Karakura Town — Yumizawa, where the Spiritual Arts Academy squad first arrived.
An entire street lay in ruins, the kind of devastation you'd expect from a Middle Eastern warzone.
On a rooftop, Fourth Division medics hurried back and forth, shuttling through the Senkaimon.
At a corner of the roof—torn up and stained with blackened blood—Ichigo watched with a heavy heart.
"Shinomiya… about what you said when we first met—I think I get it now."
"Which part?" Shinomiya asked offhandedly.
"The bit about… death not always being a bad thing."
"Vaguely rings a bell. You weren't a fan at the time, were you?"
Yayahara and Rindō Yu, curious about their history, glanced over.
"Of course I wasn't! It's not like I'd given up on life… But looking back now—"
"Becoming a Soul Reaper, learning how the world really works, not just living a 'safe' life because someone else keeps danger away in the shadows… being able to do something— That can't be a bad thing."
Ichigo's voice was full of feeling.
Shinomiya nodded. "Met your family and came back a little more grown up, huh? Is that your delayed farewell to them? If you want it on your gravestone, tighten it up. Something like: 'We fear what we can't see. I don't fear it anymore.' Philosophical. Even Teacher Aizen would be pleased."
"Sorry—what did you say? What did I say?"
"…It's not just your ears, Ichigo," Yayahara muttered.
"Fine, something you can hear and will remember—look there."
They followed Shinomiya's finger.
Even after most Hollows had been lured away, plenty of Gillians remained, besieging the field-exercise squad.
Shihōin Yūshirō was strong, but two hands can't shield everyone. He couldn't possibly screen out every small fry while also stopping the heavy hitters.
Those Hollows alone would push ordinary Reapers to the brink—never mind first-years.
Few had died, but everyone was hurt. In that sense, they were lucky.
Hence the Fourth Division's frantic triage.
Some weren't so lucky.
The gravely wounded lay where they'd fallen.
The way Shinomiya pointed—there was a girl, young and sweet-faced, the same "type" as Hinamori Momo, on the ground, getting emergency care. She was in no condition to be moved back to Soul Society.
"Carotid rupture with massive blood loss—plus organ damage. Miss the first treatment window and you don't come back from that. Even Captain Unohana couldn't fix it on the spot. But because we found that hot spring—and sold it to Fourth Division—the situation's different."
As he spoke, they watched a Fourth Division medic take a pale-yellow vial from a field kit, sprinkle it over the wound while weaving Kaido, then tip another into the girl's mouth. Inside-out treatment stabilized her fast.
Bandages snapped on, and she was up on a stretcher.
"That's… spring water?" Ichigo asked.
"More like a new formulation Captain Unohana cooked up after taking the spring as inspiration. I don't know how close it is to mine—but if it buys time and lets them get the patient into the baths, that's enough."
"So we changed a lot of fates without even knowing it."
"Sure did—and made a tidy sum. I took five, you three, Rindō two. Quality of life: up. Even Yayahara, who didn't get a cut, picked up a mountain of orders from our side. Tell me—if you hadn't died, would you have run into a windfall like that?"
"…You pissed off Miss Unohana and used me as aggro bait. I haven't forgotten!"
"End of the day, your Kaido actually improved."
"Which is the only reason I'm not chewing you out."
As they talked, a chill pricked their backs. They turned—into a pair of resentful eyes.
Shihōin Yūshirō.
"…"
"…"
Shinomiya and Ichigo exchanged a look.
Yayahara and Rindō likewise instantly understood where that resentment came from.
"Shinomiya—"
"Ichigo."
"Ah?"
The interruption threw Ichigo for a beat.
"You got to see your family after so long, right?"
"What are you even—"
Obviously.
At Ichigo's "are you stupid?" stare, Shinomiya went on with fake curiosity, "You've got siblings, yeah? How's that going?"
"Do you have to ask? I don't like to brag, but I'm a way better big brother than Kuchiki Byakuya. No way my family hates me. As we've gotten older, though, my little sisters—Karin and Yuzu—have started acting out. I wasn't sure how to handle it. But after being apart and then meeting again, I could tell—things are different now."
He didn't notice that Yayahara and Rindō were listening intently—nor that even Yūshirō's ears pricked up.
Whatever complaint Yūshirō had about Shinomiya "showing up late" faded.
"I see. Unlike you, I also have a little sister—Kaguya. Beautiful name. Our relationship, though… is a lot like Captain Kuchiki's household."
Shinomiya shook his head.
"Rare to see you take an L in human relations," Ichigo said, equal parts surprised and smug.
"I'm not perfect. Anyway—Yūshirō, you have siblings?"
"I do!"
He caught the conversational baton at light speed—wagging like a puppy—and then deflated.
"I have an older sister who ran away from home. We're close. I came out hoping to find her…"
"No rush. Reunion is wonderful. Maybe you need outside advice to close the gap quickly when you do find her. And our dear Kurosaki has fresh experience."
Shinomiya clapped his shoulder, stepped past him, and headed for the gate.
"Huh?"
"Kurosaki! Please teach me!"
Before Ichigo could react, Yūshirō had him in a vice.
He looked to his friends for help—Shinomiya was already gone.
Yayahara and Rindō quickened their pace to follow.
"Hey! You—!"
Ignoring Ichigo's cries as they entered the Dangai, Yayahara snickered, "He still hasn't noticed. Shinomiya only calls his name when he's about to set him up. Threw him out as a lightning rod again. So sly— No, Ichigo's just easy to bait."
"Hey now. Do I look like the type who plays his friends?" Shinomiya frowned.
"The Shihōin are one of the four great noble houses. With Ichigo's temperament, he's gonna stir things up as a future captain. Building ties with a clan head early is insurance. I'm doing this for his sake."
"If he married into the Kuchiki on top of that? Even better."
"With two houses at his back—and me as Head Captain down the line—he could walk sideways through Soul Society."
"Uh-huh… Wait—why are you so sure you're going to be Head Captain? Bit grand, that goal?"
"Yayahara, now's not the time to doubt—support me. As your best friend, I know your unique talents. Even if others don't, I'll give you a personal title as Head Captain and set the record straight. What should it be…? That's what you should be thinking about."
"A personal title… Like 'Kamaitachi,' 'Flash Goddess'…? I should think hard."
Yayahara was thoroughly swayed, already adrift in the future Shinomiya painted—muttering to herself, steps slowing.
Rindō's eyelid twitched.
An arm draped around his shoulder.
"Rindō, got a dream?"
[…]
Playing the big brother, Shinomiya asked gently.
Rindō chose the safety of silence.
Ahead, light flared.
The exit.
A brief glare—and familiar sights flowed back in.
The Academy rooftop, packed thicker than the living world: the Headmaster and top brass, Onmitsukidō operatives, Research and Development staff.
With a crisis this large, no single department would wall it off.
In the crowd, Shinomiya spotted a familiar face.
Who was, in fact, waiting for him.
"Welcome home, Shinomiya."
"Feels like it's been years, Sensei."
"Fights steeped in danger do make one savor the passage of time," Aizen said, pushing up his glasses.
"In any case—well done. I'm proud of you. Don't fret about Onmitsukidō's inquiry—I'll handle it. For now, rest. That's what veterans of the field deserve. By the way… where's Kurosaki?"
"Him? Made friends with a noble. They're deep in conversation. Might be a while."
"I see. Spirits are high—that puts me at ease."
"By the way, Sensei—the Academy's about to start summer break, so… I'll probably be bothering you a lot for a while."
Aizen blinked, then smiled—a warm, all-accepting tone:
"—You're welcome anytime."
-------
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