Look
In the grove, Rukia was already facing off against the Shinigami sent by Soul Society. Neither side spoke. The unfamiliar Shinigami was watching her.
Rukia, meanwhile, was trying to figure out how to handle the situation. After all, secretly giving a human Shinigami powers was absolutely forbidden by Soul Society. She could only hope to avoid detection until she got her powers back.
But the Shinigami's arrival already meant Soul Society suspected her. If the truth came out, even her elder brother, Byakuya Kuchiki, might not be able to protect her.
"Who are you?" Rukia broke the silence first, her expression icy as she looked at the unfamiliar Shinigami. "Answer me!"
The unfamiliar Shinigami pushed up the brim of his hat with his index finger. "This brings back memories. Back at Shino Academy, Kuchiki Rukia was quite famous—the princess from Rukongai who became the adopted daughter of the prestigious Kuchiki Clan!"
There was a clear note of sarcasm in his words. It was understandable, though. Like him, the others from Rukongai had always been looked down on and bullied by the noble students at Shino Academy.
So those born in Rukongai felt jealousy and resentment toward Rukia, the lucky one adopted by a noble family.
The nobles felt much the same way about Rukia. Even though she'd been adopted by a prestigious family, it couldn't erase her lowly origins.
You could say that at Shino Academy, Rukia had been shunned by both sides. She'd only had a few friends, the ones she'd known since childhood!
"My name is Eijiro Nishido. I was two years ahead of you. You remember me, right?" Nishido touched the brim of his hat, grinning.
Rukia's gaze remained as icy as ever. "I don't know you!" She meant it, too. Having been shunned at Shino Academy, she'd never bothered to remember other people's names. She hadn't even known all her classmates, let alone her upperclassmen.
"Is that so?" Nishido pursed his lips, unfazed. His expression gradually turned serious. "I have a few questions for you."
Rukia frowned at his tone and attire. It was clear he wasn't a member of the Gotei 13.
That left only two possibilities: he was either from the Kido Corps or a member of the Onmitsukido. (The Onmitsukido and Second Division were separate organizations, though both were headed by Soi Fon.) The Kido Corps would never show up here, so the identity of the man before her was obvious.
"You're... with the Stealth Force?"
Nishido let out an exaggerated laugh. He tugged on the strings at either side of his hat, and a round plate appeared atop it, like the dish on a kappa's head. Two large characters were written on it: Correct!
The icy look on Rukia's face faltered. Her mouth twitched as she cursed, "Idiot, cut it out! What do you want?"
Nishido dropped his grin and spoke seriously. "They're in quite a hurry over there. Why haven't you returned?"
"I received an order. There was a Hollow that needed purifying."
"Is that really all?" A sly smile curled Nishido's lips. "Rukia's reached that age, too, huh? It's that blond kid, isn't it? Human feelings really are strange..."
Rukia understood what the bastard was implying before he'd even finished. Her face darkened, and she silently gathered all the spiritual pressure she had left.
Nishido immediately hid his sly grin. He narrowed his eyes at the spiritual pressure gathering in Rukia's hand, a flicker of surprise passing through his gaze.
Rukia had been watching him closely and caught it. She cursed his keen perception, but kept her expression calm and quietly withdrew the spiritual pressure she'd gathered.
"Looks like that suggestion won't work," Nishido said flatly. His hand was already on the hilt of the Zanpakuto at his waist, and spiritual pressure began to surge around him. "What a shame. I thought it was a pretty good excuse. If you can't give them a good enough reason, I'll have to take you back by force."
"Sorry, but I'm not planning on going back for a while."
"Then I have no choice." As he spoke, Nishido drew his Zanpakuto and held it in front of him. Rukia's body tensed at once. If she'd been at full strength, she wouldn't have feared this man, but right now she had less than a tenth of her spiritual pressure...
"Big Sis!"
"Rukia!"
Just then, a call came from nearby. Both of them froze. Rukia looked toward the voice and saw Kon, who'd disappeared earlier, bringing Ichigo over from who knew where!
Ichigo frowned as soon as he saw Nishido. "Who are you?" Though he asked the question, he'd already guessed Nishido's identity from his clothes.
"You can see me?" A flicker of surprise crossed Nishido's eyes. "Blond kid, I should be the one asking... who are you?"
"I'm..."
Rukia's expression changed. She hurriedly shouted, "Ichigo, stop!"
"Substitute Soul Reaper!" But she was too late. Ichigo had already said the last two words.
This was bad!
Rukia's face darkened as she warily watched Nishido.
"Shinigami?" Nishido's expression changed, then a cruel smile curled his lips. "Interesting. Kuchiki Rukia, this is a serious crime..."
But before he could finish, a hand suddenly came down on Nishido's shoulder.
What!
Nishido's pupils shrank. Someone was this close, and he hadn't sensed a thing.
Who could this person be?
"Quit your yapping. You're annoying. Hey, are you any good?" an eager voice asked from behind Nishido.
Nishido's expression changed at once. It wasn't the words that startled him, but the terrifying strength of the hand resting on his shoulder.
It felt like the weight of a mountain, making it impossible for him even to turn around. Cold sweat ran down Nishido's forehead.
This couldn't be possible. He hadn't sensed the slightest trace of spiritual pressure. So why was the person behind him so terrifyingly strong?
"Brother Biao!" Ichigo exclaimed happily. Rukia's mouth twitched. They hadn't even fought, but just from Nishido's expression, it was obvious he was no match for Wu Biao.
If Nishido knew the person behind him was just a human, who knew what he'd think?
Someone they knew?
Nishido thought to himself, shocked. He couldn't understand why someone so strong was in the Human World. With strength like that, he'd rank among the top Seated Officers.
But the intelligence he'd received beforehand had said there were no other Shinigami Seated Officers stationed in this area besides Rukia!
"Hey, punk, didn't you hear me?" Without another word, Wu Biao spun Nishido around. As he released Nishido's shoulder, he grabbed him by the collar. "Damn it, I asked if you were strong! I haven't had a fight in days, and my body's all—hmm?"
Wu Biao stiffened. He suddenly looked toward the cemetery!
Beep beep beep—
Rukia's Denreishinki began ringing at the same time. Everyone except Wu Biao changed expression.
"A Hollow!"
"A Hollow?" Nishido's expression darkened. Wu Biao let go of his collar, and killing intent immediately appeared in his eyes.
Ichigo stepped forward and asked Rukia, "Where?"
"Close!"
"The cemetery! Yuzu and the others are in danger!" Wu Biao's voice turned cold, though a hint of urgency was unmistakable.
Kurosaki Ichigo's expression changed. Without a second thought, he grabbed Kon, pulled Kon's body from the doll, and swallowed it. Once he'd transformed into a Shinigami, he prepared to rush to their aid—but someone was faster.
Nearby, Wu Biao bent his knees and crouched down. The muscles in his legs trembled visibly beneath his white coat, even rubbing together with a metallic rasp.
Boom—
A tremendous blast rang out, and Wu Biao shot away like a rocket. He moved so fast that everyone present felt a gust of wind rush past them, and then he was gone.
Where he'd been standing, a massive crater appeared, roughly a meter wide and long, its edges webbed with cracks.
Nishido stared at the huge crater, his mouth twitching. He raised a trembling finger toward the direction Wu Biao had gone and stammered, "That... wasn't a human, was it?"
That damn well had been a human, hadn't it? But... that speed, and the strength he'd shown earlier...
Nishido felt like cursing. It was the first time he'd realized just how dangerous the Human World was!
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