"Sometimes I really envy Natsu," Michiru Ogawa said softly, watching Muten Natsu slumped over his desk. "He sleeps every day. It looks so relaxing."
...
Clang!
Muten Natsu swept his katana sideways, blocking the simulacrum's strike. The impact sent a numbing shock through his palm.
The simulacrum pressed forward, forcing the back of the blade hard against Muten Natsu's collarbone.
None of its individual stats were particularly outstanding, yet when combined, the power it unleashed was so overwhelming it left no room for hope.
In a brief lapse of focus, Muten Natsu was struck squarely in the chest by the Strong Hollow Simulacrum, its fist punching straight through him.
"Urgh…" Muten Natsu gagged, retching to shake off the lingering phantom pain. He took a deep breath and slid the katana back into its sheath. "Again!"
...
"Now that you mention it," Ryō Kunieda said, lifting her eyes from the book in her hands, "he really does seem to be asleep all the time."
"Not 'seems.' He actually is," Chizuru Honshō said as she pushed her glasses up. "He sleeps during class, and he sleeps after class too. Tatsuki, are karate people all like this?"
"How could they be…" Tatsuki Arisawa shot her a sideways glance. "He probably just doesn't sleep well at night."
"Every night?" Michiru Ogawa looked worried. "If it's that bad, shouldn't he see a doctor?"
"That's not it~" Orihime Inoue waved her hands. "Muten sleeps really well at night."
"Huh?" Ryō Kunieda's gaze shifted to Orihime Inoue.
"At night…" Michiru Ogawa seemed to realize something. "Orihime, you—"
"Wait, let me ask first," Chizuru Honshō cut in, stopping her. "Orihime, even if someone sleeps a lot, that doesn't mean the quality is good. Snoring can affect sleep quality too."
Orihime Inoue tilted her head, thinking for a moment. "He doesn't snore."
When they went picking flowers at night, Orihime Inoue had never heard Muten Natsu snore.
Michiru Ogawa's mouth fell open. "You… you two…"
"So you really are a love rival!" Chizuru Honshō glared indignantly at Muten Natsu. "I—"
"I'd advise you not to bother him," Mahana Natsui said, stepping in to stop her. "That's a sleeping tiger."
"I wasn't even going to—huh?" Chizuru Honshō caught the unfamiliar phrase. "A sleeping tiger?"
"Well, back then…" Mahana Natsui began recounting a legend she had once heard.
"He did something like that too?" Rukia Kuchiki's eyes lingered on Orihime Inoue for a brief moment as she roughly pieced things together. "That figures."
Michiru Ogawa looked a little surprised. "You didn't know about this, Kuchiki?"
"Well… we haven't been in contact for a while."
"Huh?" Mahana Natsui laughed. "Is this one of those 'childhood friend returns' storylines?"
Orihime Inoue looked at Tatsuki Arisawa. "That kind of plot really does seem popular lately."
Tatsuki Arisawa sighed. "Didn't I already tell you about this?"
Huh?
Her brow furrowed slightly as a faint sense of disorientation washed over her.
When she had talked about this with Orihime Inoue before, it felt like something else had happened too.
What was it?
"Kuchiki!" Chizuru Honshō leaned in close to Rukia Kuchiki. "I'm rooting for you!"
"Hm… huh?" Rukia Kuchiki blinked, her large eyes filled with confusion. "For what?"
"If you and Natsu end up together, I can take in the heartbroken Orihime!"
"Who asked you to?" Tatsuki Arisawa chopped Chizuru Honshō on the head with a sharp hand strike.
As the girls continued their noisy banter, a large, burly figure entered the classroom carrying a birdcage.
Dark brown skin, short curly brown hair, and nearly two meters tall.
It was Yasutora Sado.
Bandages were wrapped around his head, and white strips of bandage were faintly visible around his arms beneath the sleeves of his school uniform.
Rukia Kuchiki frowned slightly, stood up, and walked over to Muten Natsu, poking his arm.
Muten Natsu lifted his head. His eyes still carried an unspent, razor-sharp killing intent, like a fierce tiger ready to pounce on its prey.
Michiru Ogawa caught his gaze, her face turning deathly pale as she shrank back in fear and clutched onto Ryō Kunieda.
Then…
She saw the murderous look on Muten Natsu's face vanish the instant his eyes landed on Rukia Kuchiki, replaced by a lazy, almost catlike languor.
The contrast was so extreme it was like watching someone change faces. He seemed like a completely different person.
Such an obvious shift…
Michiru Ogawa cast a sympathetic glance toward Orihime Inoue.
A childhood friend making a comeback was just too powerful. Orihime's chances didn't look good at all.
Orihime Inoue: "?"
"What's wrong?" Muten Natsu asked as he sat up, looking a little tired.
Rukia Kuchiki knew him well and normally wouldn't wake him without a reason.
She pointed toward Yasutora Sado, who had just left the classroom. "That parrot he's carrying…"
Inside the cage, the parrot was mostly white, with a pale yellow head and crest. Round red patches dotted its cheeks, giving it an undeniably cute appearance.
"A parakeet," Muten Natsu said after a glance. "Want one? We can buy one after school."
"That's not it," Rukia Kuchiki said, cutting in. "Didn't you sense that there's something off about that parrot?"
Muten Natsu spread his hands. "My perception has always been pretty average."
"There's more than one Soul inside it."
"Possession?" Muten Natsu frowned slightly. "There's a Soul attached to that parrot?"
Just like before, when that slick-haired Soul had attached itself to the old woman's body, Souls could inhabit other bodies.
And compared to human Souls, a parrot's Soul was far weaker.
That was why, even with the parrot's own Soul still inside its body, a human Soul could still attach itself to it.
"I don't sense any malice. It's not something dangerous," Rukia Kuchiki said thoughtfully. "It's probably a spirit that's afraid of being alone, so it's using this method to communicate with humans."
After all, not every Plus was like that old man from before, wandering the streets and just happening to run into someone like Muten Natsu who could see Souls.
"But if we leave it alone, it'll eventually turn into a Hollow," Muten Natsu said as he stood up and stretched. "I'll go ask what's going on, then find a time to perform a Konsō."
He left the classroom, and after asking a couple of people, quickly learned where Yasutora Sado had gone.
Yasutora Sado was distinctive enough that almost anyone who saw him would remember.
Muten Natsu headed up to the rooftop. The moment he pushed open the iron door leading outside, a string of agonized screams rang out.
"Oof! Waaaaah!"
A blond delinquent came spinning through the air straight toward him.
Muten Natsu raised a hand, caught the delinquent, and casually tossed him aside.
"Th-thanks…" The delinquent blurted out instinctively after being caught, only to slam into the ground a second later. "You bas—"
Muten Natsu tilted his head. "Hm?"
"Bas… Brother Natsu…" Once the delinquent got a clear look at Muten Natsu's face, the rage drained from his expression instantly, replaced by forced meekness. "Brother Natsu, it's been… it's been a long time…"