...What is this?
"He came by this evening! We had dinner together for the first time in forever!"
"He didn't even call first. Shu is still as impulsive as ever, isn't he?"
...What is this scene?
"I'm sorry. Was I a nuisance?"
"N-No, of course not..."
...What is that look? Why is Karin blushing? Why does she look like she's actually enjoying this?
The hearts of his sisters had been stolen by a man he didn't know. That fury hammered at Ichigo's stunned brain, waking him up. He lunged at the intruder before him.
"...You're that guy from before! What the hell are you doing here?!"
The image of a few days ago flashed in his mind. The black-haired youth standing at the construction site where Keigo and the others had been attacked. The name Ginjo had given him—Shukuro Tsukishima.
The place where his most precious family lived had been trampled by the feet of an enemy.
...But Ichigo's outburst only made him the target of his own family's scorn.
"What are you doing, Ichigo?! Are you mad because Shu showed up without warning?!"
"What's wrong with you, Ichigo?! You're hurting Shu!"
Yuzu and Karin clung to his arms, trying to pull him back. Their desperation forced Ichigo to let go of the enemy's collar.
—Ding-dong!—
Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Without knowing what was happening, the situation descended into further chaos.
"Oh, hey! Ichigo's here too!"
"You're right. I thought it was just Shu and the girls, so I didn't buy any extra ice cream."
"Hey, Ichigo! I heard you've been staying out late playing lately!"
Ichigo whipped around, stunned to see three people standing at the door.
"Seriously, think about your family once in a while! You can't leave Yuzu and Karin feeling lonely!"
"Oh, we're fine. We aren't lonely at all!"
"Karin, that's so mean!"
"Good evening, Shu!"
Keigo Asano, Mizuiro Kojima, and Tatsuki Arisawa. His friends from school, people he had known forever, were all saying they "came to see him."
They were talking to the intruder. As if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"What... what the hell is this...?"
Ichigo was aghast as he watched everyone accept and treat the man with such familiarity. Then, his ears caught the enemy's calm voice.
"...I'm the one who called them, Ichigo."
He slowly turned his gaze toward Tsukishima, who was holding a cell phone. "I just wanted to see everyone again after so long," he said, uttering nonsense.
"Don't look so scary. I'm sorry for calling everyone out in the middle of the night, but tomorrow's Sunday, right? It's fine."
"..."
"Oh, that's right."
Those words were the final trigger.
Watching this demon talk familiarly to the precious friends and the Orihime he had sworn to protect over the phone—before he knew it, Ichigo had swung his fist.
Tsukishima was sent flying across the living room, crashing through the window with a violent shatter!
"Wha—?! Ichigo?!"
"...Tell me, Tsukishima. What the hell did you do to them...?!"
Surrounded by the screams of his family and the agitation of his friends, Ichigo stood his ground, glaring at the enemy.
"What are you doing, Ichigo?!"
But the backlash from those around him exceeded his expectations. Tatsuki, his childhood friend, lashed out at him with eyes that looked as if she were seeing something unbelievable.
"I don't know what you're so irritated about! But what's with that attitude toward a relative you haven't seen in forever?! Apologize, you idiot!"
"N-No...! Tatsuki...!"
"No, what?! Did you learn karate with me all those years ago just to do something like this?! Apologize to Mr. Tsukishima!"
Flinching at the girl's intensity, Ichigo's eyes wandered, desperately searching for some kind of salvation.
Then, he realized it.
"Ichigo."
"Ichigo."
"Big Bro."
"Ichigo."
Their gazes gathered on him. Wide, cold eyes. Colors of confusion, distrust, and disgust.
His friends...
His childhood friend...
His family...
All at once...
They were trying to cast out the young man who had stood up to protect them.
+++
He ran. He sprinted recklessly through the quiet residential district of Karakura Town.
...What is happening? Is this Tsukishima's ability?
Managing to suppress his nausea, Ichigo had fled his home and was thinking desperately.
The image of his strongest enemy, Sosuke Aizen, came to mind. But Ichigo had never actually felt the power of Aizen's Kyoka Suigetsu, the blade that controlled the five senses. What had scattered the Gotei 13 and the Visoreds—what had even repelled Ichigo's Mugetsu—was that Demon King's extraordinary spiritual pressure, his regeneration, and his perfectly honed combat skills.
But what was this Tsukishima guy? Ichigo paled as he imagined the enemy's ability based on his sisters' reactions.
—Mr. Tsukishima came to get us, Ichigo!—
"Ugh...!"
His friends, his family, Tatsuki—who knew at least some of the truth—and even his boss at the part-time job had all fallen victim to his venomous, meticulous cruelty. The memory of his boss's smile when she hid him earlier made stomach acid burn Ichigo's throat.
...It's all my fault. A deep regret and self-loathing for involving everyone tore at his chest.
Because I'm a half-human, half-Soul Reaper.
Because I'm a former Substitute Soul Reaper.
Because I had the talent for Fullbring.
Because I did nothing and just stayed powerless and naive, thinking it was all over...
"Ichigo!!"
Suddenly hearing his name, Ichigo gripped his Substitute Badge, on high alert.
"Ginjo?!"
"Tch. They got you too, huh...!"
His benefactor was there, running toward him. Kugo Ginjo was out of breath, but he didn't even waste time being glad they were both safe before delivering even more serious news.
"I thought it was strange...! They should have been prepared to fight Tsukishima a long time ago, yet they're getting cold feet now... it's not like them...!"
"...You don't mean..."
Ichigo suddenly realized what he meant. When they had returned to the World of the Living from Yukio's training room, the members of XCUTION had been strangely distant.
Yes. Given the current situation, the worst-case scenario for those four was already...
"Riruka... Kutsuzawa... Yukio... Jackie...! Every single one of them was got by Tsukishima!!"
+++
"—Damn it... this is your fault, Ginjo!! Because you dragged me into this, everyone is...!"
They were in a secret hideout—an abandoned, boarded-up building. Having rushed inside, Ichigo vented his directionless rage at the man beside him.
But after a moment's silence, Ginjo offered a painful word of agreement.
"...Yeah. You're right. ...I'm sorry."
Receiving that somber apology, Ichigo realized how unreasonable he was being and managed to swallow his rising anger.
"Dammit, I know! It's not your fault...! It's mine...!"
"...It's no one's fault. Don't blame yourself, Ichigo."
The words, full of kind consideration, soaked into his chest. They felt both like a healing balm and a reminder of his own immaturity.
They had both lost their comrades. Even so, Ginjo remained composed and stayed by his side. He was currently the only support Ichigo could rely on.
"Moping won't solve anything. We need to figure out the truth behind Tsukishima's ability and find a countermeasure."
"His ability..."
The two of them began to think, despite their exhausted minds. Based on the tragedy Ichigo saw at home, they could guess it was an ability that confused memories. But Ginjo, who had known Tsukishima for a long time, had a much more serious and terrifying theory.
It was like treating a person's life as a single "book" and inserting the existence of Shukuro Tsukishima between the pages. Just like a bookmark.
It wasn't a fleeting effect like hypnosis, mental control, or memory manipulation—it was a god-like power that manipulated causality itself.
"...Manipulation... of the past...?"
"It's a ridiculous hypothesis. But the way those guys acted after being hit by Tsukishima wasn't brainwashing or memory confusion. In their minds, those were actual events that had happened in their pasts..."
Impossible. No way something that insane could exist. Ichigo felt the blood drain from his body.
The causality of their pasts had been changed. That meant that because the existence of "Tsukishima, the precious person" had been inserted, the very lives they had lived up until now had been drastically altered.
"...What... what is that...?"
Keigo and the others, his friends since middle school. His boss who looked after him. Tatsuki, his childhood friend since they were kids. Yuzu and Karin, who had been with him since they were born. His comrades who had survived countless life-and-death battles with him. The days he spent with them all flashed through his mind.
Was all of that being defiled by the hand of a malicious enemy?
Was he tearing apart the bonds they shared with Ichigo Kurosaki?
"...Does..."
A boiling, newfound emotion began to stain Ichigo's heart.
"Does... killing Tsukishima... bring things back to normal?"
His voice was lower than he expected, even to his own ears. At the question, which held a dark, murky intent, Ginjo's eyes widened as he struggled to find an answer.
"...Honestly, I don't know for sure."
"What..."
"I don't know what happens to someone whose past was changed after Tsukishima dies. Worst case scenario, nothing changes, and we end up as nothing more than insane murderers who killed him."
To kill a human. For Ichigo and Ginjo, who were humans, that was a taboo they must not commit. It was different from cutting down souls like Soul Reapers or Hollows, who were beyond human law.
Furthermore, even if they went through such agony, there was no guarantee everyone would be freed from Tsukishima's influence.
"...But Ichigo. Right now, they're trapped by a fake bond with Tsukishima. That will never change if we just stand here."
"!"
"If cutting the connection with Tsukishima is the only way to save them... then we have no choice but to kill him...!"
Ginjo asked him in return, as if to make him be calm—as if to create an escape route if he wanted to turn back now.
"Can you do it?"
"...!"
"Even if there's no guarantee the ability will break? Even if it doesn't and everyone hates you for it? Can you really... kill a human?"
He was presented with a terrifying choice.
Throw away everything for a faint hope. Even if everyone returned to normal, a family or a group of friends with a murderer among them would have their lives ruined. If they didn't return to normal, it would be even worse.
What is the best way to keep them from being sad? If everyone believes their changed past is the truth, shouldn't I follow along? If I'm the only sane one in a world gone mad, isn't that the same as being the only one who's crazy? Ichigo asked himself.
...But in his hate-stained mind, those calls for restraint didn't reach him.
Don't screw with me. If there's a hope of ending this ridiculous situation, I'll take it. If the price is that scumbag's misfortune, why would I hesitate?
Nodding to the whispering demon, Ichigo opened his mouth to answer Ginjo's question—
"...That's quite a dangerous conversation you're having."
—Doll House—
"Wha—?!"
The two of them leaped back at the sudden voice, but they were captured before they could escape.
"Did you forget, Ginjo? The trackers Yukio put on all of us to find our locations in an emergency."
"...Tch, dammit...!"
"Sorry, but you're coming with us. To where Tsukishima is."
It was decided in an instant.
By the time they understood the situation, Ichigo and Ginjo had already been sucked into two stuffed animals held by the magenta-haired girl who had appeared from the stairs of the abandoned building—Riruka Dokugamine.
+++
"...We're here. This is it."
An old Western-style mansion on the outskirts of Naruki City. At the enemy's hideout where Riruka had taken them, Ichigo and Ginjo were reunited with their foe—Shukuro Tsukishima.
"Welcome back, Riruka. Let them out of the stuffed animals."
"...Fine."
A reluctant sneeze from the girl released Ichigo and Ginjo. Watching the boy who looked ready to charge at any second, Tsukishima turned and led them into the mansion.
"Please, come inside. I only want to talk to you."
"...I'll go first. Ichigo, come once you've calmed down."
Protected by Ginjo's reliable presence and consideration, Ichigo managed to regain some of his reason.
"—I'm sorry."
Riruka murmured the words to him as they were left alone for a brief moment.
"What...?"
"...Nothing. This is the only time I can say it... I had Yukio go get you instead of me."
Why was she, someone who was supposed to be under Tsukishima's influence, apologizing to him? But ignoring the suspicious Ichigo, she disappeared into the mansion.
The closed door seemed to loom before him as if to say "don't come in." Shaking off the hallucination, Ichigo charged inside—and there, he saw the nightmare he had been warned about.
"—Welcome home!!"
The youth was blindsided by the sound of party poppers. Looking around the wide entrance hall, he saw his family and friends, all wearing beaming smiles.
"That's great, Ichigo! Shu says he's not mad at all!"
"That's right, Ichigo! I'm glad Shu is so kind!"
"Honestly, punching him out of the blue... if it were me, I'd have kicked you in the junk as payback!"
"Tatsuki, that's harsh! ...Well, Ichigo, that's how it is."
—Make sure you apologize to Mr. Tsukishima while you still can, okay?
A chill ran down his spine. His vision and hearing seemed to fade, as if swallowed by a mirage or a drop in pressure.
"Yeah, you should definitely apologize."
"Apologize, Ichigo."
"Ichigo."
"Ichigo."
"Apologize."
"Apologize."
"Apologize."
"Apologize."
Everyone—his precious friends and family—were all demanding it with their usual innocent voices. Every single one of them was blaming Ichigo for his "mistake."
"...It's okay, Ichigo. They still have their bonds with you. They won't become your enemies. Calm down..."
His body trembled. His blood boiled. He couldn't even hear Ginjo's voice trying to reason with him.
It was horrifying. It was disgusting. He couldn't stand to look at it. Before he knew it, Ichigo was running up the mansion stairs to escape.
"Ichigo! ...Dammit!"
Brushing off Ginjo's attempt to stop him, the youth ran.
...I can't fight here because everyone will get caught up in it. His brain, clouded by terror and hate, sought only a place to fight Tsukishima as he headed for the second floor.
But in the hall at the end of the stairs, Ichigo encountered the "enemy."
"—Welcome, Ichigo."
Waiting for him were the gentleman with the eye patch, the foreign woman, the child in the coat, and a schoolboy. Except for the unknown boy, they were all the XCUTION comrades who had helped him with his Fullbring training.
And then.
"...To go out of your way to come here and get ganged up on... I suppose you're surprisingly cooperative, aren't you?"
"!!"
Tsukishima stood behind him, blocking his escape from the hall. Surrounded by a group of troublesome psychics, he was at a total loss.
But then, a massive crashing sound erupted from the hallway. A huge greatsword appeared through the smoke.
"I took out the stairs. Only Riruka should be able to make it up here now."
"Ginjo...!"
That was right. He still had a comrade. This man was still by his side.
"Now we don't have to hold back..."
—Let's give it everything we've got, Ichigo!!
Receiving courage from his final ally, Kugo Ginjo, the youth flared up with energy.
"What—! Crap!"
A dark spiritual pressure rose from the Substitute Badge he called upon.
His Soul Reaper robes were inlaid with the white essence of a Hollow. His right arm was wrapped in chains of light and held a single blade.
And in his heart, he heard the voice of his partner—the masked girl—roaring with rage: "Knock him flat!"
Clad in his completed Fullbring, Ichigo Kurosaki lunged at his enemy with all the passion he possessed.
"TSUKISHIMAAAA!!"
"Guh...!"
A flash. The targeted strike easily sliced off the enemy's left arm.
"...So that's your Fullbring...! I didn't think you'd completed it to this extent... I guess you really are his favorite, aren't you...!"
Shukuro Tsukishima acknowledged his own carelessness as he gripped his bookmark blade. But despite the pain, his eyes remained a murky black.
"Keep your smug attitude while you still can. I'm here to kill you."
"Heh. A hero like you becoming a murderer? ...That sounds like trouble in all sorts of ways."
"Don't get cocky with me!!"
He hated it. Every time their blades clashed, a sense of confusion mixed with the youth's swelling hatred.
...What is this guy's sword?
He saw glimpses of exhaustion behind the mask of composure. A distracted consciousness, as if he were fighting something invisible rather than the Ichigo before him. It was a blade that held an eerie sense of void, different from both Ginjo and Gin Ichimaru.
But before he could grasp the truth behind that feeling, a shock appeared from the window that blew his thoughts away.
"What...?!"
A fist of massive spiritual pressure struck Ichigo from the side. He instinctively blocked it with the flat of his blade, and as he saw the face of the attacker, he bit his lip until it bled.
"...Damn it..."
A man and a woman had burst through the glass. They were the precious comrades he had believed—somewhere in his heart—would be okay even after hearing them talk to Tsukishima on the phone.
"So you guys are the same too?!"
"Chad! Orihime!"
In front of the shouting Ichigo.
The dark-skinned giant and the brown-haired girl—Yasutora Sado and Orihime Inoue—were staring at him with sad expressions.
†††
...What happened to you, Ichigo?
Yasutora Sado was confused.
It had started several dozen minutes ago. While on his way home from his daily Hollow hunting, he had received a message that left him stunned.
—Ichigo is teaming up with Ginjo to attack Mr. Tsukishima.—
What did that mean? There was no reason for Ichigo to attack their friend, Mr. Tsukishima. Even after confirming it several times to make sure he hadn't misheard, Chad's mind was dominated by confusion.
But when he arrived at the Tsukishima mansion along with Orihime, the two of them saw it for themselves.
"S-Stop it...! Why are you guys helping him...?!"
Signs of a brutal battle. Ginjo fighting the XCUTION members. And Mr. Tsukishima's severed arm.
Ichigo—the Ichigo who had gained power to protect his comrades—was seriously trying to kill their precious friend, Shukuro Tsukishima.
"...'Why'...? Are you serious, Ichigo...?"
"Ichigo... why are you attacking our friend...?"
Chad and Orihime questioned their gasping partner. Ichigo's only target was Tsukishima. That was exactly why the two newcomers didn't understand.
Shukuro Tsukishima was Chad's and Orihime's benefactor, someone they admired. And it should have been the same for Ichigo, who had fought alongside them. Or so it should have been.
"It's not right, Ichigo! What's wrong with you...?"
"Ugh, Orihime..."
"Have you forgotten how much Big Bro—Mr. Tsukishima—has helped us up until now...?"
Ichigo's expression remained one of agony despite his friends' words. If he was being brainwashed, Chad thought, maybe... and he began to recount the memories of the battlefields they had survived together, one by one.
"...Just a little. Can't you remember, Ichigo? The time Captain Kyoraku was about to cut me down, and Mr. Tsukishima came to save me. You said 'thank you' to him for my sake."
"...No... Chad...!"
"Th-Then what about... the time in Hueco Mundo...? When Ulquiorra was about to kill you, and Mr. Tsukishima came to save you... don't you remember...?"
"No... you're wrong, Orihime...! It was all a set-up by that guy... by Tsukishima!!"
Ichigo wailed. In a desperate attempt to snap him out of his obvious madness, Chad spoke the truth with all the passion he could muster.
"...No, Ichigo. Mr. Tsukishima didn't set up anything."
"Cha... d..."
"Ichigo, please remember...! We were able to save Rukia and rescue Orihime... everything..."
Everything was because Mr. Tsukishima was there!!
Silence.
That was the best word to describe his expression. Ichigo stood frozen like ice, his eyes wide and his jaw dropping, as if he had just heard something impossible.
"Do you understand now, Ichigo?"
But the moment Tsukishima moved to restrain his mad friend, Ichigo snapped out of his trance and lunged at him. Chad, though overwhelmed by the madness in his partner's eyes, desperately used his fists to stop him.
"S-Stop it! Cha—"
"Why, Ichigo...?!"
Chad shouted with all his might. His heart was aching.
He had become strong for the sake of protecting Ichigo's back. He definitely hadn't become strong just to punch him like this. And yet, Ichigo continued to attack Mr. Tsukishima, showing no sign of coming to his senses.
"Chad! I'll do it!"
"Mm...!"
Orihime had made up her mind and was preparing a major technique. She was the best choice for restraining him.
"...I received this for an emergency... please!"
But what she pulled from her pocket was not her hairpins. Holding up a black, comb-like object he had never seen before, she chanted a single word.
"...Activate."
"Wha—?!"
Immediately after. A "band" of purplish-black spiritual pressure erupted from the comb and lunged toward Ichigo.
Before the eyes of the stunned onlookers, the mad youth was instantly pinned to the ground. After a brief struggle, Ichigo's Fullbring shattered...
The chains of his power gathered and solidified into the figure of a girl.
"That's...!"
Chad gasped.
It was the mysterious figure from a few days ago—the one who had led him to Ichigo when he was throwing away his badge, and who had emerged from the badge as a personification of his Fullbring. She was currently crouched beside her master, looking as if she were in pain.
Chad wasn't the only one stunned by the sight. Both Orihime—who had used the mysterious tool—and the captured Ichigo stood frozen, their eyes wide.
And then...
"...!"
A gasp that sounded like a scream reached Chad's ears. Everyone whipped around to see him, trembling with a look on his face that suggested the world was ending.
The benefactor to him and his grandfather, the man who was always seen with a calm smile—Shukuro Tsukishima.
"Why... why is that woman..."
—Why is Hinamori Momo your Fullbring...?!—
***
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