Inoue Orihime and Tatsuki Arisawa sat together on the pink carpet of the small third-floor room.
Their sitting positions stood in contrast.
Orihime knelt formally with her legs tucked beneath her and her hands on her lap, her body language calm and composed. Her signature hairpin gleamed from her bangs, and her expression gave the appearance of someone serene and thoughtful.
Across from her, Tatsuki sat casually-one leg folded beneath her and the other stretched out straight in front. Her posture was careless but familiar, her chest rising slightly as she laughed along with Orihime. Whatever they were chatting about, it made Orihime cover her mouth mid-laugh.
Wind whipped against the windows. Orihime stood and moved to close them, pausing to glance across town toward Kurosaki Ichigo's house.
"I wonder what Ichigo is doing right now?" she said softly to herself.
-
At the ramen shop across town, Ginjo Kugo froze as the wind slammed into him through the open door, strong enough to send spicy broth right into his face. The silver cross around his neck swung erratically from side to side.
"…I really don't even get peace for ramen," he grumbled.
He set his chopsticks down with visible reluctance, only halfway through his bowl. As he walked toward the front doors, he glanced to the side and spotted Riruka stepping out of the dessert shop, happily nibbling on donuts fresh from their box.
She wore her usual white fluff-brimmed hat, black dress cut above the knee, and tall black boots that exposed just enough bare skin. Her lacey top pushed her chest forward under the tightly fitted jacket.
Her twin pigtails shifted slightly with each step down the sidewalk-an unspoken contrast to her usual quick tongue.
"You're so slow. I bet you just didn't feel like eating," she called out without looking at him.
Ginjo sighed and followed after her. "Riruka, I'm your boss. Don't you think you should start talking to your boss with some respect?"
"We're comrades, not office workers," Riruka replied, flicking her ponytail up in one motion before twisting it loosely around her wrist. Her confident tone echoed in the way she carried herself-one step ahead, almost floating rather than walking.
From above on the rooftop, Tsukishima stared down over the ledge with his usual book in hand.
"The book calls that behavior… tsundere," he said flatly.
"Wh-who are you calling tsundere!?" Riruka stamped her foot on the pavement and spun around furiously.
Ginjo moved past them both and turned toward the center of town. He narrowed his eyes at the rising spiritual vortex above Karakura Town and gave only one warning as he vanished toward it-
"It's time. Let's go see who's causing this."
-
Deep underground, in the cold stone basement lit only by blue crystals, Aura remained motionless beside the containment unit. The black box now held compressed spiritual essence radiating power through its sealed edge.
Nothing in her stern gaze shifted. Her white shirt hugged her form under the fitted black jacket, gold-plated belt at the waist unmoving even as sparks of energy flashed beyond the concealment barrier above her head. She didn't flinch-didn't react-as she looked toward the storm building outside.
-
Yuta hadn't expected this level of feedback from drawing on Quincy power again-but as soon as he began focusing spiritual energy through his palm to form Kusawokaru, everything shifted.
Unlike when channeling Shinigami-based reiryoku, this new power caused massive disturbance in the atmosphere. The storm gathered with velocity and force-pulling every surrounding spirit particle into one place and condensing it directly into him as if summoned by gravity itself.
Black light spiraled down into his left hand as the Quincy blade solidified into form-thin pitch-dark steel that absorbed even ambient light around it.
It was alive-and terrifying.
Yuta knew its name the moment it took shape. The Quincy Sword wasn't just another weapon-it erased reiatsu entirely upon contact and severed soul connections beyond repair. Spirits destroyed by it would not be reincarnated.
He raised it once and held it next to his other blade. When both were in his hands, violent winds crashed outward in every direction. The buildings nearby cracked and crumbled beneath his soaring pressure.
Dozens of Gillian-class Hollows collapsed where they floated-the sheer weight of spiritual force forcing them flat against the ground before bursting apart into vaporized reishi that funneled upward into Soul Society for purification.
Yuta stared at the scattering trails with mild interest.
"Hollow power…"
He reached out again-this time pulling residual spiritual energy from one of the lingering fragments of Hollow reiatsu nearby-but didn't absorb it fully. The devouring nature of that power wasn't useful to him-not right now anyway.
As he focused again and bound Quincy energy behind both blades, the pressure condensed tight around his body-turning light itself into blue streaks glowing in his eyes as sensory input exploded forward in new directions. He could feel everything now-even without looking-through every shifting particle in his environment.
You have successfully comprehended the Eye of the Spirit Son.
Yuta turned slowly then-his glowing eyes locking onto Aizen Sousuke standing beneath full cloaking robes several meters behind him alongside Gin and Kaname Tosen.
He smiled once at them-wordless-and continued observing their reactions with ease neither shaken nor cautious.
Up high above him among wind currents screaming toward the vortex-
"What is this!?" Tosen shouted suddenly against the rising pressure. "He's controlling external spirit matter like... like a Quincy! Does that make him... one of them?"
They both drew back instinctively under pressure that made even stepping forward difficult now. Their arms shielded their faces from flying debris flung around by invisible force alone.
Gin shielded himself with one hand and squinted beneath silver bangs shifting wildly in the wind-
"Well damn… Yuta's reiatsu just made mine feel tiny."
Yet Aizen did not move-hands folded calmly inside both pockets-watching silently until Gin snapped back toward him with alarm in his tone-
"How!? He shouldn't be able to detect us under this disguise!"
"He shouldn't," Aizen said with a faint smile. "Unless his power has already surpassed theoretical boundaries."
"The Quincy," he continued smoothly, "draw strength directly from remnants of the Soul King's will. That blade... has now made Yuta host to it."
"He no longer sees us through sight-but by calculation of every particle moving within atmosphere outside our cloaks."
"In this state, every Reiatsu is equivalent to Yuta's eyes. No one could hide from Reiatsu detection-no one could hide from Yuta's detection."
"And…"
Sōsuke Aizen glanced at the pitch-black blade in Yuta's hand. A flash of madness stirred behind his calm eyes.
"The ability of that blade is probably the true terror," Tōsen said in a low tone. "Quincy power has the potential to erase hollows completely. Are we saying this sword might be capable of destroying the soul itself?"
Ichimaru Gin raised his eyebrows and said, "Hey, hey… wouldn't this kind of power be close to godhood? Captain Aizen-if it comes to a fight, you'll be handling Yuta. We sure as hell aren't stepping up for that."
Sōsuke Aizen gave Yuta one last long look before turning his gaze skyward. Although the others hadn't arrived, he'd already sensed their spiritual pressures closing in.
"Gin-we're leaving. Now isn't the time to confront them."
Ichimaru Gin gave him a nod and opened the world-transit gate with his Zanpakutō. One by one, the three stepped through and vanished.
Yuta summoned and secured his scabbard at his waist alongside Kusawokaru.
As the blue light faded from his pupils, the overwhelming spiritual pressure dissipated into nothing. Yuta steadily descended and touched down on the ground.
Kurenai lay unconscious beside him, surrounded by other Soul Burial intern Shinigami-all of whom had succumbed to the sheer weight of that spiritual force.
They had been far away, but that hadn't saved them. Yuta's pressure had been too intense for them to bear.
Behind him, the world-transit gate parted again with light-and Hinamori Momo appeared first, followed by the rescue team from the Gotei 13.
As soon as Momo spotted Yuta, she ran over quickly.
"Yuta-the report said there was a large hollow here! I came as fast as I could-are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Yuta replied flatly, "but Kurenai took some damage. The other students from Shino Academy fainted from the pressure. Just take them back to Soul Society."
Around them, the Fifth Division Shinigami surveyed the scene carefully.
"Where's the Hollow? I don't see anything alive out here."
"Heh… probably ran off scared when it sensed our squad was coming, huh?"
"Whatever-if the hollow's gone, then focus on saving whoever needs it."
…
Before long, Momo was hauling Kurenai onto her shoulder while others loaded stretchers with unconscious students from the academy.
"Yuta-aren't you coming back with us to Soul Society?"
Momo glanced back from the gate's threshold when she noticed he hadn't followed her.
"You go on ahead. I'll stay and mess around here for a few days."
"…Okay," Momo said softly with downcast eyes before stepping into the gate with Kurenai in tow. The double doors closed behind them and vanished into thin air.
Once they were gone-quiet returned.
Urahara Kisuke arrived shortly after-alongside Shihōin Yoruichi, Kurosaki Isshin, Ryūken Ishida, and Kūgo Ginjō.
"Oh? Looks like we just missed some kind of party," Kisuke remarked dryly, flicking out his fan as his eyes scanned the residual energy in the air.
Yuta clicked his tongue and vanished with a flash step-gone before any of them could close in on him.
Urahara Kisuke stood at the center of it and exhaled behind his fan. "Well well… that spiritual pressure was intense-and now it's completely hidden again. Seems we're left in the dark once again."
Tessai frowned beside him. "For someone with that kind of power-we don't even know his identity or what he wants. That's unsettling."
Just then-
Yoruichi stiffened and turned her head sharply upward.
She felt it-spiritual pressure streaking overhead at impossible speed. No ordinary Shunpo could match it.
"At that pace… could it be-?"
She didn't finish the sentence before leaping up after him without hesitation.
Urahara glanced up after her but stayed put with the rest of the group. "Yoruichi-be careful on your own!"
Yoruichi darted across rooftops with wind rushing past her ears-senses straining forward.
She narrowed her eyes.
For someone known as Soul Society's "Flash Goddess," it was humbling to have to push so hard just to keep him in sight at this distance. Her own speed was immense-but barely enough to avoid losing him completely.
They cut across rooftops trailing blue streaks of Reiryoku behind them. It was only now in this state that Yuta existed visibly in the human world-spirit form unburdened by physical limitation. Even ambient temperature had no impact now-whether snow or heat, it made no difference to him.
Later-he might create a Gigai just to blend in better.
Right now though-
Yuta noticed Yoruichi following behind and quickly redirected toward a narrow alley drenched in shadow beneath moonlight slivers above.
He flashed into it-and she followed close behind without hesitation.
When she turned into the alley and stopped-the first thing she saw was him standing alone under faint silver light…
White-blue uniform from Shino Academy intact-expression unreadable but calm.
Her breath caught slightly without meaning to. She hadn't quite expected him to look like that up close-a young man far too easy on the eyes for how little presence he gave off before moving.
They locked eyes in silence for just one moment-
Wind slid past them again-rustling strands of her hair across her face as she finally broke the silence:
"Boy… your Shunpo isn't half bad."
Yuta took her in for another second and smiled faintly before replying-
"Miss Yoruichi-you're Soul Society's best when it comes to Shunpo. Actually-I've been hoping to learn some things from you."
Yoruichi squinted at him with mild suspicion. "You know too much already," she said carefully. "What happened during that spiritual storm just now? Did you see who caused it?"
She scanned his expression closely-the energy had dissipated long before they arrived-and whoever caused it was long gone now…
"Ah… you're talking about him?"
Yuta gave her a small chuckle without explaining further-
…
Far off at another edge of town-
Uryū Ishida arrived on scene moments too late-finding only fading remnants of Reiryoku within what once was a massive containment barrier.
Whatever happened-it had ended already.
At that same moment-he spotted another figure ahead of him: Ishida Ryūken stood calmly with both hands tucked in his pockets.
"You're… Ryūken…?"
"Oh?" Ryūken glanced sideways without turning fully around. "Calling your father by his first name again? Some things really don't change."
"What are you doing here? You don't even use Quincy powers anymore," Uryū said sharply-then hesitated-
"And wasn't I supposed to be… the last Quincy? Why is there someone else attracting spirit particles here besides me?"
Ryūken didn't turn back-instead looking up toward the night sky lazily as if he'd already lost interest in finishing this conversation.
"You're too weak right now," he said flatly. "And because of that-you aren't qualified to know anything else. If you want answers... then get stronger first."
With those parting words, he turned and walked away down the street without another word-
"Hey! Wait..."
Uryū took one step forward-but Ryūken was already gone-disappearing at the end of the block without another trace behind him.
Uryū stood in place as old memories washed up against his thoughts-
Back when he was just a boy-and returning home from lessons with his grandfather-
He remembered standing in that room bathed in red sunset light-with Ryūken facing away toward shelves filled with books-
"Uryū-you went again? To see your grandfather? How many times do I have to tell you?"
"But-but…"
"No excuses. I've told you already-saving the dead is pointless. That's the job of the Shinigami. You should be focusing on saving people who are alive."
"I'm not interested," he added coldly, "and you don't have talent anyway. Your grandfather will be the last Quincy-that's final."
"Dad… why do you hate Quincy so much?"
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