"It hurts so bad… it's unbearable… it's…"
The beetle-like Hollow came sprinting down from the rooftop, charging straight at the two of them.
"So hungry!!!"
Muten Natsu set his stance. If it had already turned into a Hollow, that was fine. One slash and it would be sent straight to Soul Society, and he wouldn't even need to bother with Konsō.
Against something at this level…
A hand suddenly grabbed Muten Natsu's shoulder. His reflexes kicked in, and he almost swung his blade on instinct.
"Back off!" Kanonji stepped in front of Muten Natsu. "Leave this to me!"
Muten Natsu: "Then what am I supposed to do, collect your corpse?"
"Come on, evil spirit!" Kanonji raised his staff. "The new world's super-popular spiritual medium—Don Kanonji—will deal with you!"
The beetle Hollow opened its huge mouth. At a glance, it looked like it could bite Don Kanonji down until only the "ji" was left.
Worried Kanonji would get hurt, Muten Natsu had no choice but to abandon drawing his sword. He planted a hand on Kanonji's shoulder, jumped, and sent the beetle Hollow flying into the hospital with a kick. Then he ditched Kanonji and rushed inside after it.
The glass doors shattered, sending the audience into screaming panic.
"Th-this… what on earth…" The host hastily put on a hard hat. "Mr. Kanonji is fighting an invisible enemy! With the power of his staff, he's driven the enemy into the hospital! The glass at the entrance has completely shattered! He's in pursuit! The battle isn't over! He's still attacking!"
Muten Natsu was still searching the hospital for the Hollow's trail when he turned his head and saw Kanonji trotting in after him.
"Take a guess why I kicked the Hollow in here."
"I get you!" Kanonji gave him a thumbs-up. "You didn't want the onlookers to get hurt, right?!"
"Did it ever occur to you that you're also one of the onlookers?" Muten Natsu glanced at the thick dust coating everything, spotted the Hollow's footprints, and followed them upstairs. "If you understand, then leave. And don't follow me again."
"Are you… telling me to run away?"
"You can take it that way," Muten Natsu said, "or I can phrase it in a way that makes you feel better."
"I won't run away!"
"Huh?"
"Heroes don't run away!"
"If this place weren't abandoned, it'd actually suit you pretty well." Muten Natsu pointed at one of the departments. "Especially that one."
"That's psychiatry!" Kanonji said, suddenly serious. "Young man, do you have any idea how high my show's ratings are?"
"Aren't you going to go in and take a look? There might still be some medicine left," Muten Natsu prodded. "Even if it's expired, it should still work a little."
"That's right! Twenty-five percent! That means one out of every four people is watching!" Kanonji's tone eased. "And among all those viewers, most of them are kids. When you were little, you must've had moments like that, right?"
"I don't know what kind of 'like that' you mean," Muten Natsu said, keeping most of his attention on tracking the beetle Hollow, "but I get the feeling my answer doesn't matter."
"Exactly!" Kanonji clasped his hands over his chest. "It's like when you need to use the bathroom at night, but everything around you is pitch-black. Outside the door, inside the closet, even under the bed, it feels like something is hiding there."
"You keep thinking it's about to come out, but you don't have the courage to leave your warm blankets. You endure that torment until you finally work up the nerve to go. Even in the bathroom you're shaking, and the walk back to your room is even worse, like if you slow down for even a second, the ghosts in the darkness will pounce on you!"
"And that's when a hero must appear!" Kanonji declared. "Do you understand what a hero exists for?"
Muten Natsu: "I…"
"Exactly! It's about giving them courage! Those kids watch my show at home with their families, glued to the TV. When they see me facing evil spirits without fear, courage rises in their hearts too, giving them the strength to face any hardship!" Kanonji spread his arms wide. "So with their eyes on me, I absolutely cannot run away from the enemy!"
Muten Natsu followed the Hollow's footprints step by step toward the top floor.
"Yeah, yeah, sure."
"And most importantly, you're still a minor." Kanonji strode ahead of Muten Natsu. "As an adult, I can't just stand by and watch you face a dangerous evil spirit on your own!"
"I'm saying…" Muten Natsu was honestly exhausted and decided to be blunt. "You do realize that both it and I are stronger than you, right?"
"Of course I know," Kanonji said as he pushed open the door to the rooftop. "But that's not a reason to retreat. Being weak isn't the same as being cowardly, and even the strong need companions. Let me, the weak one, scout the danger for you and clear the way forward!"
He burst out onto the rooftop.
"Come on! Evil spirit, I'm right here! Let's settle this once and for all!"
The rooftop fell into an awkward silence.
Thankfully, the host's commentary broke it.
"It's Kanonji! Kanonji has appeared!" The host announced excitedly from the helicopter above. "He chased the evil spirit all the way here and forced it onto the rooftop! The moment of the decisive battle has arrived!"
Muten Natsu scanned the area but found no trace of the beetle Hollow.
The trail clearly led all the way up here. So why wasn't it here?
It had only just turned into a Hollow. It shouldn't have much intelligence yet, at most some basic hunting instincts…
A thought struck Muten Natsu. With a sharp metallic sound, the hilt snapped out from his palm.
Kanonji heard a faint cracking noise. The concrete beneath his feet was breaking apart.
Muten Natsu swung Myōki. Reiatsu surged from the blade, twisting like writhing worms as it wrapped around Kanonji and yanked him away from the bulging concrete.
"Graaah—!!!"
The grotesque Hollow smashed through the cement, its huge jaws snapping shut, but it failed to catch Kanonji.
After crawling up to the rooftop, the Hollow had climbed back down along the outer wall of the abandoned hospital, lying in wait on the top floor and patiently ambushing anything that entered its attack range.
"The rooftop is collapsing! Something just burst out!" the host shouted excitedly from the helicopter. "Kanonji is airborne! How did he do that?! He's floating in midair! Is he about to unleash a never-before-seen ultimate technique? The evil spirit is in danger!"
You're the ones in danger.
Muten Natsu had planned to cut down the beetle Hollow in one strike, but the Hollow was drawn by the host's voice and suddenly spat a massive glob of green slime toward the helicopter.
If the helicopter went down, who knew how many people would be hurt?
Muten Natsu swung Myōki again. A rippling stream of water burst from the blade and surged into the sky.
Water Flow Flash!
The Reiatsu-infused current diverted the green slime away from the helicopter. The host wiped his face.
"Incredible! I just felt an utterly terrifying chill!"
"Your opponent is me!" Kanonji clenched his fist as powerful Reiryoku surged into his palm. "Kanonji-Style Final Super Attack!"
He opened his hand, and a Reiryoku sphere about the size of a quail egg floated upward.
"Kanonball!"
Small.
Cute.