Karakura Town always carried a faint melancholy after the rain. The sky was overcast, giving off a pale gray light.
The ground was covered in puddles, with neon lights spilling into them and tinting the surroundings as though they were part of a dream.
Asano Kiyoshi and Nel sat together. Nel looked puzzled as she stared at the lengthy contract in Kiyoshi's hands and asked curiously,
"Little Kiyoshi, are you saying we need to work here for a while to pay off our debt?"
"Mm, more or less. But Urahara Shopkeeper hasn't assigned us any specific work yet."
"B-but, the things written in this contract... are you sure he isn't tricking you? Are working conditions in the Living World really this harsh? That's not what the books I read in Hueco Mundo said."
Hearing Nel's question, Kiyoshi was briefly at a loss for words. He put away the contract before saying to her,
"Nel, probably not even one-tenth of what's written in books can be applied in real life. In the condition we're in now, we don't have the luxury of choosing our jobs."
Hearing Kiyoshi's words, Nel nodded rapidly and declared,
"Mm, I'll listen to you! Whatever Little Kiyoshi says goes! Nel will always support you!"
Hearing Nel's words, Kiyoshi smiled with some comfort in his heart. Then, the two fell into an oddly awkward silence, neither of them knowing what to say.
In the end, Nel was the first to break the silence. She secretly glanced at Kiyoshi from the corner of her eye, her fingers twisting the fabric of her clothes until they were covered in wrinkles. Then Kiyoshi heard her voice, softer than a mosquito's buzz,
"Um, Little Kiyoshi, after I passed out... did you do anything strange to me...?"
Hearing Nel suddenly ask that question,