Ever since arriving in Soul Society, all Shiraishi had seen were low thatched huts and people dressed in the style of old Edo. It had made him think he had forgotten his memories of life.
Seeing tall buildings again, those familiar creations of steel and concrete, opened the treasure chest of memories buried deepest in his heart.
Aside from losing his parents young, having no friends or girlfriend, and lacking great power, his life hadn't been too bad.
Born in a country under the red flag, he could lie flat and still have plenty of games to play. Now and then, he could even treat himself to meat, gritting his teeth and spending a day's wages on over a hundred yuan's worth of barbecue with ice-cold beer. It had been pure bliss.
Overwhelmed by memories of the past, Shiraishi stood there in a daze.
Soi Fon noticed his distraction and said in a low voice, "You're already dead. That's a fact that can't be changed."
"Yeah, I know," Shiraishi answered softly. He shook his head, casting off the sadness in his heart, and smiled again. "Let's get breakfast first, and a bottle of cola. I haven't had cola in ages."
Soi Fon asked, puzzled, "Can you drink it without money?"
"..." Shiraishi's smile froze. He turned to her. "Didn't you bring any cash?"
Soi Fon answered confidently, "How could Soul Society possibly have money from the World of the Living? By the rules, we aren't allowed to have contact with humans."
"Forget it, I have an idea. Give me your hand."
Shiraishi held out his left hand.
Soi Fon obediently held out her right hand and took his. "Is there any point to holding hands like this?"
"Of course there is. Can you call it a date if you don't hold hands?"
Shiraishi held her hand. It was soft, as if it had no bones, and small too, like the hand of a sixth-grade girl.
"All right." Soi Fon said nothing more.
Hand in hand, the two left the alley and reached the street outside. There weren't many cars on the road, and the pedestrian traffic wasn't particularly heavy either. It didn't seem to be a big city.
Shiraishi looked around and asked, "Where are we?"
Soi Fon answered truthfully, "Tsubakidai, Karakura Town."
"I see." He looked thoughtful. Judging by how Karakura Town looked now, it should be the eighties or nineties.
Has Ichigo's mom been born yet?
Thinking this, Shiraishi strolled down the street. He didn't spot any shops that specifically sold breakfast, but on second thought, this wasn't China.
He probably wouldn't be able to get steamed buns or fried dough sticks.
He felt a little disappointed. Then he caught a faint scent of vanilla, and his gaze followed the aroma to a coffee shop by the street.
The shop's name was a string of English words he couldn't understand, but a wooden sign shaped like a coffee cup hung high above the entrance, swaying in the wind, so even people who couldn't read English could tell it was a coffee shop.
The shop was decorated mainly in natural wood tones. A short stone path had been laid in front of the door, with a wooden bench on it.
Green plants stood on either side of the storefront, highlighting its fresh, natural atmosphere. The faint aroma of coffee wafted out of the window.
Shiraishi walked up.
The employee inside smiled broadly. "Good morning. What can I get for you two?"
"Two coffees and two chiffon cakes."
"All right, please wait a moment." The employee began preparing the coffee.
Shiraishi reached out, picked up two packaged chiffon cakes, and offered one to Soi Fon.
She didn't take it. "You can eat it," she said expressionlessly.
"Are you sure you don't want to try it?" Shiraishi asked.
Soi Fon said irritably, "We don't have any money to pay for them."
The air suddenly fell silent.
The employee's hands paused. If he hadn't misheard, the doll-like beauty had said they had no money.
That couldn't be right. Only filthy vagrants would be unable to afford a meal.
The two before him didn't look anything like that.
The petite woman in particular, with her looks and bearing, could have passed for a rich family's young lady without anyone doubting it.
"Why go blurting out the truth?" Shiraishi tapped her on the head with a cake. Realizing coffee was out of the question, he hurriedly ran off.
"Hey, you two, stop right there!" The employee came to his senses and rushed out after them.
Shiraishi and Soi Fon ran fast. Just as they were about to disappear around a corner, a boy and a girl came running out from it.
"Fuck!"
There was no time to stop.
Shiraishi spun aside. The boy instinctively tried to dodge too, but he wasn't as nimble. Instead, he twisted his ankle and toppled straight toward the road.
Beep!
A piercing horn sounded as a heavy truck bore down on him. The boy's mind went blank.
At the critical moment, Shiraishi lunged forward, knocking the boy clear of the truck's front end. Together, they rolled onto the sidewalk on the other side.
The heavy truck roared past without stopping. A faint, indistinct voice drifted back on the wind, probably cursing them.
Thump, thump. His heart pounded.
For the first time in his life, the boy felt that he was alive.
"Hey, are you okay?" Seeing the boy's dazed expression, Shiraishi patted his face. Hopefully he hadn't knocked himself stupid.
"Amazing!"
The boy spoke, his eyes practically sparkling. "You're so brave! You actually saved me without fearing for your life."
"Kaoru, are you an idiot? You fell because this guy was running around!"
The girl shouted and strode over.
She wore a brown hat with goggles over it. She was pretty and well developed, at least three times Soi Fon's size, just enough to fill one hand.
"Ikumi, that was an accident."
The black-haired boy refuted his childhood friend's words and stood up. "Hello, my name's Unagiya Kaoru. I'm a second-year student at Karakura High School."
"Stop right there, thief!" The employee caught up, panting.
Soi Fon said, "Give him back the chiffon cakes."
"You're a thief too?" Miyamoto Ikumi clenched her fists. She was terrible at her studies, but very good at fighting, and was a well-known delinquent boss in Karakura Town.
"Things have been a little tight lately."
Shiraishi showed no embarrassment and said frankly, "Kid, have you got any money?"
"Yes." Unagiya Kaoru nodded and stepped forward to pay the bill.
The employee looked at the six hundred yen in his hand, tears in his eyes. This money hadn't been easy to earn. That run had been the equivalent of three or four days' exercise.
Come to think of it, the shop wasn't even his. Was there any need to go that far?
Only then did the employee think of that question. He swore to himself that the next time something like this happened, he definitely wouldn't give chase. It was too tiring.
"Kaoru, why did you pay for him?" Miyamoto Ikumi was very unhappy.
Unagiya Kaoru didn't pay much attention to that. He moved close to Shiraishi and said, "Sir, do you need a job?"
"No, I run an odd-jobs shop, helping people solve their problems. It's just that life has been too comfortable for people lately, so I haven't had much business."
Shiraishi made up a lie on the spot.
"An odd-jobs shop? That sounds so cool! I want to be like you someday and open an Unagiya."
Unagiya Kaoru looked excited. He had always been at a loss about what to do in the future. He couldn't work up any enthusiasm for studying and growing up the way his parents wanted.
An odd-jobs shop, handling all kinds of things and meeting all kinds of people, sounded interesting.
"Kaoru, wouldn't people easily mistake Unagiya for an eel shop? I wouldn't work at such a weird place."
"But I want to be with you for the rest of my life, Ikumi, running Unagiya."
"I-idiot! I never said I wanted to be with you."
Miyamoto Ikumi shouted, blushing, and folded her arms.
Unagiya Kaoru looked dejected. "So you do like Ishida after all."
"Who'd like that deadpan jerk?" Miyamoto Ikumi rolled her eyes. She didn't think Karakura High School's most handsome boy was handsome at all.
Listening to their conversation, Shiraishi smiled like someone who'd just been fed dog food. They were full of youthful energy.
Soi Fon's attention, meanwhile, was drawn to a black cat.