Chapter 44: Senkai-mon
Narrator POV
And just then, as if summoned by the comment, Urahara appeared from the entrance of his shop. His fan covered the lower half of his face, but his eyes showed amusement.
"In fact, the ones who don't have a sense of humor… are the ones who think I'm copying from movies." He replied with his trademark crooked smile, as if he were enjoying every second of his unexplained theatrics.
"Wow, you even put a logo on your weird way of sending messages…" Akira muttered, remembering with a twitching eyebrow the ridiculous ball with Urahara's cartoonish face and hands printed on it.
"It's my patented brand! Can't a humble shopkeeper put his personal seal on his creations?" Urahara replied with an almost proud smile, lowering his fan slowly to reveal eyes narrowed with amusement. "But now, seriously," he continued, his tone shifting subtly, becoming firmer, "follow me and, please, pay close attention. I'm going to explain how to reach the Soul Society… and believe me, if you don't do it correctly…"
The light in his eyes faded as the brim of his hat cast a shadow over his face, giving him a darker, more intimidating aura.
"…you won't reach it alive."
His smile remained, but the warning hung in the air like an invisible dagger. No one said a word. Even Ichigo frowned, aware that behind that carefree façade, Urahara was completely serious.
With an agile spin of his cloak, the eccentric shopkeeper turned around and walked back into his shop. One by one, the others followed. Ichigo, Uryū, Chad, Orihime… and lastly, Akira.
The boy stayed still for a few seconds, staring at the entrance. His eyes narrowed, and he clenched his fist tightly. Inside him, a spark of excitement ignited—an intoxicating mixture of expectation and challenge.
Up until that moment, Akira had no exact gauge of his true power. He didn't know precisely where he stood on the scale of strength in the world he had been thrown into… or rather, reincarnated into.
This journey, this mission, was more than a mere incursion for him: it was his first real chance to discover his limit.
And if he wanted to keep moving forward, he had to know that limit… only then could he break it.
"It's time to find out…" he murmured, crossing the threshold with determined steps. Because you can't keep walking blindly… if you don't even know where on the path you're standing.
Akira walked at a calm pace, unhurried, hands in his pockets and eyes fixed ahead. Orihime, who walked right beside him, glanced at him from the corner of her eye. For a few seconds, her gaze lingered on his silhouette, and a faint blush began creeping onto her cheeks.
It wasn't just because she remembered—that embarrassing moment from days ago when she called him "Akira-kun" without thinking—
but because now that she looked closely, she realized how handsome he really was.
And beyond that memory, something else caught her attention: Akira in that black outfit looked incredibly attractive.
The fabric highlighted the firmness of his body, his imposing height, the well-defined muscles beneath his clothes, his sharp features, the black hair falling in a rebellious fringe over his eyes… blue, intense.
(No, no, no! Bad Orihime, don't think those things!) she scolded herself internally, snapping her gaze away before anyone noticed how long she'd been staring.
She looked away immediately, trying to play it off. She didn't want anyone to notice she had been staring for too long. Fortunately, Akira didn't say anything. He noticed—of course he noticed—but didn't pay it much mind. After all, Orihime had always been a bit strange… in a good way, he thought.
It was then that a feline voice broke the silence.
"I'm surprised you actually came. You said you had no obligation to help us," Yoruichi commented in her usual teasing tone, her tail swaying slowly from side to side.
"Shut up, announcer-voiced cat." Akira didn't even glance at her, his tone dry as his coat swayed with each step. "I didn't come to help you guys… I came for Rukia. That's completely different."
That irritation he felt toward Yoruichi was still there—persistent, stuck like a thorn under his skin. He didn't even know why. It was like an invisible wound: he didn't remember how he got it, he just knew it hurt.
An instinctive discomfort, a dull rejection… as if something inside him knew he had reasons to distrust, to hate, even if his mind couldn't recall them yet.
When they arrived at Urahara's underground training area, only one person was genuinely surprised:
"Wow! Who would've thought there'd be such a huge room under a simple shop? It's incredible!" Orihime exclaimed.
"What a magnificent and sincere reaction!" Tessai wiped away a tear, touched by the purity of the girl.
"All right, children! Pay close attention—there will be a test later!" Urahara said with a smile, snapping his fingers.
In front of them, a stone structure began rising from the ground. Its rectangular, rustic, symmetrical shape made it look like something straight out of a video game.
"Looks like a Nether portal."
"How amusing, Akira, that you compare it to a videogame portal… but you're not that far off. This is the gate that will take you to the Soul Society. It is known as the Senkai-mon."
Immediately after, Urahara switched into teacher mode. He explained how, upon passing through the Senkai-mon, their physical bodies would be temporarily converted into Reishi—as if they were souls—thanks to the use of a Keikō (artificial body), allowing them to enter the Soul Society without being detected as regular humans.
As he spoke, he extracted Ichigo's soul from his body with a precise tap of his cane, earning a small protest from the orange-haired teen.
Akira remained silent, watching and listening carefully. Despite his relaxed demeanor, he wasn't missing a single detail. Every bit of information was useful—every word from Urahara could mean the difference between advancing… or becoming trapped.
"One more thing," he added, right after smacking Ichigo to shut him up, "the gate will only remain open for four minutes. If you don't make it through in that time, you'll be trapped in the Dangai. So for your own good… be quick."
The atmosphere grew slightly tenser. Even with Urahara's usual humor, his final words left no room for doubt: what awaited them wasn't a school field trip… it was a real and dangerous mission.
"And besides the Dangai…" Urahara's voice deepened, his expression turning serious. This time, he spoke with a different weight; this was no longer a technical explanation, but a true warning.
"Inside the Dangai exists something called Kōryū, the Restrictive Current. It's a mass of energy that flows like an uncontrolled torrent. Its purpose is to prevent Hollows and other intruders from entering the Soul Society… but it doesn't distinguish between enemies or allies. If any part of your body is caught by it…"
He paused for a few seconds, letting the tension settle in the air.
"…the chances of crossing the Dangai in time become practically zero."
The silence that followed was heavy. A cold drop of sweat slid down Orihime's cheek as she swallowed nervously.
"Then… what should we do…?"
The idea of being trapped forever in a dimension between worlds twisted her stomach. It was terrifying. But she didn't want to retreat—not when everyone was determined to take the risk. She didn't want to be a burden.
Suddenly, she felt a hand rest on her shoulder. A firm yet comforting touch.
"Don't think about failing before you even try, Orihime." Akira looked straight at the Senkai-mon, not a hint of fear in his expression. "If you let the fear of failure consume you before taking action… you'll only fill yourself with doubts." He turned slightly toward her, his blue gaze soft yet firm. "Trust yourself. Believe in what you can do. You're not alone."
Orihime stared at him for a few seconds, surprised by his words. Then she nodded with a timid smile, feeling the knot in her chest loosen just a little. Yes. She was scared… but she also wanted to be strong.
"He's right. That's what should guide you." Yoruichi said in a firmer tone, far less relaxed than usual, her eyes fixed on the ground. "Don't hesitate. Don't be afraid. Don't stop. Don't look back. Just keep your eyes forward… and keep moving."
She paused briefly. Her voice, for the first time in a long while, carried something more than seriousness. It was as if she were speaking from old experience… from a wound that had never fully healed.
"And don't think about the ones you leave behind. Just… move forward without wavering." She turned her head and looked at them one by one as she began walking toward the Senkai-mon. "Those who can do that… follow me."
"Quit the rambling already." Ichigo stepped forward, visibly irritated, impatience burning in his eyes. He was sick of the warnings, the pauses, the speeches. "We're here because we all decided to be! Because our hearts pushed us forward! We're not backing down just because of what the guy in the hat says!"
In that instant, Akira delivered a sharp punch to his side, strong enough to make him bend over in pain. Ichigo grabbed the spot where he'd been hit and glared up with a scowl.
"What the hell was that for, Akira?!"
"You're still just as impulsive." Akira knocked him on the head twice with his knuckles. "If you get trapped in that place the guy with the hat talked about… you won't be able to get out. Your sacrifice would be useless, because you wouldn't even get the chance to fight. Think before you open your mouth, and measure the danger, Ichigo."
Ichigo stayed quiet for a few seconds, teeth clenched as he stared at Akira. He knew Akira was right, but he would never admit it out loud. Orihime, beside him, let out a nervous little laugh that slightly eased the tension. Meanwhile, Akira simply put his hands back in his pockets and looked toward the portal with a faint smile.
"Akira's right, Ichigo," Uryū added as he adjusted his glasses with a precise gesture, almost pleased with the punch Ichigo had received moments before. "Assess the danger before you speak. Getting trapped would mean never returning to this world."
"That's right, Ichigo. This isn't just some trip… It's dangerous. We all need to reach the Soul Society together if we want to rescue Rukia." Chad said in his deep, steady voice. Even he, who rarely spoke, couldn't ignore the gravity of the warnings.
"Hmph…" Ichigo huffed, crossing his arms as he looked away like a scolded child. "Fine, fine… I'll take the hat guy's warnings seriously. Happy?"
"You'd better have understood, brat," Yoruichi snapped coldly. Her golden eyes narrowed, sharp as blades, carrying a silent threat. "Because if you don't… you'll never return to this world."
At that moment, Urahara clapped loudly, pulling everyone's attention toward him with his usual cheerful, though strangely solemn tone.
"Alright, everyone! Ready? The Senkai-mon will open right now. Pay attention—there won't be a second chance!"
With those words, the Senkai-mon activated. A roar of spiritual energy filled the room, and the portal opened like a tear between dimensions, radiating an intense, enveloping light.
Without hesitation, Ichigo, Uryū, Chad, Orihime, Yoruichi, and Akira rushed into the portal.
It was the beginning of their journey to the Soul Society. And they had no intention of returning empty-handed.
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End of the chapter