After the Senkaimon opened, everyone rushed out of the Dangai one after another.
The darkness before them quickly vanished, and the familiar Karakura Town appeared below.
Then Ichigo noticed a very serious problem.
They were in midair.
"Wait, why did the exit open up here?"
Ichigo glanced down. The streets and houses below rapidly grew larger as he plummeted toward the ground.
"Who opened this gate?!"
Orihime fell after him, waving her hands frantically in the air.
"Kurosaki-kun, I think we're really going to fall."
"You don't need to tell me that!"
Chad said nothing, merely adjusting his body, ready to shield Orihime beside him before they landed.
Uryū Ishida raised a hand to push up his glasses, looking equally unhappy.
"Kisuke Urahara really can't be trusted."
Yoruichi, on the other hand, was not the least bit flustered.
She flipped over in midair, even finding the leisure to glance at Yoriichi.
Yoriichi had already stopped in the air.
There was nothing beneath his feet, yet he stood as steadily as if he were on level ground. His Captain's Haori fluttered in the wind, and the Third Division Captain's token he had just received still hung at his waist.
A vein throbbed on Ichigo's forehead as he watched.
"Yoriichi, if you can stand in the air, why don't you catch us?"
Yoriichi looked down at him.
"There are too many of you. I can't catch everyone."
That was a perfectly reasonable answer.
But for some reason, hearing it only made Ichigo angrier.
Just as they were about to crash into a rooftop, an enormous strip of white cloth flew over from afar and caught them all securely.
Thud!
Ichigo landed facedown on the cloth, bouncing twice.
Orihime landed beside Chad, who reached out to steady her. Uryū landed on one knee, barely managing to preserve his dignity.
Yoruichi landed lightly at the very front.
"Welcome back, safe and sound, everyone."
A familiar voice rang out.
Kisuke Urahara stood at the front of the cloth, one hand holding his hat brim and the other holding a paper fan.
Jinta Hanakari sat nearby, gripping the ropes that controlled the cloth. Ururu Tsumugiya knelt at the back, visibly relieved at the sight of everyone.
Ichigo climbed up from the cloth and pointed beneath his feet. "What even is this thing? It can actually fly?"
Kisuke Urahara snapped his paper fan open.
"This is a flying cloth developed specially by our little shop. It floats using Reishi, travels fast, carries plenty of passengers, and most importantly, it's safe."
Ichigo pointed at the red mark on his face.
"You call this safe?"
"At least you didn't hit the ground, Mr. Kurosaki."
Kisuke Urahara smiled. "The after-sales results have already proven that it did indeed save your life."
"I didn't buy anything!"
"You're welcome to pay after trying it out."
"So you really just want to charge me, don't you?"
Jinta curled his lip.
"Shut up, orange head. If the manager hadn't told us to pick you up, you'd have fallen into someone's toilet by now."
"Who are you calling orange head?"
Ichigo rolled up his sleeves, and Jinta immediately ducked behind Ururu.
Ururu shrank back, whispering, "P-please don't fight."
Kisuke Urahara ignored them and looked up at Yoriichi in midair.
"Mr. Tsugikuni, aren't you coming down?"
Yoriichi walked steadily onto the cloth.
Kisuke Urahara's gaze fell on the token at his waist and his Captain's Haori, a flicker of surprise crossing his eyes.
"Well, well."
"Just one trip to the Soul Society, and you've become the Third Division Captain, Mr. Tsugikuni. Since when did the Gotei 13 start choosing captains so quickly?"
"Because the previous captain of the Third Division defected."
Yoriichi answered very directly.
The paper fan in Kisuke Urahara's hand paused.
This boy is just the same as before. He has absolutely no idea how to play along.
Yoruichi folded her arms and smiled. "Don't underestimate him. He single-handedly held off Old Man Yamamoto while he was furious."
Kisuke Urahara's smile faded a little.
"To be honest, there was some luck involved. The Captain-Commander was already preparing to use Bankai. Fortunately, word of Aizen's defection arrived in time."
"Otherwise, I wouldn't have escaped with only minor injuries."
Silence settled over the cloth for a few seconds.
Ichigo had still wanted to complain about Yoriichi not catching him, but hearing this left him even more speechless.
He had used everything he had just to fight Byakuya Kuchiki, while Yoriichi was already fighting the Captain-Commander.
Kisuke Urahara closed his paper fan.
"Getting Captain-Commander Yamamoto to seriously release his Zanpakuto and still returning on your own two feet-that's beyond anything luck can explain."
He looked at Yoriichi, his tone half joking, half serious.
"It seems the Soul Society's strength has received an epic boost!"
Soon, the flying cloth slowly descended, landing on a deserted street in Karakura Town.
Uryū Ishida was the first to stand.
"Now that we're back, I'll be leaving."
Ichigo looked at him.
"Ishida, are your injuries okay?"
"Worry about yourself."
Uryū pushed up his glasses, turned, and stepped off the cloth.
After walking a few steps, he stopped again.
"Kurosaki."
"What?"
"Next time, don't charge recklessly at an enemy whose strength you don't know."
Ichigo grinned.
"Didn't you come along too?"
Uryū paused briefly, then quickened his pace and left.
It seemed he did not want to talk to Ichigo anymore for the time being.
Orihime also waved to everyone.
"I have to get back, or Tatsuki will worry."
Chad nodded. "I'll walk Inoue home."
The two said goodbye to everyone and soon disappeared at the end of the street.
The flying cloth continued onward.
As they passed near the Kurosaki Clinic, Ichigo suddenly jumped off.
"I'll get off here."
Kisuke Urahara leaned over to look at him.
"Don't you need a ride right to your door?"
"No."
Ichigo slipped both hands into his pockets and looked up at the familiar clinic sign.
He had not been gone long at all, yet it felt as though a long time had passed.
"I want to walk back on my own."
With that, he turned and headed toward the Kurosaki Clinic.
Yoriichi watched him go without speaking.
What Ichigo needed now was not company, but to see for himself that his family was safe.
Before long, Yoriichi also stepped down from the cloth.
"This is my stop."
Kisuke Urahara asked, "Won't you come sit at the shop for a while?"
"Not today."
Yoriichi looked toward his home.
"It's time I went home too."
He said goodbye to them and walked into the street alone.
Yoruichi turned back into a black cat and leaped lightly onto Kisuke Urahara's shoulder.
Jinta tugged the ropes, and the flying cloth rose into the air again.
Kisuke Urahara watched Yoriichi's receding figure and lowered his hat brim.
"The Third Division Captain, a fifteen-year-old human, and a Zanpakuto that could come into being without an Asauchi."
Yoruichi flicked her tail.
"What are you scheming now?"
"I'm just wondering what his appearance will make the future look like."
Yoruichi looked up at the gradually darkening sky.
"At least Aizen won't have such an easy time from now on."
Kisuke Urahara smiled.
"That's true."
On the other side of the street, Yoriichi stopped at his front door and reached for the handle.
The battles in the Soul Society were over.
Now, he could properly relax for a while.
Before you continue