Chapter 17: Meeting the Others – Akira Returns to the Demon Tower
Narrator's POV
Akira kept walking behind Orihime, his expression neutral and his hands in his pockets. Taking advantage of the fact that she was a step ahead and not looking, he discreetly stored the boxing bear back into his inventory. He didn't want to risk anyone else seeing him with a stuffed toy. Not everyone was as innocently carefree as Orihime. Anyone else would notice the bear was alive, and he preferred to avoid uncomfortable questions.
Just as they turned around one of the outdoor corridors, a familiar voice stopped them.
"Orihime, nice to see you. Who's your friend?" the voice asked kindly, approaching with a calm smile.
"Rukia!" Orihime exclaimed cheerfully, smiling brightly. "Friend? Oh, this is Akira. He's kind of a loner, so I thought I'd introduce him to Ichigo and the others."
"A loner, huh? Well, he does have that 'cool, mysterious guy' vibe."
Rukia teased with a faint smile as she stopped right in front of Akira.
The young woman made a small formal bow, lightly tugging at the corners of her skirt as if still carrying traces of noble upbringing.
"Nice to meet you, Akira. I'm Rukia Kuchiki. It's a pleasure."
While her tone remained polite, her mind was focused elsewhere.
"That energy from before… now it feels more stable. Still dark, but more controlled." she thought, watching him closely.
Akira stared silently for a few seconds, his expression unchanged.
(She's a good actress, I'll give her that.) he thought as their eyes met. He knew she was observing him for reasons beyond simple courtesy.
It wasn't that he disliked meeting people—he just preferred to avoid encounters like this… especially with someone that perceptive.
"Nice to meet you, Rukia. You must be a friend of Orihime's," he said calmly, extending his hand for a handshake.
Rukia hesitated for a moment. Her instincts screamed to avoid contact, but she couldn't afford to appear suspicious so soon. Finally, she took Akira's hand.
Barely three seconds later, she released it abruptly and took a step back with a faint gasp. A bead of sweat rolled down her forehead as she tried to maintain composure. Akira raised an eyebrow in visible confusion; he hadn't done anything… at least, not consciously. He was sure his cursed energy was completely contained.
"Rukia, are you okay? You look like you just saw a ghost," Orihime asked with concern, noticing her friend's reaction.
Rukia forced a smile, trying to appear calm.
"It's nothing. I just don't feel very well… I'll go to the bathroom for a moment," she said quickly before walking away, her pace slightly hurried.
As she walked, her mind replayed what she had seen during that brief handshake. It had only lasted an instant—but it was enough to deeply unsettle her.
What she had witnessed wasn't normal: a place engulfed in absolute darkness… and in the middle of it, a pair of glowing, hostile eyes staring directly at her. For a moment, it felt as if she had been dragged into another realm—one where something, or someone, was watching her from the depths.
(Akira… what are you, exactly?) she thought as she quickened her pace, her expression tense. She needed to find Ichigo as soon as possible. For now, it was best to keep some distance between herself and Akira.
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"Your name's Yasutora Sado… but they call you Chad," Akira said, standing before a tall, strong-built teenager with a calm demeanor and mixed Mexican and Japanese heritage.
The young man had tan skin, sharp cheekbones, and dark brown, slightly wavy hair, with bangs falling over his brown eyes.
"That's right," he replied in his usual quiet tone.
"Man of few words… I like that," Akira said with a half-smile as they shared a firm handshake.
Orihime, watching the scene closely, smiled softly. Seeing the two tall, reserved boys get along through mutual respect made her happy. Despite Akira's apparent coldness, he seemed to be connecting with Chad—one of Ichigo's closest friends.
Speaking of the devil, Ichigo and Rukia peeked from behind a nearby wall, acting like a pair of not-so-subtle spies.
"Rukia, did you seriously drag me here just to watch Orihime try to make that guy some friends?" Ichigo muttered in annoyance, frowning at her.
"It's not that. I told you what happened—what I saw when I shook his hand," she replied, equally irritated, not taking her eyes off Akira.
"Well, excuse me if I don't fully believe that you saw a pair of floating eyes in some dark place just by touching his hand. Look at Chad—he shook hands with him and nothing happened," Ichigo said, crossing his arms.
Rukia frowned at Ichigo's refusal to believe her.
"You're a Shinigami—you should know plenty of things can happen," she shot back seriously, her gaze fixed on Akira.
"I think I told you the day we met—I don't believe in anything I can't see. Being a Shinigami doesn't mean I'll buy everything you say," Ichigo pointed at her. "But to make you feel better, I'll go over there, talk to him, and you'll see that nothing's going to happen."
With that, Ichigo began walking toward Orihime, Akira, Chad, and the others, determined to see for himself what Rukia was talking about.
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Later, after classes had ended, Akira calmly walked toward the portal that would take him back to the Demon Tower. He needed to keep leveling up. Thanks to everything that happened during the day, he had already figured out where he was in the story: it wouldn't be long before the Shinigami came for Rukia… and before Uryu caused chaos by attracting a horde of Hollows.
Before stepping through the portal, Akira adjusted a new cloak—fire-resistant, recently purchased from the system's shop. He knew it would be useful on the upper floors.
"All right… here we go. I'm back, Demon Tower," he said with a confident smile as he entered the portal, his cloak billowing behind him.
Akira had a clear goal: to obtain the Class Change Quest. He could feel it—he was close. And curiosity burned inside him.
Would he become a Necromancer? Or something entirely different? His stats were fairly balanced, so he couldn't predict what the system would decide.
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End of Chapter