Emiya Shirō was quite pleased by what Soifon had said.
It wasn't the kind of gloating joy one might feel hearing something bad had happened to Yoruichi.
No, it was a quiet, sincere relief from deep within.
But on the surface, he remained as indifferent and distant as ever, completely at odds with his true emotions.
"Alright, you done talking?" Shirō asked plainly, turning toward Soifon.
She froze for a moment, clearly not expecting such a flat reaction from him after everything she'd just said.
"I... I'm done," Soifon stammered.
"Then leave," Shirō said bluntly.
"You, !" Soifon's face darkened instantly.
"If you don't, and your precious Yoruichi-sama gets mad at you for it... well, that wouldn't end well, would it?" Shirō added coldly.
"You really are infuriating!" Soifon screamed, then turned on her heel and ran.
Shirō lowered his head and calmly returned to organizing his things at a steady pace, unfazed.
Meanwhile, at the Shihōin estate training ground,
Yoruichi and Kisuke Urahara were locked in a sparring match.
"Hey, haven't seen little Soifon around today," Yoruichi commented mid-fight.
"No idea," Kisuke replied. "She called in sick, I think."
"Really? That's rare. Should I drop by and check on her?" Yoruichi mused, though there was an unmistakable glint in her eyes.
"That little bee finally got something of her own going on, I'd hate to ruin it by barging in."
From her tone, it was clear Yoruichi saw through Soifon's excuse instantly.
Knowing her that well, she was certain: even if Soifon were bedridden, she'd still crawl her way over before ever calling in sick.
"Everyone's got secrets," Kisuke said. "Best not to disturb them if you already know the truth. Heads up!"
Yoruichi parried his strike with ease, laughing.
"But the more secretive something is, the more it piques your curiosity, doesn't it? What could possibly be so important that she'd ignore even me? Could it be... she's fallen for someone?"
"Unlikely," Kisuke said with a chuckle, throwing a punch.
"If anything, she's probably running herself ragged over you."
"Hah!" Yoruichi blocked, stepping back. "You've got decent strength at least. More than I can say for that Shirō guy. He's got less muscle than me!"
"Really? I heard he's pretty capable," Kisuke replied.
"Him?" Yoruichi snorted. "He's like a mouse. Sneaky, always hiding, always scheming. His fighting style's all sneak attacks and dirty tricks from the shadows. And let's not forget, he's got the nerves of a rodent too!"
Kisuke laughed. "You know, Yoruichi... I've noticed something."
"What?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. "Don't think you can distract me. I'm not holding back!"
Back then, both Kisuke and Shirō were still no match for her.
But Kisuke fought like a proper man, clean and straightforward. Unlike Shirō, who relied entirely on agility and ambush tactics.
"I just realized something," Kisuke said with a sly grin.
"Whenever you talk about Shirō... you always sound weirdly happy."
Yoruichi flinched.
In that split second, Kisuke landed a clean hit and pinned her.
"Ha! Gotcha!" he laughed.
"Tch!" Yoruichi shoved him off. "Fine, you win this round."
Kisuke's smile faded, and his tone grew serious.
"But if you really care about him that much... why are you doing this?"
"Hmph. So what if I care?" Yoruichi muttered, looking away.
"It's not like he cares about me."
"Maybe he's just... not good at expressing it," Kisuke offered gently.
"Oh, so his pride's delicate, but mine isn't?" she shot back.
Kisuke winced. If Yoruichi wasn't thick-skinned, then no one in Soul Society was.
But he wisely kept that opinion to himself.
"Sometimes," he said instead, "someone just needs to take the first step. If you did it... it'd show real strength."
"You think I'm an idiot?" Yoruichi snapped. "Forget it. Training's over. I'm not in the mood, Soifon didn't even show up today."
With a casual wave, she vanished.
Kisuke scratched his head. "Relationships, huh? What a pain.
Anyway, school's starting soon. Guess I'll be heading back to the Academy."
That night, under a full moon,
Emiya Shirō stared up at the glowing sky.
A full moon... does it mean-
Suddenly, he stood up. "I'm heading out," he said aloud, and was gone in a flash.
His maid shouted after him, "Young Master! It's dangerous out there at night!"
At the Shihōin estate, Yoruichi also rose from her bed.
"Maybe I'll check on that Shirō guy... he's probably yelling at a stray cat or something again," she muttered, leaping into the night.
Sometimes, fate really was a cruel jokester.
One walks left, the other right.
Even if destined to meet across worlds, without timing, they'd still pass each other by.
At the Emiya estate:
Yoruichi: "He's not here... where did he go?"
At the Shihōin estate:
Shirō: "What?! She was just here... and now she's gone?!"
"Damn that Yoruichi... is she off partying with someone else this late? Urahara, maybe?"
Shirō grumbled, slumping at the Shihōin gates.
Then, abruptly, he stood.
"Why the hell am I sitting here waiting for her?! Screw this. I'm going back to sleep.
Then school, then the Thirteenth Squad... and finally, I'll become a Captain!"
With that muttered declaration, Shirō turned back toward home.
But then, a flicker of movement ahead caught his eye.
Was that... Yoruichi?!
After a brief hesitation, he followed.
"Hmph. Let's see what she's doing out here at this hour."
And so he ran, right out of Seireitei.
"She's really headed into the middle of nowhere... what is she up to? is it something shady?!" Shirō muttered to himself.
Suddenly, a chill ran down his spine.
An unfamiliar spiritual pressure surged into his senses.
"This feeling... it's not Shinigami... could it be... a Hollow?!"
For Shirō, even the most basic Hollow was still a creature of myth, legendary.
Ahead of him, Yoruichi stopped mid-step, then suddenly darted off toward the source of the pressure.
"That idiot! Is she trying to get herself killed?! Wait, aren't we Shinigami supposed to fight Hollows?"
He hesitated. "But we're not real Shinigami yet…"
Yoruichi grew smaller in the distance.
Biting his lip, Shirō made a decision, and chased after her.
A bone-chilling roar echoed in the darkness.
The closer Shirō got, the more he felt it: the twisted, violent spiritual pressure of the Hollow.
It wasn't as overwhelming as that of a Captain, but it was wild and dangerous.
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150 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter