Shin'ō Academy, Special Class—also known as Class One.
Akari poked Soma in the back and whispered:
"Why does Ichigo look so grim? Did he have a nightmare about Hollows last night?"
"Could be. But with his guts, to scare him that badly it'd take at least a Hollow stealing his girlfriend, then beating him half to death, maybe puncturing his heart for good measure."
"Hey! I heard that!"
The vein on Ichigo's forehead twitched furiously from the seat beside them.
"So what if you heard it? Wanna fight about it?"
"..."
Normally, faced with such blatant provocation from Soma, Ichigo would never back down—no way in hell he'd chicken out just because the other guy was strong, even stronger than him.
But this time, Ichigo held himself back.
That alone made Akari's eyes go wide.
"Wait… Ichigo, you really did have a nightmare about a Hollow stealing your girlfriend?"
[?]
Even Atae raised a brow and silently tossed out a question mark, showing his "concern" for his fellow groupmate.
"Don't listen to that bastard's nonsense!"
Ichigo snapped, then glared at Soma in exasperation.
"Don't think I don't know you just want to show off your Shikai in a fight. I'm not giving you the chance."
"Show off? Who said anything about showing off? I just thought you were jealous I mastered Shikai before you, so I wanted to let you see it up close, give you a little push forward. Who'd have guessed my dear brother Ichigo would misunderstand me so deeply? Truly breaks my heart."
Soma shook his head with a dramatic sigh.
"I don't care to argue with you. Anyway, I've already gotten the hang of Kaidō. Technically speaking, my Kidō's about on par with yours now, heh."
"Wow, truly incredible."
"..."
The way Soma gave him a big thumbs-up with such an earnest look—whether it was sarcasm or not—it still made Ichigo's face lock up in frustration.
And honestly, Soma wasn't wrong.
Thanks to Aizen's careful guidance, Ichigo had not only entered the basics of Kaidō but also solidified his foundation. His rapidly growing Reiatsu wasn't showing the slightest sign of losing control.
Clearly—
The Quincy ability to manipulate Reishi was finally beginning to shine.
His Zanjutsu, Hakuda, and Shunpo weren't lagging either.
In fact, even the 5th Division's 3rd Seat couldn't stand against him in sparring anymore.
Graduating early was basically guaranteed.
Calling him "incredible" might even be underselling it.
Of course, Soma wasn't exactly lagging behind.
Zanpakutō, Hakuda, Kidō, and Shunpo—he was Ichigo's equal if not stronger. He could even skip the incantation for a Hadō as high-level as Shakkahō and still retain half its power. Even a natural genius like Akari found it absurd.
After the last class ended, Genjirō suddenly walked in. As the homeroom teacher of Class One, he had plenty of responsibilities, but nothing outweighed the students' safety.
And now, that bottom line had been crossed.
"Sorry to take up your time. On behalf of the Academy, I need to announce an emergency notice."
Genjirō Ōkido's face was grim.
Everyone instantly felt a sense of dread.
"Just moments ago, it was confirmed that one student from Class One and one from Class Two have gone missing without reason in the outer district—Junrinan. If anyone knows anything, report it immediately. Until this is fully investigated, I advise against leaving Seireitei."
With that, he hurried out.
The classroom fell into silence for a moment—then burst into noise.
"Didn't think something like this would actually happen."
Akari rubbed her chin and muttered, "Hope those two are okay…"
"What's with that face? You look like you just got punched."
Soma shot a glance at Ichigo.
"You didn't hear what Ōkido-sensei said? The disappearances happened in Junrinan."
Ichigo's voice was heavy.
"Relax. Even if there's foul play, it won't threaten the elder. That place isn't as weak and helpless as you think."
"The missing student from our class—I barely knew him, but I remember he was from Rukongai, and not Junrinan."
"..."
A flicker of doubt crossed Soma's eyes.
A commoner who wasn't from Junrinan went missing there. No one even knew why he'd gone there. That was why they'd called it "without reason."
And now another student had vanished under the same "without reason." That wasn't coincidence.
Could it have been a teacher?
Unlikely. The time when disappearances were "necessary" had long passed.
Which only made the situation feel more ominous.
"…I'll admit you've got a point. But this isn't our business. Look at them—half the nobles are basically treating this like free entertainment. To them, a Rukongai brat isn't worth as much as a joke. No sense of camaraderie at all."
At that, Ichigo glanced toward the noble students chattering away with excitement, and a heavy silence fell over him.
"…Yeah, maybe so, but…"
"That said—it's been a while since we've checked in on the elder. Probably time to pay a visit, let him know we're alive. Want to come?"
Soma asked suddenly.
"..."
Ichigo froze for a second, then let out a cold snort.
"Do you even need to ask? I'm not letting people call me ungrateful behind my back."
"You two are seriously thinking of getting involved? This isn't like our sparring matches. It's dangerous."
Akari, who had heard everything clearly, couldn't help but warn them.
"You're right. Which is why—wanna come with?"
"Guheheh~"
No need for words—that shady laugh said it all.
"And Atae… Never mind, no need to ask."
Soma turned his head and met Atae's steady gaze.
Everything was already understood.
"No time to waste. Tonight we go! GO! GO! GO! Team Akari's taking over Rukongai!"
Akari clenched her fists, eyes blazing with hot-blooded energy.
"Why the hell is it Team Akari? I started this conversation, didn't I? Shouldn't it be Team Kurosaki? …No, that sounds kind of lame. Forget I said anything."
"???"
Soma looked at Ichigo in confusion. You started this?
And really—saying "tonight we go" just sounded like a bad omen for the team.