Memories

His memories were a jumble.

A dark room, a glowing screen, and a manga he had been halfway through reading.

Yoriichi Tsugikuni stood still, his fingers resting on the sword hilt without tightening any further.

He remembered.

He had not originally belonged to this world.

That night, he had been lying in bed, staying up late to read the manga Bleach.

And then...

There had been no "then."

Yoriichi Tsugikuni.

That was his name now.

So much time had passed since he transmigrated that his memories of his previous life had remained dormant. Only when the Reiatsu spilling from Ichigo stimulated them just now had all those forgotten things come flooding back.

Soul Reapers, Hollows, Soul Society.

"Bleach... so this is where I am!"

Yoriichi Tsugikuni spoke quietly.

He raised his hands and looked down at his palms.

Beneath his skin, blood flowed through his vessels, and muscles contracted with the movement of his fingers. He could even see every minute change as reishi entered his body.

The Transparent World.

This was not a power that should have existed in the world of Bleach.

Not only had his name become Yoriichi Tsugikuni, but he had also brought that man's gifts along with him.

No wonder his body could understand any sword technique on its own after seeing it just once.

Yoriichi Tsugikuni looked down at his waist.

The katana that had suddenly appeared hung quietly there. Its gray scabbard bore no decoration, and a crimson character meaning "sun" was engraved on the end of its hilt.

This was the Zanpakuto his soul had manifested when his memories awakened just now.

"Hekyō."

The moment the name surfaced, the blade trembled gently.

Warm Reiatsu flowed through his palm. Rather than burning him, it rapidly settled those chaotic memories.

More memories of his current life surfaced in turn.

He had been an orphan since childhood, taken in by adoptive parents.

He never cried or fussed, rarely spoke, and would often stare at places where no one stood for a long time.

His adoptive parents had not disliked him for it.

They had given him a normal family and taught him how to live like an ordinary person. But during his middle school years, both had died in a car accident, leaving him only a house and enough savings to live on for years.

Yoriichi Tsugikuni fell silent for a few seconds.

"Do both your parents have to die after you transmigrate?"

A faint, bitter smile appeared on his face after he said it.

There was nothing funny about this at all.

Fortunately, after entering high school, he had made a few friends.

Ichigo Kurosaki, Orihime Inoue, Yasutora Sado, Tatsuki Arisawa, and others.

Especially Ichigo Kurosaki.

Although that guy always looked fierce, whenever he was eating lunch alone, Ichigo would bring his lunch box over and sit right beside him.

His reason was that he looked too pitiful all by himself.

At that thought, Yoriichi Tsugikuni raised his head again.

"At least that saves me the trouble of getting involved in the plot."

Inside the Kurosaki Clinic, the dazzling spiritual light finally faded.

Rukia Kuchiki knelt on one knee, staring ahead in disbelief.

Ichigo's soul had completely separated from his body, and loose black Soul Reaper robes covered him from head to toe. He held an enormous Zanpakuto, its blade almost taller than Rukia herself.

"How could..."

Rukia looked down at her hands, unable to conceal the shock on her face.

She had only intended to give him a portion of her power.

Yet the instant the blade pierced Ichigo's chest, all the Soul Reaper power inside her had been drained away.

"I only meant to give you half my power, but you took all of it."

Ichigo turned his head, his brows tightly furrowed.

"We can talk about that later."

"Let's deal with the problem in front of us first!"

For a moment, Rukia was at a loss for words.

He knows nothing, yet he dares to charge in with a Zanpakuto. What exactly is inside this guy's head?

Still, Ichigo's Reiatsu was absurdly powerful.

It kept spreading outward, even interfering with her senses. Even more outrageous was the size of that Zanpakuto, which far exceeded an ordinary Soul Reaper's weapon.

No human had ever achieved anything like this upon first acquiring Soul Reaper powers.

The Fishbone Hollow lowered its head, turning its white mask toward Ichigo.

It could feel that the human before it had changed.

But its desire to devour souls overrode its instinctive unease. It opened its mouth and let out a piercing roar.

Its enormous palm slammed down.

"Ichigo, watch out!"

Rukia could not help shouting.

Ichigo did not retreat.

Gripping the hilt with both hands, he swung upward to meet the descending palm.

Bang!

A single slash severed the Fishbone Hollow's arm. What burst from the stump was not blood, but black reishi that rapidly dissipated.

The Hollow screamed.

Ichigo landed beside the damaged wall, his enormous Zanpakuto resting on his shoulder as he glared at it with a grim expression.

The sight of Yuzu and Karin lying on the floor made his anger erupt completely.

"You dared to hurt my family..."

The Fishbone Hollow opened its mouth, trying to swallow him whole.

Ichigo pushed off the ground and leaped into the air.

There was no technique to his movements, and even his grip on the sword was far from proper, but his immense Reiatsu made up for those shortcomings.

The huge blade cleaved down from above.

"Repent, you fish-faced monster!"

The blade passed through the white mask, then cut through the Hollow's body.

The Fishbone Hollow froze in place.

The next instant, its enormous body split down the middle, dissolving into countless black particles of reishi that swiftly vanished into the night.

Ichigo landed back in the room, and the Zanpakuto in his hand struck the floor with a dull thud.

He took a few panting breaths, then immediately ran toward his family.

"Yuzu, Karin!"

"Don't touch them."

Rukia braced herself against the wall and stood, saying weakly, "They were only struck by Reiatsu. They've temporarily lost consciousness."

Ichigo stopped moving.

"Really?"

"I have no reason to lie to you."

At those words, Ichigo visibly relaxed.

Rukia, however, did not.

She turned to look beyond the broken wall, her gaze settling on the shadows across the street.

For a fleeting instant just now, she had sensed a terrifyingly scorching Reiatsu.

Unfortunately, she was terribly weak now, her Reiatsu drained dry by Ichigo, and she was not sure whether she had imagined it.

Ichigo followed her gaze, but saw only an empty street.

In the shadows, Yoriichi Tsugikuni released his sword hilt.

Hekyō dissolved into crimson reishi and merged back into his soul.

Since Ichigo had already dealt with the Fishbone Hollow, there was no need for him to show himself.

He needed time to slowly sort through his Zanpakuto and those memories that had suddenly awakened in his mind.

More importantly, he now knew that his peaceful everyday life was about to end.

Yoriichi Tsugikuni took one last look at the Kurosaki Clinic, then turned and walked into the night.

"Looks like I don't need to step in."