A few days later, at the soccer field.
Toshiro was playing soccer with Karin and her friends against the same group of middle schoolers from the other day.
Although Toshiro had tried to reduce contact with Karin after his conversation with Isshin a few days ago, it hadn't worked. Karin continued to cling to him tenaciously.
Even when Toshiro deliberately hid from her, Karin would search all over Karakura Town for him.
In the end, Toshiro had no choice but to stop avoiding her, and today he was even forced to agree to play soccer with her.
"Kurosaki! The ball's coming!"
"Okay! Got it!"
"Heads up! Toshiro!"
After receiving the ball, Karin immediately passed it to Toshiro.
"Haah!"
Toshiro received the pass and immediately kicked it hard, sending the ball into the opponent's goal.
When the match ended, Toshiro, Karin, and the others had unsurprisingly defeated the middle schoolers who had challenged them again.
Karin said goodbye to her friends and chose to walk home with Toshiro.
"Ah, you were a huge help, Toshiro. Ryohei got hurt playing soccer the day before yesterday. If you hadn't come, not only would we have lost to those middle schoolers again, we wouldn't even have had enough players for the match."
"Come to think of it, including last time and this time, you've helped us twice. Sorry for the trouble, Toshiro."
Karin, carrying her soccer ball in a mesh bag, chatted happily with Toshiro on the way home.
"Hmph. So you know you've been a nuisance. Don't come to me with this kind of thing again."
Toshiro said, his face stern.
"Geez, what's with that attitude?"
Karin looked a little hurt. "Come to think of it, you've been avoiding me for the past few days, haven't you?"
Seeing the hurt look on Karin's face, Toshiro felt a little guilty. He cleared his throat and changed the subject: "So, how long are you going to follow me? I already kept my promise and helped you win the match. I have other things to do, so stop following—"
"Toshiro-chan!"
Before Toshiro could finish, a voice suddenly called out from nearby.
Toshiro turned his head and saw a kind-looking old woman walking towards him.
"Are you... Grandma Haru?"
Toshiro was stunned for a moment before digging deep into his memory. He asked, a little uncertainly.
"It really is you, Toshiro-chan."
Hearing Toshiro say her name, Grandma Haru confirmed his identity.
"Grandma Haru, it's been a long time, hasn't it?"
"Yes, it really has been many years. Would you like to come to my house for a bit?"
Inside a traditional Japanese-style house in Karakura Town.
Toshiro and Karin were sitting under the eaves of the veranda, talking.
"Toshiro, who is Grandma Haru? How do you know her?"
Karin asked enthusiastically, showing no embarrassment for having tagged along uninvited.
"Good grief, you're so shameless. Grandma Haru invited me over, and you insisted on coming too."
Toshiro couldn't help but make a sarcastic remark.
"What does it matter? She agreed to let me come anyway!"
Karin said with a nonchalant expression.
"More importantly, tell me how you met Grandma Haru! She seems like an ordinary human, right? Generally, she shouldn't have anything to do with Shinigami."
Karin urged him.
"Alright, alright."
Toshiro picked up his teacup, took a sip of the hot tea Grandma Haru had prepared, and began explaining: "Actually, decades ago, before I became a Captain, I was stationed in the Living World for a mission. That's when I happened to meet Grandma Haru..."
"Eh? Decades ago? So you weren't lying last time. You really are over a hundred years old."
Karin looked amazed. "But if it was decades ago, you must have been even younger than you are now, right?"
"Your current age is equivalent to about 5th or sixth grade in elementary school in the Soul Society. Decades ago, you probably would have just graduated kindergarten and started elementary school, right? It's amazing you were sent on missions at such a young age, Toshiro."
Although Karin's words could be interpreted as a compliment, Toshiro couldn't help but feel his anger flare up.
"You! Stop bringing up the subject of my age!!"
Toshiro shouted like an old maid being asked her age.
"Sigh..."
Toshiro took another sip of tea to quell the fire in his heart and calm himself down.
Then Toshiro continued explaining: "Grandma Haru is human, but she has relatively high Reiryoku. Like you, Karin, she can see spirits."
"I see. That explains why so many have gathered here."
Karin glanced around at the many spirits floating here and there, looking speechless.
"Here, here, Toshiro-chan. Have a taste. This is your favorite sweet natto."
Grandma Haru came out of the house carrying a plate of sweet natto.
"Eh? Toshiro, you like sweet natto? That's so like an old man! Hahaha!"
Karin laughed.
"Tch. Shut up."
Toshiro said nonchalantly, then picked up a piece of sweet natto and tossed it into his mouth.
"Mmm... Grandma Haru's sweet natto is still as delicious as ever."
Toshiro praised.
Seeing Toshiro eating with relish, Karin decided to try some too.
"Well, the flavor is pretty good..."
Karin nodded.
But that was it. Sweet natto wasn't something Karin particularly liked. Although Grandma Haru's was good, Karin only offered a polite compliment and didn't eat any more.
"Hmm?"
Karin suddenly noticed a small child standing behind a tree in the yard.
"Oh my, oh my. Yosuke, so that's where you were."
Grandma Haru followed Karin's gaze and also spotted the child hiding behind the tree.
Karin noticed that the child seemed to be a spirit too, so she asked, "Grandma, who is that child?"
"Oh, that's Yosuke. He came to my house not too long ago."
Grandma Haru explained.
'A newly arrived spirit? This seems somewhat dangerous...' Toshiro noticed that the spirit named Yosuke was in a critical condition, at risk of Hollowfying at any time.
"Yosuke, can you come over and say hello to our guests?"
Grandma Haru said with a kind smile.
"Yeah."
Yosuke responded timidly, bowed to Toshiro and Karin, then tried to run away.
"Hello!"
Karin smiled and raised her hand to greet Yosuke.
"..."
Yosuke didn't reply, just stood there nervously and shyly, not daring to move.
Seeing this, Grandma Haru said apologetically, "I'm sorry. Yosuke is a shy and introverted child. But he's the first spirit I've seen so clearly."
"I am not a spirit."
Toshiro retorted.
"Alright, alright. You're a Shinigami, right?"
Grandma Haru said in a tone used to humor a child.
"Anyway, thanks to Yosuke, I've been able to live happily these past few days."
Grandma Haru got up and walked towards Yosuke behind the tree.
But watching Grandma Haru so happy, Toshiro couldn't help but frown.
Although Yosuke was a spirit, he wasn't as ethereal as other spirits. Instead, he looked almost like a real, solid person.
If it weren't for the Chain of Fate on his chest, people with strong Reiryoku might mistake him for a living human.
Because Yosuke's soul was very solid, almost like a real human. Remove the Chain of Fate, and he would look exactly like a living human to those with strong Reiryoku.
But that was precisely why Toshiro was worried.
The more solid the soul, the stronger the Reiryoku, and the stronger the Hollow it would become. And the Chain of Fate on Yosuke's chest was almost completely corroded. At this rate, he could suddenly turn into a Hollow at any moment.