"Chad… Orihime… don't give me that look. I swear I know nothing!"
Ichigo was floored by his friends' suspicious stares.
Half an hour ago, during lunch break, he, Sado, and Orihime had come to the rooftop to chat.
Then the mysterious screen appeared, playing the ranking video.
Initially, Ichigo watched with curiosity.
But seeing himself in the next scene was absurd.
"What do you mean, clueless?" Sado asked skeptically.
"Why would I lie?" Ichigo rolled his eyes.
Sure, he was impulsive—skipping class, fighting punks, even brawling with Isshin.
But he'd never touched a blade, let alone fought a stranger on some unknown hill.
"But the scenes feel so real, like they actually happened," Sado said, puzzled.
At this point, Rukia Kuchiki hadn't appeared, so Sado hadn't awakened his Fullbring.
Like Ichigo, he was an ordinary human, clueless about Shinigami or Zanpakutō.
Yet, the cherry blossoms of Senbonzakura and Tensa Zangetsu's blood-red sword pressure sent shivers through his soul, as if he stood at the hill's edge.
Ichigo rubbed his forehead. "Honestly, I want to know who's behind this prank!"
He punched the screen, but his fist passed through.
The virtual screen stunned them, chilling Orihime. "It's… intangible? Impossible!"
This high-tech phenomenon defied reality.
Ichigo's back was soaked in sweat, his worldview shattered.
"Now what?" Sado asked, uneasy.
"Report it or keep watching. Your call," Ichigo said, calming down.
Despite the fear, the video's Shinigami Ichigo sparked his curiosity.
Sado hesitated, then nodded. "It's creepy, but I want to see more."
Orihime, timid but intrigued by Ichigo's heroic figure, agreed. "I'll stay too. I'm curious."
"Alright, let's figure this out," Ichigo said. "That black sword… what is it?"
Seeing Tensa Zangetsu felt oddly familiar, like it had been with him forever.
"Wait," Sado recalled. "You called that guy 'Shinigami' with hostility. Is he a real Shinigami?"
In his mind, Shinigami were grim, cloaked figures with scythes.
But Byakuya looked human—noble, even handsome.
Were Shinigami this stylish now?
"Shinigami?" Ichigo muttered, shaking his head. "Chad, you're overthinking. They're just urban legends. And if he's a Shinigami, wouldn't that make me one too?"
"Don't rule it out," Sado countered. "Maybe these are future scenes."
Ichigo's eyes lit up. "Future scenes?"
Wearing that black outfit, he looked cool.
Being a Shinigami seemed awesome.
"Don't get too excited," Sado warned. "It's just a guess."
"Chad's right," Orihime said. "Let's keep watching for answers."
Ichigo clenched his fist, resolute. "My appearance isn't random. There's more to come!"
---
Seireitei, 6th Division Barracks
The office was silent, the tension palpable.
"Captain… these scenes are fake, right?" Renji Abarai, red hair spiked, trembled as he looked at the figure seated at the desk.
Black hair, star-shaped hairpins, a silver scarf—Byakuya Kuchiki should've been handling paperwork.
Instead, he sat petrified, staring at the screen.
His usually cold face was dark as still water.
Like elsewhere, a transparent screen had appeared in the 6th Division.
Byakuya had seen everything.
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The plans are now available.
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