Maybe Soi Fon just got lucky this time, finishing that Hollow in one strike.
But flip the situation: if she had been the one distracted and caught off guard, she could've been taken out just as easily.
With that level of strength, she still had the nerve to be tsundere?
Shirō really wanted to walk up and crush her confidence a little.
As long as you're not someone like Kenpachi Zaraki, a walking tank, or Aizen, a complete monster… unless you've got a main-character aura, you don't survive recklessness.
Even Shirō didn't dare mess around.
Seriously, after being tormented by Yoruichi and then "healed" by Squad Four, which might've been worse, Shirō had come to truly value his body.
No unnecessary injuries allowed.
"Soi Fon! Wait up! Don't run off!"
Shirō's voice called out from behind.
"Ugh, that annoying guy again. How is he already catching up?!"
Soi Fon cursed under her breath and picked up her pace.
But her speed couldn't beat Shirō's.
Now that he'd found her, she wasn't going anywhere.
Even if she kept running, it had now become a one-sided chase, he'd catch up regardless.
"You can ignore me if you want, but is it really okay to leave your three subordinates behind like that?"
Shirō called after her.
As expected, Soi Fon froze. His words had hit a nerve.
Shirō pressed forward.
"You're already getting points docked just for this. And if anything happens to those three…"
Before he finished, Soi Fon stopped completely.
Without saying a word, she spun on her heel and brushed past Shirō in silence, heading back.
Clearly, he'd gotten through to her.
She was going back to check on the rookies.
Shirō smiled quietly and followed.
Suddenly, his expression shifted.
"Look out!"
In the blink of an eye, he tackled Soi Fon to the ground.
"What the hell are you, !"
Before she could finish,
BOOM!
A massive fist slammed into the ground where they had just been standing.
The two of them rolled aside at the last second, dodging the attack.
At that moment, Soi Fon knew, Shirō had saved her life.
She scowled and said nothing.
What, thank him? As if.
Instead, she directed all her rage at the Hollow.
If it hadn't shown up for a sneak attack, would she have ended up like this?
Needing to be rescued?
"Let me handle this."
She shoved Shirō aside and charged.
But Shirō moved forward too, not to contradict her, but because another Hollow appeared behind the first.
Of course. They were working in pairs.
"So it's not just Shinigami who team up to farm Hollows.
Turns out Hollows like to squad up and farm us too, huh?"
Shirō quipped.
The phrasing was odd, but the meaning wasn't lost on Soi Fon.
And that line? It was aimed directly at her.
Even Hollows know how to cooperate.
But you, a Shinigami, don't?
Basically, worse than a Hollow.
If this were the human world, that would be the equivalent of: "you're worse than an animal."
Soi Fon flushed red with embarrassment and rage.
"Tch… damn him!"
She cursed internally.
"One each. That okay?"
Shirō didn't wait, he was already moving toward one of the Hollows.
"Hmph."
Soi Fon didn't respond, but rushed toward the other.
One-on-one battles.
No ambushes. No cheap shots.
Both sides were evenly matched this time.
Shirō, being the man he was, and Soi Fon's unofficial fiancé, couldn't help but worry about her.
Even if they weren't engaged, he wouldn't just ignore her.
So as he fought, part of his focus remained on her side of the battle.
Thankfully, with his skills, especially his speed and reflexes, it wasn't a problem.
He danced around the Hollow's attacks, untouched and in control.
But then…
He noticed something was off.
At first, Soi Fon had the upper hand.
But bit by bit, her movements grew messier.
She was losing momentum.
Now she was on the back foot, on the verge of being overwhelmed.
Shirō stopped holding back.
There was no time to wonder why she was struggling, he had to finish his fight fast and go help her.
No more hiding.
He used every trick he had.
As his blade was dodged again, his other hand flicked toward the Hollow's mask.
It looked like magic.
His hand hadn't even touched the Hollow yet.
No chant. No Kidō spell.
And then, crack.
The mask shattered.
The Hollow vanished.
What happened?
He'd pulled out his concealed Zanpakutō and used a sleight-of-hand feint.
To any opponent using visual tracking, it was a perfect illusion.
What Shirō didn't realize… was that he'd just backfired on himself.
Because Soi Fon had also been watching him.
Not out of concern, but because she was competing.
They each had one Hollow.
She was the top student of her class, how could she let him kill his target faster?
So when she saw him fight so smoothly, she panicked.
That panic made her slip.
And now, she was being pushed back.
And then he went and killed the Hollow, cleanly, efficiently, before she could finish hers.
She didn't even see how. (Even if she had, she wouldn't have understood.)
But it was dead. No denying it.
That meant… she had lost.
Shirō hadn't even meant to compete.
That made it even worse.
He didn't care about rankings, but she'd taken them seriously all along.
Now, in front of someone who didn't even acknowledge the title, she looked like a joke.
Her pride, the "Top Student of the Academy", felt like nothing but a hollow title.
"Don't come near me! I can handle it myself!"
She snapped, seeing Shirō approach.
But before Shirō could respond, his expression changed again.
Another one?
A third Hollow lunged out from the trees behind Soi Fon.
It had been hiding the whole time.
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150 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter