Arriving at school slightly late, Shirou apologized to the teacher and returned to his seat. He looked around and noticed that Shinji and Ichigo weren't present in the class, leaving an empty seat between the other students.
Figures since they both were busy with training. He didn't think about them at all. Instead, he sat at his desk and opened up his notebook and pencil.
Just as he was about to write something down, the bell rang, signaling the end of homeroom. Everyone else got ready for their first lesson. They all stood up and bowed to the teacher before taking their places.
At that moment, Tatsuki approached him.
"Hey, why the long face?"
She had her hand on her hip and leaned closer, looking worried.
"Is something dangerous related to that man from last time happening?" She continued asking him as she narrowed her eyes. "Tell me."
"It's nothing." Shirou smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "Just a little problem. Nothing to be concerned about."
Tatsuki didn't look convinced, though. She pursed her lips and stared at him with a frown.
"Is it because of Ichigo?" She finally asked, causing Shirou to flinch and freeze in place, "I am right, no?"
"...How?"
"I can read the signs, you know. Like he never skipped any school before until now." Tatsuki huffed, looking at the empty seat next to him. "Is there a reason why he's skipping classes?"
Shirou scratched the back of his head awkwardly, trying to think of an excuse. It was true that Ichigo never skipped school unless something big happened, which usually involved his friends getting involved in supernatural stuff or being targeted by evil spirits or monsters.
"It's..." He paused, trying to come up with a lie, "...because he's sick. Yeah, he caught the flu or something like that. He was throwing up everywhere yesterday so he couldn't leave the house."
"Really? Then what about that guy? Is he okay?" Tatsuki asked.
"Which guy?" Shirou was confused.
"The one from the other day, the blonde. The weirdo."
"You mean, Shinji?"
"Who else could it be?" Tatsuki huffed again and rolled her eyes. "He just joined our class for one day and skipped already. I bet he's a delinquent. He looks like one, you know. He acts like a nice guy, but his smile is just creepy."
"I am sure he has his reason." Shirou chuckled, thinking that Tatsuki couldn't be far further than the truth. "The next class will begin soon."
"Right, but one more thing." She grabbed him by the shoulder, "If something dangerous happens again, please tell me. I don't want you to suffer alone, you know."
"I promise."
***
The rest of the day went by without incident. He went through all of his classes without problems. He didn't even encounter any trouble during lunch break.
Everything seemed to be going well for once. No hollows, no soul society, nothing to interrupt his school life. The weather was also perfect and he enjoyed his peaceful day. But, he couldn't help but feel something was missing.
Shirou sighed. It was almost the end of the day. All he needed to do was go change his shoes and then leave. He watched the cloud slowly floating in the clear blue sky.
The sun was already beginning to set and soon it would be dark out. Time passed quickly when you were busy enjoying life.
"Let's go home."
With those words, he turned away from the window and headed towards the shoe lockers to change into his outdoor shoes.
When he opened the locker, however...
"Hmm?"
A letter with a red sticker on the surface fell down from his locker.
It landed neatly in front of his foot, making him pause. He stared at it curiously. It had a heart shape sticker stuck on top of the envelope, indicating that it was probably a love letter.
A very cliche way of confession nowadays, especially when there are many easier ways to convey a message.
He picked the letter up and opened it. The paper was neatly folded inside the envelope, and he pulled it out to read its content. There, written with neat handwriting, were words addressed to him:
To Kurosaki Shirou,
If you read this letter, then please come meet me behind the gym after school today.
I'll wait.
It was short, straight to the point and didn't have the sender's name on it. However, the handwriting clearly indicated it belonged to a girl.
It wasn't the first time a girl confessed to him.
In fact, it had been happening since he started going to highschool, and there was always one or two letters in his shoe locker each month, asking him to come somewhere to meet with a girl he had never seen before.
But still, he felt bad turning them all down every time. The least he could do was meet them and turn them down in person. After all, they went to all the trouble of sending the letters in secret. So, out of courtesy, he always attended the meeting place.
He was used to this kind of situation.
***
Shirou arrived at his destination and looked around. No one else seemed to be present, so he walked up to the back of the building. There he found a small courtyard where a lone girl stood.
A tall girl with long hair and large eyes, wearing the same uniform as him. She was facing the other way when he arrived, so she didn't notice him yet.
Her face was hidden by her long bangs. It was impossible to see who she was from behind, but he knew who it was just by the way she stood.
It was a very familiar sight. Someone whom he had met before.
"Rangiku-san?"
"Oh?" The girl, Matsumoto Rangiku, exclaimed as she turned around.
Her school uniform, which didn't really fit her body, failed to contain her impressive assets and bursting cleavage. She grinned in a silly manner and turned in a certain direction.
"You guys! I told you that I would be found out if I were the one who did this." She complained to her friends who were hiding nearby, watching the whole scene play out from a safe distance.
Soon after, four people stepped out from the shadows. All of them were guys, with the one having white hair shorter than the other three.
Shirou's eyes widened slightly upon seeing them.
"Renji? Also Captain Hitsugaya and two guys from 11th Division."
He recognized them immediately, the rest were the guys he met in Soul Society. Yumichika, Ikkaku, Renji, and Hitsugaya, the captain of the 10th Division, were standing there, staring at him with an unreadable expression.
It was an unexpected gathering, especially with these people.
"Tsk! You made me lose a few bucks to Yumichika, Rangiku. What are you gonna do to compensate for my lost money?" Ikkaku complained while glaring angrily at her. His bald head gleamed under the sun.
"Why do I need to compensate for your money? You're the one who decided to bet." She said, crossing her arms and looking annoyed at the man, "Also, remember to buy me sake when we're back, Captain."
Her expression melted into a smile when she turned her gaze toward Toshiro.
"No. I never agree to your bet or anything." He answered flatly. He didn't bother to argue against her. It would only make things worse. His expression remained unchanged and he sighed in defeat.
It was clear that he wasn't amused. His cold stare pierced through his subordinate. The temperature also dropped a few degrees in an instant. It was freezing cold despite it being still afternoon and sunny.
"I thought we had an understanding..." Rangiku muttered under her breath and pouted, not liking the fact that her superior officer never followed her whims.