The parrot

The afternoon sunlight slanted through the windows onto the desks.

Yoriichi Tsugikuni sat by the window, gazing quietly ahead.

Someone was missing from the classroom today.

Yasutora Sado had taken leave again.

Ichigo Kurosaki propped his chin on one hand, his brow deeply furrowed, occasionally glancing at Sado's empty seat.

The guy really had been taking a lot of time off lately.

And every time he came back, he always had new injuries.

But Sado never said much about them.

No matter how anyone asked, he would only say calmly that he was fine, his face as expressionless as ever.

The more Ichigo thought about it, the more irritated he became.

The guy was still the same as before, always trying to shoulder everything himself.

Soon, the morning classes ended.

At lunchtime, they headed to the rooftop as usual.

The wind was rather strong, making their school uniforms flutter gently.

Keigo Asano was making a racket with his lunch box in his hands, while Chizuru Honsho circled Orihime Inoue, muttering strange things.

The corner of Ichigo's mouth twitched. He could no longer be bothered to intervene.

Just then, someone pushed open the rooftop door.

A tall figure walked in.

Yasutora Sado.

Only today, Sado looked a little more battered than usual.

His head was wrapped in bandages, gauze was taped to the side of his face, and several obvious streaks of dust marked his uniform.

Most surprising of all, he was holding a parrot in his arms.

"Sado?"

Ichigo stood up.

Tatsuki froze for a moment too, then frowned. "What happened to you?"

Sado approached them and glanced down at his injuries, his tone as calm as ever.

"Some steel bars fell on me when I was passing a construction site."

"Huh?"

Ichigo stared at him.

"That's way too halfhearted an explanation."

Sado did not argue. He simply stood there in silence.

Keigo Asano was the first to move closer instead. Looking at the parrot, he asked in surprise, "Since when did you keep birds?"

"It isn't mine."

Sado spoke.

"I'm just taking it along for now."

As Ichigo looked at the parrot, his expression gradually changed.

He noticed something unusual.

Since becoming a Substitute Soul Reaper, he had grown increasingly sensitive to this sort of abnormality.

Yoriichi, meanwhile, had been looking at the parrot from the very beginning.

More precisely, he had been looking inside it.

In his Transparent World, he could clearly see a boy's soul curled up inside that tiny body.

The soul did not fit the body, as though it had been forcibly stuffed inside.

And a trace of tainted energy had already touched the edges of the boy's soul.

It was a sign that a Hollow had set its sights on him.

Yoriichi withdrew his gaze, then turned toward Ichigo and Rukia.

"Come here for a moment."

His voice was calm.

Ichigo and Rukia exchanged a glance, then followed him to one side.

"What's wrong?"

Ichigo asked in a low voice.

Yoriichi glanced at Sado nearby and said, "There's a little boy's soul inside that parrot."

Ichigo's expression changed at those words.

Rukia's expression instantly grew serious as well.

"What did you say?"

Yoriichi continued, "And a Hollow has already set its sights on that child."

Ichigo clenched his fists almost instinctively.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's just find that Hollow and cut it down."

He had just started forward when Rukia grabbed him.

"Idiot, don't rush in."

Rukia scolded him under her breath.

Then she looked up at Yoriichi again, undisguised wariness in her eyes.

"How do you know about this?"

Yoriichi's expression did not change.

"I can see it."

"See it?"

Rukia stared at him.

Yoriichi nodded.

"Just as I can see the shell you're wearing now, and the real soul inside it."

Rukia's pupils abruptly contracted.

Of course she knew what Yoriichi meant.

The Gigai.

This guy could actually see straight through even that?

Rukia's back instantly tensed.

If he kept talking, who knew what else he might expose?

At that thought, she hurriedly interrupted him. "Now isn't the time to talk about that."

"Ichigo, Sado is your friend, and he's our classmate too."

"Now that we know a Hollow has its sights on him, we can't just ignore it."

Ichigo nodded at once.

"Of course I know that."

He raked a hand through his hair in frustration and glanced back at Sado.

"The problem is, that guy just won't tell us anything."

"He's so tough that he tries to shoulder everything himself, no matter what happens."

"What a pain."

Despite his words, Ichigo could not hide the worry in his eyes.

Yoriichi looked at Sado and said calmly, "Follow him after school."

"Don't let him notice."

"Since the Hollow has its sights on that child, it's bound to appear again."

Hearing this, Ichigo immediately felt that the plan made sense.

"All right, let's do that."

Rukia nodded too.

For the rest of the time, none of the three said anything more.

But Ichigo kept glancing at Sado.

Sado quietly ate his lunch as though he had noticed nothing.

The parrot stood beside his hand, occasionally fluttering its wings gently.

Yoriichi looked at the parrot, his gaze lingering slightly.

The child's soul was very weak.

But his current condition was not the bigger problem.

It was the Hollow targeting him, whose presence carried obvious obsession and violence.

A Hollow like that usually would not go after its target alone.

Anyone who came close would get dragged in.

So Sado's injuries probably had not come from falling steel bars either.

Soon, the afternoon classes ended.

The moment the final bell rang, Ichigo stood up.

Rukia packed her schoolbag as though nothing were wrong.

Yoriichi picked up his backpack and followed the two out of the classroom.

Sado did not leave quickly, but his steps were steady.

The three followed behind him, keeping some distance throughout.

"He won't notice us, will he?"

Ichigo asked in a low voice.

Rukia glanced at him.

"Not if you stop talking so loudly."

The corner of Ichigo's mouth twitched.

"I'm already being quiet."

Yoriichi said nothing.

He focused more of his attention on the flow of Reiatsu around them.

People came and went along the street, and traffic streamed past.

On the surface, everything looked normal.

But a faint trace of pungent malice had crept into the air.

That presence drifted nearer and farther away, as though deliberately circling them.

Ichigo had clearly noticed it too, and his nerves instantly went taut.

"Is it here?"

Rukia said softly, "It hasn't shown itself yet."

Just then, a dull thud suddenly came from around the corner ahead.

All three of their expressions changed, and they immediately rushed over.

The next moment, the sight before them made Ichigo's pupils contract sharply.

Sado lay on the ground.

A large pool of blood had already spread beneath him.

The parrot had fallen beside him too, crying out in panic.

"Sado!"

Ichigo rushed straight over.

Rukia quickly scanned their surroundings, her hand already moving habitually to her waist, only to find nothing there.

Yet there was nothing around them.

No sign of a Hollow.

No point where a burst of Reiatsu had left traces.

It was as though the attacker had vanished in an instant.

Yoriichi crouched down, his gaze falling on Sado's wound.

It was no ordinary laceration.

Traces of a Hollow's presence lingered along the edges of the wound.

But the attacker had withdrawn immediately after striking.

Very cautious.

And very devious.

Ichigo gritted his teeth, his expression utterly grim.

"Damn it, it had to run off right now."

Rukia said gravely, "Forget that for now. Save him first."

Ichigo immediately came to his senses.

"Right, let's get him to my house first."

Without delay, the three hurriedly helped Sado up.

The parrot seemed to understand what had happened as well, staying obediently to one side without flying around.

Soon, they brought Sado to the Kurosaki Clinic.

Although Isshin Kurosaki usually seemed rather unreliable, he was deft when it came to treating external injuries.

After his wounds were bandaged, Chad's condition finally stabilized considerably.

As for the parrot, it was placed in a cage nearby.

Outside the hospital room.

Ichigo leaned against the wall, his expression dark.

"What the hell does that bastard want?"

Rukia stood with her arms crossed, her expression grim as well.

"Since it's after that child's soul, it won't give up easily."

"It failed today, but it'll keep trying tomorrow."

Hearing that, Ichigo clenched his fists again.

"Then we'll wait for it to show itself."

"I'm going to cut that bastard down."

Yoriichi stood to one side, his tone as calm as ever.

"Get some rest tonight."

"We'll meet tomorrow morning."

After their discussion, the three went their separate ways for the time being.

Night gradually fell, and Karakura Town returned to peace.

But beneath that peace, danger was already quietly brewing.

Early the next morning.

Yoriichi Tsugikuni had just reached the entrance to the Kurosaki Clinic when he saw Ichigo and Rukia already standing there.

Ichigo clawed at his hair in frustration, his voice frantic.

"Chad slipped away first thing this morning! He must be afraid of dragging us into this. Let's hurry after him!"