After closing the Hirako, Hirako couldn't help but smile. She skipped and hopped all the way down to the poolside, lay down on a lounge chair, and picked up her drink.
"Did you drive that kid crazy?"
"Hehe, I thought it would be exhausting, but that kid's internal energy is really something else. After a bunch of talking, he just shut up. Haha, it's hilarious!"
Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi gestured with his hand as if making a phone call, Hirako suddenly remembered, "Haha, I almost forgot if you hadn't reminded me."
The call connected, and the voice on the other end was the Ichigo had used to make the call, "Hirako- san, good afternoon~"
"Good afternoon~, you've completed the task you were given. That kid is completely withdrawn now, you can continue."
"I understand~, but Hirako- san, you're really efficient~"
"Haha, not bad. Feel free to call me anytime if you need anything."
"Likewise, I'll hang up now, sorry."
"You're busy"
"Done!" Hirako hung up the phone, picked up his sunglasses, put them on, leisurely sipped his drink, and hummed a little tune.
In the Training Ground, Ichigo was brooding over when suddenly the door opened. Ichigo looked over and saw his Mod Soul, who came over and handed him the phone.
"Moshi moshi~ This is Ichigo Kurosaki."
Good afternoon, Ichigo Kurosaki- san.
It's you!
"It's me. Are you satisfied with the help we arranged for you?"
"Uh," Ichigo's mind was completely blank; he had no idea whether it was good or bad.
I heard you got beaten up and became withdrawn.
"Fart!"
"Huh? This is different from the information Hirako- san gave us. Well, we'll hang up now and call you back when you've calmed down."
Ichigo nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. "Hey! What do you mean?! What do you mean you'll attack me again if I shut down?! What are you trying to do?!"
"Please shut yourself off."
"What happened after I became withdrawn?!"
"Once you become withdrawn, we'll be able to communicate further. Your brain, which is less useful than most people's, simply doesn't have much thinking ability. So, unless you become withdrawn to activate your brain, we probably won't be able to communicate. That's what the Lord means."
Even if Ichigo hadn't been completely shut down by the beating earlier, he was definitely going to be shut down by this. He roared, "What do you mean by this!? Are you messing with me!?"
"Is this how you see us? Don't you have any other thoughts in mind? For example, why should we play you?"
How would I know!?
"Yes, so what's your guess?"
"Guessing!? Why should I guess what you're thinking!?" Ichigo felt like his liver was about to explode.
"So you don't need to guess Zangetsu's thoughts, nor do you need to guess White's thoughts. You just need to have your own thoughts. Everyone else has to conform to you, and you don't need to do anything for anything else, right?"
"Bullshit! I didn't say that!"
"But that's exactly what you did! If you could use that pitiful brain capacity in combat, brute force would be a decent method, but instead you use it to devise fancy tricks during battle, completely shutting it down when you need to use your brain in normal situations. You're truly something else."
Ichigo the suppressed laughter from the other side, Ichigo was so angry he almost convulsed. "You guys are just trying to mock me!?"
"What can you do about it? From the very beginning, from birth to growing up, to meeting Rukia, to saving Rukia, and right up to now, you've been living and growing within someone else's design. Don't think I'm mocking you; even if I insult you, what can you do about it?"
"I," Ichigo finally started to think, extracting a little useful information from the other person's words, "What do you mean by saying everything I did was part of a plan?"
"From the moment you were born, the appearance of White was part of Aizen's plan. Your father, Isshin Shiba chasing after him and was not part of the plan, but your father and mother were bound together by ropes because of White, and Aizen saw all of this."
"Then you were born, so from the very beginning, your birth was under Aizen's surveillance, and your talent was all part of Aizen's plan. As for the rest, including your encounter with Rukia, Aizen should have already mentioned it once at Sōkyoku Hill. Do I need to repeat it?"
"No, it's not necessary anymore." Ichigo was completely bewildered, his heart as cold as if he were lying in a morgue. Why hadn't he felt this way when Aizen said these things on Sōkyoku Hill? Maybe it was because he hadn't taken it to heart, or maybe it was because he thought Aizen was lying, because Aizen was the enemy.
But now, it's been confirmed that everything was a plan, even his birth was part of someone else's plan. At this moment, Ichigo suddenly feels that nothing has any meaning anymore.
However, the voice on the other end of the phone continued, "Our Lord is very fond of your existence, but feels sorry for your mind. He has helped you many times, and even explained many very simple things to you, but you are still stuck at your current level."
What level am I at?
"Sigh~", Ichigo heard the sound of some papers closing on the other side, "Ichigo Kurosaki- san, the book is almost finished, yet you still show absolutely no seriousness towards yourself. I really can't imagine that a person can be so brainless."
"Do you understand what I'm trying to say? It's a 35-page piece, practically the length of a short story, yet my lord managed to completely guess what you wanted to ask from beginning to end. What else can I say? You truly are a born pawn; all you can think about is what others want you to do. Can't you even think straight?"
"My lord wanted to remove you from your position as a pawn, but after such a long conversation, I think you should remain a pawn. Your brain might not be able to support you in doing anything else. What do you think? Anyone can use you."
"So why don't you try not using your brain at all, just agreeing with whatever others say, and stop thinking for yourself? It's completely meaningless, isn't it? Stop thinking, give up on this."
"That's all I wanted to say. If you need us to help you with what to do next, just call us and tell us you've lost your mind, and we'll tell you what to do next."
"Then I'll hang up. Goodbye."
Ichigo was completely stunned. He sat there blankly, feeling incredibly uncomfortable. What did they mean he had no brains? Didn't I come to you guys? I encountered a problem, so I asked for help, didn't I? How could I have no brains? I asked for help, right?
Find the Shopkeeper, Hirako, find Yoruichi, find... find... find your father, who else can you ask? Just go find them all, that's all! Why should you use your brain to figure things out when you have a problem?! Right? I'll just go find someone, that'll solve everything!
Throughout the entire original work, has Ichigo Kurosaki ever solved anything on his own? Not a single problem of his own. His power was given to him by others, his advancements were given to him by others, his special techniques were given to him by others; he gained nothing of his own, not a single one.
Admittedly, Ichigo was a novice at the beginning and needed to be taught and trained. But what happened later? And even with training, what about his own thinking?
So what use is a brain to Ichigo Kurosaki? The only thing he wanted to do himself was what happened in the Fullbring arc of the original work—reclaiming his Soul Reaper Powers. That was the only thing he racked his brains to do, and in the end, he only managed to do it with someone else's help.
But in reality, he had already completed Fullbring; he had even reclaimed his own power. It was foolish of him to let Kūgo Ginjō take it away. And the funniest thing is, before, when he wanted something, he would beg for it, but now that he has no power, he doesn't even bother to ask for it anymore. Why?
Ichigo Kurosaki's view on friendship is truly fascinating, or perhaps it's a common trait among teenagers?
That means my friend's trouble is my trouble, but my trouble is definitely not my friend's trouble!
What a man! A real man!
But how did Ichigo's friends treat him? They risked their lives to defeat Aizen, and the only help Soul Society gave Ichigo was to restore his power Ichigo. Applause, applause, applause! That's so incredibly touching!
Each captain Vice-Captain contributed a portion of their strength to help Ichigo Kurosaki regain his powers. That's true friendship! So damn good friends!! And what about taking down Aizen? Killing Aizen is Ichigo's job, right? That's not Soul Society's obligation! That's Ichigo Kurosaki's obligation! That's Ichigo Kurosaki's job!
Feelings are Ichigo! Six beers, six beers, Ichigo Kurosaki, so noble! Someone as virtuous as Ichigo Kurosaki is truly rare!
It's like saying, "I risked my life, became permanently paralyzed, uncovered a shocking conspiracy, saved the world's largest and richest company, and even made it onto television—the whole world knows." The company itself knows this but makes no comment. Then the permanently paralyzed person says, "It's what I should do; I don't ask for any reward."
Were you moved to tears? Then that company cured him, and he was no longer paralyzed. So the two became good friends! Wow!! Awesome!
So, is this problem the fault of Soul Society or Ichigo Kurosaki? I really don't understand. Then, during the Thousand-Year War, Ichigo chopped Yhwach into pieces, and in the end? What did Ichigo get? Recognition from Soul Society!? Or nothing at all.
Such a selfless and devoted hero is truly admirable! Ichigo Kurosaki was born to protect the Soul Society! He, Ichigo Kurosaki, is the Soul Society's father and grandfather!
The problem is that the Soul Society doesn't realize it's the grandson; Soul Society sees itself as the grandfather. This makes the relationship truly chaotic, and the reason for this chaos lies in...
Soul Society is clearly using Ichigo Kurosaki, Ichigo Kurosaki said with a smile.
"Good!"
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