I like uniforms.
Because I don't have to prove
to anyone who I am.
"...Well, it's just cosplay though."
Humming Noelle-chan's famous line, I twirled around, flipping my first-ever miniskirt in this life.
For heading to the World of the Living after so long, I'd chosen the Karakura First High School girls' uniform.
(Can't help the season, but the summer uniform really is plain...)
Short-sleeved blouse with red ribbon. Nothing particularly distinctive beyond the clasp with the school emblem—quite simple.
The winter uniform's gray jacket with red accents matching the skirt overflows with early BLEACH vibes and is lovely, but wearing thick clothes alone would stand out, so I passed this time. Regrettable.
Now, I'm currently in the town adjacent to Karakura—Naruki City, where I conducted the nostalgic White Experiment twenty years ago.
Yon-sama's faction hideout has been maintained here since then, most recently serving as a base when Aisslinger and Di Roy were on Karakura Town monitoring duty. Using Negación weapon applications, it blocks spiritual pressure leaking outdoors and allows freely opening and closing Garganta. Truly the gateway between Hueco Mundo and the World of the Living.
I came to Naruki City with the hideout for two reasons: shopping and canon event spectating.
"Gotta hurry or it'll start..."
Whether considerate or mysteriously particular, Aisslinger and the others had somehow created a local map. Finding a large supermarket, I carried a cart stacked with empty cardboard boxes about fifteen minutes' walk from the hideout.
"Mmph! My beautiful-girl sensor's tingling!"
"Cultural festival prep maybe? Super cute girl, but what year is she?"
"Even with your upperclassman fetish, you don't know, Mizuiro? C-could she be the long-awaited transfer student!?"
"A guy transferred yesterday. Also, what do you think I am?"
...Yeah, I heard voices sounding very familiar somewhere, but ignoring that. Canon says they live in Karakura's neighboring town, but never knew it was Naruki City. Coincidences are scary.
But Momo-chan really stands out with this cart. The large luggage under my arm draws attention, then the Hinamori face locks gazes even tighter—a vicious cycle.
Ugh, under these stares, this skirt makes my thighs feel vulnerable. I lacked the courage to bare my legs so I wore stockings, but JKs wearing this daily are amazing...
Respecting Rukia who wore miniskirts on early World of the Living missions without resistance, I hurried to the supermarket avoiding public eyes.
Until that Ulquiorra & Yammy raid event Hinamori-chan planned—just a bit longer.
✦ ✦ ✦
"Thank you very much..."
After enduring rude stares from all around for a while—
Leaving the supermarket with the part-timer's regretful voice at my back, rattling my cart with three cardboard boxes stuffed with ingredients, I returned to the hideout enjoying a bit of modern nostalgia for the first time in one hundred fifty years.
[Illustration Display]
"Please carry these to the kitchen."
"Understood, Lady Hinamori."
Entrusting luggage to menial Arrancars, I headed toward Karakura Town in an excited mood.
Cola in my right hand, kebab in my left, hot excitement in my heart. Flawless perfect stadium grub equipment formation.
Now, the battle finally begins!
"Wow, it's happening...!"
The raid point chosen at park woods coordinates to minimize town damage considering the Ōken creation.
Seeing massive dust clouds rise from Karakura Town East Park's direction with a rumble, I hurried frantically. Thanks to rubberneckers running alongside, one JK munching kebabs and slurping through a straw didn't stand out.
Being short, when I went toward the crowd's front, two men stood at the edge of a gaping crater. Giant Yammy Llargo in a chest-length white jacket fatally uncool, and Ulquiorra Cifer whose rectangular tailcoat is fatally stylish.
Nice, nice—BLEACH's raw... canon event... is the best!
Not minding spicy mayo on my cheek, I looked around searching for other members. Spiritual pressure detection sensed memorized Chad, Orihime, and Ichigo's presences approaching, but no movement from Urahara Shōten yet.
You're coming, right?
"What the hell are these guys? Don't crowd around when you got no spiritual power!"
While I peeked around alone behind a tree, Yammy—annoyed at the rubberneckers—suddenly made a motion of breathing in deeply. Eh, w-wait, I haven't finished eating yet!
Simultaneously with frantically shoving remaining kebab into my mouth, the crowd collapsed one after another, souls extracted by Yammy's Gonzui forcibly DYS○Ning surrounding souls. First time seeing it, but what a spectacle.
In canon, according to Chad, everyone really died from just this, but having students attend class like nothing happened the next day—isn't Karakura Town's crisis management super sloppy?
Of course, incognito me also acted "Wh-what is this... collapse" with Momo-chan's stellar acting, pretending to be a civilian. Casually sitting with the tree trunk as backrest, securing the best view. I couldn't help smiling at this immersive audience seating.
Kukuku, with this prototype spiritual-pressure-blocking gigai ver.2 plus my cosplay disguise acting skills combined, no one can see through my identity. My cheeks bulging with stuffed kebab are part of the disguise.
"Oi, Ulquiorra! Is it this one?"
"!?"
He noticed...!? Surprised by the sudden loud voice, I fearfully peeked at Yammy from behind my bangs.
"Look properly, idiot. Just you approaching is crushing her soul. It's the trash over there."
"Tch, the survivor's just lucky? How boring."
...Oh, not me but Tatsuki-chan. Don't scare me like that, jeez.
But thanks to that, my excessively relaxed feelings tightened slightly. Thinking about it, after satisfying my life with the supreme "Hinamori!!", I'd somewhat been treating things like a mop-up match, spending post-retirement afterlife psychology. One more canon Hinamori-chan scene making Shiro-chan anguished remains. Failing to collect it would disgrace the Duelist name.
While thinking that, events moved. Rushing heroically to Tatsuki-chan's rescue—Orihime-chan and Chad!
The courage of two standing up for their friend is truly moving.
"What the hell are you guys?"
"...!"
But don't underestimate the Espada I gathered and Yon-sama Arrancarified. Yammy properly made Chad's spiritual pressure vanish, leaving Orihime-chan bravely attempting his recovery with Sōten Kisshun.
...No, this is amazing. I'm confident in kidō, but what Orihime-chan's doing is so otherworldly I completely don't understand the principle.
Indeed, kidnapping her would only be considered targeting her abilities.
However, even game-breaking cheat Orihime-chan has no combat power at this point. Tsubaki's Koten Zanshun gets instantly killed—desperate crisis.
But it's fine, Orihime-chan. After all, your knight Ulquiorra-kun's right here!
"...Don't touch that woman, Yammy. That person's orders."
"Eh...?"
WHAT!? Recording! Did that record just now!? Ulqui-kun just declared "Don't touch my woman," right!? (Mishearing)
Fan-me went wild with joy at lovely Ulqui-Hime vibes. Excellent—as expected, pre-event preparation is perfect. As expected of me.
...But, the incident occurred right after I got carried away like that.
Right beside me secretly checking my pocket recording device, an ear-doubting bombshell flew from Yammy's mouth.
"Tch, if it's Hinamori-san's instructions, can't be helped. I ain't becoming that Bankai's target ever again."
"Hinamori...?"
—Huh?
W-oi, wait, Yammy, whose name did you just drop!? That should be canon "Aizen-sama" for Yon-sama faction appeal! If it's "Hinamori-san," ally dialogue OSR value bonus flies to me instead of Yon-sama!
And you casually mentioned Bankai, you bastard! Don't ruin my stylish coming-out plan!
The lovely canon event viewing suddenly turned ominous. Forgetting my corpse act, shaking my head left and right, as if mocking my prayers, the situation worsened further.
"H-'Hinamori-san' is that girl vice-captain forcibly taken by that Aizen person... right? Kuchiki-san's classmate, popular with Rukongai folks..."
"'Forcibly taken'? What're you saying? That person's been one of our bosses for half a century."
"H-half a century...!?"
WHAAAAT!?!?
W-w-wait, Yammy, why are you casually spilling that!? Was this guy so loose-lipped? And Ulquiorra, don't just stand there—stop him!
What's happening? Yammy aside, even loyal vassal Ulquiorra ignoring our faction information leaks is definitely weird. I definitely properly told them both to keep quiet—wait, huh?
...I told them to keep quiet... right?
"Hinamori Momo. The person holding the Commander position leading all our Arrancar forces."
"Arrancar...? Commander...?"
Ignoring me desperately searching my memory, even Ulquiorra jumped on Yammy's bandwagon starting the Bleach world's signature stylish organizational explanation. This really flows like I forgot to tell them to keep quiet.
...True, my tragic heroine move was a new policy chosen right before Soul Society defection, and for mostly unrelated Yammy and others it's not even classified.
DJ as Hueco Mundo Administrator handling order maintenance and consciousness education has no reason to notify the Arrancar army of this for the same reason. Yon-sama and Gin are mean-spirited, so even if noticing they'd silently observe what I'd do.
And me as the crucial party, during these few days—the almost only opportunity to convey the suddenly decided new policy to Yammy and others—spent the whole time either immersed in "Hinamori!!" afterglow or only thinking about this canon event reproduction, doing nothing.
...Yes, guilty.
"If we can't kill her, you'll use her for something later, right? Then let's kidnap her incidentally during the mission to improve Hinamori-san's impression. That 'hamburg steak' she makes or whatever, that's tasty."
"Do what you want. I'm not involved."
"No...!"
At my dazed vision's edge, Orihime-chan's about to be abducted by Yammy.
Actually taking that girl back will only damage my impression. Please don't break canon further.
...And to this heroine's crisis situation, stylishly appearing—the Oshare prodigy, Kurosaki Ichigo.
"Sorry I'm late, Inoue."
You really are—come before Yammy drops my name! (Shifting blame)
The Chad-Ichi stylish scene I'd looked forward to appeared gray from self-inflicted wounds, solo tear-shedding idiot idiot Momo-chan.
...Can't be helped, switching gears.
"Bankai!
Tensa Zangetsu."
Ooh, cool! The jet-black coat is stylish! Orihime-chan watching from the same VIP seat as me will fall for him again!
Seeing the protagonist's trump card live cheered up simple me, forgetting earlier blunders while watching him beat up Yammy.
Yeah, I definitely sense White's spiritual pressure. Bad complexion too—he's probably considerably troubled by his Inner Hollow.
But has the other me not awakened yet? If no movement shows here, I'll need to check the seal before Visored Hollowfication training...
"Gah!?"
...Oh my, White-kun's spiritual pressure spiked. Simultaneously Ichigo starts clutching his face. Battle reversal—now Chad-Ichi gets beaten by Yammy.
The development itself somehow proceeds canonically, but as expected Ichigo's maximum spiritual pressure is huge. At least matching released Grimmjow's scale, and still increasing.
And the moment power erupted enough to make Ulquiorra involuntarily touch his Zanpakutō—it happened.
"What...!?"
Suddenly countless pink light bands flew from Ichigo's chest, and simultaneously White's massive spiritual pressure vanished instantly.
"...What is that?"
Ulquiorra furrowed his brows suspiciously at the extreme event. Ichigo also battered but regained body control, staring bewildered at the light bands on his chest, not understanding what just happened.
And leaving surrounding confusion as-is, the light bands returned into his body with a whoosh.
(Thank goodness, it seems to have activated...)
Apparently the other me properly fulfilled the automatic control role as planned. Even I must say—a masterpiece seal. Fatigue washed over me as I sighed in relief.
...Now, I've finished what needed confirming.
Next is Yoruichi and Urahara's exhibition match but... honestly mentally exhausted from Yammy's earlier leak, and I want to quickly consider my future course. Somehow this flow feels like those sharp-eyed two will find me, so should I obediently go home...
Thinking that, aiming for a quiet fadeout—but unfortunately, the wholesaler won't allow it.
"Looks like we made it in time."
Why does every protagonist faction member try drawing out my blunders!?
Right after saying that, Urahara and Yoruichi appeared with perfect timing. Returning the weird atmosphere from Chad-Ichi's fang lock activation scene to the original killing intent, combat with Yammy resumed.
Yoruichi's textbook-perfect hakuda beautifully beating up Yammy. But tough him only briefly lost consciousness before reviving, firing Cero at careless Yoruichi. In the nick of time, Urahara's Chikasumi no Tate made it...
"Sing, Benihime!"
And his Shikai ability's blood aurora-type slash caught Yammy, which intruding Ulquiorra—deflected toward my direction.
...Hm? My direction?
"What! This spiritual pressure, could it be...!"
"You know them, Yoruichi-san!?"
Wait!? You bastard Ulquiorra, why deflect it here, oi! What coincidence, you jerk! This gigai's for stealth with no defense oooh no it'll break it'll break the gigai's breakiiing aaaaaaah——
...It was truly a perfect "BULL'S EYE!"
Frantically trying to escape but with low synchronization rate gigai I could barely use Shinigami combat arts, naturally couldn't move a finger, helplessly taking a direct hit.
I bid farewell to prototype spiritual-pressure-blocking gigai ver.2 that vanished without a trace.
And then...
"Th-that's enough. Ulquiorra, Yammy."
Desperately maintaining a "just arrived" appearance, I stylishly floated in midair, revealing myself before Ichigo and the others.
***
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