Orihime's injury

Over the next few days, Ichigo Kurosaki's mental state grew worse and worse.

He slept during class.

He slept between classes.

Even when Keigo Asano leaned close and shouted in his ear, he merely raised a hand and slapped the other boy's face down against the desk.

"Mizuiro, do you think something's possessed Ichigo?"

Mizuiro Kojima looked at the dark circles beneath Ichigo Kurosaki's eyes and smiled. "He might also be sneaking out on dates at night."

"Dates?"

Keigo Asano shot to his feet, his face filled with grief and indignation.

"Damn you, Ichigo! You've betrayed us!"

Ichigo Kurosaki opened one eye.

"Shut up."

Keigo Asano sat down instantly.

Yoriichi Tsugikuni sat beside them, quietly leafing through his textbook.

He did not look at Ichigo Kurosaki, but he could clearly sense that the spiritual pressure coming from him was far more chaotic than it had been a few days ago.

He must have been exhausted lately!

Someone who had only just obtained a sword, who had not even learned how to swing it, was already faced with the predicament of fighting Hollows.

Surviving this long had been no easy feat.

After the lunch bell rang, everyone went to the rooftop as usual.

Holding her lunch box, Orihime Inoue said enthusiastically, "I made something new today."

Tatsuki Arisawa's expression stiffened.

"Orihime, tell us first. What is it today?"

"Red bean, butter, and mustard rice balls."

The rooftop fell silent for a moment.

Keigo Asano looked at Ichigo Kurosaki and said solemnly, "Ichigo, if I die, remember to tell my sister that I sacrificed myself for friendship."

The corner of Ichigo Kurosaki's mouth twitched.

"Can't you just not eat it?"

"How could I do that?"

Clutching his chest, Keigo Asano said in anguish, "This is a lunch Inoue made herself. Even if it's poison, I'll swallow it through my tears."

Tatsuki Arisawa punched him on the head.

"Stop saying such gross things."

Orihime Inoue smiled sheepishly.

"I actually tried it myself. It tastes pretty good."

Yoriichi Tsugikuni looked at the rice balls in her hands and fell silent for a moment.

Some things were better not tried lightly.

Yasutora Sado sat to one side and quietly opened his own lunch box.

Mizuiro Kojima steered the conversation elsewhere, saying gently, "Kurosaki-kun, you've looked tired lately. Have you run into some trouble?"

Ichigo Kurosaki paused as he reached for some food with his chopsticks.

Rukia also looked up at him.

"It's nothing."

Ichigo Kurosaki scratched his head. "I've just been having a little trouble sleeping at night."

Keigo Asano immediately leaned over.

"So it is love troubles, huh?"

"Do you want to die?"

"Sorry."

Yoriichi Tsugikuni looked at Ichigo Kurosaki.

"Ichigo."

"Hm?"

"If you're in trouble, you can tell me."

After those words, Ichigo Kurosaki found himself at something of a loss for how to answer.

Of course he knew Yoriichi was not someone who meddled in other people's business.

But that was precisely why he was even more reluctant to drag him into this.

Hollows were not something ordinary people should have to face.

"It's really nothing."

Ichigo Kurosaki tugged at the corner of his mouth. "We've just had too much homework lately."

Rukia nearly snapped her chopsticks when she heard that.

Couldn't this idiot come up with a better excuse?

Yoriichi Tsugikuni did not press him further.

He merely withdrew his gaze, which suddenly settled on Orihime Inoue's ankle.

There was a very faint black mark there.

Without a close look, anyone would have mistaken it for an ordinary bruise.

But within the Transparent World, that mark was nothing of the sort.

That restless, outward-surging spiritual pressure, with its intensely contaminating nature, was devouring the surrounding reishi and eroding Orihime's soul.

Yoriichi Tsugikuni set down his chopsticks.

"Inoue."

"Hm?"

Orihime Inoue raised her head, a few grains of rice still clinging to the corner of her mouth.

Yoriichi Tsugikuni pointed at her ankle.

"Did you hurt yourself there?"

Everyone looked over at once.

Orihime Inoue glanced down, a look of realization crossing her face.

"Oh, there really is something there."

Tatsuki Arisawa frowned. "When did that happen?"

"I don't know."

Orihime Inoue thought for a moment. "Maybe I accidentally bumped into something on my way home yesterday."

She spoke lightly.

Just then, Ichigo Kurosaki and Rukia came over.

They looked at Orihime Inoue's ankle.

Their expressions changed at the same time.

Rukia set down her lunch box and hurried to Orihime Inoue's side.

She crouched down and carefully examined the black mark.

The next instant, her expression darkened.

"What's wrong?"

Orihime Inoue blinked.

Rather than answer, Rukia looked at Ichigo Kurosaki.

Ichigo Kurosaki understood as well.

This was a mark left by a Hollow.

In other words, a Hollow had recently set its sights on Orihime Inoue.

Watching their reactions, Keigo Asano asked blankly, "Why are you two so serious? It's just a bruise, right?"

Mizuiro Kojima said nothing.

He looked at Rukia, then at Ichigo, and his smile faded a little.

Rukia stood, her tone returning to normal.

"It just looks a little serious. Inoue, you'd better go home early tonight."

"Okay."

Orihime Inoue nodded and smiled. "Thank you, Kuchiki."

Ichigo Kurosaki looked at Yoriichi Tsugikuni, hesitating to speak.

Yoriichi Tsugikuni said calmly, "I just happened to notice it."

Ichigo Kurosaki froze for a moment.

Yet somehow, he kept feeling that Yoriichi's words held another meaning.

After lunch break ended, everyone returned to the classroom.

Sitting behind Ichigo Kurosaki, Rukia used a pencil to draw a fierce-looking rabbit in her textbook.

The rabbit held up a sign.

It read: Go near Inoue's house tonight.

Ichigo Kurosaki glanced back.

"Can't you just say it?"

Rukia closed her textbook expressionlessly.

"Do you have a problem?"

"No."

Ichigo Kurosaki turned back around.

Before long, night fell.

The streets of Karakura Town quieted, and the streetlights came on one by one.

With his schoolbag on his back, Ichigo Kurosaki stood with Rukia at the entrance to an alley near Orihime Inoue's home.

"Are you sure that Hollow will come?"

"When Hollows leave marks, it's usually so they can return to feed."

Looking at the apartment building ahead, Rukia said quietly, "If we don't deal with it, Inoue will be in grave danger."

Ichigo Kurosaki clenched his fists.

"Then I'll cut it down."

Rukia glanced at him.

"You make it sound easy now."

"Quit nagging."

Elsewhere.

In Orihime Inoue's room, Tatsuki Arisawa sat on the floor, watching her organize her first-aid kit.

"So you have no idea when you got hurt?"

"No."

Orihime Inoue nodded. "But it doesn't hurt, Tatsuki. You don't have to worry."

Tatsuki Arisawa sighed.

"This is exactly why you make me worry."

Orihime Inoue laughed.

"Hehe."

She was just about to say something when the wall behind her suddenly warped.

The lights in the room flickered.

Tatsuki Arisawa jerked her head up.

"Orihime!"

Without warning, the wall split open, and a pitch-black hole opened within it.

The next instant, a long, serpentine tail coated in acid shot out of the black hole like lightning, heading straight for Orihime Inoue's back, right behind her heart.