The dull thuds of fists meeting flesh echoed through the alleyway as Ichigo and Shinichi tore through the group of delinquents.
Shinichi wasn't as strong as Ichigo yet, but his movements were sharper, more instinctive than before. He ducked under a wild swing, countered with a quick jab to the ribs, and kicked another guy in the knee, sending him toppling.
Still, he wasn't untouchable. A punch clipped his jaw, making him stumble back. The taste of iron spread in his mouth.
Damn, still too slow…
A familiar chime rang in his head.
[Level Up! You have reached Level 4.]
His strength and speed each increased by 0.5, but his durability had jumped by 1.
Shinichi wiped the blood off his lip. Why the hell did my durability go up more than my strength?
[Because you get hit too damn much. You'll need it if you keep tanking hits like a sponge.]
Shinichi scowled. "Oh, screw you."
Ichigo cracked his knuckles. "You talking to yourself?"
"Yeah, yeah, don't mind me."
Shinichi stretched his sore limbs. Chad, the massive but quiet guy they had saved, gave them a grateful nod before walking off.
The fight was over.
But Shinichi knew he still had a long way to go.
That night, Shinichi sat on his bed, staring at his hands. His body already felt stronger than it had that morning.
But how? He had only been training for a day, and his Physical Training Quest progress was just at 3%.
[Your training under the system's quests grants accelerated improvement. Consider it a system buff.]
Shinichi's eyes widened. Then what happens when I hit 100%?
The thought sent a thrill down his spine.
Determined, he threw on his running shoes and slipped outside. He ran through the dimly lit streets, pushing himself harder, faster. His breath came in steady bursts, his muscles burning in the best way.
Then, something odd happened.
A notification appeared.
[Spiritual Awareness +1]
Another.
[Spiritual Awareness +1]
His awareness was climbing rapidly—25%… 26%… 27%…
He wasn't meditating. He wasn't even focusing on reiatsu.
He subtly scanned his surroundings. No visible threats. No hollows.
Then it clicked—exposure.
His awareness had jumped to 25% before because of Rukia and that Hollow. Meaning… the presence observing him now had strong spiritual energy.
Was it a Shinigami? A Hollow?
His instincts screamed at him to leave. Keeping his pace steady, he finished his workout and hurried home.
He never noticed the man standing in the shadows—a tall figure wearing a striped green hat and clogs, leaning casually on a wooden cane. His smirk held an amused glint.
Back home, Shinichi checked his progress.
His awareness had reached 49%.
Might as well hit 50 before sleeping.
He sat cross-legged and meditated.
The moment he reached 50%, a notification popped up.
[Spiritual Awareness Quest (50%) Complete! Reward: New Ability – Spiritual Perception]
Shinichi sat up eagerly. "Alright, let's see what kind of badass power I got—"
[Spiritual Perception: Grants beginner-level ability to perceive spiritual energy. Stronger entities feel like pressure weighing down on you, weaker ones like flickers in the air. You can now recognize distinct spiritual 'signatures' with focus and control your reiatsu leakage.]
Shinichi blinked.
"…That's it?"
[You were expecting Bankai?]
A long sigh escaped him.
At least now I won't be leaking my energy like a broken faucet…
He flopped onto his bed. As he drifted to sleep, he checked his status.
[Physical Training: 5%]
[Level: 6]
It wasn't much.
But it was progress.
The next morning, Shinichi walked toward school, lost in thought.
Five percent in physical training.
Maybe in a few weeks, I'll—
A sudden impact snapped him out of it.
"Oh! I'm so sorry!"
He looked up. A girl with long orange hair and bright eyes bowed apologetically.
Orihime Inoue.
"No, no, I wasn't looking," Shinichi said.
She smiled. "You're Kisaragi-kun, right?"
"Yeah."
Ichigo and Tatsuki approached. Orihime turned to Tatsuki. "There you are! Let's go!"
Shinichi smirked. "So you were waiting for Tatsuki, huh?"
Orihime nodded. "Mhm! Were you waiting for Kurosaki-kun?"
Shinichi made a face. "I have better standards."
Ichigo frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Tatsuki laughed. "He's got a point."
The school day passed uneventfully. Shinichi skipped waiting for Ichigo and headed home.
He was eager to train.
Unfortunately, fate had other plans.
As he turned a corner, a gang of delinquents blocked his path.
Fifteen of them.
They were friends of the ones he and Ichigo had beaten yesterday.
"Damn…" Shinichi sighed, rubbing his temple. "Look, guys, why don't we just let bygones be bygones? Maybe we all go get some ramen instead? My treat."
Silence.
Then, the leader cracked his knuckles. "Beat his ass."
"Oh, come on, let's talk about this—"
Too late.
They rushed him.
Shinichi dodged the first punch, countered with a sharp elbow to a guy's ribs. He weaved between strikes, landing blows where he could.
He managed to take down six, maybe seven—then someone grabbed him from behind.
A fist slammed into his gut.
Another crashed into his jaw.
Then the beatdown began.
He couldn't move. Couldn't fight back.
They punched and kicked him relentlessly. Pain flared through his body.
Damn it… still not enough…
Through the haze, he heard shouting.
Ichigo.
Chad.
Tatsuki.
Orihime stood outside the fight, her hands clenched in worry, while the others charged in.
Ichigo punched a guy so hard he crumpled. Chad swung his massive arm, sending two delinquents flying. Tatsuki moved like a blur, knocking out three in quick succession.
The fight was over in seconds. The delinquents fled, dragging their bruised and battered friends with them.
Ichigo kneeled beside Shinichi. "You good?"
Shinichi groaned, his face swollen. "Yeah… they had me right where I wanted them."
Tatsuki snorted. "Sure."
As Ichigo lifted him, Shinichi clenched his fists.
He had been here before.
A memory surfaced. His past life.
The same helplessness.
The same shame.
He grit his teeth.
"…I thought I had changed."
To be continued…