Human World, Karakura Town.
Urahara Shop.
Ichigo's eyes were tightly shut, his brows furrowed as though he were trapped in a nightmare.
In the dream, a powerful, unstoppable monster subjected him to every kind of torment—beheading, severed limbs, being cut in half at the waist. Countless gruesome scenes played out before him.
His body seemed to have been shattered into a hundred pieces. Extreme cold engulfed him as his strength and Spiritual Power drained away at a frantic rate.
Only when warmth enveloped his body did his tightly furrowed brows finally relax.
As his eyes slowly opened, the first thing Ichigo saw was a rough face with a mustache and reflective glasses.
"WAAAAAH!"
A bloodcurdling scream echoed through the room, even more miserable than when he had been gravely injured in battle.
"Quick reaction. Not bad!"
His mustache twitched, accompanied by an overwhelming masculine presence.
Man on top of man. A full-grown burly man.
Ichigo's expression twisted to the extreme, his features practically displaced as he perfectly embodied sheer terror.
"Y-You're way too close!"
The middle-aged man turned around and called toward the inner room, "Shopkeeper, Mr. Ichigo is awake!"
Seizing the opportunity, Ichigo endured the agony wracking his body and shoved the guy lying on top of him away.
"Now, now, Mr. Ichigo."
A figure stepped out from the inner room. "You mustn't move like that. Your wounds haven't fully healed yet!"
Following the voice, Ichigo watched as the figure approached his bed.
Under a green-and-white striped bucket hat was short, slightly tousled pale blond hair. His army-green eyes were full of teasing amusement, with faint stubble on his chin. He wore a dark green short coat over light green clothes, radiating nothing but vitality and forgiveness.
"If you keep moving around, someone really might die."
Kisuke Urahara shook