Modern day, Karakura Town, Tokyo—
"I'm dead?"
Kurosaki Ichigo watched his body being loaded onto an ambulance, leaving behind a messy trail of blood staining the concrete road beneath the overpass. His pupils quaked, and he remained in a daze for a long time.
None of the onlookers paid him any extra attention.
Because he was already a freshly minted "plus," commonly known as a soul.
Ordinary people couldn't see him.
The only ones who could respond to him were other souls.
"Yes, a terrible death. Hit by a dump truck, thrown dozens of meters, and then run over, turning you into a carpet."
The speaker sat on the curb.
He wasn't very old, probably only seventeen or eighteen.
His build was slender, neither fat nor thin, very well-proportioned.
A calm aura emanated from him.
If he wore black-rimmed glasses, he would look exactly like the harmless bookworm in class.
And if he put on a serious expression to lecture, it would usually annoy the opposite sex.
However, his hellish remarks, full of black humor, fully revealed his "sharp" side.
His eyes were also exceptionally bright and piercing, mysteriously giving people a subtle impression that he knew a lot, yet was different from a scholar.
"Damn it, where did that dump truck even come from? Also, please don't make me remember how I died, I'll puke!"
The orange-haired youth, who was about to start his Freshman year of high school, had surprisingly good grades, but no matter how hard he thought, he couldn't figure out how he ended up in a car accident in front of a convenience store.
Even if it was intentional murder, it would be difficult to get a dump truck into that position beforehand.
And it was even less likely for it to hit him without a sound.
It was as if it appeared out of thin air.
There was no driver in the truck either.
It was practically a supernatural phenomenon!
"Since you don't want to talk about how you died, let's change the subject… My name is Shimiya Takashi, an incoming university student. Given that we're in the same boat, please take care of me from now on."
Takashi stood up and casually brushed the dust off his clothes.
"Kurosaki Ichigo, an incoming high school student… You said 'in the same boat,' does that mean…"
Ichigo hesitated, wanting to speak but holding back.
"Ah, you're not the only one who got hit and died."
Takashi admitted frankly.
Transmigration these days was becoming increasingly technological.
It used to be by lightning strikes; now it's by car accidents.
And he was hit twice.
The first time.
He was eating hotpot and singing a birthday song when it seemed the gods in the dark also got excited and sent him such a grand gift.
It hit him and sent him to Tokyo, a mix of slice-of-life anime.
He became the young master of a zaibatsu.
Relying on being a transmigrator, he had been in his element since childhood, greatly admired by those around him.
During summer vacation, he had a sudden whim to visit Chiba.
However, it seemed the gods saw through his desire for a certain person, and sent another dump truck, forcibly changing his itinerary.
At the same time, it also changed Ichigo's fate.
Any cheat-like bloodline was useless in the face of such unreasonable, higher-level narrative supernatural phenomena.
"Speaking of which, if it weren't for this thing, I would have thought I wasn't dead. It feels completely different from the last time I died."
Takashi looked down at the padlock on his chest and the half-severed Chain of Fate, even poking it with his hand, producing a crisp sound.
The sound and sensation were particularly strange, giving him an uncontrollable urge to gouge out the padlock.
"You always say things I don't understand. Shouldn't people be sad at a time like this?"
Ichigo took a deep breath.
"Given the circumstances, there's nothing to be sad about. Look, aren't we doing fine? We just don't have our physical bodies, it's not a big deal. Besides, this might not even be a bad thing."
"Getting hit by a dump truck is protagonist treatment. Next, we might even meet a goddess who guides us into another world."
Takashi waved his hand. No sooner had he finished speaking than a strange Japanese-style lattice gate appeared without warning in the air ten meters away on the sidewalk.
The gate slowly opened, and a small figure stepped out, accompanied by a flurry of luminous blue butterflies.
It was a young girl.
Black kimono, onion-shaped hair, delicate features combined with large eyes—though very cute, the long sword at her waist and her dignified aura exuded an indescribable majesty.
"?"
"… …"
How could such a conspicuous person not be seen?
— This was true for both sides.
If Takashi and Ichigo were merely drawn by her strange appearance and strong presence, then Kuchiki Rukia was awestruck by the "aura" emanating from the two of them.
Coming from the Soul Society to the Human World, which was lacking in spiritual particles, theoretically, even a tiny fluctuation in spiritual pressure would be as noticeable as a rare animal.
But standing before these two.
For a moment, she had the illusion that she had never left the Soul Society.
"The spiritual pressure unconsciously emitted naturally integrates with the spiritual particles in the atmosphere, changing the aura of this place…"
In this situation, even if a Hollow appeared, it would probably unconsciously overlook them.
Rukia's expression grew more serious.
She landed on the ground, hand on her sword hilt, and approached the two step by step, showing no sense of boundaries for a first meeting, like a cold and decisive law enforcer carrying out routine duties.
"Hey! Who are you?"
Ichigo tensed his body, took a step back, and questioned loudly.
He completely failed to notice Takashi beside him, who had an expression that said, "See? What did I tell you? The goddess is here."
Rukia, accustomed to such reactions, explained, "Don't be nervous. I am a Shinigami stationed in Karakura Town, responsible for sending the souls of the deceased to the Soul Society, which is the resting place for souls."
"—That being said, I never expected to encounter two high-spiritual power souls upon my arrival. You two should be grateful I came at the right time. If I had been even a little slower, powerful Hollows would definitely have been attracted, and then you would face something more terrifying than death."
"Shinigami? Soul Society?"
Ichigo was utterly bewildered. Having met two strange people in a row, his thinking ability was a bit overwhelmed.
"Do Shinigami also have territorial protection measures? No scythes, but katanas; no cloaks, but kimonos. Won't religious foreigners be repulsed by this image?"
As soon as Takashi spoke, the tense atmosphere immediately eased.
"Of course not, because I will unceremoniously take coercive measures, making them obediently get lost before they can even voice an opinion."
Rukia was surprised for a moment, then straightened her chest righteously.
She clearly had a bit of aristocratic air, yet her tone of voice was as smooth and rogue as a seasoned veteran, completely disarming.
"Wait, you don't mean 'get lost' as in 'go to hell,' do you?! We don't know if what you're saying is true or false, and a Shinigami is actually a grade-schooler like you? That sounds unreliable."
Ichigo frowned, his face full of wariness.
"Shut up! I'm ten times your age! You human brats have no right to question my abilities. However, seeing as you two possess potential and might become comrades in the future, I'll introduce myself for now."
"My name is Kuchiki Rukia. You will slowly come to appreciate the greatness of this name in the Soul Society."
"Hey, I haven't even said goodbye to my family…!"
Before Ichigo could finish, Rukia stepped forward with a half-smile, drawing her sword with a "whoosh" and striking Ichigo's forehead with the hilt, causing him to fall backward and be swallowed by the white light emerging from the ground.
Then it was Takashi's turn.
He didn't resist, acting as if he was nonchalantly letting a flight attendant buckle his seatbelt and waiting for takeoff.
After sending the two away, Rukia let out a slight sigh of relief and leaped onto the overpass to gaze at the modern streetscape of Karakura Town.
Although there was a suspicion of her being a gold-plater, she would absolutely break everyone's doubts with impeccable achievements and flawlessly complete her garrison mission.
"Speaking of which, I forgot to ask their names… But it doesn't matter. If they can successfully graduate from the Spirit Arts Academy and join the Gotei 13, we'll meet again sooner or later. By then, I should already be a Vice-Captain, or at the very least, a high-ranking officer."
"It'll be a good chance to let that blonde kid feel the majesty of a senior! Hmph… How dare he call me a grade-schooler!"