"Mine?" Rukia Kuchiki hesitated for a moment before taking out her drawing. "Mine… looks like this!"
"A doll shop?" Michiru Ogawa looked at the picture, which was filled with all kinds of dolls, most of them Rabbit Chappy. In the childlike drawing style, Rukia Kuchiki was surrounded by dolls, her face glowing with happiness.
"Actually, this is my future home." Rukia Kuchiki's cheeks flushed slightly. "It's not for sale."
Tatsuki Arisawa clicked her tongue in amazement. "That love is just spilling right out of the frame."
"As expected…" Michiru Ogawa sighed dejectedly. "I'm still so far behind."
Everyone's drawings had their own unique strengths, which only made hers feel a bit plain by comparison.
…
"Asano" On the other side of the classroom, Keigo Asano was enthusiastically teaching Yasutora Sado's parrot. "Keigo Asano! Super cool Keigo Asano"
"A-Asa… Asa… Asano…" the parrot repeated clumsily. "Asano bullies~"
"Ah, what a shame." Keigo Asano gave a thumbs-up anyway. "But I'll count that as a pass!"
"Doesn't it feel like…" Mizuiro Kojima sensed something was off, "this bird's vocabulary has gotten smaller?"
"Earlier…" Yasutora Sado paused. "…it just turned into this."
Keigo Asano sighed helplessly. "You didn't explain anything at all! No skipping details!"
"Mm…" Yasutora Sado nodded. "Okay."
Keigo Asano: "…"
Muten Natsu overheard their conversation and wasn't sure whether the Kikanshinki had actually worked on Yasutora Sado.
After all, Yasutora Sado was abnormally strong and might very well have latent spiritual potential.
"Hm?" Muten Natsu glanced around and noticed that Ichigo Kurosaki, who was usually with them, was nowhere to be seen. "Yasutora Sado."
Yasutora Sado turned his head. "Natsu…"
"Didn't Ichigo Kurosaki come to class?" Muten Natsu thought back. Ichigo Kurosaki's injuries that day shouldn't have been serious enough to keep him from school.
Could he have run into a Hollow? Ichigo Kurosaki's spiritual pressure was absurdly high—basically a walking all-you-can-eat buffet for them.
"He… took the day off."
"Sick? Or injured?"
"No…" Yasutora Sado shook his head. "Today… is the anniversary of his mother's death."
"I see. Thanks." Muten Natsu didn't ask anything else. He slumped over his desk and went back to sleep.
"You actually dared talk to him!" Keigo Asano waited until Muten Natsu seemed asleep before lowering his voice to whisper to Yasutora Sado. "Aren't you scared of him?"
Yasutora Sado shook his head.
Mizuiro Kojima patted Keigo Asano on the shoulder. "You're way too nervous."
"That's a sleeping tiger! A tiger!" Keigo Asano stressed repeatedly. "Roar!"
"Then you're a hyper wolf," Mizuiro Kojima egged him on. "Howl again."
"Don't even think about it!"
…
Muten Natsu didn't wake up until lunchtime. He opened the bento Orihime Inoue had prepared and sat alone at his desk, quietly eating, looking a little lonely.
By contrast, the girls' side was much livelier.
Through the window, Muten Natsu could see classmates gathered under the big tree, almost like they were having a picnic.
"Kuchiki," Mahana Natsui took a big bite of bread, "do you like Natsu-kun?"
"Pfft!" Rukia Kuchiki stiffened mid-sip of juice. "Huh?"
Mahana Natsui leaned in curiously. "So what's your relationship with Natsu-kun now?"
"W-what kind of relationship?" Rukia Kuchiki quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe the juice. "Friends…"
"Hey! Mahana," Michiru Ogawa complained, "that's way too direct!"
"Huh? Aren't you all curious?" Mahana Natsui said matter-of-factly. "You all want to know but don't dare ask, so I asked for you."
"Who—" Michiru Ogawa looked flustered. "Who wants to know?!"
Ryō Kunieda flipped a page in her book. "Wanting to know and asking out loud are two different things."
"Exactly." Chizuru Honshō nodded. "Like how I like Orihime, but I haven't said it out loud. Because once you say it, that's a confession."
Tatsuki Arisawa chopped her on the head. "You already said it!"
"Oh, I see…" Mahana Natsui nodded. "So Kuchiki confessed to Natsu-kun?"
Michiru Ogawa groaned. "How did you even hear it that way?"
"No, no." Rukia Kuchiki smiled. "We're… just very close friends."
Yes. That was enough.
For Rukia Kuchiki, who had once lost everything, this was already more than enough.
"What a shame…" Orihime Inoue sighed. "If Rukia liked Muten too, we'd be two against one. We'd have the advantage."
Rukia Kuchiki: "..."
"Um… Orihime…" Even Tatsuki Arisawa, who was long used to Orihime Inoue's wild imagination, couldn't help feeling overwhelmed. "In a fight, the side with more people definitely has the advantage… but when it comes to love, that doesn't work. Because love is… um… you get it, right?"
Orihime Inoue blinked her big eyes. "Huh?"
"Ah! I get it!" Chizuru Honshō suddenly lit up. "Love is fighting! More people means an advantage! If two girls are really close, they can work together in love and gain the upper hand! So Orihime, let's try teaming up first—"
"Shut up!" Tatsuki Arisawa pinned Chizuru Honshō as she lunged toward Orihime Inoue. "Is that all you ever think about?! Go die!"
Chizuru Honshō struggled with practiced ease. "If Orihime's willing, adding you in wouldn't be impossible either…"
Tatsuki Arisawa's face turned bright red. "Go die! You're an endlessly noisy damn cat!"
"Stop fighting!" Orihime Inoue hurriedly tried to break them up.
Michiru Ogawa also grabbed Chizuru Honshō. "Seriously, you knew this would happen and still said something like that…"
Ryō Kunieda shook her head. "Classic supply and demand. One wants to hit, the other wants to be hit."
Mahana Natsui seemed to realize something. "Ah, so that's your type, Chizuru."
Chizuru Honshō pushed up her glasses. "Who are you calling the type who deliberately provokes the girl they like like an elementary school boy, then laughs while getting beaten?!"
Ryō Kunieda: "..." It really couldn't have been more obvious.
Mahana Natsui nodded. "Wow, your self-awareness is impressive."
Watching the girls suddenly descend into chaos under the tree, Muten Natsu felt that his already delicious bento somehow tasted even better.