Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.
Rukia Kuchiki was wearing a purple-striped dress. The fitted long skirt traced the slender lines of her figure, giving her an overall air of mystery tinged with elegance. Paired with her—
Rukia Kuchiki looked around excitedly, eyes sparkling.
"So many people~"
Well, maybe not quite elegant.
But definitely adorable.
Having learned her lesson from last time, Orihime Inoue sensibly gave up on wearing a dress. She wore a light lotus-pink long-sleeved top with a blue long skirt, showing both a girl's sweetness and youthful vitality.
By comparison, Tatsuki Arisawa and Muten Natsu, both dressed in long sleeves and pants, looked rather unremarkable.
"I didn't expect this many people…" Muten Natsu glanced around and spotted several familiar faces.
The most eye-catching was Yasutora Sado, towering over the crowd by more than a head.
Mizuiro Kojima and Keigo Asano were standing beside him.
Muten Natsu remembered seeing them frequently together with Ichigo Kurosaki.
Scanning the crowd a bit more, he quickly spotted Ichigo Kurosaki with his two younger sisters.
There was also another man standing next to him.
That man…
Muten Natsu's gaze paused. He reached out and tapped Rukia Kuchiki.
"Look over there."
"Hm? What is it?" Rukia Kuchiki followed the direction he was pointing.
"Doesn't he look familiar to you?"
Rukia Kuchiki narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Now that you mention it…"
"What are you staring at?" Tatsuki Arisawa asked curiously. "Oh, isn't that Ichigo's dad? You know him?"
"Kurosaki's dad?" Muten Natsu asked. "Do you know his name?"
"Isshin Kurosaki. Why?"
"Isshin?!" Rukia Kuchiki clearly realized something. "He's…"
"No wonder Kurosaki's spiritual density is so high," Muten Natsu muttered. "It'd be strange if it wasn't."
"This is the first time you've heard of him?" Tatsuki Arisawa sounded surprised. "You've never been to Kurosaki Clinic?"
Muten Natsu shook his head.
"I'm usually the one sending people to the hospital. When have you ever seen me going there myself?"
Tatsuki Arisawa paused.
"…That's true."
As if sensing their gaze, Isshin Kurosaki turned his head and met Muten Natsu's eyes.
He smiled and placed his index finger lightly against his lips.
Muten Natsu blinked, then watched as Isshin Kurosaki calmly turned back around and spoke to his two daughters as if nothing had happened.
Rukia Kuchiki spoke softly.
"Looks like he doesn't want to be disturbed."
"That's understandable," Muten Natsu said, reading the meaning clearly. "Let's just pretend we didn't see him."
Tatsuki Arisawa had originally wanted to ask more, but hearing that, she shook her head and changed the subject.
"Speaking of which… are there really ghosts here?"
Everyone turned to look at the abandoned hospital in front of them.
The forsaken hospital stood on the outskirts of the city, surrounded by overgrown wilderness.
The building's exterior was already in a state of severe decay, stripped of every trace of the bustling activity it once held.
The brick walls were poorly maintained, with most bricks cracked or fallen away entirely. Bare concrete was exposed, and the remaining paint clung in uneven, mottled patches.
The tall structure, once a symbol of healing and rescue, now looked like an abandoned giant.
Most of the windows were shattered or coated in thick dust. A few still held torn curtains, swaying unsteadily in the evening breeze.
Its dilapidated appearance mercilessly revealed the erosion of time, creating a heavy, oppressive sense of dread.
It was only because of the television program that so many people had gathered here.
On an ordinary day, even in broad daylight, most people would probably go out of their way to avoid this place.
"You see places like this all the time on paranormal shows," Tatsuki Arisawa said. After learning what Shinigami actually did, she'd developed a new perspective on those programs. "But if there really were ghosts, wouldn't the Shinigami have already performed Konsō on them?"
"It's not quite that simple," Rukia Kuchiki explained. "Most spirits in places like this are Jibakurei. Under normal circumstances, Jibakurei fuse with the land itself, so they're rarely detected by Soul Society's sensors."
"Sorry, please step back."
As they were talking, the crew had already begun setting up equipment. One staff member carrying a floodlight walked past them toward the hospital, adjusting its position under the director's instructions.
"Move the light a bit farther back!" the director shouted. "Put it in the middle. Not there, a little more forward!"
"For a Jibakurei to appear," Rukia Kuchiki continued, "one condition has to be met. Humans have to intrude into its territory."
As the crew moved forward, a shrill scream suddenly tore through the air.
"Aaaaaah—!"
Orihime Inoue instinctively moved closer to Muten Natsu.
"That sound… what was that?"
"It's a Jibakurei's cry," Muten Natsu said, rubbing his ear. "So there really is one."
Tatsuki Arisawa glanced around and realized that no one else seemed to have heard anything.
"This sound… it feels kind of like a Hollow."
"That's because it's a Plus on the verge of falling into becoming a Hollow," Rukia Kuchiki said, staring toward the hospital. "That's the cry of a half-Hollow."
A gaunt man crawled up from the ground, dragging long chains that rattled loudly as he threw his head back and wailed.
"That's a Jibakurei," Muten Natsu added. "Its heart is tightly bound to this abandoned hospital."
Orihime Inoue recalled something Muten Natsu had once told her.
The Chain of Fate connects the body and the soul. When the body dies, the Chain of Fate snaps.
Once broken, the chain, driven by the soul's lingering attachment, coils around whatever the soul is obsessed with.
One chain after another extended out from the abandoned hospital, wrapping around the half-Hollow's body. One of them hung down across his chest, tearing open a dark, gaping hole.
Orihime Inoue looked confused.
"After the Chain of Fate breaks, isn't it supposed to erode? Why did his chain become so long?"
"The hospital itself has a very high spiritual density," Muten Natsu explained. "And his obsession with this place is too strong, so his Chain of Fate fused with the hospital. That's why it didn't shrink. Instead, nourished by the hospital's Reishi, it kept growing longer."
"But that doesn't mean he's fine. See the hole in his chest?"
"That hole being half open means he's already lost part of his inner self," Rukia Kuchiki said, explaining what she'd learned at the Shin'ō Academy. "If it fully opens, he'll become a Hollow that acts purely on instinct. When that happens, their bodies change, and a skull-like white mask appears on their face to protect those exposed instincts from the outside world."
"I wonder what he went through here," Tatsuki Arisawa said, unable to hide her discomfort as she listened to the half-Hollow's wailing. "He's been dead for so long. The hospital's already abandoned, but he still refuses to leave."
"This hospital is mine!" the half-Hollow roared. "No one is taking it away from me!"