"Come here."
After dealing with the Hollow, Muten Natsu beckoned to the little boy hiding off to the side.
The boy glanced at the sword in his hand, hesitated for a moment, then walked over.
"Thank you, big brother..."
"You're welcome."
Muten Natsu ruffled the boy's hair and raised his Zanpakutō.
"Next, I'm going to perform Konsō. I'll tap your forehead with the hilt, and then you'll be able to go to the Soul Society."
"The Soul Society?" the boy asked curiously. "What kind of place is that?"
Muten Natsu froze for a brief moment.
He thought of a laboratory filled with a strange, nauseating stench. A Nest of Maggots overflowing with innocent despair. A prison echoing with agonized, shrill screams.
He thought of cruel Hollows and even crueler Shinigami. Of relentless nobles and the aloof, overbearing Central 46. Of endless pursuits, and shattered remains slowly falling apart...
He opened his mouth, then glanced toward Rukia Kuchiki as if seeking help.
The wind stirred the tips of her slightly curled hair. Under the midday sun, she was bathed in light, a hazy glow rippling around her.
"That place..." Muten Natsu smiled gently. "It's a peaceful place."
His hand rose, and the base of his Zanpakutō's hilt lightly touched the boy's forehead.
A circular mark appeared there, engraved with the characters [Life and Death]. The circle bloomed with a soft rainbow glow, and a purple ring of light gradually enveloped the boy's body.
At the moment the light vanished, a black butterfly beat its wings and flew away.
It was a Jigokuchō from the Soul Society, guiding souls to their destination.
Once there, a Shinigami assigned to the task would issue a processing ticket and place the boy in one of the districts of Rukongai.
This was a Shinigami's duty aside from exterminating Hollows: guiding the dead to the Soul Society through Konsō.
"Rukia?"
Muten Natsu waved a hand in front of Rukia Kuchiki's eyes.
"What are you thinking about?"
"I was thinking..." Rukia snapped back to her senses. "What you just said were my words."
"I couldn't exactly make up a lie on the spot, could I?"
"So you used my line and dumped the responsibility for lying on me?"
"Don't dwell on it," Muten Natsu said soothingly. "It was a kind lie."
"Of course I'm going to dwell on it!" Rukia Kuchiki snapped. "You're the one who lied!"
"For an ordinary soul like him, the Soul Society really is a peaceful place. At the very least, it's better than the World of the Living."
Muten Natsu returned to his Gigai and stretched a bit.
"Didn't we learn this at the Shin'ō Academy? Souls in the living world only have two endings: getting eaten by Hollows, or... becoming Hollows themselves."
"Why are you making it sound like I actually lied?"
"Your imagination."
...
"You're living at his place now?!"
Tatsuki Arisawa stared at Orihime Inoue in disbelief.
"Things moved that fast?"
Who would have thought that Muten Natsu, usually so laid-back, would be this proactive when it came to something like this.
"Uh..." Orihime Inoue hesitated, trying to figure out how to explain it to Tatsuki Arisawa. "It's not what you think. It's just that... my place... the apartment I was renting collapsed last night..."
Tatsuki Arisawa froze.
"He smashed it?"
That level of diligence sounded borderline illegal.
"No, it was an accident."
"Oh..." Tatsuki Arisawa suddenly remembered. "My mom mentioned this morning that a family's house had two walls knocked down by a car. So that was yours. Are you hurt anywhere?"
She hurriedly checked Orihime Inoue from head to toe.
"I'm fine... that tickles~" Orihime Inoue laughed uncontrollably as Tatsuki fussed over her.
"Stop right there!"
A righteous voice rang out.
A classmate with short red hair and red half-rim glasses strode over quickly.
"Huh?" Tatsuki Arisawa blinked in surprise.
Orihime Inoue hurried to explain, "It's not what you think! We're just good friends..."
"Let go of that girl!" the classmate declared sternly, then lunged at Orihime Inoue like a starving tiger. "Let me take over, hehehe!"
"What are you doing?!"
Tatsuki Arisawa sent her flying with a sharp kick.
Orihime Inoue shrank back in fright. "You... you... who are you? Are you okay?"
"Completely... fine!" The girl lifted her head, her eyes sparkling with undisguised excitement. "My name is Chizuru Honshō. I'm someone who's been captivated by your beauty. Speaking of which..." She suddenly jumped to her feet and glared angrily at Tatsuki Arisawa. "What do you think you're doing?! You violent woman!"
"What am I doing?" Tatsuki Arisawa was even angrier. "I should be asking what you were trying to do to Orihime!"
She had seen it clearly. Chizuru Honshō's hands were anything but innocent, heading straight for Orihime Inoue's sensitive spots.
"What else would I do!" Chizuru Honshō leaned close to Orihime Inoue, her voice soft and sticky-sweet. "Princess Orihime, you are the Venus of the Heart I've been searching for. What a beautiful, delicate name~ Such adorable, pure beauty~ So full and tempting..."
Tatsuki Arisawa grabbed Chizuru Honshō's hand just as it was about to touch Orihime Inoue and yanked her away. "You idiot! Stop it right now!"
"Even if you restrain me... my love will never submit to such violence..." Chizuru Honshō struggled and crawled toward Orihime Inoue.
"Stop it!" Tatsuki Arisawa dragged her back with effort. "You pervert!"
Chizuru Honshō shouted in protest, "This is true love!"
Orihime Inoue hurriedly tried to stop them. "Don't... don't fight..."
"But you said the same thing to me yesterday," the girl with wavy short hair and thick eyebrows spoke up, two buttons of her shirt undone, generous curves on full display. "How did you change your mind so fast?"
Orihime Inoue remembered her name was Natsui Mahana. The girl beside her, Michiru Ogawa, nodded along. "You told me that too."
Tatsuki Arisawa shouted furiously, "How is your 'true love' already true three times over?!"
Chizuru Honshō answered righteously, "Each time was truer than the last!"
Ryō Kunieda, with long black hair and a beautiful tear mole beneath her left eye, closed the book in her hands. "At this rate, if you keep hitting her a bit longer, she'll probably be on her fourth true love soon."
"Huh?" Tatsuki Arisawa stiffened.
"Look closely, you're actually kind of cute," Chizuru Honshō said tenderly. "At least a C-cup, right?"
Tatsuki Arisawa exploded with rage and tightened her grip. "What kind of standard is that for 'cute'?!"
"It's going to break, it's going to break!" Chizuru Honshō slapped the floor. "A little harder~"
Tatsuki Arisawa: "..."
"How wonderful~" Muten Natsu said as he returned to the classroom, watching the little commotion.
Rukia Kuchiki turned her head in disbelief. "This is good?"
"It's very good," Muten Natsu nodded. "Warm and peaceful."
Rukia Kuchiki: "...?"