When Riruka saw that Yuta was pierced by Tsukishima Hidekuro's sword, her eyes widened in shock.
Ginjo Kūgo and the others were equally stunned by the sight. Inoue Orihime and her group also froze, their eyes wide as they shouted out in alarm.
"Yuta-san!"
Tsukishima Hidekuro's expression was filled with confidence.
"Being cut by my sword won't leave any visible wounds, but I have successfully inserted myself into your past. Life is like a book, and the past should have already been written."
He lifted the blade slightly as he explained further.
"But my sword can insert itself into a person's past like a bookmark. From now on, you will see me as someone you absolutely trust and can never harm."
From the shadows behind Yuta, Aizen Sōsuke observed the exchange silently. His eyes narrowed as he shook his head slightly. If Yuta were truly that easy to defeat, he would never have lost to him before.
Yuta himself remained calm, his expression unreadable as though he were carefully analyzing the situation.
"So this is the power of Fullbring?"
It was Yuta's first time experiencing the ability of a Fullbringer directly. With his strength, it would have been simple to dodge Tsukishima's attack, but he had chosen not to. His intention was clear; he wanted to confirm the nature of Fullbring and determine whether its rules could affect him at all.
Yuta raised his hand and clamped down on the blade of Tsukishima's sword, the weapon born of his Fullbring. The steel that should have sliced into a normal opponent did not even leave a scratch on his skin.
Tsukishima's eyes widened, his composure faltering.
"Impossible…! You grabbed the sword directly?"
This had never happened before. No matter the opponent, once his blade touched them their perception was altered. Yet Yuta remained unaffected. Even someone as composed as Tsukishima could not hide his growing unease. His mind raced, trying to make sense of it. By all logic, Yuta should now see him as an ally-yet he clearly did not.
Why had he not avoided the strike if he could? Why had he chosen to grab the blade instead?
The answer came swiftly. Yuta pulled the sword forward with overwhelming force, his grip unshakable. In one sharp motion, he wretched the weapon free; Tsukishima staggered backward helplessly as the sword slipped from his grasp.
The strength difference was absolute, like an ant attempting to wrestle against an elephant. Tsukishima's footing faltered under the sheer force. His confusion finally escaped him in words.
"Why? Why are you unaffected by my Fullbring?"
Ginjo Kūgo and the others looked on, their shock evident. Ginjo's expression hardened as he stared at Yuta. The level of power that allowed someone to so easily disarm Tsukishima could only mean one thing: Yuta's strength was far beyond comparison.
Riruka's eyes glimmered faintly. She had thought of Yuta as handsome before, but now the display of power left her staring longer than she realized.
Yuta tightened his grip on the blade, now reverting into the shape of a bookmark once more. His voice was steady.
"As for what you just said, I'm not sure. Perhaps your Fullbring is simply too weak to influence me. It cannot even reach into my past."
Tsukishima stared in disbelief. His ability had never failed this way before. The implications unsettled him deeply. Could it be that Yuta's very existence placed him beyond the reach of his Fullbring?
The bookmark pulsed with light as Yuta's Fullbring energy surged through it, reshaping it back into a sword. Without hesitation, he thrust it forward and pierced straight through Ginjo Kūgo's body.
"Kuugo!" Tsukishima's voice trembled with surprise as he stepped forward in alarm.
Yuta's tone remained even.
"There's no need for concern. You know your Fullbring isn't designed to kill directly."
Even so, Ginjo Kūgo staggered back, clutching his chest. His shock was plain across his face.
What just happened? He had not even seen Yuta move. The sword had simply appeared within him, bypassing all of his defenses. The more he thought, the more his confusion grew. How had Yuta used Tsukishima's Fullbring sword at all?
Yet as the sensation of the strike settled in him, his perception shifted. Memories surfaced-memories of Tsukishima once more labeled as an attacker instead of an ally. One by one, the others experienced the same. Riruka, Yukio, Jackie-all regained the truth locked away by Tsukishima's blade.
When it was done, Yuta tossed the restored Fullbring sword aside casually and lowered himself onto a sofa nearby. The room filled with silence as every one of them stared at him, their expressions solemn and wary. Whatever initial indifference they had shown at his arrival was gone now. None of them could deny the overwhelming weight of his presence.
Ginjo Kūgo faced him directly, his voice carrying caution.
"Hideki Yuta… what do you want from us?"
Yuta leaned back against the sofa calmly.
"It's not an order. From what I've observed, your true goal is to gain Kurosaki Ichigo's trust, only to eventually steal his power. And the reason for seizing that power is revenge-specifically against Soul Society and Ukitake Jūshirō, who you believe framed you. But I know who really killed your comrades."
Ginjo's eyes widened sharply at the claim.
"You… know who killed them?"
Until now, all Ginjo had believed was that his comrades had died at the hands of Shinigami. He knew the Substitute Shinigami Certificate had the function of monitoring and controlling its holders, binding and limiting their spiritual power through its system of analysis. His expression darkened, suspicion sharpening his words.
"There's no misunderstanding. It was the Shinigami who killed them. That certificate does nothing but monitor and control a Substitute Shinigami."
PS GOALS: 150 PS= 5-10 extra chapter on an update.
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