"So… Yoruichi licked catnip?"
Inside the Urahara Shop, Urahara Kisuke, Tessai, Jinta, and Ururu stared grimly at the black cat before them.
The cat's eyes swirled in circles, staggering as it walked. From time to time it let out a soft meow and rolled over, exposing its soft belly in delight.
Kisuke's scalp prickled. "Can anyone tell me how to cancel out catnip's effects?"
The others exchanged blank looks.
Having sold Shinigami tools for years, they were familiar with countless items… but none had ever heard of a tool that could undo catnip.
"Meow, meow, meow…"
The black cat purred happily, writhing on the floor.
Tessai's face went pale. "I feel like… when Yoruichi-sama regains her senses, she'll slaughter every witness here."
Jinta and Ururu both sucked in cold breaths.
Even Kisuke's lips twitched.
He swore—this was the first time he'd ever seen a human who actually carried catnip around.
What, did that brat not have cats at home to feed!?
Ten minutes later, the four were still frozen in horror, watching the black cat roll around shamelessly.
"How much catnip did that damned brat feed Yoruichi!?"
Thirty-five minutes later…
A furious yowl shattered the silence.
"MEOW!!!"
...
"AAAAHHH!!!"
At dawn, a wretched scream echoed from Kurosaki Clinic.
"What was that?"
Cole sat up groggily, blinking around in confusion. "Did we forget to take care of a Hollow last night?"
Just then, Ichigo burst in at top speed, panicked, flailing his arms.
"Cole! Do you remember what happened last night? We met a Shinigami and monsters, and then we became Shinigami ourselves—"
"Yes, yes."
Cole casually waved him off, pulling on his clothes as he headed for the door. "Don't make such a fuss. So what if we became Shinigami?"
"But… but that's insane! Shinigami, and Hollows, and we killed so many last night—it felt like a dream…"
"Relax. It wasn't a dream. I even sent Rukia to the shop afterward."
Ichigo wiped sweat from his brow. "Exactly—that's why I'm freaking out. Because it wasn't a dream!"
His entire worldview of fifteen years had collapsed in one night.
After washing up, the two sat down for breakfast.
Cole stared at the feast laid out on the table, eyes wide as he looked at Yuzu and Karin.
"Yuzu, Karin… is today a holiday or something? Why so much food?"
Karin blushed, setting down a plate of grilled meat. "I don't know why… I just wanted to make something tasty for you, Cole-nii."
Yuzu nodded earnestly. "Me too! So I made lots of your favorites—like tempura!"
"I see…"
Cole nodded thoughtfully.
So even if their memories had been altered, the subconscious still remembered.
As Cole dug in happily, Ichigo's face darkened. He glared at his sisters. "I get it, you wanted to cook for Cole. But can you tell me why I've got nothing in front of me?"
Karin rolled her eyes. "What are you talking about? You've got milk and bread right there."
Ichigo's voice cracked in despair. "But I want grilled meat, tempura, yogurt too!"
His protests were ignored. He sulked, chewing his bread and sipping milk, throwing dagger-like glares at Cole.
Soon after, Isshin came running in, waving his arms dramatically.
"Ichigo! Cole! Did you hear? Last night, a train derailed and plowed through our street—left tons of marks everywhere!"
"Pfft!"
Ichigo spewed milk all over him, twitching as he looked at Cole.
That was your sword last night, wasn't it!?
...
"Cole, you really made all these, didn't you?"
The two walked along the street, Ichigo staring at the deep, massive gashes carved into the ground.
Each trench was eighty meters long, two meters deep.
Like someone had decided to install giant drainage ditches on the street.
"Don't let anyone find out." Cole's face was firm. "If I have to pay damages, even selling the Kurosaki Clinic won't cover it."
Ichigo's face went dark. "Why would my family's clinic pay for it!?"
The two reached Karakura High.
Ichigo looked around at the familiar building and classmates, sighing. "We actually made it a day without getting attacked by monsters… it's a miracle."
Cole coughed lightly. Ever since last night, he had begun to control the flow of his reiatsu.
Inside the classroom, Keigo waved enthusiastically. "Yo! Cole! Ichigo! I heard like eighty trains derailed at your place last night. You guys okay?"
"Cough, cough, cough!!"
Both of them choked violently.
Ichigo leaned over, whispering furiously. "How many swings did you take last night!?"
Cole thought for a moment. "Over a hundred."
Ichigo paled, deciding then and there to bury this secret deep in his heart. No amount of money could pay for it.
Chad walked over. "Ichigo, Cole. Need help with repairs?"
Ichigo shook his head. "It's fine. The walls and roads are already being fixed. Should be done by tonight."
"That's good." Chad nodded.
Cole didn't join in the chatter. Sitting in the back by the window, he quietly pulled up his system interface.
After last night, the menu had updated with new options.
[Available Points: 467]
[Reiryoku: 48,800]
[Strength: 5,142]
[Speed: 842]
[Zanpakuto: 1]
[Reiraku (Spirit Threads): 1]
[Soul Control: 1]
[Reiatsu Burst: 1]
[Reiatsu Armor: 1]
[…]
"Quite a few new abilities. But the main boost is still reiryoku…"
Cole smiled to himself. After becoming a Shinigami, his reiryoku had skyrocketed by twenty thousand.
He had always possessed remarkable energy, but now it was terrifying.
Unfortunately, with no one to compare against, he couldn't judge his true power.
His gaze shifted to the new options.
"Reiraku—I know that. A Shinigami's sensing ability, to distinguish each soul's unique energy…"
"Soul Control… what exactly is that?"
"Zanpakuto… does that mean I can upgrade mine? But it's already eighty meters long—if it grows more, it'll break a hundred…"
"Reiatsu Burst—seems like an intimidation skill, releasing all energy at once."
"Reiatsu Armor—that I know. By coating the body in reiatsu, it becomes a near-impenetrable defense…"
After some thought, Cole spread his points evenly among all the new skills.
Not that he didn't want to specialize—but he wanted to test them all first.
When he finished, his body thrummed with new instincts, as if he had always known these techniques.
With a thought, he gathered reiatsu, letting it wrap his body in an invisible shield.
He picked up a pen and jabbed it at his hand.
Crack!
The pen shattered instantly, lifespan cut short at three days and four hours.
Such was the power of Reiatsu Armor.
Next, he closed his eyes, expanding his perception outward. His reiryoku stretched across Karakura… until it even brushed the Urahara Shop.
......…
......…
(End of Chapter)
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