"Gyahh!"
"Whoa! Are you okay, Rikichi?"
It had been a month since the graduation ceremony at the Spiritual Arts Academy. The new Soul Reaper trainees, with their squad placement exams approaching, were training in the empty lot on Rukongai Street alongside their peers.
"Here, this should help with the burn."
"Ugh, cough...! Sorry, Hanataro."
"Don't worry about it."
Rikichi thanked his friend for treating the injury he'd sustained from the explosive Kido technique. Despite being clumsy and accident-prone, Hanataro was a prodigy who had already achieved skills rivaling those of a lower-seated officer in the Fourth Division by the time he graduated from the Spiritual Arts Academy. He'd become so absorbed in his sword training that Hanataro had to step in and help him—the two had been friends for six years now.
"Hey, Hanataro, you're terrible at Kido, aren't you?"
"What are you talking about? That's harsh..."
"Sorry, sorry. I'm no good at it either, but if you want to join the Fifth Division with Renji, you really need to master Kido, right?"
"Ah, I see."
Hanataro nodded at his friend's words. Rikichi harbored deep admiration for Abarai Renji, a member of the Fifth Division renowned as the finest swordsman of his generation. Ever since witnessing his sword skills at the Spiritual Arts Academy, Rikichi had been practicing his own techniques relentlessly, but now he faced a major obstacle.
"Hey, Hanataro, your brother is really skilled at Kido, isn't he? He was a former lieutenant, after all."
"Eh, yeah, but he's way better than me... Wait, are you thinking of asking him for advice?"
"Maybe he could give me some pointers... but probably not likely, huh?"
"Hmm, we're pretty far apart in age and not very close..."
With a dejected expression, Hanataro muttered, "I have no idea what he's thinking..." Rikichi, who had a brother of his own, silently resolved to be kinder to his younger sibling, but was disheartened by his own lack of progress in Kido training. The only people he knew who excelled at Kido were girls, and none of them were particularly close to him. He was at a dead end.
"—Ah."
As Rikichi looked down in frustration, he noticed a familiar figure brightening the corner of his vision.
"Who? Is someone there? Do I know them?"
"Eh, who? They're all people you know. They're Renji's classmates..."
"Ah, Kira? I don't really know him that well..."
"No..."
Hanataro immediately corrected him, but seemed hesitant to continue, his eyes darting around nervously. Was it someone he felt awkward about? He muttered the name with an apologetic expression.
At that moment, Rikichi froze.
"No way...!"
He knew her—there was no way he didn't. She was the reason Kido had become so popular among their generation, the eternal idol of all students. The girls were captivated by her heroic deeds and lovely, approachable personality, and the boys, of course...
"You know Hinamori Momo?!"
"No, no, I'm sorry! It was just a coincidence!"
Winner of the Spiritual Arts Academy's "Girl I Want to Date" contest for six consecutive years, known throughout the academy as the most beautiful girl there—the embodiment of every adolescent boy's dreams. Facing his friend who had been secretly meeting with this goddess among the clouds, Rikichi forgot all propriety and reflexively grabbed him by the collar.
The 13th Division of the Gotei 13.
An elite group comprised of the best and brightest from each generation, gathered for their gentle nature, talent, and ambition—reflecting the character of their captain, Aizen Sosuke. The officers of this division were said to be superior to their counterparts in other divisions, and even the lowest-ranked 20th seat lived up to that reputation.
"—Right, carefully infuse your spiritual pressure into the incantation..."
"Hah, hah!"
"Wah!"
A soft, delicate hand gently placed on his shoulder. A faint, elegant, sweet fragrance drifted through the air. Through the gaps in the Soul Reaper uniform, he could glimpse delicate, graceful arms and the nape of her neck.
Enveloped in this dreamlike state, the young man Rikichi was experiencing the pinnacle of his life.
"Yes, maintain it just like that!"
"...Huh? Eh, ah, um...—Hah! Hado Number Thirty-One: Red Fire Cannon!"
"—Hado Number Thirty-One: Red Fire Cannon!"
The young man's Kido technique, released instinctively, flew straight toward the target at the Fifth Division's Fourth Training Ground and exploded with a tremendous roar.
"...Eh, did I succeed...?"
"You did. Congratulations, Rikichi!"
"Eh...? ...Ah, yes!"
Glancing over at his neighbor, he saw that Hanataro, notorious for his terrible technique, had also hit the target perfectly. It was miraculous. After just one day of careful instruction from this person, his weak Red Fire Cannon had clearly improved, in such a short time.
Amazing, this is the legendary...
Rikichi's body trembled with excitement. Even though she specialized in Kido, which he'd always struggled with, at that moment he felt profound admiration for her, not only as an attractive member of the opposite sex, but as a powerful Soul Reaper. He was undoubtedly the luckiest man among his peers to receive instruction from someone so talented and beautiful.
His face flushed with joy, Rikichi bowed deeply to his new idol. As both a Soul Reaper trainee and as a man, he wanted to leave a strong impression on her.
"Thank you very much... Hinamori, 20th Seat!"
The 20th Seat of the Fifth Division. The petite beauty who had once held the title of the academy's most gifted Kido practitioner blushed shyly at her student's heartfelt gratitude, saying, "Don't worry about it."
"Wow, that's incredible... You're truly amazing, Hinamori. I never thought I'd improve this much."
"Hehe, I guess I picked up some teaching tips from helping my classmates since my freshman year. But I suppose this is a small way to repay Yamada."
"Oh, no, you don't need to do that..."
Hanataro was speaking familiarly with 20th Seat Hinamori. Even as students, he'd been mysteriously popular with girls, but Rikichi never imagined he could get close to someone like Hinamori. Rather than jealousy, Rikichi felt pure respect for him.
"Speaking of which, why did Rikichi join the Fifth Division?"
As he stared blankly at the two of them, 20th Seat Hinamori suddenly asked about him. Rikichi's heart raced with surprise. This person who seemed so far beyond his reach was taking interest in him.
She's interested in me...
At that moment, Rikichi had a sudden realization. Hanataro never tried to show off, always expressing his genuine feelings, that's what made him popular with girls. If he conveyed his feelings about 20th Seat Hinamori with complete sincerity, maybe he could grow closer to her!
"Yes! I'm skilled with swordsmanship, and I've been inspired by Renji, who was the top student for six consecutive years, so I decided to join the Fifth Division. But now, having come to admire 20th Seat Hinamori... my desire to join the Fifth Division has grown even stronger!"
"Huh... What? You admire Renji?"
"Ah, yes. Five years ago, during the public martial arts demonstration, I thought, 'That's incredible...'"
"Rikichi..."
Despite his shyness, Rikichi managed to convey his feelings. However, Hinamori's reaction was lukewarm.
Did I mess up? The anxious young man cautiously peeked at her face...
"—Wow, really?!"
"Huh?!"
The girl rushed toward him with a smile as brilliant as the sun, leaving him completely flustered.
"Yes, yes! I understand! Renji is so amazing! It's natural to admire him!"
"Eh? Ah, yes, of course..."
"Right! If you have time, let's go to the third training ground! I think Renji is still practicing there!"
"Eh, 20th Seat Hinamori...?"
"Come on, this way! I'll show you all of Renji's wonderful qualities while we're there!"
Rikichi was firmly pushed forward by the slender figure and moved toward the practice field with Hanataro. The enthusiastic way she spoke about the young man named Abarai Renji, telling him that "just admiring him isn't enough," made it crystal clear how closely 20th Seat Hinamori had been watching him and how much she cared.
(So, 20th Seat Hinamori... she feels that way about Renji...)
Huh... For the first time in his life, Rikichi felt he understood a girl's feelings, 20th Seat Hinamori's feelings. And in the depths of his heart, he shed tears for his first heartbreak.
But immediately afterward, the emotions that welled up in his chest filled the empty hole in his heart instantly.
(To make 20th Seat Hinamori so smitten...)
Coincidentally, this emotion became the foundation for a change in the young man's heart and would go on to form the core of the future Third Seat of the Sixth Division, Rikichi.
How incredible, Abarai Renji...!
"—Renji! I really admire you!"
"Oh, really? Alright...! Then you can call me 'Renji' from now on!"
"Yes! Thank you so much...—Renji!"
The two, who had exchanged their first words at the training ground, went on to build an exceptionally close senior-junior relationship that many squad members envied. But they parted ways with a major misunderstanding lingering in both their hearts...
Hueco Mundo, the Forest of Menos.
A pure white desert where evolved high-class Hollows roamed. A single figure stained the landscape crimson with blood.
"—Gran Rey Cero!"
"GAAAAAARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
The area was littered with countless Hollow corpses, and after the last one fell, the figure let out a light breath.
"Seriously, I told you to stop."
"Ah... Guh..."
The figure and voice belonged to a young woman. She was an anomalous existence emanating unusual spiritual pressure, and the Hollow mask covering her face bore a large crack at the mouth. She was a transcendent spiritual entity that had broken down the barrier separating Hollows and Soul Reapers, two incompatible species.
"This is strange. According to the intelligence, this should be the area... But naturally, it's not you."
"...Stop fooling around..."
"Sigh, this is the seventh one..."
A woman clad in white surveyed the area and let her shoulders drop. Once again, the target was nowhere to be found. It was a matter of honor for her that she had yet to complete this crucial mission directly assigned by her superior.
"...Will you come with me?"
"What... are you talking about..."
"That massive form of yours has already begun to deteriorate, hasn't it? If you're afraid of regression, follow me. There are other female Vasto Lorde like Harribel, and it's more civilized than this empty wasteland."
It wasn't her first choice, but this giant bird Vasto Lorde wasn't a poor catch. It was better than returning empty-handed. After a moment's hesitation, the woman smiled through her cracked mask at her fellow female Vasto Lorde, who nodded timidly. With her new companion, she turned and headed back toward their base.
"...Where are you taking me?"
"You've never heard of it? It's the palace where a Vasto Lorde claiming to be an ancient god once lived..."
Two days after leaving the Forest of Menos, the masked woman gazed at the temple-like structure appearing on the horizon and breathed in awe at its majesty.
It was her organization's headquarters, a massive semi-spherical dome that seemed to cover the sky itself. Ten years ago, the god of the void who had ruled this land had fallen to their power, and the new ruler's authority was absolute.
"Cirucci, wait here. I'll report to the higher-ups."
Leaving the female Vasto Lorde speechless at the sight of the palace's immensity, the masked woman walked down the corridor and stood before a room inside the castle, steeling her resolve. Inside were three of the highest-ranking officials serving the new king of this land—commanders of the main army, ranked even above the Fraccion. They were not individuals who would tolerate having some ignorant beast brought before them.
After taking a deep breath, she knocked politely on the door. It was the pride of a woman who had once been a beast.
"Ah, yes. Come in."
Granted entry, she closed the door quietly without making a sound. She glanced at the figure inside the room with downcast eyes.
A cute young girl who resembled a Soul Reaper.
A chill ran down the female Arrancar's spine. The spiritual pressure emanating from the figure before her was comparable to that of a lower-ranked Hollow. She appeared slender and delicate, and her demeanor was bright and polite, even toward subordinates.
However, except for the king and those at the very top, no one in this place—Las Noches, would dare defy such a seemingly fragile girl.
"Welcome back, Nelliel. Your expression suggests the intelligence was wrong again."
"...Yes, I apologize for failing to meet expectations."
"No, no, I should apologize for making you travel so far repeatedly..."
Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck, the female Arrancar, reported to her dejected superior about the newly recruited mid-level Hollow.
"I successfully recruited another Hollow, Cirucci Sanderwicci, who happened to be in the intelligence sector. Her rank is mid-level Arrancar."
"...! Wow, that's impressive, Nelliel! You're truly remarkable."
"Ah, thank you."
Though her superior praised her lavishly, she must not grow complacent. Her true mission had remained the same for a decade—to search for something that had eluded them all this time. Her superiors, including her superior's "Espada"—Aaroniero, Yammy, and even the obstinate Baraggan—had all been dispatched to search for it.
No one could forget it. The hellish flames boiling in that crimson light.
And everyone feared it. The moment this girl's patience would snap, or that scene would return from nightmare to reality...
"—Ah, right."
"...!"
The sudden change of topic made her startle.
"Captain Aizen mentioned they're beginning a large-scale enhancement plan soon. They'll monitor the progress, but it might take ten years to stabilize. But if it succeeds, I'll ask if you from the general Arrancar army can undergo re-Arrancarization."
"What?! That's..."
"Yes. Nelliel, you have the potential to evolve further. When we reorganize, you might be able to become a new 'Espada' member."
She had braced herself, but what emerged was an unexpected offer. Drawn by her superior's cheerful voice, Nelliel relaxed the tension behind her mask. Incomplete Arrancar were still unstable in power, and some had even lost control and injured themselves. Though their bodies were covered in clothing, remnants of their Hollow forms, like the goat fur covering her lower body, were still evident. For her, who despised her own bestial nature, this was something she desperately desired.
"Then rest until we receive new intelligence. Please continue the search for Ulquiorra Cifer."
The young superior gave the order with a troubled smile. Nelliel, mindful of her superior's concerns, renewed her determination to carry out this mission.
This Soul Reaper was not an unreasonable person to serve. She acknowledged her subordinates' efforts, prepared the rewards they desired, and treated them with genuine kindness. To respond to that was the rational loyalty of one drawn to her measured self-control over her unimaginable power.
"I leave it in your hands—Hinamori-sama."
Nelliel bowed deeply to Hinamori Momo, who waved goodbye modestly, and left her office.
***
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