The next morning, right up until he reached the school gates, Kurosaki Ichigo felt a lingering sense of unreality about what had just happened. The sheer volume of information dumped on him this morning was simply too much to process.
The transfer of Shinigami powers last night had gone incredibly smoothly. Borrowing that power—which didn't belong to him—he had successfully eliminated the Hollow that hurt his family. And that Shinigami who got injured because of him wasn't in any danger either... probably?
Ichigo wasn't entirely sure, because he had no memory of what happened after that. This morning, his dad and sisters showed absolutely no signs of injury, and they all claimed to have slept soundly through the night.
However, there was a massive hole on the first floor. Supposedly, a large truck had crashed into the clinic in the middle of the night. The security camera in front of the store had captured the entire process perfectly—though, of course, it had heroically sacrificed itself the very next second.
If the events of last night hadn't felt so incredibly real, Ichigo would have just written it all off as a nightmare. Just the day before, he had been a high school student who believed in science. As for now...
So, that Shinigami named Kuchiki Rukia must have done all this, right? Erasing his dad and sisters' memories and disguising the whole thing as a mundane accident. That was exactly how it was written in some manga and novels.
Of course, it was also possible that this was all just a dream, albeit an unusually vivid one. The name 'Kuchiki Rukia' might just be something he had overheard somewhere without realizing it.
Anyway, right now he was just an ordinary—well, an ordinary high schooler who could see ghosts. Ichigo shook his head, tossing out all the messy thoughts, and slid the door open to step into the classroom.
"A truck? Did he get hurt?"
The moment he walked in, he heard the voice of that tomboy, Tatsuki, and the topic of conversation was him. Normally, words of concern like that should sound pretty touching, but what was up with that slightly expectant tone of hers?
"I'm perfectly fine." Using his school bag to bid good morning to the back of her head, Ichigo deadpanned, "My family is safe and sound too. Disappointed?"
"Kurosaki!" Before Tatsuki could fire back, Inoue Orihime, who had just been chatting with her, spoke up eagerly. "G-g-g-good... good morning!"
Why was she stuttering? Tatsuki couldn't help but sigh. Even if she liked him, did she have to make it so obvious? Anyone with half a brain could figure it out!
"Morning... Uh, you're looking awfully happy today too."
*Unless the guy you like is an idiot, and his name happens to be Kurosaki Ichigo!* Tatsuki watched Ichigo hurriedly walk away and couldn't help but shake her head. Every time she watched these two interact, it exhausted her to her core.
Women were truly impossible to understand! Every time he talked to Inoue, Ichigo got the distinct illusion that she wasn't a normal human being. Though, it was also entirely possible that he just couldn't keep up with her wavelength.
Still, compared to that woman named Rukia, this was completely normal. Anyway, now that he had woken up, he was no longer a Shinigami. From now on, they would go their separate ways and never bother each other again. It would be best if they never crossed paths again.
"Hey, you're Kurosaki, right?"
The voice was unfamiliar; it didn't belong to a classmate. Which was a given, really—would a classmate ever ask, "You're Kurosaki?"
But the voice was also somewhat familiar. Ichigo turned his head toward the sound, and a bright, beaming smile entered his line of sight. "Please take care of me!"
Ku... Ku... Kojima, who was sitting in front, helpfully introduced her. "This is Kuchiki Rukia, a transfer student who just reported in today. Apparently, she transferred mid-semester because of some family circumstances."
It really was Kuchiki Rukia. Pointing a trembling finger at her, Ichigo stammered, "You're a Shini—how are you..."
*How is a Shinigami here?* Rukia could guess what he wanted to say with her eyes closed. Where did all that drive from yesterday go?
"Kurosaki-kun, I don't have my textbooks yet." Even though she desperately wanted to curse Ichigo out, Rukia extended her hand and spoke as gently as possible. "Could I borrow yours for now?"
So gentle... Could she just look like that Shinigami and coincidentally share the same name? Just as Ichigo was trying to comfort himself with this thought, she raised her hand a little higher, giving him a clear view of the words written on her palm: *Say a word and I'll kill you!*
Ichigo drew in a sharp breath. Was that something a high schooler would write?! Sure enough, she was that Shinigami. But that raised the question: what was a Shinigami doing at his school? A Shinigami right beside him? No matter how he thought about it, it was incredibly creepy!
Just what exactly was she trying to do?!
If Rukia could hear Ichigo's inner thoughts, she probably would have killed him on the spot out of sheer anger. If she wasn't forced by circumstances, did he really think she would come to a human high school? A nearly hundred-year-old Shinigami learning how to speak alongside a bunch of human brats—if word of this reached the Seireitei, it would probably make the front page of the Seireitei Communication! What a disgrace!!
Rewinding to last night, the transfer of Shinigami powers had gone smoothly—a little too smoothly. This brat named Ichigo truly possessed extraordinary spiritual aptitude. She had originally only intended to give him half of her power, but he ended up absorbing all of it.
Rukia had never seen such a massive Zanpakutō; it might have been even larger than she was. She didn't know if, in an unreleased state, a larger Zanpakutō equated to greater power, but Ichigo's combat prowess was undeniably higher than hers. That Hollow that had nearly killed her? He had dispatched it cleanly with a single strike.
A brat who had only just become a Shinigami was actually stronger than her. Every time she thought about it, Rukia couldn't help but sigh. 'People with aptitude really are built differently...'
But a brat was still a brat. He was far too green when it came to controlling his power. He only cared about venting his anger, ultimately knocking himself unconscious and leaving her with a massive mess to clean up.
Aside from healing the injured humans and erasing their relevant memories, putting Ichigo's soul—which had now become a Shinigami—back into his body was an urgent priority.
Normally, none of these tasks would be difficult for a Shinigami. But at that time, Rukia had completely lost her powers. She couldn't accomplish a single one of them, not even contacting the Seireitei to send someone to handle it.
The only solution was to wait for the Seireitei to dispatch a new stationed squad member to handle everything at once. If it was only a short wait, that would be fine. But if a month or two passed, Karakura Town would likely spawn new urban legends. Worse yet, human society might develop an entirely new academic field—Soulology...
And that was just the aftermath. If something happened to her, the entire spirit ri radius of Karakura Town would be in absolute danger, becoming a prime hunting ground for Hollows.
Just as Rukia was agonizing over her foreseeable predicament, a man who called himself a soul merchant in the World of the Living—Urahara Kisuke—appeared before her, offering his assistance.
Captain Ukitake had mentioned before that some Shinigami who voluntarily resigned from the Gotei 13 would flee to the World of the Living to enjoy the life of an ordinary human. It was incredibly rare, but to think there was actually one right here in Karakura Town.
After helping her clean up the mess, the man had also provided her with a Gigai to slowly restore her Reiryoku. Of course, all of this came with a price tag.
However, when it came to dealing with Hollows, Urahara firmly refused to lift a finger, no matter how much she offered to pay. According to him, he was a merchant now, not a Shinigami.
Fortunately, there was another Shinigami. Rukia glanced over at Ichigo, who was currently listening to the lecture with a troubled expression. For the time being, the safety of Karakura Town would have to be entrusted to this brat, even if he looked incredibly unreliable.
No matter. Young people needed to learn, after all. The Shinigami Crash Course was officially established as of today!
Instructor: Kuchiki Rukia!