Her fingertips danced as though manipulating marionette strings. The graceful rhythm of her slender fingers was mesmerizing.
The woman who had suddenly appeared wore her black hair short. A form-fitting black outfit elegantly accentuated the alluring curves of her body, while her ample chest strained against the white blouse beneath it. A white knitted scarf softened the severity of her all-black attire, lending her a gentler air.
The spiritual pressure of the numerous Reigai continued to rise with each movement of her fingers. The sudden surge of power was too great for them to fully control, sending sparks flashing from the corners of their eyes.
"I could tell from your voice that you were a beauty, but seeing you in person has made me realize just how inadequate my imagination was." Reigai Shunsui Kyōraku wore the smile of an older man trying to charm a woman. "Beautiful lady, might I have the honor of learning your name?"
She called herself the handmaiden of the God of Death, but her outfit made her look more like an executive at some major corporation in the World of the Living.
"I haven't introduced myself yet..." The woman giggled. "My name is Aura Michibane. Make sure you remember it, okay~"
"Of course, of course!" Shunsui Kyōraku replied with a cheerful smile. "The next time we meet, I'll call your name in the gentlest voice imaginable. You mustn't ignore me when that happens. Urgh!"
Reigai Nanao Ise smacked Reigai Shunsui Kyōraku across the face with the book in her hand, cutting off his sleazy remarks.
"Let's go... everyone." Kagerōza Inaba raised a hand. "Bring back Nozomi Kujō... Bring back your future and my power together."
...
Thud!
Ichigo Kurosaki failed to dodge in time and was sent flying by Jackie's kick.
"That's how it is." Jackie made no move to continue attacking. "All right, that's enough for today."
"Wait, I can still..." Ichigo Kurosaki staggered to his feet, but just as he was about to continue, he heard a sneeze.
A moment later, he and Jackie left the aquarium together.
"Riruka?" Ichigo Kurosaki frowned. "The training isn't over yet..."
"What are you yelling at me for?!" Riruka Dokugamine snapped. "You've got a phone call!"
"A call..." Ichigo Kurosaki caught the cell phone Riruka Dokugamine tossed him. Yasutora Sado's voice came from the other end.
"Ichigo, I'm at Urahara's shop right now."
Ichigo Kurosaki immediately asked, "What's happening over there? Are Muten and the others all right?"
"Something happened in Soul Society. Muten has already gone to deal with it." Yasutora Sado paused. "I'm helping out here, and there are plenty of other people around. You don't need to worry."
Ichigo Kurosaki fell silent for a moment. "...I understand."
"You can relax now, so get some proper rest." Riruka Dokugamine crossed her arms. "Training your Fullbring isn't something you can finish in a day or two. Push yourself too hard, and who knows what might happen... I'm not saying this because I care about you, so don't get the wrong idea! I just don't want you dying inside my favorite aquarium!"
"Riruka." Ichigo Kurosaki lowered the phone. "I'm sorry."
"Huh? Well..." Riruka Dokugamine's face reddened slightly. "Everyone gets impatient sometimes. If you think I'm the kind of person who'd get angry over something that small, then you're completely wrong!"
"I'm sorry..."
"How many times are you going to say that?!" Riruka Dokugamine glared at him. When she saw the troubled expression on Ichigo Kurosaki's tightly furrowed face, her blush deepened. "You're... so annoying."
"No, I'm apologizing for something else this time." Ichigo Kurosaki looked at Riruka Dokugamine earnestly. "Please let me go back inside and continue training."
"What are you thinking?!" Riruka Dokugamine's chest heaved with anger. "Fullbring is different from the powers you used before. If you push yourself too hard, you really could die! Didn't they already say everything was fine over there? Why are you still in such a hurry? Don't you understand that you have to take things one step at a time?"
"If everything were really fine... Sado wouldn't have told me not to worry." Ichigo Kurosaki clenched his trembling fists. "I know Fullbring training can't be completed overnight. Even if I finished it right now, I still wouldn't be able to go help them immediately..."
"Then why are you in such a hurry?!" Riruka Dokugamine puffed out her cheeks in anger.
"Because if I don't make the most of the time I have, then next time... and the time after that... all I'll be able to do is watch from afar, helpless as everything unfolds." Resolve filled Ichigo Kurosaki's eyes. "That's why I have to keep working as hard as I can while I still have the chance."
"You... You..." Riruka Dokugamine tried to argue, but under his intense gaze, she could no longer get the words out. Blushing, she protested weakly, "Stop staring at me like that..."
"What did you say?" Riruka Dokugamine's voice had been too quiet for Ichigo Kurosaki to hear.
"Just let him go back in," Kūgo Ginjō said. "The sooner he completes his Fullbring, the sooner he'll be able to help us."
Jackie shrugged. "I don't care. I'm just here to beat him up anyway."
"...Fine." Riruka Dokugamine closed her eyes and patted the aquarium. "Ichigo, Jackie, you have my permission."
Ichigo Kurosaki and Jackie simultaneously dissolved into blurry streaks of light and vanished into the aquarium.
...
Ichigo... There's no way he'll stop worrying.
Yasutora Sado lowered his phone. Even though he knew his reassurance would not help, he had said it anyway.
"Sado-san~" Kisuke Urahara called. "Could I trouble you to move this over there for me?"
"Sure!" Yasutora Sado hoisted the thick pillar onto his shoulder and repositioned it according to Kisuke Urahara's instructions.
Nozomi Kujō stood in a corner, watching everyone bustle around. Her confused eyes remained unfocused.
"What's wrong?" Ririn, currently in the form of a short-haired blonde girl, walked over to Nozomi Kujō. "You look like something's bothering you."
"...Nothing."
"That sounded very convincing," Ririn said with a quiet snort. "My ability is to create illusions. I can see through anything that's deliberately being faked at a glance."
"Illusions..." Nozomi Kujō suddenly realized something. "Were you that little bird doll from before?"
"Huh? You saw me in that form?" Ririn quickly caught on. "So you were already awake back then!"
Nozomi Kujō glanced at her in silence.
So much for seeing through false appearances at a glance.
"Ahem... My attention wasn't on you at the time!" Ririn seemed to have guessed what she was thinking. "I was busy celebrating Muten's birthday. Besides, you didn't give off any presence at all back then. It wasn't just me. Nobody else noticed you either."
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