Everyone felt the sensation beneath their feet abruptly change from flooring to earth. The faint smell of coffee in their nostrils was replaced by the fresh scent of soil and grass, while the wind blowing toward them carried a hint of sea breeze. They could even hear waves crashing against the shore.
Before their vision had fully focused, Senna's scream rang in their ears.
"Wah!"
Before them stood an ancient Japanese-style courtyard, with winding corridors and a broad grassy field at its center. Several unknown evergreen plants dotted the edges. The sky overhead possessed an oddly crystalline clarity—an endless expanse of blue without a single white cloud.
"W-Where is this?!" Orihime covered her cheeks with both hands as she looked around in wonder.
"Hey, Aunt, this..." Ichigo turned, about to ask Yuko, when he suddenly saw the aggrieved look on her face.
"Huh?"
What was going on? Hadn't everything been fine a second ago?
"She feels unbalanced because none of you turned into drenched rats."
A cool voice sounded from ahead. Everyone followed it and saw two figures approaching them, one tall and one short.
The taller one had white hair and wore a black kimono. Her expression was cold, and her features bore some resemblance to Yuko's. She gave off an air that warned strangers to keep their distance.
The shorter one wore a brightly colored butterfly haori. Her soft, shoulder-length hair hung neatly around her face, while her gentle features and watery eyes made her seem mild and graceful.
Ichigo looked confused. "Drenched rats?"
Yuko rolled her eyes at Ignorance and introduced them to the group. "This is my inner world, where I communicate with my Zanpakuto. These two are Ignorance and Shinobu, my Zanpakuto."
She really did feel a little unbalanced. Of all times, why had things