The soft hum of streetlights filled the air as Shinichi Kisaragi trudged along the familiar path toward his home, his footsteps echoing against the empty pavement. The evening breeze was cool, carrying with it the faint scent of the city—a mix of distant ramen stalls, old asphalt, and the ever-present undertone of something supernatural lurking just beyond human perception.
Behind him, a petite figure walked silently, keeping a measured distance but never falling behind.
Rukia Kuchiki.
Shinichi stole a glance over his shoulder, watching the raven-haired girl in a plain white kimono, her arms crossed as she matched his pace. He exhaled sharply and rubbed his temple, his mind spinning with a single thought—
How the hell did I get into this mess?
Bringing home a mysterious shinigami girl wasn't exactly on his list of things to do today. But here he was, leading her to his house because—well, what else was he supposed to do? Let her wander the streets? He wasn't heartless.
Shinichi fished out his keys and unlocked the door, stepping inside. As he flicked on the lights, Rukia took a slow, observant glance around his home.
The small apartment was neat but lived-in, with an air of quiet solitude. The living room was modest, featuring a low wooden table in the center, surrounded by a couch on one side and a single floor cushion on the other. A few scattered books lay on the table—some open, others stacked neatly. Against the far wall stood a shelf filled with manga, old CDs, and a few decorative items, hinting at Shinichi's interests.
To the right, a small kitchen was tucked into the corner, clean but clearly used often, with a kettle sitting on the stovetop. A faint scent of coffee lingered in the air. The floor was covered with a dark blue rug, and near the entrance, a simple shoe rack held only a few pairs of sneakers.
The bedroom door was slightly ajar, revealing a futon neatly folded against the wall, a compact study desk, and a small TV sitting atop a wooden stand. The place wasn't extravagant, but it had a comfortable, lived-in feel—organized, but not obsessively so.
Rukia nodded approvingly. "At least it's clean."
Shinichi sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.
"You can sleep on the bed," he said, already feeling the regret. "I'll take the floor."
The moment the words left his mouth, Rukia instantly replied, "Alright."
Shinichi's eye twitched. "Oi… you could've at least pretended to hesitate, you know? Maybe something like, 'Oh no, it's your house, I couldn't possibly take your bed' or 'Are you sure? I feel bad'—anything."
Rukia gave him a flat look, then yawned. "I'm weak and exhausted because my powers are gone. This is the least you can do for me."
Shinichi scoffed. "Yeah, yeah, drop the act already. The bed's all yours. I'll just be suffering on the floor in my own damn house."
Rukia merely smirked and climbed onto the bed.
---
The Next Morning
A rhythmic thud echoed through the room.
Rukia's brows furrowed as her consciousness drifted toward wakefulness. The sound repeated, steady and relentless, accompanied by faint grunts. Slowly, she opened her eyes, adjusting to the dim morning light filtering through the curtains.
Her gaze landed on Shinichi, who was in the middle of an intense workout.
Shinichi's body was drenched in sweat, his muscles taut and trembling with exertion. He was mid-pushup, his arms shaking as he lowered himself down until his chest nearly touched the floor, then pushed back up with controlled force. Each movement was precise, his breathing measured.
After completing another set, he switched to plank holds, his core straining as he kept himself perfectly still. His arms, slick with sweat, trembled slightly under the tension.
Drops of perspiration fell from his face onto the floor, soaking into the fabric of his mat. His breaths came in slow, controlled exhales. Despite the pain, despite the strain, he did not stop.
His next exercise was sit-ups. He hooked his feet under the edge of the couch and pushed himself up, sweat running down his temple. His stomach muscles contracted with every movement, the strain evident in his clenched jaw.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Rukia narrowed her eyes, watching him in silence before finally speaking.
"…Why train so much?" she asked, her voice carrying a note of curiosity.
Shinichi didn't pause. "None of your business."
Rukia hummed, then shrugged. "Alright. If you don't wanna say, I won't force you."
She stood up and walked toward him, then knelt down beside him, watching as he continued his pushups. Sweat dripped from his brow onto the floor, his arms trembling slightly from fatigue.
Then, out of nowhere—
"You killed that Hollow that day, didn't you?"
Shinichi's focus snapped.
His muscles tensed in shock, and he immediately lost balance, collapsing face-first onto the floor with a loud thud.
"Owww…" He groaned, rolling onto his back, rubbing his face.
Rukia smirked. "So?"
Shinichi blinked, then quickly recovered, putting on an indifferent face. "I'm a normal human. How could I even take on a Hollow by myself?"
Rukia's expression remained unreadable. "But you had that wound. It looked like you fought something."
"Exactly," Shinichi replied smoothly. "That wound proves that I can't fight Hollows. I got it while trying to run away from one."
Rukia sighed, a knowing smirk tugging at her lips. "There's no winning against you, huh?"
"Nope."
Rukia stretched and turned toward the clock. "Don't you have school? You'll be late."
Shinichi lazily glanced at the time.
Then—
His eyes widened. "SHIT!"
He sprang up, grabbed his towel, and bolted toward the bathroom for a quick shower.
---
At school, Shinichi sat at his usual spot with Ichigo, Keigo, and Mizuiro.
Keigo greeted him dramatically. "Shinichi! My brother in suffering! Another day in this prison of education, huh?"
Mizuiro smirked. "Morning, Shinichi. You seem tired. Had a long night?"
Shinichi yawned. "Something like that."
Ichigo leaned back. "Speaking of long nights… a truck rammed into my house last night."
Keigo's jaw dropped. "A TRUCK?!"
Mizuiro raised an eyebrow. "We heard about it. Is everything okay?"
Ichigo waved it off. "Yeah, it's fine." Then, he glanced at Shinichi.
Shinichi met his gaze and subtly nodded—a silent understanding that he wouldn't say anything.
Then, she arrived.
A petite girl with short black hair, deep violet eyes, and a playful yet innocent smile approached them.
"Good morning, everyone!"
Rukia.
Ichigo jumped from his seat. "YOU?!"
Shinichi, however, acted mildly surprised, even though he already knew this was coming.
What he didn't expect was—
"Uhm, Shinichi-kun? Can I have a private talk with you for a moment?"
Shinichi froze.
…Huh?
This was supposed to be where she called out Ichigo to talk to him about his Shinigami duties.
Why was she calling him instead?!
The only thing going on in Shinichi's mind was 'Why me? Did I do something to alter the story already? Or… is this just her messing with me?'
Rukia waved a hand in front of his face. "Shinichi-kun?"
He snapped out of it. "Ah—yeah, sure."
Rukia then glanced at Ichigo. "Why don't you come along too?"
Ichigo, still flabbergasted, muttered, "…Yeah, sure."
---
Together, the three of them walked out of the classroom.
As soon as they reached a more secluded spot, Shinichi noticed Rukia taking out a strange device—her Shinigami cellphone—and his unease grew. The screen flashed, and an alert popped up:
Hollow detected nearby.
Rukia wasted no time. She pulled out a strange-looking glove and, without warning, slammed her palm against Ichigo's chest.
Ichigo stumbled back, looking down at himself in shock as his spirit was forcefully separated from his body. His physical form slumped to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.
"HEY! WHAT THE HELL?!" Ichigo yelled, now clad in his Shinigami robes. He frantically pointed at his collapsed body. "DID YOU JUST KILL ME?!"
Shinichi sighed, placing a hand over his face. He really reacted the same way as in the show...
Rukia ignored the outburst and looked at Shinichi with a smirk.
"You seemed confused earlier, Shinichi-kun," she said in a teasing tone. "You were probably wondering why I called you out as well."
"Yeah," Shinichi muttered, crossing his arms. "If you only needed him to take care of a Hollow, why the hell did you bring me along?"
Rukia gave a bright, innocent smile. "Oh, I just wanted to disturb you and see what your reaction would be after seeing me at school."
Shinichi twitched. "...What."
"Well then, Ichigo, let's go!" Rukia announced, grabbing Ichigo's sleeve and pulling him forward.
Shinichi stood there, completely deadpan, watching them go. Then, he exhaled a long sigh and muttered to himself, "Better this way. The more I stay out of things, the more the story goes exactly as it should."
Just as he was about to turn back towards the classroom, a familiar chime echoed in his mind.
[Don't you think you're being too much of a side character here?]
Shinichi's eye twitched. "I don't want to be the main character. If I stand out too much, Aizen—who's probably watching Ichigo's every move—will notice me, and then everything will spiral out of control. So yeah, I'm keeping things exactly as they should be."
The system chimed in his head.
[If you say so.]
Shinichi smirked. "Not like you've given me a lot of things to work with anyway."
[You do know that without me, you'd be dead already, right?]
"I doubt it."
Shinichi turned his gaze toward the direction Ichigo and Rukia had gone. By now, they should be finishing up with the Hollow.
Deciding to check things out, Shinichi broke into a sprint—and immediately noticed something strange.
He was a lot faster than before.
His legs propelled him forward with more force than he expected, his speed nearly on par with professional track runners.
...Damn. Is this because of Predation?
After only a few minutes, he arrived at the scene, just as Ichigo and Rukia were leaving. The Hollow had already been slain, its body slowly disintegrating into spiritual particles.
As Shinichi approached the remains of the Hollow, a familiar notification popped up in his vision:
[PREDATION can be used on this target.]
Shinichi hesitated for only a second before reaching out his hand.
"PREDATION."
Immediately, the Hollow's lingering energy began to swirl toward him, spiraling into his core.
A sharp, electric sensation ran through his body as the spiritual energy was absorbed into him. He could feel it strengthening him—his muscles tensed, his senses sharpened, and his overall power grew.
But as the absorption finished, nausea hit him like a truck. He staggered slightly, groaning.
"Urgh... I'll never get used to this."
A system notification popped up:
[Strength +5, Speed +4, Endurance +5]
[Reiatsu has increased.]
Shinichi glanced at his stats and muttered, "This Hollow was weaker than the one I fought before..."
The system chimed in.
[Don't you think it's kind of a cheap move to take the benefits of someone else's hard work?]
Shinichi snorted. "Oh, I'm sorry for trying to survive and get stronger. If I want to get stronger quickly, this is the best way. Also, let's be real—this world is dangerous. If I keep thinking about honor and pride, I'll be dead before I know it."
The system was silent for a moment before replying,
[True.]
With that, Shinichi turned and started making his way back to school.
---
The moment Shinichi stepped back into the classroom, his teacher immediately narrowed her eyes at him.
"Mr. Kisaragi," she said, crossing her arms. "Where exactly have you been?"
Shinichi froze. His classmates turned to look at him expectantly.
After a beat, he put on a sheepish grin and rubbed the back of his head. "Uh—washroom, ma'am. I ate something really bad yesterday, haha..."
The class burst into laughter.
Shinichi sighed internally. I've really gotten used to being the center of these kinds of jokes, huh?
The rest of the school day passed uneventfully.
---
After school, Shinichi and Ichigo walked home, now joined by an additional companion—Rukia.
As they strolled down the street, they suddenly spotted something unusual.
Orihime.
Lying on the ground.
Ichigo and Shinichi immediately rushed over.
"Inoue!" Ichigo called, helping her up. "What happened? Are you okay?"
Orihime looked up at them with a small, dazed smile. "Oh, Kurosaki-kun! Hehe... I just kinda... fell over. Felt like something pushed me, but I'm totally fine!"
Rukia's eyes narrowed slightly, but she remained silent.
Orihime then glanced at Rukia, her expression curious. "Who's this?"
Shinichi cleared his throat. "Uh, this is Rukia Kuchiki. She's a transfer student in our class."
Rukia immediately put on her cheerful, jolly-schoolgirl persona and smiled. "Nice to meet you, Inoue-san!"
Orihime smiled warmly. "Nice to meet you too, Kuchiki-san!"
But as they talked, Rukia's gaze flickered down to Orihime's leg.
There was a strange mark there.
"...What's that?"
Orihime blinked and looked down. "Oh? This? Hmm... I don't know when I got it, haha..."
Rukia's eyes darkened slightly.
Shinichi, knowing exactly what that mark meant, remained silent.
She waved them off and walked away.
Rukia's cheerful expression faded.
Shinichi saw it.
Ichigo, oblivious, frowned in thought and eventually muttered, "Her brother died a few years ago…"
Shinichi's expression remained neutral. But deep inside, he was once again hit by the sheer reality of this world.
Everything he had watched in a show was happening right in front of him.
After Ichigo said his goodbyes and turned toward his street, only Shinichi and Rukia were left.
As they arrived back at his place, Rukia immediately walked inside and flopped onto the bed.
Shinichi sighed. "Go and wash your hands and face first. Change your clothes at least."
Rukia cracked open one eye and smirked. "What are you, my mother?"
Shinichi pressed his hands together in mock prayer. "Sorry, ma'am. I'll go first. Do whatever you want."
Rukia chuckled as Shinichi walked away.
That night, Shinichi lay in the makeshift bed on the floor, fully aware of what was coming next.
Shinichi lay on the floor, staring at the ceiling, lost in thought. The events of the day played in his mind, Ichigo's reaction to Rukia, the shift in the story, and—most concerning of all—the fact that she had called him instead of Ichigo.
Something was changing.
His gut told him that things wouldn't go exactly the way he remembered, and that worried him.
Just as he was sinking deeper into his thoughts, a loud, shrill beeping sound filled the room.
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
The piercing noise instantly snapped Shinichi out of his daze. His head shot toward Rukia, who was already sitting up, her eyes locked onto the small glowing screen of her cell phone.
The next moment, she snapped her head toward Shinichi—her expression shifting from mild concern to pure urgency.
"Shinichi! Dodge!"
"What?"
His reaction was a second too slow.
CRASH!
The ceiling above them shattered in an instant as a massive, clawed hand came tearing through it, aiming directly for him. The weight of the attack sent debris flying across the room, thick dust filling the air.
Shinichi barely had time to react when—
THUD!
A force slammed into him, pushing him away from the trajectory of the attack. Rukia.
She tackled him to the ground just as the monstrous limb crashed where he had been moments before.
Everything was happening too fast.
Shinichi lay there for a second, his mind trying to process what just happened. Rukia was on top of him, her arms braced against his chest. Her breathing was heavy, her face twisted in pain.
That's when he noticed it.
A deep gash on her arm, blood trickling down and staining her clothes.
"Why didn't you dodge when I told you to, idiot?!" Rukia winced, glaring at him through gritted teeth.
Shinichi felt a pang of guilt seeing the injury. "I-I didn't hear you, I guess… Sorry."
But he wasn't just sorry—he was confused.
This wasn't supposed to happen.
He turned his head toward the massive Hollow that loomed before them.
It had an elongated, grotesque mask with deep, hollowed-out eyes. Its large, muscular frame barely fit inside the ruined ceiling of his house, hunched over, drooling, snarling.
But the most disturbing part?
Shinichi knew exactly who this Hollow was.
Orihime's brother.
But why was it here?
Why wasn't it attacking Ichigo's house like it was supposed to?
His mind raced as the system chimed in, but instead of an answer, it spoke with its usual unbothered tone.
[I don't know, man. Never been a huge fan of Bleach anyway.]
Shinichi twitched. "Really now?"
But this wasn't the time for jokes.
Rukia, clutching her injured arm, turned to him. "Shinichi! Call Ichigo! We need him here, now!"
Shinichi quickly reached for his phone, his fingers hovering over the screen.
But then—he stopped.
His hands tightened around the device. His breathing slowed.
Call Ichigo?
So that… he could save him?
Him?
Again?
Shinichi's grip on the phone tightened before he slowly lowered it.
Then, in one swift motion, he turned it off.
Toss.
The phone hit the floor with a soft thud.
Rukia's eyes widened. "What the hell are you doing, Shinichi?!"
Shinichi exhaled, his gaze fixed on the snarling Hollow before them.
The monster let out a deafening roar, its massive hand raising for another strike.
Rukia yelled again, "Shinichi, move—!"
BOOM!
Before the Hollow could bring its attack down, Shinichi moved.
No—he lunged.
And then—
CRACK!
A devastating right hook smashed into the Hollow's face.
The force of the punch sent shockwaves through the air, making the very walls of the room tremble.
The Hollow's mask cracked violently, a piece of it shattering off as the creature reeled backward, letting out a piercing screech of pain.
Every muscle in Shinichi's arm burned. His knuckles throbbed, but he didn't care.
He pulled his fist back, his chest heaving.
Then, through gritted teeth, he muttered—
"Call Ichigo? My Ass."