Stars and Stray Dogs

The girl's face was smeared with mud, her hair was a mess, and her clothes were covered in patches. If Asano Kiyoshi had not examined her closely, coupled with the deep impression she had left on him from the anime in his previous life, he probably would not have recognized her as Rukia.

But upon thinking it over, this kind of appearance was actually the way to survive here. In a society with no laws or order, Rukia's beauty would become the greatest source of her misfortune.

Only by hiding her appearance like this could she survive better here.

As his Reiatsu was slightly expended, Rukia's current data appeared on the scroll:

Name: Rukia

Slash: 8 (Years of malnutrition had left her physically frail; she could not even lift a somewhat heavier blade.)

White: 6 (Her frail body meant she could not be like others her age. Even somewhat strenuous exercise caused her pain.)

Demon: 18 (Born with an affinity for Reishi, she could easily sense the movements of the surrounding Reishi even without any training. With a little training, she would become an exceptionally outstanding Kido Master.)

Run: 8 (Although her body was frail, her affinity with Reishi was extremely high. Her body instinctively used Reishi to assist her movements while running, giving her mobility and speed close to that of an ordinary person.)

Reiatsu: Seventh Class Reiatsu (Incomplete. Due to the intervention of some special cause and power, her soul itself was incomplete. However, that power was also continuously improving her constitution. It had both benefits and drawbacks.)

Overall Rating: 40 (A frail girl from Rukongai, like a candle flame in the cold wind. Though extremely weak, she possessed the temperament of fire, as well as its gentleness and light.)

Looking at the evaluation given by the scroll, then recalling how Rukia had warned him earlier, Asano Kiyoshi smiled. As expected, Rukia still had the same personality as in the anime from his previous life—gentle yet strong. She truly lived up to the name "Rukia," which represented light.

As Rukia looked at the man who had suddenly appeared before her, a trace of fear and tension flashed through her eyes. Yet she still kept her voice calm and respectful. Lowering her head slightly, she said to Asano Kiyoshi, "Um, sir, what did you come to see me for?"

Seeing Rukia's body trembling slightly, Asano Kiyoshi showed a gentle expression. He said to her, "You don't need to be afraid. I'm a student of Shin'o Spiritual Arts Academy. I came here to eliminate the Hollow that has appeared here recently. I'm not a bad person. Look, this is my student identification."

As he spoke, Asano Kiyoshi handed Rukia the badge engraved with Class A.

Rukia accepted the badge from Asano Kiyoshi and inspected it carefully. When she saw the words "Shin'o Spiritual Arts Academy" engraved on it, she let out a long sigh of relief.

Though she had never seen a real Spiritual Arts Academy badge before, she had heard of the place. Besides, she had nothing on her worth stealing, nor did she possess the power to resist Asano Kiyoshi. Therefore, whether she believed him or not, she had to act as though she did.

So, with a smile, Rukia said to Asano Kiyoshi, "Um, here you go, sir. If you're going to kill a Hollow, you can head west and take a look. Quite a few people have mysteriously disappeared there lately. But that place is even more chaotic than here, and there are some desperate criminals with power there as well. You should be careful, sir."

Seeing Rukia forcing herself to remain calm, Asano Kiyoshi sighed. He knew it was impossible to make Rukia trust him in such a short time. After all, surviving in a place full of deception and scheming, she could not possibly be some innocent little girl with no wariness at all.

Still, Asano Kiyoshi did not mind too much. He took out the white flatbread from his robe and handed it to Rukia, smiling as he said, "You must be hungry. I have some food here, so don't be embarrassed to accept it. This is your reward for warning me just now. If you hadn't reminded me in time, I probably would have been seriously hurt. So consider this my way of repaying you. Take it."

Looking at the white flatbread Asano Kiyoshi offered her, a trace of embarrassment appeared on Rukia's face. She looked at her filthy palms and stood there at a loss, her cheeks flushing. Then she wiped her hands on the cleaner parts of her clothes. She rubbed hard enough that her arms turned a little red.

Seeing Rukia awkwardly wiping her hands, Asano Kiyoshi felt a surge of pity. He gently held her wrist, wrapped the flatbread in a layer of oil paper, then placed it in her hand and said, "Sorry, that was my mistake. I should have wrapped it in oil paper first. But your hands are very clean—cleaner than anyone else's."

Looking at the oil paper that had been forcibly placed in her hand, Rukia froze for a moment. Then a long-forgotten glimmer of tears appeared in her eyes. Her voice choked slightly as she said to Asano Kiyoshi, "Th-thank you, sir..."

Hearing that, Asano Kiyoshi smiled. He softly said to Rukia, "You don't need to call me sir. There's no difference between you and me. Just call me by my name. I'm Asano Kiyoshi. What about you?"

A trace of hesitation flashed across Rukia's face, but she eventually replied in a quiet voice, "My name is Rukia, Brother Asano Kiyoshi."

Hearing what Rukia called him, Asano Kiyoshi smiled knowingly.

But at that moment, a red figure suddenly darted out from the nearby alley. It looked miserable, like a stray dog with red fur.

The figure held a black stone and charged toward Asano Kiyoshi, his face twisted into a savage expression as he shouted, "You bastard! Stay away from Rukia!"

The instant she saw that figure, surprise appeared on Rukia's face. But when she saw the stone in Renji's hand, her expression turned anxious. "Renji! Stop! It's not what you think!"

But Rukia was already too late. Renji's attack was about to smash into Asano Kiyoshi's head. Looking at that familiar red figure, helplessness appeared in Asano Kiyoshi's eyes. Then he softly chanted, "Binding Kido Number One - Sai!"

As Asano Kiyoshi's words fell, Rukia could clearly sense the disturbance in the surrounding Reishi. She felt as though the Reishi around them had encountered a king, arranging themselves in an extremely stable and orderly manner before rushing toward Renji.

With a thud, the red figure fell to the ground like a star that had dropped into the dirt.