(T/N: The Body Nanatsuki is using as a Quincy is female.)
World of the Living.
A tear split the clear blue sky—deep, dark, and unnatural. From within it, Nanatsuki and her disciples emerged high above Karakura Town.
Ishida Ryūken had stayed behind to help the other Quincy settle down in the World of the Living. After passing through the Gate of the Sun, Nanatsuki's group had parted ways with him and made their way here.
"This is a Garganta? I can't sense anyone's Reiatsu anymore… we must be far from where we started!"
"Garganta is amazing! But I thought only Menos could open it? How did you manage that, Sensei?"
The disciples stared in awe. Nanatsuki's use of Garganta clearly defied their expectations.
"With the right Reishi techniques, even Shinigami and Quincy can enter the Garganta," Nanatsuki explained casually. "It's just not as convenient as a Hollow's Sonído, which can be used mid-combat like teleportation. Once we're settled, I can teach you."
Accessing the Garganta wasn't especially difficult for those versed in Reishi manipulation—Shinigami or Quincy alike. The only reason her disciples hadn't learned was that the Wandenreich never taught such techniques.
"We can learn it too? That's awesome!"
"This is Karakura Town," Nanatsuki said, gazing down at the city below. "According to Ishida, the remaining members of the Kurosaki clan relocated here."
This world's history was different from the one Nanatsuki remembered. Though Japanese-style buildings still dominated the landscape, a number of structures bore starkly different designs—vestiges of the Light Empire's former presence.
"So this is the World of the Living... It's nothing like the Wandenreich. Wait... that building over there looks familiar!" Bambietta pointed to a white structure nestled in a mountain village on the outskirts. It bore a distinctly Western design, reminiscent of architecture once common in the Empire.
"Kurosaki Clinic?"
Nanatsuki narrowed her eyes, focusing on the distant signage over a kilometer away.
That had to be it—a clinic founded by the remnants of the Kurosaki bloodline. She hadn't expected to find her target so quickly.
Moments later, Nanatsuki and her disciples stood outside the building labeled "Kurosaki Clinic."
Though the area was remote, it wasn't deserted. Plenty of ordinary humans lived nearby. Medical services had become a scarce resource in this era, so the clinic's popularity wasn't surprising.
Nanatsuki looked around. Most of the clinic's staff appeared to be young adults.
Only one of them—a woman with orange hair—was a Quincy. The rest were ordinary humans.
It seemed the Kurosaki family had integrated well into human society.
"Kurosaki-sama, how long until my hand heals?"
The speaker was an old man, his pants caked with dirt—clearly not someone of wealth.
Despite its high-quality medical care, the clinic charged very little. That explained its steady stream of patients.
The doctor on duty—a young woman with flowing orange hair—carefully removed the cast from the elderly man's arm and examined it.
"The bone has almost fully healed. I'll prescribe you something. Come back in ten days for a check-up."
She was the only Quincy on staff, and her mastery of Reishi techniques made her a miracle worker in the eyes of ordinary humans.
"Thank you, Kurosaki-sama!" the old man said, bowing gratefully as he took the prescription and left.
Nanatsuki stepped forward.
"You'll need to wait your turn—"
The orange-haired woman looked up—and froze the moment she laid eyes on Nanatsuki's Quincy puppet.
The resemblance between them was undeniable.
That explained why none of the other staff stopped Nanatsuki from cutting the line. They had all paused their work, casting curious glances in her direction.
"Tsukiren?!"
The orange-haired woman bolted upright.
"You must be Kurosaki Mei."
Nanatsuki glanced at the nametag pinned to her coat. She recognized the woman instantly—one of the two Quincy children she had met long ago.
"I'm not Kurosaki Tsukiren," Nanatsuki said, shaking her head. "You may call me Kurosaki Haren."
"You're not… Tsukiren-onee-san?" Mei murmured, staring at the identical face in disbelief.
Floods of childhood memories surged through her mind. Back then, if Tsukiren hadn't risked her life to lead Mei and Kurosaki Ichiryū out of the Quincy settlement, the two of them would've shared the same fate as the rest—eternal slumber beneath its ruins.
"You know Ishida Ryūken, right?" Nanatsuki offered, her tone gentle but firm. "Like him, we came from that place. He told me you were living near Karakura, so I came to find you."
"Ishida Ryūken? Of course I know him. He brought some injured folks here not long ago."
Mei finally snapped out of her daze, her eyes shifting to the others behind Nanatsuki—Liltotto and the rest.
"You're all from the Wandenreich?"
She had heard about it through her interactions with Ishida.
"That's right. But I don't see Kurosaki Ichiryū around?"
Nanatsuki looked around the clinic but didn't spot the other Quincy child she remembered.
"Ichiryū..." Mei's face darkened with sorrow. "He's already… gone. It happened during a Menos attack last year."
"Kurosaki Ichiryū died to a Menos?" Nanatsuki's brows furrowed. Something felt off.
She had scanned Mei's status panel earlier. Though her innate talent ranked a bit below Nanatsuki's current disciples, she still had an A+ rating—easily enough for officer-level strength. Ichiryū should've been comparable.
Together, the two of them should've been able to handle even an Adjuchas.
So how had he died?
"But Ryūken told me he saw Ichiryū at the clinic a few months ago. It hasn't been that long, has it?"
"He was injured in that battle—poisoned by a Hollow. The toxin was deeply hidden. None of us realized it was still in his body. But it fed off his Reiatsu and grew stronger… until the day it exploded. By then, it was too late."
Mei's voice trembled. "If I had just noticed it sooner… Ichiryū wouldn't have died."
"I see... What a cruel twist of fate..."
Nanatsuki's words trailed off.
"You're pregnant, aren't you?"
Nanatsuki's gaze sharpened. She had noticed how Mei instinctively cradled her belly while talking about Ichiryū.
There was a slight swell—subtle, but clear.
And Mei's figure was naturally slim. This wasn't weight gain.
"...Yes," Mei whispered.
She and Ichiryū had not been blood siblings, though they were raised as such. Their closeness had never blossomed into romance—until recently, when Ichiryū had taken the initiative.
Mei hadn't rejected him. And so, naturally, they became a couple.
She never imagined that so soon after their relationship began... Ichiryū would die—consumed by Hollow poison.