Chapter 40: A Talking Cat?
Narrator POV
Akira, for his part, looked at the cat with a slight expression of disdain. He frowned, feeling a strange discomfort. It wasn't just a hunch—he already knew perfectly well who that feline was.
"Orihime… who is Yoruichi? And why are you showing me such an ugly cat?"
"Ugly?!" Yoruichi jumped indignantly, her shrill voice sounding like a barely restrained growl. "Who are you calling ugly, you insolent brat?!"
Silence filled the place for a few tense seconds. Then, in a split second, Yoruichi jumped back with impressive feline agility.
BOOM!
Akira's fist slammed violently into the floor where she had been standing just a moment earlier, cracking the pavement with brutal force. The impact sent a small cloud of dust into the air, and the cracks spread like spider webs beneath his closed fist.
"What the hell is wrong with you, brat?!" Yoruichi yelled angrily, still midair, her tail puffed up and her eyes shining with indignation.
"Akira, wait!!" Orihime cried desperately as she rushed to place herself between him and Yoruichi. "That's Yoruichi!! I know it's weird that a cat can talk, but that doesn't mean you have to hit them!"
She was visibly shaken. Her eyes flicked between Akira's still-clenched fist and the black cat now perched alertly on a nearby beam. The tension was thick.
"Alright, alright… I'm sorry. It was a reflex." Akira relaxed his posture and lowered his fist—he had already been preparing to throw another punch at Yoruichi. "It's a black cat… it should know better than to scare me like that. If it does, I'll break its face every time."
He said it with complete seriousness, though deep down he knew he had done all of this on purpose. But he had to keep up the facade: someone normal, impulsive, clueless about the spiritual world.
"Oh…" Orihime lowered her guard a bit upon hearing his explanation. "So… it was just a reflex? I guess that makes sense," she added with a small, relieved smile.
"I'm still getting used to a cat talking," Chad said in his usual calm, deep tone, though his slightly furrowed brows betrayed his discomfort.
It was evident that, to him, all of this still felt like nonsense, difficult to process. Yoruichi looked at all of them—especially Akira—and then brushed off some dust with a paw as she thought:
(That boy… that reaction wasn't just instinct. He attacked with intent. I won't underestimate him.)
For now, she only observed. It wasn't the time to start a fight—not until she understood who, or what, Akira really was.
"So… a talking cat," Akira said with a crooked smile, narrowing his eyes at Yoruichi. "Maybe I could sell you for a good price… a talking cat must be worth millions on the black market."
"You wish," Yoruichi growled as she turned around with disdain, her tail swishing in irritation.
But Akira didn't care about getting along with Yoruichi—in fact, he hadn't even apologized for nearly smashing her with a punch.
"Anyway, putting the sarcastic furball aside… are you going to explain why there's a talking cat, why you're training like you're preparing for war, and what the hell Ichigo has to do with all this?"
"Chad. Orihime. Leave us alone for a moment." Yoruichi ordered without looking at them directly, her voice firm.
Both exchanged glances. Orihime hesitated, clearly uncomfortable with the idea of leaving Akira alone with Yoruichi. But after locking eyes with the former captain, she understood it wasn't a suggestion. With a resigned sigh, she exited the room along with Chad, though not without giving Akira one last worried look.
Once they were alone, silence filled the room for a few seconds. Akira dropped into a chair, getting comfortable with complete confidence. He placed his feet on the table without the slightest shame, staring at Yoruichi boldly, as if waiting for her to make the first move.
Yoruichi didn't speak at first. Her golden eyes studied him intently. There was something strange about him… not just his strength. There was a dense aura, dangerous, like a volcano that hadn't erupted yet. He was young, yes, but his energy… his energy didn't belong to this world.
She couldn't help but feel a strange mix of distrust and curiosity. Even… a faint attraction. Not because of his looks—though he was undeniably striking—but because of that overwhelming presence, that restrained power that even Urahara had mentioned with an unusually interested tone.
(This boy… he's not ordinary. Not even among humans with spiritual potential.)
They continued staring at each other, as if trying to read one another without exchanging a single word. A silent game of power, tension… and a spark of something harder to define.
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End of chapter.