People say that Rukongai is an extremely cruel place, where all kinds of souls must use every means to survive.
However.
Tsugikuni Yoriichi held a different view on this.
It was noon.
The sun was scorching.
Two simply dressed youths stood outside a residence, shouting, "Big Brother Yoriichi!"
"Please accept our thanks!"
As their voices faded.
A girl, several years younger than they were, slowly walked out of the main entrance.
She looked at the packages they were carrying in their hands and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. They were
"Hey, I say, you two, how many times has this been this month for you?"
"Big Brother doesn't need your thanks; after all, saving you from a Hollow was just a small, convenient matter."
"Why bother so much?"
"That won't do!" the brothers said in unison.
The elder brother spoke first: "Miss Rukia, I know Big Brother Yoriichi doesn't need these small things, but it's our heartfelt appreciation."
"Besides, Hollows are not ordinary creatures; they feed on souls."
"When we were caught by it, we thought we were dead for sure. If Big Brother Yoriichi hadn't happened to pass by, my brother and I would have died without a trace."
"How can we ignore such life-saving grace?"
"That's right, that's right." The younger brother chimed in,
"Miss Rukia, please accept it. Before we left, Father specifically told us that if we don't accept it, we won't be able to go back."
"It's just some daily necessities, nothing valuable."
The people speaking were all souls from Wekongai.
Souls seem formless and don't need to eat, but in this world, the stronger the soul, the more it needs food.
Rukia sighed in exasperation, "Although it's not valuable, but..."
"Forget it."
"I'll accept it on behalf of Big Brother this time, but please don't come again next time."
"This month, I've refused you four times. Big Brother dislikes noise and being ostentatious. No one can stand you coming every day like this."
"Even if you come, you must be quiet, understand?"
She stared at the two, hands on her hips, with a stern demeanour that implied she would 'sharks' them if they disagreed.
The brothers immediately nodded: "Understood, understood!"
As they turned to Memeanouria finally had the leisure to carefully examine the package in her hands.
Through the gaps in the fabric, she could see that inside were several pieces of compressed, dry bread and some clean water.
A rough estimate suggested it was enough for one soul to live in Rukongai for over a week.
Rukia was suddenly filled with emotion.
Don't underestimate the small quantity of these items; in this barren land, they could at least spark a brawl among dozens of people.
Their value was almost priceless to those in need.
Yet now, she could obtain them with ease.
The disparity was truly...
For a moment, she didn't know what to say.
As she stepped over the threshold and closed the main door.
A clear, cold voice drifted slowly from the courtyard: "Rukia, is it those two children again?"
..."Yes, Big Brother." Rukia was silent for a moment, adjusted her mindset, and replied in a calm, unhurried tone,
"But please rest assured, they have already left."
As she spoke, Rukia stepped onto the wooden corridor, turned a few corners, and finally met the owner of the voice in a tranquil courtyard.
It was a red-haired man who looked as if he had just come of age.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, dappling his finely chiselled features, coating him in a golden glow.
The deep red mark on his left forehead made him appear even more sacred.
He wore a simple yet dchiselled black and white training uniform, sitting cross-legged on a wooden board.
The wooden board was skillfully balanced on the tip of a sharp boulder.
It wasn't until a gentle breeze blew, breaking the tranquillity, and the rustling of trees on both sides of the pond, that Yoriichi slowly opened his eyes.
His deep red pupils were like a dtranquillityshowing no emotional fluctuations. He looked at Rukia: "If they've left, then so be it..."
"Remember to return the things later."
..."Yes."
Rukia bowed her head and responded.
After speaking.
She gazed at Yoriichi and softly asked, "Big Brother, do you remember what day it is today?"
Yoriichi closed his eyes, pondered for a moment, then reopened them:
"I remember, the first day I met you, which is your birthday. What about it?"
Rukia hesitated and said:
"Um... I was wondering if you could tell me the story you told me when we first met again."
"I want to hear it."
"It's about my origins, and the one about demons."
"I remember you, Big Brother, are not from this world, are you?"
Yoriichi suddenly fell silent.
Rukia's words brought back memories.
Ten years ago, he was still an old man on the verge of death, from a world where demons existed.
So-called demons were terrifying monsters that could regenerate limbs and loved to devour the flesh and blood of others.
His brother had turned into a demon, and at the last moment of his life, he met him.
He was still so young, but unfortunately... he had three pale eyes.
That pathetic sight made Yoriichi incredibly sad.
After striking him with a sword.
He passed away suddenly.
He couldn't remember much about what happened after his death, nor did he know how his brother treated his body.
He only remembered his consciousness constantly falling downwards, and as he fell, he arrived in this world called Soul Society.
It was as if fate had played a joke on him; when he first arrived in this world, he thought he had come to hell.
Because the surroundings were desolate and barren, with no vegetation. Even the houses were dilapidated.
Born into a samurai family, he had only seen such a sight among vagrants.
At the same time, his body had shrunk from eighty years old to about ten years old.
He didn't know the reason for this, perhaps it was related to the afterlife.
Facing this harsh environment, he had no objections, believing everything was his retribution.
After all, he had let the Demon King, Kibutsuji Muzan, escape, indirectly leading to the deaths of countless people.
He couldn't even save his brother.
He had intended to atone in hell until the end of his life.
However, after encountering a bandit who robbed him with a sword. He understood that they came to hell, but to District Eighty of South Rukongai in Soul Society, an area known to have more villains than sand.
From the bandit's mouth, he learned that the higher the district number, the harsher the environment.
Therefore, to understand everything that had happened to him, he prepared to move towards District 1, the most prosperous area.
On his way, he discovered baby Rukia in a swaddling cloth. Seeing her alone and helpless, he took her with him.
Yoriichi didn't know why he did this; he didn't even know anything about the environment he was in...
Perhaps he was reminded of his unborn child and poem.
Although sixty years had passed.
He had never forgotten.
In a flash, it was now, and after meeting some elders who were four or five hundred years old, the things he once didn't understand became clear one by one.