After Ichigo and Rukia finished their routine patrol, they returned home with tired bodies.
Ichigo dropped onto the sofa, rubbing his shoulder as he muttered, "I'm exhausted. We didn't find a single Hollow today, but we sure ran around enough."
Rukia stood beside him with her arms crossed, looking at him helplessly as if she were staring at an idiot.
She could not help saying, "No Hollows appearing is a good thing, and you're complaining? Are you some kind of battle maniac?"
Ichigo raised his head, a trace of excitement flashing in his eyes.
"It's just been a long time since I cut down a Hollow, so my hands are getting itchy. Besides, I want to improve my strength as quickly as possible and figure out the truth behind all of this. Fighting is the best way."
Rukia looked at him speechlessly, not knowing how to respond.
She understood Ichigo's desire for strength, but she also hoped he would understand that protecting the world did not only mean fighting.
After a while, Rukia sighed softly and sat down beside him.
"Ichigo, I understand your pursuit of strength, but we also need to rest and adjust our mindset. Too much fighting may cause you to lose yourself and fall into madness."
Ichigo nodded, showing that he understood her concern.
He knew he needed to balance fighting with his life, and that he could not blindly chase strength while ignoring other important things.
Rukia continued, "And fighting isn't the only path to growth. Learning, thinking, and experiencing different things in life can also help us improve. So don't always rush for quick results. Keep your patience and stay calm."
Ichigo smiled at Rukia, grateful for her reminder.
He decided that from now on, he would pay more attention to self-discipline and inner calm so he could grow better.
"All right, I should hurry back into my body and eat. I'm starving."
As Ichigo spoke, he quickly walked upstairs toward his bedroom.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
A sharp scream suddenly came from upstairs.
Downstairs, Rukia's expression changed drastically when she heard the sound.
Thinking something had happened to Ichigo, she rushed upstairs without hesitation.
Rukia burst into the room and saw Ichigo standing beside the bed, his gaze blank and his mouth hanging open without making a sound.
"Ichigo, what happened? Were you attacked by a Hollow?"
"Ru… Rukia, my body is gone."
Ichigo's voice sounded as if it came from somewhere far away, full of fear and despair.
"Your body is gone? What kind of joke is that? Did your body grow legs and run away? What's there to make such a fuss about?"
Rukia frowned and walked to the bed, not taking it seriously at all. Then she reached out and lifted the blanket.
However, the moment she saw the empty bed, her eyes widened, and a sharp scream burst from her throat.
"Ichigo, your body really is gone!"
Rukia looked around in panic, trying to find any trace of Ichigo's body.
Her heartbeat sped up rapidly, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.
"What exactly is going on? How could Ichigo's body vanish into thin air?" Rukia muttered to herself.
"There has to be a reason…"
She forced herself to calm down and began recalling everything that had happened earlier.
Suddenly, something occurred to her, and her gaze sharpened.
"Could it be… Hollows? They may have stolen your body while your soul was separated from it!"
Rukia tightened her grip on her Zanpakutō, preparing to go out with Ichigo to search for his body.
"Ichigo! Why are you still standing there? Hurry up and move! We need to find your body quickly, or you'll stay in this state forever!"
Rukia shouted anxiously, grabbing Ichigo's hand and rushing toward the door without hesitation.
"Ichigo, calm down! Focus and try to sense your body's general condition."
After rushing out the door, Rukia spoke in a serious tone and quickly taught him the specific method of sensing it.
Ichigo took a deep breath and tried to calm himself.
Following Rukia's instructions, he began carefully sensing the existence of his own body.
A moment later, he really did faintly sense where his body was.
"That way, Rukia! I can feel it. My body is at school!"
Ichigo shouted excitedly, then grabbed Rukia's hand and rushed toward the school as fast as possible.
They raced along the streets, burning with anxiety and wanting only to retrieve Ichigo's missing body as soon as possible.
The two arrived at the school and began searching cautiously.
Relying on his faint connection to his own body, Ichigo brought Rukia beneath the classroom building.
"It feels like it's inside…"
Ichigo frowned, focusing on the sensation.
"Go up and check," Rukia urged.
The two quickly rushed into the classroom.
However, the Hollow they had imagined did not appear.
Instead, they saw a scene that left them utterly stunned.
Ichigo's body was standing in the classroom with a lecherous grin on its face, seemingly harassing Orihime and Tatsuki.
Tatsuki immediately stepped forward and stood in front of Orihime, glaring angrily at Ichigo as she shouted.
"Ichigo, what the hell is wrong with you, you pervert?! Keep this up and I'll beat you to death!"
But Ichigo's body completely ignored Tatsuki's warning and continued walking toward Orihime, muttering, "Hehe, pretty girl, let me touch. Just let me touch a little."
It even reached out, trying to touch Orihime's soft, pale chest.
Seeing this, Tatsuki could no longer hold back. She angrily swung her fist and smashed it hard into Ichigo's face.
The blow carried tremendous force, directly sending Ichigo's body flying backward and out through the window.
"Ichigo, are you all right?"
Seeing Ichigo fall from upstairs, Orihime became extremely worried and hurried to the window to check on him.
"Orihime, why are you still protecting that pervert? He deserves it if he falls to his death."
Seeing Orihime like this, Tatsuki stomped her foot in frustration, angry at her for not realizing what was going on.
"Tatsuki, that wasn't Kurosaki-kun, Kurosaki-kun may have been controlled by something. That wasn't him."
Orihime's words stunned Tatsuki.
What did she mean, that was not him?
Not just Tatsuki—even Ichigo and Rukia, who had seen everything from the doorway, were about to explode.
Why had his body suddenly run to school and started harassing Orihime?
What exactly was controlling his body?
"Ichigo, you chase after it first. I'm going to Urahara Shop. I think I know what happened to your body."
Rukia had guessed one possibility.
Ichigo looked at Rukia in confusion.
"What's going on?"
Rukia spoke through gritted teeth.
"It has to be that Soul Candy we bought today. There must be something wrong with it. I'm going to find that crooked merchant Urahara right now."
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