"I'm sorry, I don't really know much about Soul Society, so I can't give you any good advice," Orihime Inoue said gently. "But Muten and Rukia will definitely find a way. Let's wait for them together, okay?"
"Are you even listening to me?!" Rukia's voice turned sharp. "If I get caught, I'll be destroyed!"
"But…" Orihime Inoue replied softly, "I don't think Muten and Rukia would ever do something like that…"
Gikon Rukia clenched her fists. "You think? Don't assume everyone lives like you just because you have a happy family! The world isn't as kind as you imagine. People like me, created on a whim and erased just as easily, exist too! You know nothing about my pain. What right do you have to use your happiness to guess what I'm about to go through?"
"So I really do look happy, huh~" Orihime Inoue said, rubbing her nose awkwardly. "Hehe."
"Hehe my foot!" Gikon Rukia snapped, utterly drained. "Anyway, I'm leaving. You just go home, cling to your parents, and ask them for candy. Don't worry about me anymore."
"I wish I could do that…" Orihime Inoue smiled faintly. "But they had pretty serious violent tendencies. Nii-san thought I'd be killed sooner or later, so he took me away while I was still a baby and ran. So asking for candy… that's just impossible."
Rukia stiffened. "Th-Then… then go ask your Nii-san for candy!"
"He passed away three years ago," Orihime Inoue said after a pause. "But he came to see me recently. Even though he turned into a Hollow, he still remembered me. He should be in Soul Society now…"
"Well… at least your classmates treat you well! You still have friends!"
"High school's been fine. In middle school, though, my hair color was too eye-catching, so I got lectured by upperclassmen a lot…"
"You… what kind of smile is that?" Rukia stared at her in disbelief. "After all that, how can you still smile?"
Orihime Inoue scratched her head shyly. "I'm doing pretty well now. A distant aunt helps cover my living expenses, but if my grades drop, my allowance gets cut. Thanks to her, I study seriously, and my grades have always been good."
"And there's Tatsuki-chan," Orihime Inoue said, striking a karate pose. "She protects me at school and taught me how to defend myself and train my body. That's why I could carry you for so long earlier."
"And there's Muten. He's actually an amazing cook, but he always says he's too lazy to do it." Orihime Inoue's smile turned a little sweeter. "So every day he buys a ton of ingredients, brings them to my place, and makes me cook with him, then forces me to eat too. Thanks to him, I grew up eating properly."
"Rukia too. When my Reiryoku first awakened, Rukia risked everything to save me and showed me a world I'd never known." Orihime Inoue paused. "I've run into some bad things, but I've also met so many incredibly kind people. They helped me so much, and they'll definitely help you too."
"…I'm sorry." Gikon Rukia's figure slowly faded. "I apologize for what I assumed about you earlier. If I could, I'd like to face everything with a smile like you do. But I'm tired of living a life controlled by others. More than trusting people, I want to survive by relying on my own strength."
Even as she spoke with Orihime Inoue, Gikon Rukia had quietly released an illusion and slipped away without a sound.
"Wait," Orihime Inoue called out. "You haven't told me your name yet."
"My name…" Gikon Rukia looked desolate. "I… watch out!"
"Watch out?" Orihime Inoue blinked. "That's such a cute na—"
She suddenly sensed something wrong and turned around.
A gigantic caterpillar-like Hollow, its pale Hollow mask exposed, lunged straight at her.
Orihime Inoue scrambled to dodge as the caterpillar Hollow's sharp insect legs stabbed into the ground, then sprang up, stretching violently toward her.
Thanks to Tatsuki Arisawa's training and the heightened reaction speed from her awakened Reiryoku, Orihime Inoue, still unsteady on her feet, rolled on the spot and narrowly avoided the attack once again.
But the Hollow had far too many legs, extending one after another in relentless pursuit.
Orihime Inoue dodged frantically until she finally lost her balance and fell hard to the ground.
The Caterpillar Hollow seized the opening, instantly shooting out several insect legs that pierced straight through Orihime Inoue's body.
"Hm?"
The massive Caterpillar Hollow let out a dull, puzzled sound. The figure impaled by its legs gradually faded, then vanished completely.
"An illusion…" the Hollow muttered. "So she escaped."
The elongated legs retracted one by one, pulsing rhythmically as the Caterpillar Hollow turned its body.
Hurry… hurry up…
Gigai Rukia, who had doubled back, clamped a hand over Orihime Inoue's mouth and used an illusion to conceal them both. She stared tensely at the Caterpillar Hollow, praying it would leave as soon as possible.
What am I even doing…?
I already left. I was already free. And yet I ran straight back into danger.
Putting aside how dangerous this Hollow is, Muten Natsu and Rukia Kuchiki are looking for me. The people from the Urahara shop are searching too.
If I stay here any longer, I might really get caught and destroyed.
But…
Gigai Rukia looked at Orihime Inoue, her mouth still covered.
Even though the illusion earlier had been fake, Orihime Inoue had truly risked her life to save her.
When Orihime Inoue was facing danger, Gigai Rukia couldn't bring herself to stand by and do nothing.
She wanted to escape so she could live freely.
If she abandoned someone to die just to run away, the rest of her life would be trapped in this very moment.
There's still time.
As long as she escapes at full speed after the Caterpillar Hollow leaves, she can still be free.
There's still time!
"Ah… right." The Caterpillar Hollow's huge body paused. "My insect legs can sense vibrations, so…" It suddenly snapped its head around, several legs thrusting straight toward them. "You didn't seriously think I hadn't noticed, did you?!"
This is bad!
Without time to think, Gigai Rukia shoved Orihime Inoue away with all her strength.
Reflected in her eyes were the rapidly closing insect legs. Gigai Rukia suddenly smiled.
She felt it—
Freedom.
Not abilities decided by others, not a body created on someone else's whim, not an ending erased at another's convenience.
But her own decision, her own choice, her own action, and…
Her ending.