Of course.
But not every viewer could fully immerse themselves in the video right now.
At this moment—
Over in the World of the Living.
In another city near Karakura Town.
In the suburbs of Naruki City—where, twenty years ago, a massive incident once occurred—
A hidden human Fullbringer organization had been lurking there all this time!
In the past, Fullbringers were so rare that they never drew much outside attention.
Until just now…
When the battle footage involving Kurosaki Ichigo got exposed—
Inside the organization's headquarters—
A wave of shocked cries erupted all at once!
"Huh?!"
"That's… Tsukishima!!!"
"Future you is actually fighting Kurosaki Ichigo?!"
"No way—seriously?! He's the kind of guy who goes up against monsters like Yhwach and Aizen!"
"People like us—small fry—actually dared to provoke Kurosaki Ichigo?!"
"Are we trying to shorten our own lifespan?!"
Fear.
Panic.
Disbelief.
Among them was a man in suspenders with a center-part hairstyle—Tsukishima Shūkurō—who looked like the type who "loves singing and dancing and rap," and even "playing basketball."
Staring at the screen—
At the "future him" who was crossing blades with Kurosaki Ichigo—
The cup of black tea he'd just brewed slipped from his hands.
Bang!
It smashed on the floor, spilling everywhere, glass shards scattering.
Only after it hit the ground did his whole body stiffen and "wake up," his eyes filled with raw terror!!!
Yes.
And it wasn't just Tsukishima Shūkurō.
Right beside him were all the other members of the Fullbringer organization:
Kūgo Ginjō,
Riruka Dokugamine,
Moe Shishigawara,
Yukio Hans Vorarlberna…
Everyone—almost without exception—wore the same expression: shocked out of their minds, and yet utterly lost, their eyes drowning in thick, instinctive fear.
All of it because this sudden scene was so abrupt, so unreal, that it left them completely at a loss!!!
"From the look of it…"
"It's like we tricked Kurosaki Ichigo… so he's coming for revenge?"
Yukio—the blond teen holding a handheld game console—lowered his eyes and spoke with a bitter, helpless tone.
Ever since these ranking videos started appearing,
they'd been like every other audience group—gathering at their base, watching together, throwing comments back and forth.
Not long ago, when "Horned Ichigo" showed up and the video put that power on full display—
Yukio and the others had even thought, "So what? He doesn't look as scary as the rumors make him out to be. People still get dealt with by the protagonist all the same."
And then—just like that—
In the blink of an eye…
The gossip finally landed on their own heads!
And they'd become the next batch of unfortunate victims—after Shinigami and Hollows—another group lined up to be labeled "Ichigo's enemies"!
Faced with that realization,
Ginjō—already gloomy by nature—had a face that looked even darker than storm clouds.
Even though the clip had only just started,
he could already predict how this would end for them—
They were going to get crushed by a furious Kurosaki Ichigo!
They were going to become stepping-stones for him to regain his Shinigami power!
A perfect on-camera "power-up arc" for the whole world to see!!!
"No matter what…"
"Calm down. Don't panic. Since it already happened, all we can do is keep watching for now…"
The organization's leader—
tall and solidly built, wearing a black leather coat—
stepped forward to soothe everyone's emotions.
But honestly?
He was just as confused.
Kurosaki Ichigo was the protagonist—he hadn't even properly shown off his Zanpakutō yet, and he'd already slapped a black-winged demon to death!
And this group of nobodies…
How on earth did they end up bold enough to scheme against him in the future?!
Did they want the horned white Hollow inside him to pop out, take over his body, and tear them apart?!
This was beyond reckless.
This was dancing on the edge of death!!!
——
At the same time—
Under the trembling, uneasy stares of Ginjō and the others,
the ranking video continued.
"Nngh…!"
Kurosaki Ichigo raised his blade with both hands.
Even through his exhausted expression, his movements were still sharp—he swung and sent out a dark red slashing wave!
It wasn't the Getsuga Tenshō the audience already knew…
But it definitely wasn't weak!
After Ichigo's strike,
Tsukishima Shūkurō's expression sank hard.
His arm was injured.
A thin line of blood seeped out!!!
"Ichigo…"
"Nice one…"
"Even if future you lost your Shinigami power… looks like your combat experience didn't disappear!"
——
In the World of the Living.
At Karakura Town—inside Karakura High School—
Tatsuki Arisawa, Yasutora Sado, and Orihime Inoue had gathered as well.
As Ichigo's closest companions,
they were naturally watching too.
Ichigo was the type who could pull through.
He would beat his opponent.
He would win the fight!
"Right…?"
As if confirming that belief,
Orihime showed a brave smile.
"I don't really know what kind of person that opponent is…"
"But as long as it doesn't involve Ichigo's family or his friends… even if a fight happens, I don't mind!"
They'd been classmates for a long time.
And now, with Ichigo's power returning, his strength rising—
he was no longer just an ordinary high school student in any sense.
For any battle, he could face it calmly.
And right now,
the place shown on-screen clearly wasn't familiar Karakura Town.
None of their other friends or familiar faces were anywhere to be seen.
So the three of them—Tatsuki, Sado, and Orihime—agreed:
It was probably just a normal fight.
They could keep watching without worry!!!
But then…
No warning at all—
The story veered into something completely insane!!!
"Absurd—!!!"
On-screen, right beside Kurosaki Ichigo—
a doorway suddenly—
A massive red hand shot out!
Yasutora Sado appeared, hostility written all over him, staring straight at Ichigo!
Once that scene got broadcast into the real world—
it hit like a thunderbolt from a clear sky!
In Karakura Town, it caused an immediate uproar!!!
"???"
"Isn't that guy… Ichigo's classmate? His childhood friend who grew up with him?!"
"Yasutora Sado?!"
Inside Sado's room—
Ichigo's eyes went wide.
What… was going on…?
He clearly remembered—
A long time ago, honest, reliable Sado had stayed with him again and again after school,
standing with him near the little back path by the school gate, getting into fights together.
Their relationship was close.
Friendly.
They were absolutely among each other's best friends.
So why…?
Why would the future show Sado bringing some outsider—
and launching a sneak attack on Ichigo from behind?
And that vicious look—
It didn't look like a joke.
His eyes were ice-cold, like he'd turned into a machine.
It wasn't just hostility—
it looked like outright murderous intent!
Had he lost his mind?!
And at that moment—
It wasn't only Ichigo being shaken.
Over at the high school campus, everyone exploded in shock!
"Huh?!"
"Future me…"
"What is this supposed to be?!!!"
Shock turned into confusion.
Confusion turned into a kind of numb disbelief.
Inside the room where Sado was watching—
Orihime, furious, stared with eyes wide open.
She couldn't even think about the fact that her "future self" might also do something like this.
Her mind went blank.
The "her" on the screen looked like a stranger.
She couldn't accept it.
Future her… choosing to betray Kurosaki Ichigo?!
"How…?"
Beside her,
Ichigo was completely stunned too.
He instinctively denied the reality of what he was seeing.
He couldn't believe it either.
A friend he'd shared life-and-death loyalty with since childhood—
someone he'd fought alongside countless times—
would never choose a bunch of strangers over him.
"Ichigo…"
"Sado…"
"Could it be… some kind of misunderstanding, because—"
Before anyone could finish that thought—
the next scene dropped like a bomb and left everyone's brains fried.
"Tsukishima…"
"Are you okay?"
"You're hurt, right? I'll heal you…"
It wasn't just Sado.
Even Orihime—the honest, gentle Orihime—showed up too.
She wasn't attacking Ichigo the way Sado did.
But she still went to Tsukishima Shūkurō's side—
and used Sōten Kisshun (Twin Heavenly Return Shield) to heal him!
That single moment—
was pure insanity.
When it got exposed to the entire world through the ranking video,
it shocked everyone to the core!
And at the same time…
it made the audience even more excited.
The crowd's reactions instantly shifted from confusion and guessing—
to gossip and shameless entertainment.
"Whoa, whoa…"
"That sweet, loyal Orihime is healing some random guy?!"
"Isn't this exactly the kind of 'green hat' plot you see in those trashy adult videos?"
"No way—something like this actually happens to Kurosaki Ichigo?!"
"This 'green glow' is kind of… painful to look at…"
Across the world, spectators practically turned into tabloid reporters, grinning as they devoured the drama.
So that's how it was…
Kurosaki Ichigo—
Not only did he become a "bull" when he transformed…
Even in romance, it looked like he was about to get NTR'd too!
This sudden direction change—
caught even the audience off guard!!!
"Pfft…"
"So Kurosaki Ichigo finally gets 'one of those' scenes too?!"
——
"I used to think that in this world, all the good things would end up being taken by one person…"
Some viewers laughed so hard they looked like they were about to fall over.
Others, with guilty expressions, nodded along like they'd been humbled a long time ago.
But now—
This was a rare chance.
Watching Kurosaki Ichigo take a loss right in front of them?
Naturally, they couldn't resist gloating—jumping out as the first to mock the situation!
Meanwhile, Grimmjow couldn't be bothered with the comment section at all.
"I don't care about human relationship drama."
"All I know is—if you piss off Kurosaki Ichigo, the outcome is going to be miserable!"
After watching enough ranking videos,
Grimmjow had long accepted his identity as "a loser who got beaten."
He wasn't casually trash-talking Ichigo anymore.
If anything, what he said now sounded more like backhanded praise.
And at this moment—
On a throne above, Aizen watched coldly, expressionless.
Then he spoke in a low voice:
"If I'm not mistaken… this is a memory-related ability."
"That Fullbringer's power."
"Only that can explain what we're seeing right now."
As he continued,
Aizen's interest in Tsukishima's ability clearly rose.
Because this wasn't some throwaway side character.
That opponent… was not "background extra" material.
And Aizen recognized it—
At first glance, this ability looked ordinary.
It seemed like it could only be used on certain targets, under certain conditions.
But in the hands of a strong user…
The true strength of an ability often depends on the strength of its wielder.
For example—
If that ability could be turned to serve the user themselves…
Then its potential—
might not even be inferior to Kyōka Suigetsu!!!
"Tch…"
"A Fullbringer organization, huh? Interesting."
Because of this exposure,
everyone was getting a brand-new kind of "battlefield."
A type of human power they rarely saw.
And many eyes—once again—were being pulled toward the World of the Living's plotline.
——
Back to the present.
As one of the people directly involved—
Orihime, who'd been watching right beside Ichigo—
was more nervous than anyone.
"Ah…"
"I… how could I…"
"Betray Kurosaki-kun…"
Nervous.
Panicked.
Flustered.
Her gaze fixed on the screen, Orihime looked extremely uneasy.
There was a feeling of "I must have done something wrong," even though she didn't understand it.
But she could also sense—
If future her stood on Tsukishima's side…
then Ichigo must have been hurt badly.
So Orihime's fear kept rising.
"Orihime…"
In the end, she made a decision.
To avoid any misunderstanding—
to make Ichigo relax—
Orihime forced herself to gather courage, staring at the screen as if she could pierce through it.
Even if she was a simple, pure-hearted girl—
Even if they were still just high schoolers—
Even if it was embarrassingly hard to say out loud—
She still said it.
One word at a time.
Clear.
Firm.
"Ichigo… everything is a misunderstanding."
"You should know that."
"No matter if it's now… or the future…"
Her face turned red.
So red it looked like steam might come out.
Even the "future" scene on-screen seemed to overlap with her current confession.
And finally—
With Sado and Tatsuki watching right beside them—
Orihime took a deep breath and confessed with everything she had:
"No matter what happens!"
"I will always stay by your side—always—"
"I'll be with you, and I'll follow you!!!"
After she finished the last word—
Orihime's face was burning.
Her body swayed, and she nearly collapsed on the spot.
"Orihime…"
At that crucial moment,
Ichigo stepped forward and gently pulled her into his arms.
Holding her tightly.
As if to tell her—
There was no need to explain anything.
He'd never doubted her.
"Don't force yourself to explain…"
"I've never doubted you."
Orihime froze.
Then her eyes warmed.
And she smiled.
The awkward, tense atmosphere—
the suspicion—
the "green hat" nonsense—
all of it vanished in that instant.
And because they understood each other—
because they chose each other—
the mood on the scene became sweet again.
Watching together,
everyone's expressions softened.
Even the spectators around the world—
couldn't help but feel that the story had suddenly become… a lot more pleasant.
(End of Chapter)
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