Whoosh—
After Ōunabara Gengorō left, Fūjin Taichi didn't head back to the dorm right away.
Instead, a thought lingered in his mind—
He needed to enter his Jinzen space.
He had to see for himself…
What exactly was hidden beneath that frozen wasteland.
"Hey, Taichi!"
Leaning casually against the doorway with her Asauchi slung over her back, Saitō Mizuki called out to him.
"…Do you want to have lunch with me?"
"Huh?"
Taichi froze.
This was the first time a girl had ever invited him to eat together.
Wait… is this it? Has my luck finally turned? Are the stars aligning? Is this the beginning of romance?!
"Um… I, uh… made some cucumber and crab sushi today…"
Mizuki's voice softened as she spoke.
"I made a bit too much… so… I thought you might want to try some…"
By the time she finished, a faint blush had already spread across her cheeks and ears, making her look unexpectedly adorable.
Only then did Taichi remember—
Saitō Mizuki was from the prestigious Kidō family, the Saitō Clan. The daughter of Instructor Saitō Jūshirō.
A noble through and through.
She lived within Seireitei, surrounded by elegance, fine food, and privilege.
And yet—
A girl like her…
Was inviting him—a wandering soul from Rukongai—to share a meal?
This was—
Pure bliss.
Taichi felt like his entire life had suddenly been bathed in holy light.
Of course, he had to at least pretend to hesitate.
He was still a man, after all. Couldn't just throw dignity out the window.
"Mizuki…" he scratched the back of his head awkwardly, forcing a shy smile. "I don't know if that's really appropriate… I mean…"
"It's not bad, I promise!"
She lifted the lunch pouch and waved it gently in front of him, smiling brightly.
"And I really did make too much… so please, help me finish it, okay?"
"Well, if that's the case, then I won't hold back—"
Before he could even finish his sentence—
A long-faced upperclassman suddenly dashed in like a thief, snatching the lunch pouch right out of Mizuki's hands.
"Oh my, this smells amazing!"
He held it up to his nose and took a deep sniff, looking thoroughly pleased.
"You—who are—"
"Brother! Stop messing around! Give it back!"
Mizuki immediately chased after him, but the man only grinned mischievously.
"Now, now—I just heard you say, 'I made too much sushi, please help me finish it.' What? Your little boyfriend gets to eat it, but your dear older brother doesn't?"
"Brother! What nonsense are you talking about?! Give it back!!"
She stomped her foot in frustration.
"Oh no, I refuse!" the long-faced man declared dramatically, waving the pouch around. His thick, curved eyebrows made his expression even more comical.
"Saitō Keichirō!" she snapped.
"Oh? What did you just call me?"
The man's playful expression instantly turned serious as he shot her a glare.
"Ah—big brother! My dear, kind big brother! Please give it back!"
Seeing force wouldn't work, Mizuki immediately switched tactics, her tone turning soft and pleading.
"Nope. I refuse."
Keichirō clutched his chest as if wounded, putting on an exaggerated expression of heartbreak.
"You've shattered my soul. I never want to see you again! Go on—leave me!"
"…"
Mizuki pouted, pretending to be angry—but Keichirō already knew her too well.
Without another word, he turned and ran.
"Off I go! Time to enjoy some sushi!"
"Brother! Get back here!"
She shot Taichi an apologetic look before hurriedly chasing after him.
"…Uh…"
Taichi stood there, feeling like a bucket of cold water had just been dumped over his head.
Completely deflated.
Watching the siblings disappear into the distance, he smacked his lips.
"…Guess I'll just eat at the cafeteria."
"Hey."
Just then, a voice called out from behind him.
Taichi turned toward the garden—
And there stood Saitō Keichirō, looking every bit like a street thug.
Leaning lazily against the wall, a toothpick in his mouth, he casually picked at his teeth while eyeing Taichi with a half-lidded gaze.
"You're Fūjin Taichi, right?"
"…That's me. But weren't you just—"
"Didn't you know? From the moment we're born, older brothers are always one step ahead of their sisters."
Keichirō spat out the toothpick and narrowed his eyes.
"Anyway, forget that. What's your relationship with my Mizuki?"
"…Classmates."
"Mm? And?"
"…Desk partners?"
"That all?"
"…Uh… companions?"
Taichi scratched his head, thinking hard before cautiously adding,
"Maybe… colleagues?"
"You… are you actually this dense, or just pretending?"
Keichirō shook his head in disbelief.
"Our Saitō Clan is known for Kidō—but that doesn't mean we lack Zanpakutō."
He unsheathed his blade slightly and tilted it toward Taichi.
"Take a good look. This is my Zanpakutō—Yamata no Orochi."
"The blade is three shaku and three sun long. The hilt is shaped like sunflower petals."
"Know why?"
"…No."
"Because the sunflower is our clan crest."
"It represents resilience and courage."
"And every member of the Saitō Clan carries that spirit."
He pointed at the hilt as he spoke.
"That's why most Zanpakutō of our clan have sunflower-patterned hilts."
He paused.
Then his tone shifted slightly.
"…Except—"
"What do you mean?"
"…Everyone except my one and only little sister—Saitō Mizuki."
Saitō Keichirō's gaze sharpened, locking onto Fūjin Taichi like a wolf eyeing its prey.
"Don't tell me… you never noticed?"
"I…"
Taichi fell silent.
I've been busy training all day—how would I even notice something like that?
The words rose to his lips—
But he swallowed them.
Because the truth was, even if he'd only been in Class 1 for three months, as Mizuki's desk partner, missing something like that really was… careless.
"Hmph."
Keichirō's expression practically screamed 'men are all hopeless idiots.' He reached into his sleeve, pulled out Mizuki's lunch pouch, and tossed it straight into Taichi's arms.
"My sister made that cucumber crab sushi herself. It's seriously good."
"I already ate one. The other nine—you and Mizuki can split them."
With that, he turned and started to leave.
"S-Senior Saitō… you…"
Taichi held the pouch, staring at Keichirō's back, completely at a loss for words.
"Fūjin Taichi!"
Keichirō didn't turn around. He just raised a hand and waved.
"If you can… take care of my sister during this afternoon's Soul Burial exercise."
"I... only have this one sister, you know!"
"…Understood." Taichi's expression grew serious.
As long as I'm still alive… I'll protect her.
You have my word.
"Hey, Taichi!"
From a distance, Mizuki spotted him standing there in a daze under the sun and called out curiously.
"Sorry! I couldn't catch my brother! He's always like that—so carefree it's honestly annoying—wait… the lunch pouch? You got it back?!"
"Yeah, Senior Saitō just—"
"Well well well talking behind someone's back isn't a good habit, you know, little Mizuki" Keichirō suddenly popped out from nowhere again, peeking in like a nosy ghost.
"Go away!"
Mizuki's face flushed red as she snapped back, stiff-necked with embarrassment.
"And stop calling me that! Or I will get mad!"
"Okay, okay!"
Keichirō instantly switched to a placating tone—but the moment he noticed Taichi watching, his mood flipped again.
"What are you staring at?!"
"Senior Saitō, I thought you already left. Why... are you back again?!" Taichi felt like his head was spinning from this guy's antics.
"What? You two haven't even started anything yet, and you're already finding your future brother-in-law annoying?"
Keichirō widened his eyes dramatically.
"B-Brother! What are you even saying?! Just go already! I don't want to see you today!"
"Oh? Already siding with someone else over your own family?"
He rolled his eyes.
"No wonder—you talk about him at home all the time, and now you're even making sushi for him~"
"Y-You idiot! When have I ever—?!"
Mizuki exploded like a startled cat, jumping up and pointing at him.
"If you keep spouting nonsense, I'll tell Father! About how you spent the whole weekend drinking at Otose's Izakaya—and even called for two—"
She abruptly cut herself off, realizing what she was about to say.
Then she quickly looked up at the sun.
"Taichi, we should go. It's almost time to assemble!"
"Yeah—let's go."
Taichi nodded seriously, then gave Keichirō a quick farewell.
In response, Keichirō shot him an exaggerated wink—
Don't forget what I said. Take care of her.
"Bye-bye, little Mizuki~"
"Ugh! I don't ever want to see you again!" Mizuki huffed and hurried off.
"Well then, Senior Saitō, I'll get going too!"
Taichi turned to leave—
"Hey, Fūjin."
Keichirō suddenly called out again.
"My sister's sushi… it's different from what most people make."
"She doesn't use spinach."
"She likes adding water celery instead."
"…It actually tastes really good."
"So—make sure you finish it, alright?"
"…Got it."
Taichi gave a small nod.
"Thank you… Senior Saitō."
With that, he turned and jogged off, catching up to Mizuki in the distance.
She hadn't gone far.
Soon, the two of them were walking side by side toward Mochizuki Platform, chatting and laughing as they shared the cucumber crab sushi together.
Along the way—
Taichi couldn't help but sneak a glance at the Zanpakutō strapped to her back.
And then—
He froze.
The hilt.
It wasn't shaped like a sunflower, as it should have been for a member of the Saitō Clan.
Instead—
It looked exactly like his own Kyūjūkyū.
A begonia flower.
From the outside, her Zanpakutō was almost identical to his—
With only one difference.
One was red.
The other…
Black.