"No, it's not that..." Ryunosuke explained with some trepidation, "I just heard... that Kyon appears quite frequently in Karakura Town... that place must be dangerous, right? I heard that there are already
A super powerful God of Death is acting as an agent, and it seems like I can’t help much if I go... Why don’t we just... not go?"
"You! How can you say such useless words!?" Shino stepped forward angrily after hearing this. Like Kurutani before, he looked at the young man in front of him with hatred, "We can't completely rely on that.
Agent of the God of Death! After all, the real God of Death is us!
In the past, an area was usually only responsible for one Death God. The reason why two people performed this mission together was to avoid relying on the power of the Death God agent as much as possible. Do you understand?
You are the number one candidate! This is the seniors’ recognition of your strength! Why can’t you stand tall?
No, even if you are not recognized, it is still a good opportunity to show off!"
As he spoke, Shino hammered his almost-less chest, looking eager to try.
"puff--"
"why are you laughing?"
"No...no..." Ryunosuke suppressed a smile, "'Why can't you puff up your chest'——"
boom!
Before he finished complaining, Shino's iron fist came to his face.
"hateful!"
After knocking Ryuunosuke to the ground with one punch, Shino turned around and left angrily, "Thankfully, I came to comfort you when I saw you were in a state of low energy, but you actually... dared to..."
As she said this, she looked down at her own horse, her face full of shame and anger.
············
"Okay, we're here!"
afternoon.
Although Ryuunosuke looked reluctant, when it was time to carry out the mission, he and Shino followed Kurutani-senpai through the boundary gate to the sky above Karakura Town.
"Then...my work ends here."
After watching the two of them cross the Realm Gate and truly enter the realm of the real world, Kurutani waved his hands and encouraged, "Take care! Fight diligently! You will definitely become excellent Shinigami!"
Snapped.
After saying that, the simple world-traveling door closed with a snap, leaving only Ryunosuke and Shino messy in the harsh cold wind high in the sky.
"..."
The two looked at each other and were silent for a long time.
"Okay, let's start patrolling."
Finally, Shino broke the silence lightly and suggested without explanation, "I'll go north, you go south."
"Uh? Not together?" Ryuzhijie was slightly startled when he heard this.
"What are you talking about? What a waste of time!? Isn't it just to improve work efficiency that two people are sent to do a job that could be done by one person?" Shino answered matter-of-factly, "What's wrong? How can you do it alone?
Are you afraid?"
"I..." Ryuzosuke was stunned again, and then admitted confidently, "Yes, I am scared!"
"Don't speak so confidently!" Shino looked at him speechlessly for a while, "Shame on you!"
With that said, she ignored Ryunosuke and turned around to leave: "Hey, never mind! Just take this opportunity to change your weak character!"
"Hey!?"
Watching the other person's leaving figure, Ryunosuke stretched out his hand in panic to stop him, but the other person disappeared without a trace in a few short steps.
"Hey... Shino is too much..."
In desperation, he could only start patrolling alone.
He stepped on the rooftops and walked over the dark night of Karakura Town, looking at his surroundings from time to time.
It was calm at first, but...
Just when Ryunosuke stopped to rest after patrolling for a while, he suddenly noticed something strange.
"rustle--"
A whistling voice came from behind, breaking the otherwise silent night.
The shadow gradually enveloped his entire body.
Ryunosuke turned his head with a stiff neck.
A scarlet eye peeking out from under the pale mask was staring at him calmly.
Suddenly, the look on Ryunosuke's face became almost as pale as the one in front of him.
He didn't even notice how the other party was so close.
The next moment, Ryunosuke reacted immediately and ran away in the direction he came from.
boom--
Boom——Boom——
Fierce roars continued to sound, which was the sound of the huge Void catching up and stomping on the ground.
Listening to this terrifying sound, Ryunosuke had no intention of fighting with it and accelerated his pace again in the direction of his companion's aura.
However, he didn't seem to realize that he had overlooked something.
For example, the strong and terrifying aura coming from other creatures is mixed in the direction of the aura of his companion that is lingering at the moment.
"!!!"
Finally, when he arrived at Shino's location, he suddenly came to his senses and froze on the spot.
He looked at the injured and dying girl held in the hands of a huge Hollow, and the terrifying Hollows surrounding him who only looked at him.
Feeling the vibrations from behind stop.
Ryunosuke fell into despair.
They... were surrounded by multiple Daxu that appeared inexplicably.
"how so?"
At this moment, Ryunosuke's eyes were full of disbelief.
When he was attending classes at Zhenyang Spiritual Arts Academy... he had never heard of so many Daxu appearing at the same time...
Is this... really a situation that the God of Death can handle!?
Bang bang bang——
Although his body was shaking constantly, Ryunosuke still reached out and grasped the Zanpakutō at his waist.
His uncontrollably trembling arms caused the blade of the sword to continuously collide with the scabbard, making a clanging sound.
He stared blankly at the girl in front of him who was being held by Daxu.
"Shino..."
At this moment, Ryunosuke only had one thought left in his mind.
Originally, he thought he would just be afraid when encountering this kind of situation.
But actually... what he was thinking at the moment was——
"I have to...it's just the two of us...so...I have to save Shino..."
Although the idea is beautiful, the reality is often extremely cruel.
puff--
Before he could calm down the fear in his heart and draw the sword out of its sheath, Daxu behind him could not restrain his bloodthirsty impulse and swung the claws representing death towards him.
Along with the sound of flesh and blood being torn apart, Ryunosuke's entire body was shot away.
The Zanpakutō he had finally summoned up the courage to pull out fell to the ground with a clang.
"Forehead?"
He stared blankly at his empty palms, and at the Zanpakutō lying quietly not far away, his eyes full of confusion.
I can't move my hands, not even a finger.
Of course, so does the body.
Isn't it? I was actually... about to be killed by Xu with just one blow?
Fear began to spread rapidly in Ryunosuke's heart.
Blood! So much blood was shed...
No...I don't want to die yet...
Shino...
I haven't done anything to help, so I'm going to die like this?
While Ryunosuke was thinking, his consciousness gradually blurred, but the shadow of death was still approaching.
One of them opened its huge mouth, ready to swallow him whole.
But just when he was about to be swallowed up by despair, a flash of light cut through the darkness like a dawn, illuminating the world that was gradually becoming blurry in front of him.
This light... is like hope.
Soon, a figure stopped in front of him, and the light just now seemed to be the light of the sword that struck the figure.
boom--
A violent roar sounded.
Xu, who was cut in half by a sword, fell to the ground. The warm blood made Ryunosuke, who fell on the ground, wake up a little.
"You...you are..."
He looked at the figure that suddenly appeared with dull eyes and asked hesitantly.
"Kurosaki Ichigo. Acting Shinigami."
He only heard the man replying calmly, and then he raised the Zanpakuto in his hand that was so big that he was extremely surprised, and cut another Hollow in half with a single slash.
"Is this...the power of...acting for the God of Death?"
Then, shrouded in a warm light, Ryunosuke lost consciousness in horror and confusion.
············
"You've been waiting for a long time! Delicious bread is here!"
After one day and one night.
Amidst a burst of energetic sounds, Ryunosuke, who had been unconscious, woke up leisurely.
"Uh... strange ceiling."
He looked confusedly at the ceiling above, which was full of modern decoration techniques and completely different from the style in Soul Society, and murmured.
"Ah! You finally woke up!? Great!"
As if hearing his murmuring voice, the energetic voice said in surprise.
Ryuzosuke heard that his reputation had passed.
I finally understood why I was under an unfamiliar ceiling.
Looking at the boys and girls gathered in front of me and sharing various bread products, the memories before the coma gradually came to my mind.
He... was saved by these people in front of him.
The men and women in front of me, who looked like ordinary high school students, all had the terrifying ability to tear apart Daxu with their hands.
"Ahh——"
After realizing the terror of these people, Ryunosuke couldn't help but scream in surprise.
"What are you yelling at!?"
"That's great. I've been in a coma for a day and a night and can still be so energetic. There should be nothing wrong with me!"
The impatient voice and the gentle voice came almost at the same time.
Ryunosuke realized his impoliteness and quickly covered his mouth.
He was indeed too excited just now.
But can you blame him?
What was before him at this moment... seemed to be the acting Shinigami and his companions who had been hearing some rumors even in Soul Society's Zheno Spiritual Arts Academy for some time.
Although his memory before coma was a little blurry, the shock of what he saw with his own eyes still made him unable to calm down.
These people...are a hundred times more powerful than rumored!!
Wait... I seem to have forgotten something.
By the way...where's Shino?
Realizing that he still had a companion whose life or death was uncertain, Ryunosuke immediately raised his head and wanted to ask.
But his mouth was blocked by the bread that was shoved into his face.
"Well……"
"Give."
Kurosaki Ichigo handed the bread to the young Shinigami in front of him, "Yours, eat it, I have been in a coma for a day and a night."
"Um...but..." Hearing this, Ryuzosuke was slightly startled.
He is the God of Death and is in a state of soul. How can he eat?
"Oh, you can't eat like this, right?"
As if seeing the confusion in the other person's eyes, Kurosaki Ichigo pointed to the place covered by the quilt on the bed where the other person was lying.
"Then go in quickly."
"Go in? Huh? Ah!!"
Hearing this, Ryuzosuke subconsciously turned his head and looked.
Then he immediately saw a 'corpse' that looked exactly like him lying next to him, and he was so frightened that he screamed again.
"What a fuss...you are actually scared by your own remains...are you really the God of Death?" Kurosaki Ichigo was speechless as he looked at the panicked look on his face.
"Um...no...not..."
Ryunosuke calmed down and seemed to still remember important things, "Now is not the time to eat...Um...where is Shino? She is the girl who was attacked by Hollow with me! Is she okay?"
"I'm back!"
Just as Ryuunosuke was questioning, a familiar voice came, and then a girl carrying a bag with a convenience store logo on it pushed the door open.
"I bought a Coke——"
Before the girl finished speaking, she looked into the eyes of Ryunosuke who had regained consciousness.
Then, she suddenly became teary-eyed.
"Ryunosuke..."
"Zhino...that's great! You're okay..."
boom!
Ryunosuke responded with a violent chokehold.
"It's so embarrassing - even though the injury has healed, I still lay there all day and all night before waking up!"
"it hurts!"
"Don't cry out in pain! It's too embarrassing!"
"Well……"
"You're really energetic."
Inoue Orihime smiled and looked at Ryuunosuke who was energetic enough to play with Miss Shino just after waking up.
"Ignore them, let's eat first."
Kurosaki Ichigo chose a piece of bread that suited his taste, ignored the two rookie Shinigami who were wrestling with each other on the bed, and suggested lightly.
"good!"
"Um……"
"I'm already eating."
Inoue Orihime, Sadatora Taitora and Ishida Uryu each responded.
The atmosphere in the whole room seemed extremely relaxed, and it didn't look like someone had just experienced life and death.
"Oh, by the way, I don't know what your name is yet..."
Seemingly remembering something important, Ichigo Kurosaki asked while turning his head to look at Ryunosuke.
However, the guy who caught his eye made him slightly stunned.
"!!"
The others also noticed something, and suddenly turned their heads to look where Kurosaki Ichigo was looking.
I saw a strange man appear on Kurosaki Ichigo's bed at some point, looking down at them with his head lowered, and answering Kurosaki Ichigo's question nonchalantly, even though the question was not addressed to him.
"My name is Ibon."
Seemingly seeing the surprised looks in everyone's eyes, the man who called himself Ibon continued to say doubtfully, "What? Do you still want to know my full name? It's Azquierro Ibon. Do you have anything else to ask?
Yes? I can tell you all~"
"..."
After hearing this, the atmosphere gradually became silent.
Finally, Kurosaki Ichigo's face gradually turned cold, and he looked at the other person's boots-clad feet on his bed expressionlessly: "I don't care who you are, in short, get off my bed."
"excuse me."
Yi Bang had contempt in his eyes when he heard this, and said lightly, "Can you say it again? I didn't seem to hear you very clearly just now."