"Your spiritual pressure is really strong! But compared to me, you're still just a little weaker…"
Yūshirō Shihōin stopped obsessing over Hollow Bowling for a moment. He sat down in front of Lilynette, holding up his thumb and index finger to show her that their difference was only about the size of a green bean.
"You're strong. I can't beat you."
Lilynette's words were still short and simple. She hadn't gotten used to what it felt like to have company.
"Are you really a Hollow? "
Yūshirō looked at Lilynette and asked.
"Yeah."
Lilynette gave a small nod. She didn't intend to hide the fact that she was a Hollow, but after that nod, her eyes dimmed with unease. Years of wandering had taught her what Shinigami were: beings who hunted and killed Hollows. So she wondered—would the man in front of her kill her? And yet, for some reason… if she were to die now, maybe that would be okay—because she had finally found someone willing to talk to her.
"I'm a future Shinigami! "
Yūshirō introduced himself cheerfully.
"Future… Shinigami? "
Lilynette tilted her head, confused. She didn't understand what that meant. Weren't all people who didn't have Hollow masks and wore black robes considered Shinigami? Yūshirō's words went beyond her understanding.
"Being a Shinigami is a job. You're only a real Shinigami if you join the Gotei 13. I haven't joined! Basically… I'm unemployed."
Yūshirō explained with a shrug. He wasn't sure if his words made sense to her, but he tried to get his meaning across.
"I get it. You're not a Shinigami. You don't kill Hollows."
Lilynette nodded slightly. She didn't fully understand, but as long as he didn't kill her, they were still friends. If he wanted to kill her, well… then they'd only be one-sided friends.
"Pretty much! Oh yeah, Lilynette—where's your mask? I thought all Hollows wore masks on their faces? "
Yūshirō gestured around his own face, tugging at his eyepatch for emphasis.
"Oh, that? It was in the way, so I got rid of it."
Lilynette nodded casually.
"You can take those off?! I thought if a Hollow took off their mask, they'd die! "
Her words completely shocked Yūshirō.
"Maybe you can't… or maybe you can. I can't really remember."
Lilynette frowned, trying to recall her past. But no matter how hard she tried, her memories were just endless conversations with herself—over and over again.
"Sigh… looks like your understanding of things—no, your memory—has some serious gaps."
"How about this? Call me Teacher Yūshirō, and I'll teach you everything from scratch and help you recover your memories! "
Yūshirō pointed at his own face and spoke solemnly.
"Teacher?!"
Lilynette repeated the word blankly. She understood what "teacher" meant. She understood "knowledge." But put together, they felt distant, almost like she used to know but forgot long ago.
"Yeah, teacher! First lesson—put some clothes on."
Yūshirō reached into his pocket and pulled out something that looked like a wallet. It was actually a treasure of the Shihōin family—a storage device he used to carry spare clothes.
"Here."
He handed over a spare shihakushō. He wasn't sure if it would fit her. He was much taller, but Lilynette was… well, big in certain places.
"Clothes? Clothes! "
Lilynette nodded earnestly. She tossed off her cloak and grabbed the outfit Yūshirō handed her.
"Ah… thanks."
Yūshirō bowed politely as he faced the sight before him, paying his respects.
Soon, Lilynette was dressed—though the front was a bit tight, at least she was clothed.
"First, I need to know how much you actually remember."
Yūshirō asked seriously.
"Um…"
Lilynette just stared at him in silence.
"I mean, what do you still remember? "
He rephrased his question.
"I remember… I kept talking to myself. Over and over. I never stopped."
Lilynette's voice was soft, filled with fragments of confusion. Her mind was a jumble of conversations with herself, and nothing else clear remained.
"Another poor kid driven mad by loneliness."
Yūshirō nodded slightly, understanding her situation completely.
"All right. I know what your problem is. So let's start your personalized training. First lesson—Hollow Bowling! "
"Hollow Bowling? "
Lilynette blinked, puzzled.
"Yep! You tie up ten Gillians in a triangle formation with Kidō, then grab a lucky Adjuchas, roll it up into a ball, and… strike! "
Yūshirō grinned like a kid explaining his favorite game.
"…And this will help me recover my memories? "
Lilynette was skeptical. Something told her his "lessons" were going in the wrong direction.
"Of course it will! " Yūshirō said confidently. "When you were alone, you had nothing else to do but talk to yourself. So who knows? Maybe you did play Hollow Bowling before! Don't worry, your teacher will never lead you astray! "
"…Maybe you're right. Just because I don't remember doesn't mean I never did it. Fine—I'll try this Hollow Bowling game. Even if Barragan shows up, he can't stop me… not that he ever could anyway."
"Exactly! So first, let's go find a nice round Adjuchas! "
"Hurry, hurry! "
Yūshirō waved for Lilynette to follow, his excitement like a husky let loose in someone else's house. After all, this wasn't Soul Society—it was Hueco Mundo. No one would come out of nowhere to stop him. So why not go all out?
"Okay, okay! "
Lilynette nodded and started searching for a ball-shaped Adjuchas.