Chapter 11: If Aizen Didn't Do It? That's Even Worse
Shin'ō Academy, Special Class, also known as Class One.
Yuyu poked Sōma's back and whispered:
"Ichigo looks awful. Did he have a nightmare about Hollows last night?"
"Maybe, but with his courage, it'd take at least having his girlfriend stolen by a Hollow, getting beaten up twice, and getting his heart pierced to scare him that badly."
"Hey! I can hear you!"
Ichigo from the adjacent seat had veins bulging on his forehead.
"So what if you heard? Want to fight?"
"..."
Normally, facing such blatant provocation from Sōma, there would be no reason to back down, let alone any possibility of being intimidated just because the opponent was strong—even stronger than himself.
But Ichigo held back.
This situation made Yuyu's eyes widen in surprise.
"Ichigo, you... did you really dream about your girlfriend being stolen by a Hollow?"
[?]
Even Rindō slowly typed a question mark, expressing concern for his fellow living group member.
"Don't listen to that bastard's nonsense!"
Ichigo was exasperated, then glared irritably at Sōma.
"Don't think I don't know you're just looking for an excuse to show off your Shikai. I'm not giving you that opportunity."
"Who said I wanted to show off? I just thought you were jealous that I mastered Shikai faster than you, without giving you a chance to catch up, so I wanted to broaden your horizons and help you improve. To think you'd misunderstand me so deeply, Kurosaki—it truly breaks my heart."
Sōma shook his head and sighed.
"Can't be bothered to argue with you. Anyway, I've started learning Kaidō. Just in terms of technical difficulty, my Kidō is on par with yours now, heh."
"How truly remarkable."
"..."
Watching Sōma give a thumbs-up with what appeared to be genuine admiration, Ichigo's expression froze. Whether it was sarcasm or sincerity, it was equally frustrating.
To be honest, Sōma was telling the truth.
Under Aizen's careful guidance, Ichigo had not only begun learning Kaidō but also solidified his foundations. His rapidly growing Reiatsu showed no signs of losing control.
Clearly, the spirit particle manipulation ability inherent to being a Quincy was beginning to shine.
His swordsmanship, hand-to-hand combat, and Shunpo hadn't fallen behind either.
In normal sparring, even the third seat of the 5th Division was no match for him.
Early graduation was practically guaranteed.
Saying "remarkable" was almost an understatement.
Of course, Sōma was no less impressive himself.
In zanjutsu, hakuda, hohō, and kidō, he was at least as skilled as Ichigo if not stronger. He could still unleash half the power of Hadō-level spells like "Shakkahō" without incantation, making an ordinary genius like Yuyu exclaim how absurd it was.
After the final class ended, Gengorō suddenly entered the classroom. As the homeroom teacher of Class 1, he had many responsibilities, but none compared to ensuring students' personal safety.
Now, that bottom line had been breached.
"Sorry to take up your time. I'm here to deliver an urgent notice on behalf of Shin'ō Academy."
Gengorō's expression was grave.
Everyone felt a sense of foreboding.
"Just a short while ago, it was confirmed that one student each from Class 1 and Class 2 has gone missing without reason in the Rukongai District's Junrinan. If anyone has any information, report to me immediately. Additionally, until the investigation is complete, we advise everyone not to leave Seireitei."
With that, Gengorō hurriedly left.
The classroom fell silent for a moment before erupting into commotion.
"I never expected something like this to happen."
Yuyu stroked her chin and muttered, "I hope those two students are safe."
"What's wrong? You look like you've been punched in the face."
Sōma glanced at Ichigo.
"Didn't you hear what Ōunabara-sensei said? The disappearance happened in West Rukongai."
Ichigo's tone was grave.
"Don't be so tense. Even if there are malicious people at work, they wouldn't dare threaten the elders. That place isn't as weak and helpless as you think."
"The missing student from our class—though I haven't interacted with him much—I remember he was also from Rukongai, but not from West Rukongai."
"..."
A flicker of doubt passed through Sōma's eyes.
A commoner not from West Rukongai had gone missing in West Rukongai. The key point was that no one knew why he had gone there—otherwise, the word "unexplained" wouldn't have been used.
And another student had also disappeared "unexplained."" That was highly suspicious.
Could it be the work of a teacher?
Highly unlikely.
After all, the era when disappearances were necessary had long passed.
But that only made the hidden danger feel more ominous.
"I have to admit your concerns have some merit, but this isn't our business to handle. Look at those people—they're practically wearing 'excitement' and 'thrills' on their faces. To them, someone from Rukongai is nothing more than entertainment. There's no sense of camaraderie at all."
Hearing this, Ichigo turned his gaze to the noble students in the class who were heatedly discussing the matter and fell into an indescribable silence.
"...Even so..."
"But now that I think about it, it's been a while since I've seen the elders. I should go back and let them know I'm safe and all that. Want to come along?"
Sōma suddenly suggested.
"..."
Ichigo was taken aback for a moment before snorting coldly.
"Do you even need to ask? I don't want people pointing fingers at me, saying I'm ungrateful."
"Are you two getting involved in this? It's dangerous—this isn't like our usual sparring matches."
Yuyu, who had overheard everything from behind, chimed in to warn them.
"You're right, so... want to join us?"
"Guhihi~"
No answer was needed—that mischievous giggle said it all.
"And Rindō... Well, never mind, no need to ask."
Sōma turned his head and met Rindō's serious gaze directly.
Some things went without saying.
"Sōma, even you can be foolish sometimes. We're in the same living group, of course we stick together."
Ichigo's tone was less mocking and more teasing.
Or rather, it was his indirect way of stating his stance.
"No time to waste, we leave tonight! Go! Go! Go! Team Yayahara will conquer Rukongai!"
Yuyu clenched his fist, looking fired up.
"Why Team Yayahara? I was the one who brought this up, wasn't it? It should be Team Kurosaki... No, that sounds embarrassing too. Let's just drop the subject."
"???"
Sōma looked at Ichigo in confusion. Were you the one who started this?
And that "we leave tonight" line sounded like a bad omen for the team.