*'So I'm going to die tragically, just like a supporting character in a horror movie after all.'*
Blinding blade light filled his vision, and a gust of cold wind scraped past the bridge of his nose. Ichigo didn't know if it was the pressure of the blade or the chill of the underworld, but regardless, it was something he couldn't resist.
A dull *thud* echoed in his ears. Was that really the sound a sword made when cutting through something?
Rukia looked at Ichigo's sweat-drenched state, a faint smile appearing on her lips. She finally felt vindicated.
Shinigami protected souls, and by extension, the ordinary humans of the World of the Living. Naturally, they couldn't attack normal humans, even if the other party had been incredibly disrespectful.
Her previous strike was just to scare this guy. After all, she was a Shinigami who had lived for nearly a hundred years; controlling the blade to stop right in front of his face was child's play. This guy wasn't too embarrassing, either—at least he hadn't wet his pants in fear. If he had done something so disgraceful while wearing Lord Kaien's face, even a death by a thousand cuts wouldn't be enough to atone for it!
Of course, scaring him was just a bonus for Rukia. Ichigo realized the sound had come from behind him. Catching a glimpse of the vertically held blade out of the corner of his eye, he craned his neck back as far as he could. Following the hilt down, he saw... a human face?
There was a wandering soul in this room. Rukia looked at the middle-aged man with a mustache beneath the hilt of her sword. This was him. She had finally found him.
"I don't want to! I don't want to go to hell!"
Clearly, this man had heard her earlier words. The idea that Shinigami were emissaries of hell had somehow become a fixed mindset in the World of the Living. "Don't be nervous. The place you're going to isn't hell, but Soul Society." As Rukia spoke, she pulled the hilt away, leaving a rune bearing the characters for 'death' and 'life' on the man's forehead. "It's a peaceful place."
Ichigo watched helplessly as a hole opened up in his floor. The middle-aged man lying on the ground slowly sank into it, and only after he completely disappeared did the circular hole gradually close.
"W-What just happened to that guy?" Seeing was believing. He was gradually starting to accept that this little girl sheathing her sword was some sort of divine being—and that she was probably at least ten times his age.
"I sent him to Soul Society. This is called Konsō. You humans probably refer to it as passing on. It's part of a Shinigami's job." Rukia glanced at Ichigo. Seeing the lingering doubt on his face, she continued, "You still look like you don't believe me. Let me use some easy-to-understand illustrations to explain it to a reckless brat like you."
It had to be said that studying under Kōe had made Rukia's explanations clear and concise. From Ichigo's perspective, the world had two types of souls: normal souls called Pluses, and evil spirits known as Hollows. Taking in this knowledge wasn't confusing in the slightest.
At the same time, she even asked if he was having any trouble understanding. She was truly being considerate of a beginner. It was just...
"Uh, could you explain why your drawings are so awful?"
Awful?! Rukia's face darkened. Her drawing skills had been praised by Big Brother Chōzuka and Squad 11 Lieutenant Kusajishi Yachiru as breathtaking artistry! This guy had absolutely no taste!!!
After drawing a mustache on his face—which would surely improve the brat's aesthetic sense—Rukia picked up her drawing board again. "Then I shall continue, Lord Baron."
Drawing on someone's face while they were immobilized... such a childish act was something even Karin and Yuzu wouldn't do. Ichigo felt that even his man-child of a father wouldn't stoop so low.
As he rubbed his face back and forth against the floor to wipe off the ink, Rukia's explanation of a Shinigami's two main duties continued.
One was to guide Pluses—ordinary human souls—to Soul Society through the Konsō ritual he had just witnessed. The other was to purify and destroy Hollows, which she mentioned was her current mission. So this was the work of a Shinigami!
Wait... Ichigo felt like he had missed something crucial. If Shinigami were like police officers, and she was here to catch a criminal, didn't that mean the criminal was nearby?
"You're here to complete a mission. Does that mean... a Hollow is nearby?" That was his theory, but he still needed to confirm it. Ichigo figured that since she claimed to be a god, she wouldn't be so careless.
"Yes."
She said yes. Hahaha, of course...
"Are you an idiot?! Why are you rambling on here instead of going to kill it?!" If he could move, Ichigo would have loved to punch Rukia to knock some sense into her.
Hearing this, Rukia looked a bit embarrassed. There had indeed been a Hollow chasing the soul from earlier, but she had nearly lost track of both of them. "I'm not just rambling! It's just that, for some reason, I haven't been able to sense it at all since a moment ago."
This explanation was the truth for Rukia, but to Ichigo, it sounded like a blatant excuse. "Are you kidding me? How could you..."
Before he could finish, Ichigo felt his heart skip a beat. For a split second, he thought he heard the roar of a wild beast, but it also felt like he might have misheard.
"It's like it's being shielded by some kind of powerful force," Rukia muttered to herself, still analyzing the sensation, when she suddenly heard the brat behind her calling out. "What is it?"
"You're asking me?!" Ichigo demanded, his face fraught with anxiety. "Didn't you hear that terrifying sound just now?"
That was a good question. Rukia had to admit she was stumped. "What terrifying sound? I didn't hear anything."
As soon as she spoke, a soul-chilling shriek echoed from outside the house. Rukia whipped her head around. There was no mistaking it—that was definitely the howl of a Hollow!
But why did it sound so strange? It was as if it had been muffled by an invisible filter, only bleeding through when the volume exceeded a certain threshold. Why did it feel like that?
At that moment, Rukia suddenly noticed Ichigo's calm expression, as if he hadn't heard the Hollow's howl just now.
No, rather than not hearing it, it was more like this guy had heard the sound a step ahead of her. He had sensed the Hollow's approach even faster than a Shinigami?
What was going on?!
"It seems we might have gone a little overboard."
On the pitch-black first floor, Kurosaki Isshin looked at Urahara Kisuke beside him. He absolutely didn't believe that this man was the type to make an unforced error.
"Don't let my children fall into danger later, or I won't forgive you, Urahara."
"Relax, relax," Urahara reassured him, adjusting the hat on his head. "I still have that much confidence. Besides, you wouldn't allow me to mess around anyway."
"However..."
"This is my bottom line!"
"No, no, no, you're overthinking it." Urahara hurriedly waved his hands. Letting the Kurosaki family suffer a few minor injuries was already pushing the limit. "What I wanted to say is that Ichigo is far better than I anticipated. Congratulations, Mr. Isshin."
"He is an incredibly promising child."