Class ended, and the lively chatter of students filled the air as break time began. Keigo and Mizuiro approached Ichigo, who remained seated, lost in thought. His arms rested on his desk, and his gaze was distant, weighed down by the events to come. He sighed before finally turning to his friends, who were staring at him in silence.
"What?" he asked, frowning in confusion.
"First time seeing you thinking," Keigo remarked, smirking.
Ichigo's frown deepened. "I'm going to get some food. You coming?" he asked, standing up and stretching.
"I brought my own, but sure, I guess," Mizuiro replied, falling into step beside him. Keigo followed suit, and the three made their way toward the tuck shop, weaving through the bustling crowd of students.
Ichigo glanced at the neatly stacked trays of bread, his eyes settling on a familiar sight.
' Yakisoba bread—an anime special. Wonder if these actually taste good, ' he mused, picking one up and paying for it.
With their food in hand, they made their way up to the rooftop, the cool breeze brushing against them as they sat down on the concrete floor.
As they ate, Mizuiro turned to Ichigo with a teasing grin. "So, when are you converting to older girls like me?"
Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "When you say older, do you mean girls in our age group who are just a bit older, or actual older women?" His casual response caught them both off guard.
Mizuiro blinked. "Uh… girls in our age group, obviously. We're fifteen, you know. We'd be victims if we dated older women."
Ichigo took a thoughtful bite of his bread. ' Would we? I get what he means, but let's not pretend none of us have thought about it. I mean… if someone like Unohana showed up, I'd gladly be a victim,' he mused, his mind drifting into a brief daydream.
Keigo snapped his fingers in front of his face. "Hey, don't zone out on us."
Ichigo blinked back to reality and shrugged. "Uh, time will tell, I guess."
Mizuiro narrowed his eyes. "Ohhhkay…"
Keigo shot Ichigo a suspicious look.
'The hell is up with him today? It's like he swapped brains with a normal high schooler, ' he thought.
A few moments later, Chad approached, settling down beside them. Though he wasn't much of a talker, he had a quiet presence that fit right in. The four of them sat together under the warm sun, talking and laughing—just a group of high schoolers enjoying the simplicity of the moment.
As the conversation drifted into the usual high school nonsense—complaints about teachers, weekend plans, and Keigo's latest failed attempts at flirting—Ichigo leaned back against the rooftop railing, letting the breeze brush through his hair. Despite the weight on his mind, there was something grounding about moments like these. For a short while, he could just be a normal teenager.
"By the way, Ichigo," Keigo suddenly piped up, pointing at him with half a sandwich still in hand. "You were spacing out earlier. What's up? You stressing about exams or something?"
Ichigo glanced at him before looking out over the school grounds below. "Nah, just… thinking about some stuff."
Mizuiro smirked. "You? Thinking twice in one day? That's got to be a record."
"Shut up," Ichigo muttered, taking another bite of his yakisoba bread. It was better than he expected, though a little dry.
Keigo leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "You sure? You've been acting kinda off. Like, you actually sound like a regular high schooler today, but usually, you're all—" He furrowed his brows and deepened his voice in a bad impression of Ichigo. "'Tch. I'm too cool for this.'"
Mizuiro laughed, while Chad gave a low chuckle, a rare sound from him. Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Hilarious."
Keigo grinned. "I'm just saying, man. If something's up, you can tell us."
Ichigo appreciated the sentiment, but there was no way he could tell them what was really on his mind. ' I need to start practicing as soon as I get back home' he thought.
Before he could brush it off with another excuse, the sound of the school bell rang, signaling the end of the break.
"Alright, back to the grind," Mizuiro sighed, standing up and dusting off his pants.
Chad got to his feet as well, while Keigo groaned. "Ugh. I'm not emotionally prepared for math right now."
"That's because you never study," Ichigo shot back.
"And yet, I still pass," Keigo said with a proud grin.
' In what reality?' Everyone thought.
Ichigo shook his head, following the others down the stairs. As much as he knew his life was about to get even crazier, these moments of normalcy were ones he wouldn't take for granted.
They returned to class, slipping back into the usual cycle of lectures, notes, and the occasional classroom chatter. Ichigo barely paid attention, his mind drifting as the teacher droned on. The ticking clock at the front of the room felt louder than usual, every second dragging him closer to freedom.
Eventually, the final bell rang. A collective sigh of relief spread through the classroom as chairs scraped against the floor and students gathered their things. Ichigo stretched, yawning as he slung his bag over his shoulder. As he moved toward the door, he caught sight of Tatsuki staring at him from across the room. The moment their eyes met, she quickly looked away, pretending to focus on something else.
Ichigo frowned. ' What's her deal? ' He debated ignoring it but decided against it. Instead, he walked over, stopping directly in front of her desk.
"What's up? Got something to say?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
Tatsuki crossed her arms, her expression unreadable. "No. Do I look like I've got something to say?" she shot back, her tone laced with attitude.
Ichigo sighed. "Man, how mature of you. Get over it. I beat you long ago, you know. It doesn't really matter now," he said, turning on his heel and walking away.
Tatsuki watched him go, her fingers tightening slightly around the edge of her desk. She exhaled through her nose, shoulders sagging as she let out a frustrated sigh.
' I just don't know how to talk to him anymore. Maybe if I had back then, we'd be in a better place. He probably thinks I hate him.'
But that wasn't the case. She had never hated Ichigo—not even when he was a crybaby as a kid. If anything, they had been close, bonded by childhood memories and countless shared moments. Back then, she had been the strong one, standing up for him when bullies picked on him for being different.
It wasn't his fault. When you could see ghosts and couldn't always tell them apart from the living, they'd often see him talking by himself and people thought his was weird. And weird kids got bullied.
That was part of the reason they both took up karate. Ichigo wanted to be stronger, and she had been there every step of the way. Of course, she had always been better, easily knocking him down more times than she could count. But then… things changed.
As the years passed, Ichigo started growing distant. He got stronger—strong enough to beat her in their last real fight. She hadn't been angry about it. If anything, she had been proud. It meant he could finally protect himself.
But even so, something about him now felt different. ' He's changed… in a good way and a bad way. And I can't seem to adjust to it.'
And then there was Orihime.
The thought made her scowl. 'He pisses me off with the way he talks to her. She clearly likes him, but he's completely clueless. How can he not see it?'
With another sigh, she shook off her thoughts and grabbed her bag. Spotting Orihime among the other girls, she reached out, pulling her along as they left the classroom together.
TO BE CONTINUED