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The next morning, Karakura Daiichi High School basked in a sky of flawless blue. Kurosaki Ichigo rested his chin on one hand, eyes unfocused as he stared out the window, thoughts tangled with everything that had happened—Hirako Shinji, the Masked Army, the endless weight of Hollows. Each memory collided until his head ached.
"Tch. Hollow training, huh? Like I need anyone to teach me that." He groaned, dropping his head onto the desk with a sulk.
Not far away, Inoue Orihime glanced toward him, her repaired hairpin gleaming faintly thanks to Hachigen's handiwork. Worry tugged at her face. After a long hesitation she finally walked over.
"Um… Ichigo, I think it would be better if you trained with Mr. Shinji. They're good people, they won't hurt you. And besides… this is Su—"
Crash.
The classroom door slammed open before she could finish.
Ichigo and Orihime turned sharply, both blinking in disbelief.
"Kuchiki…?!"
"Rukia?!"
There she stood, petite in her borrowed school uniform, smiling with smug pride. "Yo-ho! Long time no see."
Gasps rippled across the classroom, students whispering at the sudden reappearance of the girl who had vanished so abruptly. But Ichigo's eyes widened further when he noticed the figure behind her.
"Su… Su Li-san?!"
Orihime covered her mouth in shock. Arisawa Tatsuki jolted upright, eyes round. "It's you?!"
Su Li slouched in the doorway behind Rukia, expression bored, barely lifting his hand in acknowledgment. "Yo."
"This… what the hell is going on?!" Ichigo nearly leapt from his chair.
"Simple," Rukia grinned, hands on hips. "Let me explain—"
Moments later, Ichigo's eyes twitched as her words sank in. "An advance team?!"
"Wait, it's just Su Li-san's team?" Orihime blinked.
Su Li was already chewing on bread, speaking around it with a careless thumbs-up. "The bread's delicious."
Orihime flushed at the odd compliment. "Uh… thank you…"
Ichigo scowled. "Tch. We don't need Soul Society interfering. I can handle things myself."
His words were cut short by a simultaneous smack to the head from Rukia and Tatsuki.
"Gah! Ow, ow! What was that for?!"
"It's not just about you, idiot," Rukia snapped with a sweet smile hiding sharpness.
"Don't act tough," Tatsuki barked. "You nearly died."
"I almost cut that guy down!" Ichigo retorted hotly.
"And then what happened?" Tatsuki narrowed her eyes.
Ichigo faltered, cheeks burning as the memory of collapsing and waking to Shinji and Urahara resurfaced.
"Then Su Li saved you," Tatsuki said bluntly, turning her gaze with gratitude toward the man sprawled across a desk.
"What?!" Ichigo's head whipped around. He had assumed it was Urahara who had dragged him back from death's edge.
"They were there before you even arrived," Tatsuki continued coldly. "Su Li not only saved you, he saved all of us."
Ichigo's jaw tightened. "He… he was there the whole time?!"
"Without him we'd all be corpses," Tatsuki snapped. "What are you even thinking?"
"Uh… Tatsuki-chan… maybe that's a little…" Orihime murmured nervously.
Ichigo swallowed, shame heating his face as he glanced at Su Li, who sat lazily on a desk, chewing bread with one leg hooked over the other. At Tatsuki's pointed glare, Ichigo finally muttered, "...Thank you."
"You're welcome." Su Li's voice was flat, almost hopeless, as though even gratitude was a burden.
The bell rang, cutting the tension. The teacher entered, announcing cheerfully, "Class, let's welcome our transfer students!"
By dusk, students streamed from the gates under the fading glow of the sun. Rukia walked beside Su Li, eyes bright. "Captain Su Li, are we heading back to Urahara's shop now, or somewhere else?"
Su Li's shoulders slumped. Where else could he possibly go with her tagging along? His dreams of a quiet life were already ashes. "Urahara's," he muttered.
"Understood." Rukia nodded smartly, pleased.
Above Karakura Town, the sky split apart. A black garganta tore open, yawning wide. From its depths strode several figures, their presence radiating menace.
At their head, blue hair spiked wild, jaw half-covered by a jagged mask fragment—Espada No.6, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez.
"Che. This place reeks," Grimmjow muttered with disdain, though excitement flickered in his eyes. His lips curved into a predator's grin as he unleashed his reiatsu without restraint. The pressure roared into the heavens, shaking the town below.
His FracciĂłn smirked at one another, fully aware of their purpose. They had come to draw out the boy in the floral robe, to prove before all of Las Noches that the so-called monster was nothing but smoke and fear.
Reiatsu thundered like a challenge to the world. Grimmjow stood tall, arrogance written into every line of his body, as though the sky itself should bow beneath him.
It did not take long. A black blur cut across the horizon, stopping before them in an instant. Kurosaki Ichigo hovered, eyes burning.
Grimmjow's smirk faltered into disappointment. "Tch. It's you? Not who I wanted." He looked Ichigo up and down, dismissive. "What a bore."
"Are you with those two from before? You're… Arrancar, aren't you?!" Ichigo demanded, voice sharp.
"Don't compare me to trash like that." Grimmjow's voice was cold disdain, his posture dripping with dominance.
"I am Espada No.6—Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez."
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