A bloodcurdling scream suddenly rang out from the Third Division barracks.
Izuru Kira huddled beneath his desk, clutching his head with both hands, the deep, dark circles around his eyes almost swallowing them whole.
"Kira?"
Yoriichi Tsugikuni pushed the door open and entered, frowning slightly at the scene before him.
Kira trembled even harder.
"C-Captain..."
His voice sounded squeezed through clenched teeth, thick with tears.
"Last night... outside the window..."
"There was something..."
Yoriichi walked over to the desk and crouched down.
"Take your time."
Kira raised his head, his eyes unfocused.
"A white shadow... twisted... with no face..."
"It pressed against the window, making a sizzling sound..."
"And then... a little of my reiatsu... got sucked away..."
After saying that, he buried his head again.
Yoriichi fell silent for two seconds.
He stood up, walked to the window, and looked outside.
The night was quiet. There was nothing there.
"Are you sure it wasn't a dream?"
"It wasn't!"
Kira jerked his head up, his eyes reddening.
"I wrote a report... I even measured my reiatsu... there really was less..."
Yoriichi nodded.
"I understand."
He was just about to say something else when light footsteps suddenly sounded outside the door.
"Oh-the Third Division's door is open."
Rangiku Matsumoto sauntered in carrying a flask of sake, her golden hair dazzling beneath the light.
"Little Captain Yoriichi, I've come for a visit."
She set the sake on the desk, only then noticing Kira huddled underneath it.
"...What game are we playing here?"
Kira trembled even harder.
Yoriichi briefly explained the situation.
After hearing him out, rather than offering comfort, Rangiku's eyes lit up.
"Oh, that."
"I know about it."
She pulled a crumpled copy of the Seireitei Communication from inside her robes and spread it open.
"Haven't you read the latest gossip