The transfer student

The next morning, when Yoriichi Tsugikuni walked into the classroom, Ichigo Kurosaki was slumped over his desk.

Keigo Asano leaned over beside him, his face full of shock. "Ichigo, did you go save the world last night?"

Ichigo Kurosaki raised his head, looking thoroughly annoyed.

"Shut up."

"That's no way to treat me." Keigo Asano clutched his chest in anguish. "I'm showing you concern as a friend, and this is how you treat me?"

Sitting nearby, Mizuiro Kojima said with a smile, "Keigo, if you keep making noise, Kurosaki-kun might punch you."

Keigo Asano immediately shut up.

After all, he had plenty of experience getting punched by Ichigo.

Yoriichi Tsugikuni sat down in his seat and put away his schoolbag.

He could more or less guess what had happened last night.

An ordinary high school student had suddenly been forced to become a Substitute Soul Reaper and had to go out at night to deal with Hollows.

Anyone would have trouble sleeping.

Just then, the bell rang.

The homeroom teacher pushed open the door and walked in, holding an attendance book.

"Quiet down, everyone."

The noise in the classroom gradually faded.

Standing at the lectern, the teacher cleared their throat and said, "We have a transfer student joining our class today."

The moment those words fell, Keigo Asano sprang back to life.

"A transfer student? A boy or a girl?"

"Keep it down."

Tatsuki Arisawa smacked a book straight onto his head.

Keigo Asano held his head and looked toward the lectern, feeling wronged.

The next moment, a petite girl walked in through the doorway.

She wore the Karakura Town High School uniform, her short black hair lying neatly against the sides of her face, her expression very serious.

She was not particularly tall, but she carried herself with perfect composure as she walked.

She gave the impression of an elementary schooler wearing grown-up clothes and stubbornly pretending to be a young noblewoman.

Of course, no one dared say that aloud.

"My name is Rukia Kuchiki."

Standing before the lectern, Rukia said earnestly, "I look forward to your guidance from today onward."

The classroom fell silent for a second.

Then the chatter immediately began.

"She's so tiny."

"She's the cute type."

"She talks so formally."

Keigo Asano planted both hands on his desk, his eyes lighting up.

"A beautiful transfer student!"

Ichigo Kurosaki's expression froze.

His eyes widened as he stared at Rukia at the lectern, nearly springing out of his chair.

"What are you doing here?"

She looked at Ichigo and gave him an exceedingly polite smile.

The teacher checked the seating chart and said, "Kuchiki, you can sit behind Kurosaki-kun."

"Yes."

Rukia nodded and walked down with her schoolbag.

Yoriichi Tsugikuni's gaze settled on Rukia.

The Transparent World unfolded.

The next moment, Rukia's body became utterly clear in his eyes.

It was not a normal human body.

The bones, flesh, and internal organs were all merely a shell formed from densely packed Reishi. The Reishi were arranged with extraordinary precision, yet there was something stiff about them.

Like clothes thrown on in a hurry.

A Gigai.

The word surfaced in Yoriichi Tsugikuni's mind.

Deep within the Gigai, Rukia's true soul lay encased. That soul was very weak, its Reiatsu almost drained dry, yet it still retained the form a Soul Reaper should have.

But her Reiatsu was recovering very slowly.

Abnormally slowly, even.

Yoriichi Tsugikuni's gaze lingered on the core of the Gigai.

There were layers of tiny runes there, wound around Rukia's soul like locks.

He could not understand those runes.

But he could tell one thing.

They were suppressing Rukia.

Yoriichi Tsugikuni withdrew his gaze.

He had finally confirmed beyond all doubt that he was not dreaming.

This really was the world of Soul Reapers.

And the girl sitting behind Ichigo was Rukia Kuchiki.

After Rukia sat down, a sudden chill ran down her back.

She instinctively looked toward Yoriichi Tsugikuni.

He looked like nothing more than an ordinary student.

But the combat instincts Rukia had honed over many years were warning her that something was off about him.

Rukia frowned.

Once class began, Ichigo Kurosaki could not sit still.

He glanced back at Rukia from time to time, while Rukia drew a strange rabbit behind her textbook.

The rabbit held up a sign.

It read: no talking.

Ichigo Kurosaki's mouth twitched.

What the hell kind of drawing is that?

Yoriichi Tsugikuni saw the rabbit.

He fell silent for a moment, then looked away.

Before long, the morning classes ended.

The moment the bell rang, Rukia dragged Ichigo Kurosaki out of the classroom.

She moved quickly, nothing like a delicate transfer student.

Keigo Asano reached out a hand, his expression stiff.

"What... just happened?"

Mizuiro Kojima smiled. "It looks like Kurosaki-kun was kidnapped by the transfer student."

Keigo Asano's eyes widened.

"Damn it, Ichigo secretly knew a pretty girl!"

Tatsuki Arisawa rolled her eyes.

"Do you ever think about anything else?"

Meanwhile, Rukia dragged Ichigo to the corner of the stairwell and immediately let go after making sure no one was around.

Ichigo Kurosaki rubbed his wrist and said irritably, "Hey, what exactly are you trying to do?"

Rukia did not answer his question.

She looked up at Ichigo, her expression serious.

"What's the deal with that red-haired person in your class?"

Ichigo Kurosaki froze.

"Yoriichi?"

"Yes."

Lowering her voice, Rukia asked, "Is he really an ordinary human?"

Ichigo Kurosaki scratched his head.

That question really stumped him.

Before yesterday, he would definitely have said Yoriichi was just an ordinary classmate.

But after last night, he knew this world was anything but ordinary.

The words "ordinary human" suddenly did not seem so reliable.

"I guess so."

Ichigo Kurosaki thought for a moment, then said, "Yoriichi doesn't usually talk much or spend much time with other people, but he's a good guy."

Rukia frowned.

"What kind of explanation is that?"

"Then what do you want to hear?"

Ichigo Kurosaki spread his hands. "I got to know him because I ran into some thugs on the street once."

Rukia watched him.

"And then?"

"I was going to go over and beat them up."

"But by the time I got there, all the thugs were already on the ground."

Rukia was silent for a moment.

"He did it?"

"Yeah."

Ichigo Kurosaki nodded. "And he didn't look like he'd just been in a fight at all. Even his uniform wasn't rumpled."

He still remembered that scene very clearly.

Several thugs lay sprawled across the ground, while Yoriichi Tsugikuni stood nearby, still carrying the vegetables he had just bought.

Ichigo had asked him what happened.

Yoriichi had only said they were blocking the way.

Just those few words.

That was the kind of person Yoriichi was.

"Why are you suddenly asking about Yoriichi?"

"My instincts tell me something is off about him."

Rukia said, "You'd better not reveal too much in front of him."

Ichigo Kurosaki frowned.

"Yoriichi isn't that kind of person."

"I didn't say he was a bad person."

Rukia glared at him. "I'm telling you to be careful. You're a Substitute Soul Reaper now."

Ichigo Kurosaki opened his mouth, but in the end, he did not argue.

He did not like being lectured.

But last night's Hollow had been real.

Soul Reapers were real too.

He really was in no position to act as though he understood everything.

Before long, Ichigo Kurosaki and Rukia returned to the classroom.

Before sitting down, Rukia glanced at Yoriichi Tsugikuni again.

Yoriichi Tsugikuni looked at her too.

Their gazes briefly met in midair.

Rukia's body stiffened slightly.

For that instant, she felt as though she had seen a quietly burning sun.

There was no hostility.

But it was impossible to ignore.

Yoriichi Tsugikuni withdrew his gaze and opened his textbook again.

Rukia returned to her seat, her fingers gently clenching.

This person is definitely not ordinary.

But at least for now, he had shown no ill intent.

After hearing Ichigo's account, she could only set aside her confusion for the time being.

After all, the biggest problem at hand was not Yoriichi Tsugikuni.

It was Ichigo Kurosaki, the newly appointed Substitute Soul Reaper.

Rukia glanced at Ichigo in the row ahead and sighed inwardly.

No matter how I look at him, this guy doesn't seem like he'll make things easy.