While Ichigo and Orihime were secretly observing Uryū Ishida, Rukia was wandering around the school alone.
The undercover Shinigami who had appeared a few days ago had left her deeply uneasy.
Soul Society clearly knew about her current situation.
Just as Keijirō had said, he was the one who came this time, but there was no telling who Soul Society would send next.
Rukia walked with heavy thoughts weighing on her mind, completely unaware of her surroundings.
Suddenly, a shadow appeared behind her and flicked her hard on the head.
"Ow!"
Rukia clutched her head, the pain nearly making her cry out. She turned around angrily, trying to see who had dared to sneak up on her so brazenly.
Someone who could approach her without making a sound had to be an expert.
However, when she saw who it was, she froze.
Standing before her was an extremely familiar man.
He was dressed in a black suit and wore sunglasses, with a teasing smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"Kazuma-sensei, you… why are you here?"
Rukia asked in surprise, her heart filled with confusion.
What kind of joke was this?
How could it be him?
Kazuma slowly took off his sunglasses, the faint smile still hanging from his lips.
"Rukia, I forgot to tell you before. I'm currently the dean of discipline at this school! All student discipline issues are my responsibility. I saw you wandering around campus just now, so I came over to remind you. But from the look of things, you don't seem very obedient. Do you need me to teach you a small lesson?"
As he finished speaking, he raised his hand again, pretending he was about to strike.
Rukia quickly jumped back and crossed her arms in front of her chest, putting up a defensive stance.
"Sensei, I didn't do it on purpose. I was just a little distracted…"
Seeing Rukia so nervous, Kazuma could not help laughing.
"Haha, don't be so tense, Rukia. I was only joking with you. Judging from your expression, something seems to be bothering you. Want to talk about it?"
Rukia hesitated for a moment before finally telling him.
"A few days ago, an undercover Shinigami from Soul Society came to find me. He also discovered that Ichigo obtained Shinigami powers, so he'll definitely report it to Soul Society. Once that happens, things will become troublesome. I refused to go back with him, but who knows who they'll send next time?"
Her brows furrowed slightly, and there was a trace of worry in her voice.
Then she added, "And I gave Ichigo Shinigami powers. That's a serious crime! I don't even know what kind of punishment I'll receive."
She lowered her head, concern showing on her face.
After hearing this, Kazuma showed no fear at all.
He patted his chest and said, "So that's what this is about. You're from the Kuchiki family, aren't you? You're nobility. For something like this, at most, you'll be locked up for a few days. What's there to be afraid of?
"As for Kurosaki Ichigo, he's technically from the Shiba family. Although the Shiba Clan has declined, they can still bear something like this. You don't need to worry at all."
Hearing this, hope flashed in Rukia's eyes.
She looked at Kazuma in surprise, feeling that his words made sense.
"Really?"
Her voice was full of expectation.
A strange smile, almost too subtle to notice, appeared on Kazuma's face.
"Of course. I'm your teacher. Would I trick you? Don't be scared."
"Sensei.... last night we met a Quincy."
Rukia slapped her forehead, almost forgetting about that matter.
"A Quincy?"
Kazuma raised an eyebrow, deliberately acting surprised.
In truth, he knew perfectly well that the Quincy they had met was definitely Ichigo's future close friend, the ultimate sleeper agent who would stab Yhwach in the final battle—Uryū Ishida.
Of course, at this stage, he was still a small fry.
And an extremely smug one at that.
"That person was called Uryū Ishida. The moment he appeared, he started saying things like he hated Shinigami. He looked so arrogant, like he was begging to be punched."
Rukia spoke through gritted teeth. When she recalled Uryū Ishida's disdainful expression, anger rose in her chest.
If he had not shown some skill, she really would have wanted to teach him a lesson.
"Uryū Ishida? Could he be Ryūken Ishida's son?"
A sly smile appeared on Kazuma's face as he continued setting a trap for Rukia.
"Sensei, you know his father?"
Rukia asked in surprise, secretly wondering if Kazuma actually had Quincy friends.
But hadn't she heard that Quincy were their enemies?
Seeing Rukia's strange expression, Kazuma laughed inwardly, knowing she had definitely misunderstood something.
So he quickly explained, "What's with that look? I only know Ryūken Ishida's name. During that incident with Ichigo's old man last time, he showed up once. But he was almost scared to tears by my reiatsu. He was just a small fry."
"Tch, now you're just bragging. I know you're strong, but saying your reiatsu alone could scare someone to tears is way too exaggerated."
Rukia curled her lip, clearly not believing him.
"Ahem. Actually, the reiatsu was only one part of it. The main thing was that, just like his son, he started acting all high and mighty in front of me the moment he appeared. I was already in a bad mood back then, so I developed killing intent toward him."
Kazuma spoke with a deliberately solemn expression.
"Like father, like son? Sensei, didn't you say that backward?"
Rukia could not help retorting.
"Ah, don't mind those little details. Anyway, I really did almost kill him back then. I imagine that if he sees me again now, he'll probably still have a psychological shadow."
Kazuma shrugged casually.
"I didn't expect you to have such a terrifying side, Sensei…"
Listening to Kazuma's story, Rukia could not help feeling a little frightened.
This was the first time she had learned that Kazuma could have such a ruthless side.
Kazuma waved his hand and laughed.
"Haha, I only scared him a little back then. I didn't actually make a move. But now his son has started acting smug too, so it looks like he needs a lesson."
"Oh no! I remember Uryū Ishida is a student at this school. Ichigo might have already run into him. Sensei, we should go check quickly."
Rukia said anxiously, then grabbed Kazuma's hand and ran toward the classroom building.
Kazuma stumbled slightly from being pulled along, but he still managed to keep his balance and follow her.
Seeing Rukia's anxious expression, he found it rather amusing.
"Rukia, don't run so fast. School is already over. There won't be anyone left in the classrooms by now. Maybe they've already gone."
However, Rukia did not stop.
She seemed not to hear Kazuma's words at all and continued pulling him forward.
Kazuma shook his head helplessly.
'Rukia really is impatient. But there's no helping it. She cares about Ichigo that much.'
Just like that, the two quickly moved through the campus, attracting curious looks from a few students.
By the time they arrived at the classroom, there really was no one there.
"Rukia, you should head back first. If Ichigo really gets beaten up, then come find me. During school hours, I'm here anyway."
After saying that, Kazuma walked off on his own, leaving Rukia standing there in complete disarray.
Rukia thought about it for a moment and felt that Kazuma's words were not wrong.
She should hurry back and check what was going on with Ichigo.
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