"Yeah... I'm fine..."
Karin shyly placed her hand in Toshiro's and was pulled up from the ground.
"Oh no! What about everyone?"
Karin suddenly remembered her friends and asked anxiously.
"Don't worry, they're all fine."
Toshiro smiled and pointed to another spot not far away.
Karin looked in the direction Toshiro pointed and saw her friends getting up off the ground. They looked to be in no serious danger.
"Thank goodness..."
Seeing her friends were safe, Karin breathed a sigh of relief.
"Toshiro... this outfit of yours..."
With the immediate danger gone and her friends safe, Karin's attention turned to Toshiro's identity.
"Yeah, that's right. I'm a Shinigami."
Toshiro admitted directly.
Since Karin had already seen him as a Shinigami, denying it was useless. So, Toshiro straightforwardly acknowledged his identity.
"Hey!!! You must know where Ichigo is, right? I mean, you're both Shinigami, aren't you?!"
Karin asked excitedly, shaking Toshiro's shoulders.
Originally, Karin thought Toshiro was just an ordinary elementary schooler, so she didn't really believe he knew where Ichigo was.
As for Toshiro's earlier excuse that Ichigo went to the countryside with friends, Karin thought Ichigo had made it up, and Toshiro was just relaying the message.
But now that she knew Toshiro was a Shinigami, everything was different.
"I'm sorry, Karin. I do know where Ichigo is. But since he didn't tell you when he left, he must have had his reasons. So, I can't take it upon myself to reveal his whereabouts."
Toshiro thought for a moment and decided not to tell her.
After all, Ichigo was in the middle of crucial training with the Vizard to control the Hollow inside him. If Karin knew where he was and went there, it could interfere with his training.
"I see..."
Hearing that Toshiro wouldn't tell her where Ichigo was, Karin's expression fell.
She was disappointed both because she couldn't learn Ichigo's whereabouts and because Toshiro had refused to tell her.
"But don't worry. Ichigo isn't in any danger. He just wants to get stronger, just like you. So, he's training somewhere right now."
Seeing Karin's disappointed look, Toshiro couldn't help but explain a bit.
"No matter what happens, even at the very end, he never gives up. That's the kind of person he is. So, just wait until he finishes his training. He'll come back on his own then. And I think it shouldn't take much longer for him to finish. As his sister, you should have faith in him too."
Toshiro comforted her.
"Yeah! You're right..."
Hearing Toshiro's comforting words, Karin's sadness turned to joy, and she broke into a brilliant smile.
Just as everything was settling down, a voice suddenly called out from a distance.
"Captain! I knew you'd be okay! I was so worried!!"
Hearing the voice, Toshiro turned his head and saw Rangiku waving and running towards him.
"Is this person also a Shinigami?"
Watching Rangiku run over, Karin suddenly asked. For some reason, she felt like this woman didn't seem very reliable.
"Yeah, Rangiku is also a Shinigami. And she's my subordinate."
Toshiro said.
"Eh? Toshiro, you have subordinates?"
Karin was a little surprised.
In her eyes, Toshiro being a Shinigami at such a young age was already impressive. Having subordinates meant he was definitely not just an ordinary Shinigami, but possibly a 'high-ranking official' among them.
"Huff, huff, huff... Captain..."
Rangiku finally ran up to Toshiro, out of breath.
"You're too slow, Rangiku. This area should be under your jurisdiction. Yet you arrived this late. If I hadn't taken care of it personally, someone might have been hurt!"
Toshiro immediately scolded her.
"Yes! I'm very sorry, Captain!"
Regarding such serious matters, Rangiku didn't try to fool Toshiro and immediately admitted her fault.
"Oh, right, Captain. This girl..."
Rangiku naturally knew Karin's identity, but she didn't know what Toshiro had or hadn't told her. And if he had told her anything, how much?
"Oh, she's Kurosaki Karin, Ichigo's sister."
Toshiro gave Rangiku a meaningful look.
"Ohhh, so you're Ichigo's sister..."
Rangiku immediately understood Toshiro's meaning: he had only told Karin that he and Ichigo were Shinigami, without mentioning anything about Isshin.
"Hello, I'm Matsumoto Rangiku. I'm the Lieutenant under Captain Hitsugaya."
Rangiku greeted Karin with a smile.
"Eh? A Captain? That sounds like a pretty high rank. I didn't know you were really that important. That's amazing, Toshiro, even though you're just an elementary schooler..."
Karin suddenly reached out and patted Toshiro on the head, smiling.
"Ahahaha! Captain is an elementary schooler! Ahahaha!"
Hearing Karin call Toshiro an elementary schooler, Rangiku couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"You! How dare you call me an elementary schooler!"
Toshiro's face was covered in frown lines. He looked furious, like a volcano about to erupt.
"Hmm? What's wrong?"
Karin looked innocent, not understanding why Toshiro was so angry.
"Ahahaha! Oh man, I can't stop laughing!"
Seeing Karin's innocent expression, Rangiku laughed even harder.
"How many times do I have to tell you? I am NOT an elementary schooler!!"
Toshiro shouted at Karin.
"Eh? Toshiro, are you really not an elementary schooler? But you look about my age..."
Karin asked, confused.
"Sigh..."
Toshiro took a deep breath, trying to suppress his anger, then calmly explained to Karin: "Shinigami aren't immortal, but they live much longer than humans."
"So, even though we look about the same age, I'm actually over a hundred years old. I'm at least ten times your age!"
Hearing Toshiro's explanation, Karin looked skeptical: "Eh? Really?"
Rangiku suddenly spoke up: "Yeah, that's right. Captain really is over a hundred years old. But being over a hundred in the Soul Society, where Shinigami live, is still just elementary school age! Ahahaha!"
As she spoke, Rangiku doubled over, holding her stomach and laughing.
"See? No matter how you spin it, Toshiro, you're still just an elementary schooler."
Karin said to Toshiro matter-of-factly.
"I..."
Toshiro was speechless and felt so frustrated.