After leaving Urahara Shop, Uryū tightly gripped the specially made detector and hurried back toward the clock tower apartment.
To his disappointment, the device showed absolutely no response.
It was as though the person he was searching for had vanished from the world entirely.
With no better lead, Uryū began wandering through Karakura Town like a headless chicken.
He hurried from street to street, anxiety and uncertainty filling his eyes.
Every time he passed another block or storefront, he'd stop hopefully and check the detector, praying for even the faintest signal.
Every time, he was disappointed.
Hours passed.
Before Uryū realized it, he'd spent the entire day searching.
The sky gradually darkened, and night spread across the city like an enormous black curtain.
Standing beneath the streetlights, Uryū suddenly found his own behavior ridiculous.
When had he started caring this much about someone who, strictly speaking, had almost nothing to do with him?
"Forget it."
He gave a self-deprecating smile.
"I'll just pretend everything that happened today was some strange dream. Once I sleep, it'll all disappear."
It was a terrible excuse.
Not even Uryū himself believed it.
But his heart was already exhausted, and he needed some reason to stop.
Finally giving up on the search, he turned and slowly began walking home.
Beneath the dim yellow streetlights, his solitary figure looked strangely desolate, as though he were the only person left wandering through the endless night.
Buzz—
Uryū abruptly stopped.
The detector in his hand had begun vibrating violently.
For an instant, he thought he'd imagined it.
Then the vibrations became even stronger.
"This is…"
Uryū stared at the trembling device, excitement and anticipation surging through him.
It felt like a brilliant streak of light suddenly piercing an endless night, driving away the darkness and offering one faint but precious trace of hope.
...
Rooftop of a High-Rise Building
"Sōma Yoshino, I'm giving you one last chance!"
Koga Gō glared furiously at the woman standing opposite him.
"Tell me where that damned Quincy brat went!"
His rage was almost palpable.
Their previous operation should have gone smoothly, yet it had ended in complete failure.
Not only had they failed to capture a single hostage, they'd also lost Ban and Hō — two youngsters Koga had held considerable expectations for.
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
Yoshino met his furious stare without backing down.
"What Quincy brat? I've never seen anyone like that."
"Hmph."
Koga's expression darkened.
"You think a pathetic lie like that will fool me?"
"Don't waste your time."
His spiritual pressure surged around him, carrying a threatening weight.
"My senses aren't that poor. I can clearly detect traces of that Quincy brat's spiritual pressure on you."
"If you know what's good for you, hand him over and come back with me to answer to Kariya."
His eyes hardened.
"Otherwise, whatever happens next is your own fault."
Yoshino remained unmoved.
Seeing that she had no intention of cooperating, Koga summoned his Doll.
Dalk.
Yoshino stared at him in surprise.
"So there's no talking our way out of this."
She hadn't expected Koga to actually attack her.
With no other option, she summoned her own Doll.
Goethe.
The battle erupted immediately.
Under Yoshino's command, Goethe unleashed a torrent of blazing fire. The flames surged forward like a ferocious dragon, racing straight toward Dalk.
To Yoshino's surprise, Dalk didn't retreat.
Instead, the iron Doll charged directly into the flames.
Within moments, its entire body disappeared inside the inferno.
Yet rather than suffering damage, Dalk used Goethe's fire to undergo a startling transformation.
Its steel body became wreathed in roaring flames, turning it into a blazing iron warrior.
The two Dolls collided violently.
A powerful shockwave burst outward like a surging tide, rapidly spreading across the rooftop. The surrounding air became scorching hot, and even the concrete beneath them began radiating heat.
The exchange alone made one thing obvious.
Yoshino was no match for Koga.
"Hmph! Is that all?"
Standing behind the blazing Dalk, Koga gave a contemptuous sneer.
"Don't embarrass yourself with such pathetic tricks."
His hands moved rapidly as he commanded his Doll.
Dalk's thick arms suddenly changed shape, breaking apart into numerous steel spheres wrapped in brilliant flames.
The burning projectiles shot toward Yoshino with terrifying speed.
As they closed in, Yoshino desperately searched for a way to counter them.
Then an idea struck her.
"Goethe!"
She immediately redirected the Doll toward the enormous water tank on top of the building.
Goethe released another stream of searing flame.
The tank was burned open instantly.
A huge volume of water poured out like a waterfall.
The water crashed into the incoming fire-wreathed steel spheres.
Hissssss!
Steam exploded through the air as the flames coating the projectiles were extinguished.
Unfortunately, the steel spheres themselves didn't slow down.
They tore through the water and slammed into Goethe and Yoshino behind it.
Bang!
Yoshino and her Doll were thrown violently across the rooftop and crashed heavily to the ground.
For the moment, neither was capable of continuing the fight.
...
"I'm giving you one last chance. Where is that Quincy brat? Don't force me to kill you!"
Veins bulged across Go Koga's forehead as he glared viciously at Yoshino Sōma, cold killing intent burning in his eyes.
At his command, Dalk's steel arm began transforming again.
The metal twisted and reshaped itself before extending into a razor-sharp blade, its tip pressing directly against Yoshino's pale, slender throat.
All Koga had to do was move his finger, and Dalk could slit her throat in an instant.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Even with death staring her in the face, Yoshino remained remarkably calm. There was no fear in her eyes, as though she'd already stopped caring whether she lived or died.
Ever since her deeply personal conversation with Ishida Uryū, Yoshino had finally found a direction for her life.
For her now, death was no longer something frightening. In some ways, it might even have been a form of release.
So even with a blade at her throat, she showed no panic.
"Hmph. If you insist on being stubborn, then don't blame me."
Koga's expression twisted into a grim smile.
Dalk raised its blade high, preparing to deliver the killing blow.
"STOP!"
Just as the weapon was about to plunge into Yoshino, a figure came racing toward them like lightning.
It was Uryū.
There was no time to think.
He threw himself in front of Yoshino and used his own body to block Dalk's attack.
The blade sank deep into his side.
Blood immediately burst from the wound and soaked through his clothes.
"Why…"
Yoshino stared at him in complete disbelief.
"Why is it you?!"
Her thoughts descended into chaos.
Only moments earlier, she'd closed her eyes and quietly accepted that death was coming.
Yet at the final instant, Uryū had appeared before her like a savior descending from nowhere and taken the fatal strike himself without hesitation.
Koga also began recovering from the rage that had clouded his judgment.
By nature, he wasn't someone who took pleasure in senseless slaughter.
But the deaths of Ban and Hō had hit him far harder than he wanted to admit.
Combined with Yoshino's refusal to cooperate, grief and fury had overwhelmed his reason.
"You…"
Koga stared at Uryū.
"Aren't you that Quincy brat?"
His expression was utterly baffled.
"Why would you do this? Why risk your life to save her?"
He genuinely couldn't understand what he was seeing.
This Quincy should have been his enemy.
Why would someone willingly take a potentially fatal blow to protect a member of the opposing side?
"Because…"
Uryū pressed one hand tightly against the wound in his side as blood continued seeping through his fingers.
"She and I are the same kind of person."
He forced the words through clenched teeth.
"I don't want anything to happen to her."
To Koga, the explanation might as well have been written in some incomprehensible ancient language.
The same kind of person?
Uryū was a Quincy.
Yoshino was a Bount.
What exactly was supposed to be the same about them?
Only Yoshino understood what he meant.
She stared at the young Quincy with a complicated expression, countless thoughts tangling together inside her mind.
"Kid! Are you all right?"
She quickly pulled Uryū into her arms.
"Don't you dare die on me!"
Then Uryū suddenly seemed to register exactly where he'd been stabbed.
"OW! MY KIDNEY!"
The delayed scream tore out of him.
Dalk's blade had landed with horrifying precision right around his kidney.
Of course it hurt.
It hurt like hell!
What was he supposed to do if he lost a kidney?!