After dinner, Ichigo lay comfortably on his bed, ready to begin tonight's training.
Right now, he was glad he had taken the night off yesterday—otherwise, Rukia might've been killed by that Hollow.
...
Inner World.
"Zangetsu-san! White Zangetsu! I'm back!" Ichigo stood atop a building wall, shouting loudly.
"Oh, it's you again, Ichigo." Zangetsu-san appeared in front of him right on cue.
"So, is it Zangetsu-san teaching me today?" Ichigo cracked his knuckles, looking eager to go.
But Zangetsu-san shook his head. "Not today. Ichigo, your strength has reached a high level. That guy is preparing a test for you."
Ichigo blinked, pointing at himself. "I'm already strong?"
Zangetsu-san nodded. "You've been training with us for over half a year. Compared to when you first gained your powers, you've made huge progress. Right now, Shikai alone can't fully represent your strength anymore. You need to pass a test from the two of us to obtain new power."
Ichigo nodded, excited. "What kind of test?"
Zangetsu began explaining the forms of the Zanpakutō.
"Right now, Ichigo, you can release your Zanpakutō—Zangetsu's form. But above that, there's a higher level of release, called Bankai."
"To achieve Bankai, you need to defeat both me and that guy. Only when we acknowledge you can we tell you the true name of your Zanpakutō."
"So I have to defeat Zangetsu-san and White Zangetsu?" Ichigo frowned.
He knew exactly how strong Zangetsu-san and White Zangetsu were. Now Zangetsu was saying he had to beat them to gain stronger power?
Ichigo felt a little nervous.
"What? Are you scared, Ichigo?" Zangetsu-san looked at him.
"No, I'm excited! I didn't know Zangetsu could be further released! With greater power, I can protect the people I care about even better!" Ichigo smiled brightly.
Though he wasn't someone who chased power, it was always better to accumulate strength steadily—especially for critical moments!
"Is that so?" Zangetsu-san nodded.
"Then don't come back here for a while. We'll prepare everything for the trial. Once it's ready, I'll call you."
"Got it! I'll prepare too!" Ichigo said with confidence.
"Alright, head back now. Ichigo… you've really grown up." Zangetsu suddenly said, out of nowhere.
"Huh? What are you talking about, Zangetsu-san?" Ichigo tilted his head, clearly confused.
He had begun to grasp the meaning of Schrift D and casually delivered a classic line.
Zangetsu-san's eternally stern face showed a rare peculiar expression. "I'm talking about the girl you brought back. Don't keep her waiting."
And with that, he disappeared—leaving a baffled Ichigo behind.
"Girl? What girl?! Zangetsu-san, say it clearly before disappearing!" Ichigo shouted into the air, frustrated.
But neither Zangetsu nor White Zangetsu showed up again, and Ichigo could only exit his inner world with a head full of questions.
Opening his eyes, Ichigo scratched his head in confusion. He looked around his room… but didn't see any girl.
"Tch, scaring myself." He closed his eyes and went to sleep.
Since he'd soon face the trial from Zangetsu and White Zangetsu, he had to rest up properly!
The next day, school was off.
Ichigo couldn't go on a date with Tatsuki like usual—instead, he was dragged around Karakura Town by Rukia, hunting down the Hollows that kept popping up.
Because Karakura was a spiritually active zone, Hollows frequently appeared. If they were in any other city, Ichigo probably wouldn't be this busy.
After running around all day, Ichigo and Rukia finally headed home.
"Why do I feel like ever since you arrived, Hollows have been showing up more often in Karakura?" Ichigo eyed Rukia suspiciously.
Rukia frowned. "What? There weren't this many before I came?"
"Of course not. Before you came, seeing one or two a month was already a lot. Today alone we took out four Hollows!" Ichigo said helplessly.
"That's strange…" Rukia frowned too. Something clearly wasn't right.
It felt like someone was deliberately sending Hollows to Karakura to give them target practice—or more precisely, to give Ichigo practice.
But Rukia couldn't figure out why. After all, she and Ichigo were just regular Shinigami. Who would be targeting them?
Aizen, Urahara Kisuke: "Yup, that's us!"
As the two chatted, they happened to bump into Orihime near home, who had just finished shopping.
"Ah, Kurosaki-kun and Kuchiki-san!" Orihime called out excitedly.
"It's Inoue-san!" Rukia instantly switched to her 'noble lady' mode.
"What are you two doing together?" Orihime asked curiously.
"Kuchiki-san's new to Karakura, so I'm showing her around," Ichigo lied without even blinking.
Rukia nodded with a polite smile. "Yes, I'm very grateful to Kurosaki-kun for showing me around."
Ichigo, eyeing the shopping bags Orihime was carrying, asked, "Inoue-san, just finished shopping?"
Orihime laughed cheerfully, her chest bouncing as she nodded. "Yes, Tatsuki's coming over for dinner tonight. Kurosaki-kun, Kuchiki-san—do you want to come too?"
Hearing that Tatsuki would be there, Ichigo was very tempted. Rukia, however, was distracted—her gaze falling on the marks on Orihime's legs, clearly deep in thought.
Ichigo gave her arm a light nudge to snap her out of it.
"Ah—would that be alright? We wouldn't be intruding?" Rukia asked, putting on her best 'surprised and honored' act.
Ichigo smiled. He was worried Rukia wouldn't want to go.
"No worries at all! I bought a ton of food—plenty for the four of us!" Orihime beamed.
"Then we'll definitely be there tonight. See you later!" Rukia smiled sweetly.
After Orihime left, Rukia's face instantly changed.
(End of Chapter)
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