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A dirty little girl was pulled out from under the chair by Su Li, her frail figure trembling as she gazed up at his stern expression, her eyes filling with the kind of terror born from encountering something completely incomprehensible—someone who not only saw her, but could also touch her.
She shook uncontrollably, frightened beyond words, while Su Li found himself speechless—not because of her, but because of his own reaction. Having lived so long in the world of the Shinigami, dwelling in the Soul Society where he had only ever interacted with clean, purified souls—spiritual beings who had passed properly and followed the order—he had nearly forgotten the raw, unfiltered state of souls that remained in the Human World. These spirits, essentially ghosts, often bore the grotesque marks of their final moments. They retained the form they had at death—pale faces, dried blood, mangled limbs, or even missing body parts—all of it part of the norm.
He simply hadn't encountered one like her before, and when faced with the real thing, he panicked.
Internally, Su Li blamed Matsumoto Rangiku for not giving him a clearer heads-up. If she could hear his complaints, she'd probably roll her eyes without sympathy, considering he was the one who had rushed off on his own without saying a word.
After taking a moment to gather himself, Su Li focused his attention on the soul before him—or more precisely, the "Whole," as they were officially called. The girl's face was ghostly pale, her body covered in dirt, thin and fragile to the point of malnourishment, though he noted the absence of any visible external injuries.
"Name, age, home address, your parents' occupation…" he asked with a detached tone, sounding far more like a police officer than a Shinigami performing a sacred duty.
Hovering in the air, the girl stared back with wide, fearful eyes, frozen and unwilling to move, so Su Li raised his voice slightly and repeated, "Speak."
"You… who are you? Why can you see me?" she stammered, her voice shaking, as though she might cry at any moment.
"I'm a Shinigami," he replied gently as he slowly set her down on the ground, trying to ease her panic.
"I… am I dead?" she asked, her expression growing hazy with confusion and disbelief.
With a soft nod, Su Li confirmed her question, and for a moment, she fell silent, lowering her head in a long, contemplative pause before finally lifting her gaze and asking in a whisper, "Shinigami big brother… are you sending me to heaven now?"
Her innocent sincerity moved him, and although his smile was faint, it was filled with warmth as he gently placed a hand on her head and replied, "To a place even better than heaven."
A spark of hope lit up in her eyes, and she asked with eagerness, "Will Mommy be there too?"
Caught slightly off guard by the question, Su Li gave a small nod and said, "Yes. It's the final destination for all souls."
Her face instantly brightened with joy as she exclaimed, "That's great! I can finally see Mommy! I've been waiting for her here for so long… but she never came to get me…"
His chest tightened with emotion, and for a moment, Su Li remained silent, knowing that souls in this world often perished in tragic ways, and this little girl was clearly one of those unfortunate cases. Technically, as a Shinigami, his duty was to guide souls to the Soul Society—not to question the circumstances surrounding their deaths. Yet whether it was because this was his first time performing a Konso, or simply because he was deeply moved by her story, Su Li couldn't stop himself from asking, "Little one, how did you die? Why are you like this?"
The girl's expression shifted as she recalled her memories, her voice retaining its childish innocence as she explained, "Hmm… My mommy used to sing here. Lots of people came to listen to her, and then one day, Mommy met a nice uncle who gave her lots of money."
"Later, that uncle started visiting often… and then he brought other uncles too," she continued, her tone unchanged, as though unaware of the implications. "Mommy told me to hide and not make a sound. She said she'd come get me."
"So I hid under the chair and waited. I waited a long, long time…" she added with a dramatic gesture to emphasize just how long she had been there.
Su Li said nothing, listening intently as she continued, "Mommy didn't come… and I got sleepy. I kept getting sleepier and sleepier… and when I woke up again, I found my hands could go through chairs… and through people's feet… and then I realized no one could see me anymore."
A faint smile formed on her lips as she said, "I was so happy! I didn't have to hide under the chair anymore! But I was very good. I only went to the park for a bit. Then I came back."
"After that, the police uncles and nurses came. I saw them carry out a little girl who looked just like me… and then the security uncles locked this place. But I know—it must be Mommy who told them to lock it. Mommy used to lock me at home, too."
"So I decided I'd wait for her here. I'd be good. I wouldn't go anywhere."
Looking up at him with innocent pride, she asked, "Brother Shinigami, wasn't I good? I've been waiting this whole time!"
Her pure, trusting expression struck something deep in Su Li's heart, and even though he was just a Shinigami, someone whose sole responsibility was to perform Konso and guide souls onward, he found himself unable to shake the emotional weight of her words.
By now, he understood.
Looking at her frail frame, there could be only one explanation: she had starved to death. Her mother, perhaps overwhelmed by financial desperation or trapped in dangerous relationships, had vanished into some tragedy of her own, leaving the girl behind.
But Su Li knew it wasn't his place to investigate further. He wasn't a detective. He was a Shinigami.
And a Shinigami's duty was to guide the dead, not solve the mysteries of their demise.
"You've been a very good girl," Su Li said softly, gently brushing her hair aside as he patted her head.
With a deep breath, he steadied himself, knowing the time had come to fulfill his duty and end the story properly. Slowly, he drew his Zanpakutō—not to swing it, but to ready its hilt, since Konso didn't require the blade itself, only the touch of the hilt to send a soul on its way, which made the process far less dramatic than it otherwise might have been.
Despite this, Su Li felt a wave of nervous tension rise within him; it was, after all, his first time performing a soul burial. Holding the hilt steadily, he pressed it gently to the girl's forehead.
A soft, glowing light emerged where they connected, and the girl gasped in delight as warmth spread across her form. "Hey… it's warm! It feels nice!" she said with wonder, her eyes wide with amazement as her body gradually began to turn transparent.
"Once you get there… live a good life," Su Li whispered, brushing her head one final time.
"Okay! Goodbye, Shinigami brother!" she shouted, beaming with a radiant smile as she waved enthusiastically, her figure dissolving into the air like morning mist under sunlight.
Su Li stood in silence for a long time after she disappeared, unable to calm the emotions swirling within him.
His first soul burial had ended.
And it had left a mark he would not forget.
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