.
A-Anyway! I do Jinzen almost every day, wondering if I can somehow communicate with my Zanpakuto.
Of course, today as well.
I sit in Zen meditation, place my Zanpakuto on my lap, and focus my consciousness—
—Before my eyes spreads a space where artificial objects and plants intermingle, a scene I've seen so many times I'm sick of it.
I've been doing this for years, after all; I'm a veteran!
...Well, I can't even get it to talk to me, though...
"Heeey, Rubber Ball-saaan."
When I called out, a pitch-black sphere immediately rolled over.
I still don't know its name, so I call it Rubber Ball. Is this tentative name perhaps one of the reasons I'm disliked?
For now, it comes out when I call and doesn't run away, so I'd like to think... it likes me to some extent... I hope.
"I had various jobs pushed onto me again today. All my peers have been promoted to seated officers or got married, but I'm the only one still a regular soldier... I'm treated as an older subordinate, so they're a bit troubled dealing with me too... Among the inpatients, there are some who never listen and act violently no matter how much time passes... And then—... If it were another squad, people from my time would be high-ranking seated officers by now—... I feel sorry towards Captain Unohana too—..."
Lately, it's been like this all the time; holding Rubber Ball-san and pouring out my complaints.
...It's really helpful to have someone listen to your complaints like this. I understand well that keeping a pet must be like this.
No, in the beginning, I tried various things to see if we could talk, you know?
I tried lay-up shots, chanted "Defense! Defense!", tried to increase the success rate of three-point shots.
I tried pouring in spiritual power with all my might to somehow converse, or searched around the spiritual world thinking maybe the real one would come out if I gathered seven similar balls hidden somewhere else, or talked while kissing the rubber ball thinking maybe the conversation worked like bone conduction.
But it was all no good. I can no longer tell if this is Jinzen or my Complaint Tournament.
"Sorry, making you listen to such boring stories every day and night..."
『No, no! That is not the case at all!! My Lord's suffering is transmitted to this humble one as well, but your figure continuing without being discouraged is truly precious!!』
...Huh?
"Eh? That voice just now..."
『Oya oya? Could it be, possibly, by any chance, that you heard this humble one's voice!? Kitakore!! Oops, pardon me. There is a possibility that saying "Kitakore" might not be understood!』
What is this... fast-talking voice that strongly evokes the image of a stereotypical otaku from a decade ago that you'd see in manga...?
"You just said 'Kitakore', but by any chance, Rubber Ball-san, is that your voice!?"
『Oufu!! It was not my imagination!! Finally, finally, this humble one's voice has reached My Lord. I sense a festival coming on!!』
"Ehh..."
How should I put it... I'm terribly sorry, but this is different from my image. Different from what I hoped for. Different from what I expected.
No, no, wait, me! About a hundred years continuing Jinzen since receiving my Zanpakuto at the Academy!! If I miss this chance, there might not be a next time!! I won't be looked at with scornful eyes thinking "She's been a Soul Reaper for years but can't even hear her Zanpakuto's voice" anymore!!
...Yeah, that's right. Let's just think of it as a very energetic Zanpakuto. Besides, tone and lines aside, the voice is beautiful, so let's compromise on that.
"Um, never mind the festival... More importantly, this voice is Rubber Ball-san speaking, so it's correct to say you are the true form of my Zanpakuto, right?"
『That is correct! I remember well that My Lord has been complaining to this humble one for the past hundred years or so, and that I was used as a volleyball when we first met. My, that was quite a shocking encounter...』
Ah, that thing from the Academy days...
"About that time, um, I'm really sorry..."
Instead of an apology, I hug Rubber Ball-san tightly.
『Oufu! My, my, the sensation of My Lord's splendid chest all over my body... Dyuhuhuhuhu!! It's irresistible!! As expected of something that male students at the Academy and male Soul Reaper colleagues gaze at every day!!』
"Take thiiiis!!"
Since it blurted out something outrageous, I reflexively threw it with all my might.
It drew a beautiful parabola and flew over the building, but after a while, the Rubber Ball rolled back on its own.
『No, no, my apologies. For this humble one to make such a slip of the tongue was too much.』
"No, um... I'm sorry for throwing you too."
『I do not mind! Besides, it is a joyous thing that My Lord's chest is wonderful. Renjoji-dono's soft chest and Ayase-dono's immature chest were also wonderful, but... my, my, it was worth the trouble to prepare an existence here.』
...Huh?
"W-Wait a minute, Rubber Ball-san!! What did you just say!?"
『Like I said, My Lord has massaged the chests of various people, but Ayase-dono and Renjoji-dono were—』
"Not that! No, I'm curious about that too... but what do you mean!?"
『No, no, because you wished for it in the past, didn't you? At that place.』
Being told that, what comes to mind is going to pray to a certain god. It occurred to me that that might be the cause of me being here.
"...Wait. I admit I went to pray, and I admit I had a desire. But the me back then absolutely never wished for such a thing!"
『Therefore, I picked up on that desire and granted the wish. After all, this humble one is attentive.』
I don't really need that kind of attentiveness...
『Besides, My Lord died after that.』
"Eh... What's that, I don't know about that...!?"
Don't tell me, a cliché traffic accident or something...? And that's why I'm here...!?
『Because about a hundred years have passed since you went to pray.』
"...Oi."
Humans usually die after a hundred years!!
My tone became completely rough unintentionally, but surely I'll be forgiven.
"Ah, geez, I feel like I'm going crazy!! The scale is wrong, the scale!! Anyway, Rubber Ball! Explain to me why I came here!!"
『You have been saying Rubber Ball, Rubber Ball since earlier, but come to think of it, I haven't introduced myself yet. This humble one's name is called ————...』
"You can leave that for later!! Or rather, don't run a huge event like revealing the secret of my birth simultaneously with the event of learning the Zanpakuto's name!!"
...I didn't hear the name.
Well, it took nearly a hundred years just to hear the voice, so I'm not going to be disappointed now that I can't hear it.
『I-Is that so...? In that case, allow me to explain... Ah! Is a line like "Let me explain!" better—』
"Shut up!! Just hurry up and talk!!"
It, it's exhausting... the vibe, that is. I don't dislike it, though...
Thus began Rubber Ball (tentative name)'s explanation.
Desperately enduring the troublesome vibe while listening, and summarizing the result I understood roughly—
"In short, you sensed my desire when I prayed and tried to grant it. But because it was a super special and perverted desire, it took time to grant. In the meantime, I died, but thinking this might happen, you had preserved my mental state from the day I prayed and put it into this body. Is that right?"
『"Thinking this might happen"! My, my, that is a line a technician wants to say at least once...』
"Shut up, be quiet!"
Since the vibe is like this from start to finish, the conversation will end with just retorts.
"So, since you prepared this body and tried to grant my wish, is it okay to recognize you as a god?"
『That is no problem!』
"Ehh... That place is quite famous, but the inside is this...?"
『No, no, that is incorrect! This humble one is another person who was assigned to handle the wish, so to put it simply for My Lord, perhaps a temp?』
"T-Temp... No, that must be work too, so I don't intend to criticize, but..."
It's a tough world in various ways.
『Besides, this humble one also wanted to enjoy Orihime-dono and Matsumoto-dono's chests. Even though I'm a temp, I begged for it with the momentum of a prostrating dogeza with both hands raised!』
"...I wish I hadn't asked."
Come to think of it, this Rubber Ball gave impressions of Kosuzu-san's and Sachie-san's chests too... does that mean sensations and experiences are shared?
In the first place, since it followed me who had such a desire, maybe it's a good person.
Abandoning it just based on the momentum of this situation is premature.
"Does that mean you prepared this body? Why a female?"
『Fuhihi, that is a foolish question... A female is better than a male, is it not?』
"...I really wish I hadn't asked."
Maybe it would have been better to abandon it.
『My, my, as I thought, twin-tails are irresistible! Ah, now that I know I can talk, the overflowing emotions won't stop!! My Lord, My Lord! Could you please imitate other twin-tail characters for me!? This humble one is about to die from a lack of twin-tail elements! Please, I beg of you!!』
"T-Twin-tail characters!?"
Or rather, since it said "prepared", this hairstyle and everything was all its taste!? No wonder I couldn't change it even when I wanted to...
And twin-tail characters... umm...
"...K-Kashikoma!!"
(TL Note: Catchphrase from PriPara)
"Oho\~!! Irresistible, simply irresistible!! Next, next one please!!"
When I did my best to strike a pose, Rubber Ball rejoiced excessively.
...It is rejoicing, right? It's stretching and shrinking vertically and horizontally like boing boing.
"Umm... Idiot, are you saying you want me to shoot you?"
"Nuhohohoho!! That is quite a choice again!!"
(TL Note: Reference to Aria from Hidan no Aria)
This time, I tried doing it with a bit more emotion and a strong-willed feeling...
This is fine...
"Next, next one please!!"
"Eeeh!? I don't have that much material!!"
"In that case, in that case, this humble one will designate them, so please, please!!"
I was supposed to be doing Jinzen, but before I knew it, it turned into an impromptu impersonation contest...
There were other things I wanted to ask too... but somehow, whatever...
What makes me mad above all is that even though we were doing such stupid exchanges, it counts as communicating with my Zanpakuto, and my spiritual power has increased...
I wonder why. I should have become stronger, but I feel incredibly conflicted...
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]