Chapter 16: First Encounter with the Protagonists — Orihime Inoue
Narrator POV
Just as Akira was lost in his completely meaningless train of thought, an annoying "Buahahahaha!" echoed through the entire classroom, cutting off his reflections instantly.
A vein throbbed on his forehead — pure anime style.
He was so done with that laugh. Slowly, he turned his head to find the culprits and, of course, it was Ichigo's group of friends.
So irrelevant to him that he didn't even remember their names.
"Ever since that stupid Don Kanonji show came out, everyone keeps doing that damn 'Buahahahaha!' like it's actually funny."
He had watched the show once… and that was more than enough.
Not because it was fake — he knew Don Kanonji really could see spirits — but because the show itself was just pathetic.
A guy performing "exorcisms" on ghosts only he could see, with ridiculous special effects and cheap editing.
Akira hated ghost-hunting shows, and that one, in particular, was the worst of them all.
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When break time arrived, Akira was calmly sitting on a thick branch of one of the schoolyard trees.
His eyes were closed, and he held the little boxing-gloved bear in one hand.
He'd managed to keep it asleep for several minutes by carefully maintaining his focus on his cursed energy.
The atmosphere was peaceful — too peaceful.
Akira relaxed a bit too much… and that's exactly when the plush boxer suddenly punched him straight in the face, knocking him off balance and sending him crashing to the ground with a loud thud.
"Stupid bear… If I didn't need you, I'd have ripped out all your damn stuffing by now," he grumbled, pushing himself up slowly, face slightly smeared with dirt.
In front of him, the bear threw energetic shadow-punches at the air — as if taunting him on purpose.
Without thinking twice, Akira kicked it hard, slamming the plush against the tree trunk.
He watched it fall with a small flash of satisfaction, then walked over and picked it up again with a resigned sigh.
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???: "Hey… are you okay? I saw you fall from the tree, so I came to check if you were hurt."
Akira looked up in mild surprise and found himself facing a teenage girl of medium height.
She had warm brown eyes and long burnt-orange hair that reached her waist.
Her short bangs were neatly clipped to the sides with hairpins.
But what stood out the most — even to someone as hard to impress as Akira — was her figure: slender, yet ridiculously curvy for someone her age.
Without a doubt, it was Orihime Inoue.
Akira blinked once. Then again.
His expression remained completely neutral.
"Yeah. I just got into a fight with a stuffed animal," he replied as if it were the most normal thing in the world, holding up the limp bear that now dangled from his hand.
The kick he'd given it earlier had definitely done its job.
"You fought with a stuffed animal?" Orihime asked, a small amused smile curving her lips at the absurd scene she had just witnessed.
Akira didn't answer verbally. Instead, he simply raised his arm and showed her the culprit — the small boxing-gloved teddy bear, now peacefully asleep in the palm of his hand. Its breathing was soft, almost imperceptible, as if it were truly alive.
Orihime's eyes instantly sparkled the moment she saw it. She crouched down a little to get a better look, her curiosity lighting up like a child's when seeing something adorable.
Her attention completely drifted away from the fact that she had just seen someone get punched off a tree by a plush toy — she was now solely focused on how cute the little bear was.
"Wow! What an adorable teddy bear! And why does it have those tiny boxing gloves?" she asked with genuine curiosity, carefully inspecting the bear's detailed design.
Akira raised an eyebrow and glanced at the plush — the "training tool" the system had given him.
"You really think it's cute?" he asked, puzzled, also staring at it with a suspicious look. He still remembered perfectly well the punch that had sent him flying from the tree.
Still, considering it was Orihime, it wasn't too surprising that she'd find something like that cute.
"That's how it came when they gave it to me… the gloves were already on," he said with a small shrug, preferring the simple explanation instead of diving into the chaos of cursed energy, alternate dimensions, and a video-game-like system that handed him missions.
"Wow… I've never seen one like this before. It even looks like it's breathing while it sleeps," Orihime commented, leaning closer and giving the bear a few gentle pokes on the chest with her index finger.
"That's because it's alive… or something like that," Akira thought with a quiet sigh, wondering if he would ever have a normal conversation again since all this madness started.
"Oh, by the way, I'm Orihime Inoue," she said with her usual bright smile, touching her cheek lightly as she introduced herself. "You're Akira, right? You transferred into our class a few days ago."
"Yeah, that's me… I'm surprised someone actually remembers my name," he replied with a small shrug.
As he spoke, he kept part of his focus on channeling cursed energy into the little boxing bear in his hand. The last thing he needed was for that damn plushie to wake up in front of Orihime and start throwing punches again.
"Great, talking to someone makes it harder to concentrate... Perfect. More training." he thought, trying to see the silver lining. If he could keep the cursed energy flow stable while having a conversation, it meant his control was improving.
"You seem kinda lonely, don't you? You don't really talk to anyone in class, and you're always by yourself," Orihime said softly.
"More or less," Akira replied calmly, waving a hand dismissively as if brushing the topic aside. "I just have a lot on my mind lately. Haven't really thought about the whole 'making friends' thing."
"That doesn't sound good," she said sincerely, pursing her lips slightly. "Everyone should have at least one friend. You can't be alone all the time." Then, suddenly, her eyes lit up with excitement, as if she'd just had a brilliant idea. "I know! Come with me — I can introduce you to some of my friends!" she said cheerfully, already picturing the possible outcomes.
"Oh, no, thanks. Actually, I'd rather—"
But he didn't get to finish. Orihime had already grabbed his hand naturally and started walking off happily, dragging him along without giving him a chance to protest.
"Did she not hear me say no?" Akira thought, sighing in resignation as he followed her — still focusing on keeping the cursed energy flowing into the sleeping bear, who, thankfully, remained fast asleep.
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End of Chapter