Late at night a few days later, at the Kurosaki home, Ichigo's bedroom was shrouded in deep darkness.
Rustle!
An extremely faint sound, like the soft friction of fabric as a wardrobe door was carefully pulled open, rang out in the silence.
An ordinary person might not have noticed it, but to Kurosaki Ichigo, it was as glaring as thunder, enough to jolt awake every nerve in his body that had been reinforced by spiritual pressure.
In the darkness, those eyes of his that usually carried a hint of laziness were now sharp like a hawk's.
He looked at the petite figure sneaking around in his room, tiptoeing toward the window, and spoke coldly, without emotion, "Hey, Rukia, where are you going so late at night?"
Rukia did not have a place of her own in the human world. She had always been staying inside the wardrobe in his room where he kept his clothes.
That cramped space was something only someone with Rukia's build could squeeze into.
"I-Ichigo?", Rukia's sneaky figure froze. She said a bit awkwardly, "I'm going to Urahara's shop to buy some things. There's a new batch of Soul Society goods that just came in."
"Urahara's shop, huh? That's where Ishida was taken after he was seriously injured and fell unconscious, right?", Kurosaki Ichigo spoke calmly, as if he had no idea what Rukia was thinking and was simply making casual conversation.
"Yeah! Yeah! I went yesterday and he had already gone back. I'll be right back. You just go to sleep, no need to worry about me," As she spoke, Rukia threw open the window and recklessly jumped out.
She did not have much spiritual pressure left, but for just the second floor, climbing over it was easy enough.
"Tch! Yeah, you already went to see Urahara Kisuke yesterday. With your personality, how could you possibly go twice in such a short time, Rukia," Kurosaki Ichigo sighed softly, slowly got out of bed, and walked to the window, watching that petite figure disappear into the distance.
If Rukia were completely carefree and did not worry about implicating him at all, then even if he still helped her, there would inevitably be some resentment in his heart.
But Rukia chose to leave without saying goodbye in order to avoid the Soul Society pursuers and not drag him into it.
Just that alone made it impossible for him to stand by and do nothing.
"Well, whatever. Whether it's Soul Society or Hueco Mundo, they're all enemies anyway. Just follow what you think is right," Kurosaki Ichigo chuckled lightly and glanced back toward the direction of the next room.
He had been systematically trained by Aizen. Even through several walls, he could sense that his old man had not gone to sleep yet.
Tonight, there were probably countless people paying attention to this place, watching him.
According to Aizen, he was probably just a chess piece in this internal struggle within Soul Society. No matter what he did, he would not be able to change the outcome.
But there were still things he absolutely had to do.
"Aizen-sensei, you're about to be framed by bastards like Rosse and Urahara Kisuke. How could I possibly sit by and do nothing. And Rukia too..."
Kurosaki Ichigo let out a soft laugh as he finished speaking and leapt straight down from the window frame, "You've been eating and living at my place for so long. I still haven't collected the rent."
While still in midair, his body completed its transformation. His shihakusho replaced his pajamas, and his Zanpakuto was drawn with force.
As for his physical body, it was quietly entrusted, at the moment he landed, to the modified soul he had released.
With his old man secretly watching, he still did not want to reveal abilities that normal Shinigami did not possess.
As for things like Shikai and Bankai, even though they were taught by Aizen-sensei, they could just as well be abilities he comprehended during battle. There was no conflict there.
Racing through the streets in the dead of night, Kurosaki Ichigo continuously sensed the spiritual pressures ahead.
In his perception, three spiritual pressures were about to converge ahead, 'No, not just three. There are five in total, and two of them should be that bastard Urahara Kisuke and his people.'
'Heh! Just like Aizen-sensei said. Those guys really have been watching from the shadows all along.'
———
On the dark streets, the streetlights flickered on and off.
With tears welling in her eyes, Rukia ran at full speed through the streets.
These past few days had been the happiest she had lived in years.
She had made new friends and come into contact with a new kind of life.
At first, she felt uncomfortable everywhere in the human world, as if she did not belong here at all.
But as she slowly spent time with Kurosaki Ichigo, and then got to know one ordinary yet vibrant classmate after another, her life had undeniably become colorful.
If she had a choice, she wanted to live like this forever.
But unfortunately, there are no ifs in this world.
She was not an ordinary high school student. She was a Shinigami belonging to the Gotei 13, and she had violated the laws of Soul Society. Soul Society had already issued an official warrant for her arrest.
Under such circumstances, how could she continue staying at Kurosaki Ichigo's house.
'Leave. Leave quietly. Go back and bear everything yourself,' That was the choice Rukia made.
And just as Rukia was feeling sad in secret, a loud voice tinged with displeasure rang out, "Yo, it hasn't even been that long since we last met. How did you end up looking like a stray dog, Rukia?"
Hearing that voice, Rukia stopped instantly, her body stiffening.
"Renji..."
She slowly raised her head, her gaze falling on a dim utility pole ahead.
Under the faint streetlight, a red-haired figure in a shihakusho was crouched atop the very tip of the pole.
Abarai Renji. Her childhood companion, someone who had entered the Shin'o Academy at the same time as her and eventually become a Shinigami together with her.
But during their time at the academy, she had been adopted by the Kuchiki family as a foster daughter, and her relationship with Abarai Renji had gradually grown distant.
The last time she heard news of him was a few years ago, when he became the vice-captain of the Sixth Division.
Looking at that familiar figure, Rukia could not help but feel dazed.
The one sent to capture her was actually her former playmate.
"You've fallen, Rukia. Come back obediently with me and the captain to admit your guilt. Captain Rosse and the captain should both help you," Abarai Renji said this in a tone of frustration, as if scolding iron for not becoming steel, while walking toward Rukia.
The relationship between him and Rukia was complicated.
The reason the two of them had grown apart was also the result of his own choice.
It was not that he had deliberately distanced himself from Rukia. He simply felt that he was nothing more than a stray dog from Rukongai and was not worthy of her.
In his heart, Rukia should have been the daughter of a noble family like the Kuchiki, and should not be mixed up with a stray dog like him.
But for someone like her to make such a grave mistake left him at a loss, unsure of how he should even help her.
With Rukia's strength, there was absolutely no need for her to give her Shinigami powers to a complete stranger.
"Captain? Is Nii-san here too?"
Rukia did not listen to the rest of Abarai Renji's words at all. Just knowing that Kuchiki Byakuya had come was already enough to make her feel suffocated.
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
[email protected]/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining P@treon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through P@treon.