Shinichi Kisaragi had a problem.
A tiny, ghost-sized, sword-carrying problem named Rukia Kuchiki.
"I know you can see me," Rukia declared, her violet eyes narrowed in suspicion.
Shinichi blinked and turned his head away dramatically. "Who said that? Who dares speak to the blind man?"
Rukia's eyebrow twitched. "Don't play dumb. You reacted the moment you saw me."
"That was just my sixth sense," Shinichi retorted smoothly. "When you lose one sense, the others get stronger. I could feel the air shift as you moved, hear the subtle rustle of your outfit, and sense the spiritual weight of your presence."
Rukia crossed her arms. "You blinked right at me."
"...Coincidence."
"You also looked shocked."
"Acting."
"You dodged the Hollow's attack before it even reached you."
"Lucky reflexes?"
Rukia let out a deep sigh, rubbing her temples. "You have a dust-sized speck of reiatsu. It's barely there, but it's enough to let you perceive spirits like me. That's the only reason you can see me."
"Wait, hold on." Shinichi frowned. "Barely a speck of dust?"
"Correct."
"Not, like, a small flame? Or a cool wisp of energy? Just... dust?"
"Yes. The kind that settles under furniture."
"...Wow. You're brutal."
Rukia smirked. "Just being honest."
Shinichi sighed in defeat. "Great. So, Miss Dust Detector, now what?"
Rukia's expression turned serious. "Hollows attack those with spiritual energy, no matter how weak. You're not strong enough to fight back, so be careful."
Shinichi waved her off. "Got it, got it. Stay alive, avoid ghosts, don't get eaten. Simple."
The two exchanged a few more barbs before Rukia finally left, disappearing into the night.
Shinichi sighed as he headed home, already dreading what came next.
---
The moment Shinichi stepped inside his room, the system screen flashed before his eyes.
[Main Quests]
[1. Basic Physical Training – Complete 1,000 push-ups, 1,000 sit-ups, 1,000 squats, and run 10 km. (0%)]
[2. Spiritual Awareness – Meditate and focus on sensing reiryoku. (25%)]
[3. Survive a near-death experience (0%)]
Shinichi stared at the first quest. Then back at the system. Then back at the quest.
"…You're joking."
[Nope.]
"Who do you think I am? Saitama?!"
[No, you're significantly weaker.]
Shinichi groaned. "You realize I have a human body, right?"
[Not for long if you keep slacking.]
"I hate you."
[Understandable. Now start running.]
"...Okay." He cracked his neck. "Let's get this over with."
He dropped down and began his push-ups.
One.
Two.
Three.
By the time he reached ten, his arms were shaking. By fifteen, he was sweating. By twenty, his soul had left his body.
Panting, he collapsed onto the floor, glaring at the system window with pure hatred. "Alright, how much progress did I make?"
The system beeped.
[Progress: 0.1%]
Shinichi inhaled deeply.
Then exhaled.
Then flipped off the system. "You absolute sack of garbage."
The system didn't respond.
Because it was a system.
Which just made Shinichi hate it even more.
Still, he pushed on. He did as many squats and sit-ups as he could, until his legs burned and his stomach felt like it was going to collapse in on itself.
Eventually, he slumped against the wall, gasping for breath.
"...How much now?"
[Progress: 1%]
Shinichi stared at the screen.
Then he stared at his hands.
Then, very slowly, he muttered:
"I'm gonna die."
The system beeped again.
[Recommended Action: Stop being a little bitch.]
Shinichi's eyebrow twitched. "You wanna go, you floating piece of—"
[Side Quest: Cry Harder]
Objective: Complain to the system 10 times.
Reward: Nothing. Just pain.
Shinichi slammed his head against the wall.
He hated his life.
He groaned, rolling onto his back. "Fine. Let's at least see how I'm doing with the second quest."
[Spiritual Awareness – 25% Complete]
"Wait, what?!"
[Exposure to Rukia and the Hollow's reiatsu helped accelerate your progress.]
Shinichi blinked. "So I barely did anything, and I got a quarter of the way done?"
[Basically.]
"…I love this quest."
---
The next morning, Shinichi dragged his sore body to school, suppressing every urge to collapse on the spot.
Ichigo and his friends were gathered on the rooftop, chatting about random things. Keigo, as always, was being loud.
"Guys, hear me out! If ghosts exist, then that means there has to be a ghost economy, right? What if there's, like, a ghost stock market?"
Tatsuki rolled her eyes. "Keigo, that's the dumbest thing I've heard today."
"You say that now, but when ghost capitalism takes over, don't come crying to me!"
Ichigo sighed. "Can we talk about literally anything else?"
Shinichi chuckled. "Nah, let him cook. I wanna see how deep this insanity goes."
Mizuiro smirked. "Pretty sure it goes very deep."
As the group continued their nonsense, Shinichi felt something odd—like a storm brewing on the horizon.
He knew what it meant.
A week from now, Ichigo would become a Shinigami.
And if he wanted to survive, he needed to get stronger. Fast.
---
As Shinichi packed up after school, Ichigo walked over.
"Hey, your house is near mine, right? Wanna walk home together?"
Shinichi shrugged. "Sure, why not?"
The two made their way through the streets, chatting about school, annoying teachers, and how Keigo was probably going to get himself arrested someday.
Then, they heard a commotion.
Up ahead, a group of delinquents had surrounded Chad, trying to snatch his precious chain from him.
Shinichi recognized this scene.
"Ichigo," he muttered.
"Yeah, I know."
Ichigo stepped forward, dialing for an ambulance. "Yo, how many of you guys are there? Four? Five? Just making sure the ambulance has enough beds for you all."
"Oh... so this moment is happening now, right in front of me huh..." Shinichi muttered to himself.
The delinquents scowled. "The hell did you say?"
Shinichi sighed. "I was really hoping to avoid a fight today."
He quickly checked his stats.
[Level: 3]
"Huh. I actually leveled up."
Before he could process it further, one of the thugs took a swing at him. Reflexively, Shinichi dodged and countered with a quick jab.
Shinichi blinked. "...Did I just—?"
Another thug rushed him. Shinichi ducked, swept his leg out, and sent the guy sprawling.
His body felt... faster. Just a little.
Stronger.
The system's interface popped up.
[Status Update: You Are Still Weak.]
Shinichi scowled. "Thanks for the motivation, asshole."
Even if it was just a tiny bit...
He was getting stronger.
---
To Be Continued…