After passing through the Senkaimon, Ichiro arrived in the World of the Living, feeling a little disappointed. If he could, he would have liked to see Kotsutotsu. Based on the records alone, he thought Kotsutotsu's ability to break down all matter would be a great help to his Reishi Alchemy.
According to the records in Soul Society, Kotsutotsu broke down and devoured all matter. But in reality, the recorder had made a mistake, falling into the trap of limited knowledge.
In fact, it had never been proven whether Kotsutotsu could break down and devour all matter. Everything in Soul Society was made of Reishi, and for people or objects from the World of the Living to reach Soul Society, they first had to be converted into Reishi before they could pass through the Dangai. So, from beginning to end, Kotsutotsu had only ever devoured Reishi, never matter from the World of the Living.
Of course, this was only Ichiro's guess. He would have to meet Kotsutotsu and test it to find out for sure.
But judging by how things looked... he probably wouldn't get the chance anytime soon...
When they stepped into the World of the Living, they appeared on a flat stretch of grass. A small village stood not far away.
Ichiro and the others looked around curiously. This was their first time in the World of the Living. Some students in their class, like Ichiro, had not been born in Soul Society, but they came from different eras and places, so they were still curious about the World of the Living as it was now.
"Clap, clap~"
Once everyone had gathered, a member of Squad 13 clapped his hands to draw their attention. "Next, we'll demonstrate how to perform Konso."
He gave his teammate beside him a look, and the other man immediately understood. He ran toward the small village in the distance while the first man began explaining the key points of Konso to the group. They had already studied it in class, but a live demonstration would make the lesson more memorable.
After death, souls became either Pluses or Hollows. Pluses, in turn, fell into two categories: those with lingering attachments and those without.
The difference between the two lay in the Chain of Fate connecting them to their bodies. Of course, since they were already dead, the chain was broken whether or not they had lingering attachments.
The difference was that when a Plus with lingering attachments could not fulfill them for a long time, their Chain of Fate gradually disintegrated. Once it disappeared completely, the Plus would become a Hollow...
So the main thing they needed to learn was how to approach Pluses with lingering attachments, gain their trust, and fulfill their wishes. It was a lesson they could never finish learning. As for ordinary Pluses, a tap with the hilt of a Zanpakuto was all it took. There wasn't much to it.
As they listened to the explanation, they saw the Squad 13 member enter the village and approach a little girl crouching in a corner with her arms wrapped around her knees. With a gentle smile, he slowly crouched down and asked, "Little girl, what are you doing here?"
"I... I'm waiting for my dad..."
"Is that so? Where did your dad go? Would you like this big brother to help you find him?"
"I don't know..."
"I see. Do you remember which way your dad went? How long have you been waiting here? I just got here, so maybe I saw him on the way."
At that, the little girl finally looked up and asked curiously, "Really? Did you see my dad?"
"!!!"
"!!!" x n
When the little girl looked up, everyone's heart jolted and their eyes widened. The Chain of Fate on her chest had only one small segment left...
The astonishment in Extra A's eyes faded as he saw the hope in the little girl's gaze, replaced by a gentler look. "Maybe I did. Which way did he go? What color clothes was he wearing? How long have you been waiting here?"
"Um~ Dad went that way... I remember he was wearing red. Mom said only samurai could wear that... I've been waiting and waiting... I've waited through four winters... I miss Dad so much..."
Hearing the little girl's voice grow fainter, Extra A's heart tightened. He sighed inwardly but kept smiling. "A red samurai uniform? I think I saw him. Wait here, and I'll bring him right over."
He patted the little girl on the head, then turned and walked back toward the group as she watched him with eager eyes.
"Captain..."
Extra B, who was leading the group, sighed. "We can only do it this way. Go ahead."
Ichiro and the others froze, then looked at Extra B in confusion, not understanding what they meant.
Extra B sighed and explained, "This place was a battlefield a few years ago. That child's father must have died... And even if he's still alive, in her current condition, she won't last much longer. Sometimes a kind lie matters more than the truth..."
After hearing that, Ichiro watched Extra A walk away, beginning to understand why he had a Kido spell suited to illusions. But...
The leader had left out an even more efficient option: let the little girl become a Hollow, then kill her with a Zanpakuto. That would also send her on to the afterlife!
It just wouldn't be very humane...
So Ichiro left it at that. By now, he was beginning to understand what Konso training was really about. Put simply, they did their best to fulfill the wishes left behind by Pluses, then sent them on to the afterlife to begin new lives in Soul Society. Whether those lives were good or bad was a matter of opinion...
It was easy to predict that their Konso training would continue to focus on this kind of case. They probably wouldn't encounter ordinary Konso at all. Still, Ichiro couldn't help feeling that something about it didn't quite fit the principles of their Konso lessons...
As Ichiro fell into thought, Extra A had already returned to the little girl, who was crying. He gently crouched down and gathered her in his arms. "I'm sorry I'm late..."
"Dad... I missed you so much..."
Under the influence of the Kido illusion, Extra A now looked like the father the little girl had been waiting years to see.
In the situation they were in, this was the only way to fulfill her wish, and it worked very well. Bewitched by the illusion, the little girl found peace, and the Chain of Fate on her chest, which had been steadily eroding, slowly returned to its original state. Then, before she could react, Extra A pressed the hilt of his Zanpakuto against her forehead.
He thought to himself, I'm sorry...
"..."
"..."
From a distance, Ichiro and the others silently watched the little girl ascend. Their feelings shifted. For the first time, they saw the profession of Soul Reaper in a new light. The thought was still young and tender, but it had taken root...
Over the next few days, just as Ichiro had predicted, they dealt with Pluses who had some kind of problem. None could be taken care of with a simple tap of a Zanpakuto hilt.
But one thing surprised Ichiro: the students never took part at all. The Squad 13 members handled everything, while Ichiro and the others only watched and listened to Extra B's explanations.
Until the final day...
Before you continue