"Oi! Blondie, is your name Kurosaki Ichigo? The 'Ichi' for one, and 'Go' for protect?"
A five-year-old child wearing a mini martial arts uniform, but with a pair of headphones hanging incongruously around his neck. His expression was lazy, yet it held a calmness that didn't match his age.
The target of his question was another boy about the same age, also in a martial arts uniform with orange hair. However, this boy was currently hiding timidly behind a girl with short hair, afraid to look forward.
"W-what... did you... say?"
'Okay, this guy is definitely the real Kurosaki Ichigo. Guess he's always been hard of hearing since he was a kid.'
"Hey! Ichigo! Don't be such a coward. He's just asking for your name. Also, my name is Arisawa Tatsuki. Nice to meet you."
'Arisawa Tatsuki? Looks like I was right. This really is the world of Soul Reapers. I thought the name Karakura Town sounded familiar.'
"My name is Asakura Yoh. My intuition tells me we'll be spending a lot of time together from now on. So, let's get along."
Tatsuki looked at Yoh's outstretched hand. After a moment's hesitation, she shook it. The joining of two small palms marked the beginning of this friendship.
Releasing Tatsuki's slightly chubby hand, Yoh extended his hand toward Ichigo again, offering a harmless and warm smile.
Seemingly affected by the smile, the five-year-old Ichigo—who hadn't yet grown into the man born to protect—dropped some of his guard toward the stranger. A goofy smile appeared on his face as he took Yoh's hand.
"Hehe, nice to meet you, Yoh-chan!"
'Yoh!? Yoh... chan?'
'Hey now! You were acting all shy just a second ago, so why are you acting like we're best buds already?'
Yoh looked at Tatsuki with a doubtful gaze, and she returned a look that said, 'That's just the way he is.'
Yoh had been reincarnated into this world for five years. At first, when he learned his name was Asakura Yoh and his family had been Shamans for generations, he was certain he had crossed over as the protagonist of the anime Shaman King.
But he soon realized something was off. Although the name and family abilities were similar, he didn't seem to be the same person.
His family situation was completely different from the original story. Moreover, according to his unreliable mother, true Shamans were almost extinct in this world.
It wasn't until today, meeting these two children named Kurosaki Ichigo and Arisawa Tatsuki in this small dojo, that Yoh could finally confirm which world he had been reborn into.
BLEACH, one of the Big Three—the world of Soul Reapers.
"Mommy!"
As a beauty with the same hair color as Ichigo appeared at the dojo entrance, Ichigo completely lost interest in his new friends. He dashed straight into his mother's arms.
Clearly, this was Ichigo's mother—Kurosaki Masaki. A pure-blood Quincy whose bloodline had been tainted by a Hollow, who eventually married a Soul Reaper.
"How about it? He's pretty weird, right?"
While Yoh was still observing the Kurosaki mother and son, Tatsuki spoke up, interrupting his thoughts.
"Ichigo is a total coward and a crybaby. But no matter how scared he is or how hard he's crying, he turns into this big dummy the moment he sees his mom."
"Is that so? But isn't that kind of enviable? It just shows how much he really loves her."
Tatsuki was stunned by Yoh's rhetorical question, and her chubby little face suddenly turned bright red.
"You jerk! Who said anything about being envious!? Damn it, in that case, let me test your strength!"
'Eh? Why is she angry? I didn't say she was envious... Kids really are hard to understand.'
Two minutes later, Tatsuki lay flat on the dojo floor, staring blankly at the ceiling beams. Her little brain couldn't quite process how she had lost.
Yoh scratched his cheek with his finger. Looking at the dazed little figure, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt.
'Did I go a bit too far? Using Spirit Integration to bully a kid is a bit much.'
Ten seconds later, Tatsuki finally realized what had happened. She sat up abruptly, her eyes slowly filling with tears. She bit her lip hard, trying her best not to let them fall.
'Wait, is she actually crying?'
"Um... hey... are you okay?"
Yoh reached out to pull Tatsuki up, but he was rejected by a look that was both adorable and fierce. Yoh didn't know whether to call the kid strong-willed or just stubborn.
Tatsuki quickly wiped away her tears with her sleeve before getting up nimbly. The look in her eyes screamed that she refused to lose.
"Again!"
'Uh, maybe I should...'
"And! Don't you dare hold back!"
'Did a five-year-old just read my mind?'
"Alright, one more time."
...
Ten years passed in the blink of an eye. Ten years is long enough for many people to leave, and even longer for many to change...
"Ikumi, even across the divide of life and death, even after losing my human body, my soul will always love you. This is the one thing I wanted to tell you personally, but..."
"...You? Could it be!"
A handsome young man with brownish-black hair and headphones around his neck gazed affectionately at a stylish older woman.
The woman's attention didn't linger on the face of the boy who had been pestering her lately. Instead, she stared with disbelief and a flicker of hope into those eyes that seemed to speak volumes.
That look was so familiar that it sent a wave of sorrow through her heart. This was definitely not a look a fifteen-year-old boy should have.
"Finally, could you let me hold you one last time? It seems this... really is the end..."
"Wait!"
Before Unagiya Ikumi could finish, she felt herself being pulled into a tight embrace. It should have just been a hug from some strange kid, but the warmth from his body made her tears flow uncontrollably.
"Daisuke? Is it you?! Daisuke!"
Before her question could be confirmed, Ikumi felt the familiar warmth slowly fade from the boy's body. What followed were the boy's stiff movements and a slightly awkward voice.
"Um... Miss Unagiya?"
Hearing that completely unfamiliar tone, Ikumi immediately let go of him. She looked at his handsome but youthful face. She didn't need to ask anything; she felt she already understood.
"Is he... already gone?"
The boy didn't say a word. Experience told him that silence was the best response in such moments.
"I see... I understand..."
Ikumi wiped the remaining tears from her face with her sleeve and offered the boy a brave, forced smile.
"By the way, I haven't asked your name yet, have I?"
"Asakura Yoh, 15 years old, high school student, part-time Shaman, and single."
"Who asked for all those details! Haha, honestly... but thanks, little Shaman."
"I'm not little, okay!?"
"Hahaha! Now that's exactly the kind of reaction a brat would have."
"Hey!"
"Hahaha—"