Ble@ch: Chapter 89

The very next day, Ichigo woke up with a smile on his face. The battle with Zangetsu still lingered in his thoughts, and for once, it wasn’t the struggle that stayed with him—but the bond.
They were truly partners now. A perfect match.

“If it was a girl, it’d be even better,” he thought with a small chuckle as he got out of bed and went to grab some breakfast.

Today was a big day—he was finally going to see Rukia again. The thought alone made him excited. After finishing his food, he quickly got bathed, dressed, and packed his things. As always, he grabbed Kon.

“Am I just a mod soul to you, Ichigo?” Kon asked, his arms flailing slightly as Ichigo picked him up.

“Of course not,” Ichigo replied with a grin.

Kon’s eyes gleamed with happiness.

“You’re also my butler, last I checked,” Ichigo added with a teasing smirk as he zipped the bag shut, plunging Kon into darkness.

“Wha—! Hey! I take it back!” Kon’s muffled voice echoed from the bag.

Despite the daily bickering, their bond ran deep. Kon might be annoying, but Ichigo preferred having him around—partly to keep an eye on him, since he might spy on his sister, but also because it got lonely without him.

Then, suddenly—Kon’s voice broke the fourth wall.

“Hey! Author-kun! I’m not a pedo, okay?! I like my ladies strictly 18 and up!” he yelled from inside the bag, his tone defensive and dramatic.

Ichigo sighed. “Shut up, Kon…”

[A/N: Sure buddy ]

...

Ichigo arrived at school. He leaned back in his seat, eyes drifting toward the window. A faint smirk crossed his lips as he felt several spiritual pressures suddenly appear nearby.

‘Well... they came sooner than I thought.’

He could already hear the commotion in the hallway. No doubt they'd found him.

The classroom door swung open.

“How’ve you been, Ichigo?!” Renji called out, stepping in with a confident grin.

‘I’ve gotten stronger, idiot. Sadly, I can’t kill you since Rukia would kill me instead… and for some reason, even Captain Byakuya’s started liking this guy,’ Renji thought bitterly.

Then, before Ichigo could even answer, a blur of movement rushed toward him—Rangiku Matsumoto, dressed scandalously in a custom-fitted school uniform. Her generous chest bounced dramatically as she threw herself into his arms.

“I’ve missed you!” she said, her smirk playful. “We should go drinking again—this time, seriously.”

Ichigo raised a brow, but didn’t resist the hug. “Sure,” he said with a calm grin.

Then, he felt it—a sharp glare aimed straight at his back. He turned and spotted her.

Rukia stood perched on the windowsill, arms crossed, lips twitching in irritation.

“You know there’s a door, right?” Ichigo deadpanned. “You didn’t have to climb through the window.”

A light blush touched her cheeks as she hopped down, brushing imaginary dust from her uniform. She walked up to him, giving Rangiku a gentle nudge to the side before standing in front of him.

“Did you miss me?” she asked, trying to sound casual.

“Of course,” he answered without hesitation.

Rukia smiled. “Then I forgive you… for flirting with another woman in front of me,” she added quickly.

Ichigo chuckled as the tension faded. It was good to have them back.


---

Class soon began. The Soul Reapers roamed around the school, marveling at the human world’s quirks—except Ichigo, Rukia, and Rangiku, who stayed behind.

Orihime and Tatsuki immediately noticed the new “competition.” Meanwhile, the guys in class glared at Ichigo with fiery jealousy.

‘I wonder if Rangiku will stay with me… Nah, I’ll let her chill with Orihime. Good for her development,’ Ichigo thought lazily.


---

After school, Ichigo and Rukia walked home together. She kept glancing at his hand, blushing shyly. Ichigo smirked.

Without a word, he reached over and held her hand. Her face turned bright red, but she didn’t let go.

When they arrived, Isshin greeted them—and immediately overreacted.

“My son has brought home a bride!!” he screamed, throwing himself dramatically at the family shrine to Masaki’s portrait. “Masaki! Our boy’s finally a man!”

Ichigo sighed, already regretting this.

Inside, Karin raised a brow. “She looks familiar…”

As he dropped his bag, Kon immediately sprang out like a bullet.

“RRRRUKIAAAAA!!” he cried with sparkling tears. “I missed you so mu—!”

He didn’t get far. Rukia kicked him square in the face, sending him flying across the room.

“I missed you too,” she said with a calm smile.

Just then, the ceiling above gave way as Renji, Rangiku, Ikkaku and Yumichika fell straight through it.

Ichigo glared at them, cracking his knuckles.

“Fix the ceiling,” he growled.

Eventually, everyone settled down, and the meeting began.


---

“So,” Rukia started, holding up her usual bizarre drawings, “Arrancars are Hollows who’ve removed their masks to gain powers similar to Soul Reapers. Normally, only a few manage it. But with Aizen and the Hōgyoku, we’ve seen fully evolved Arrancars appear in force. Like the two you fought the other day.”

“Yeah, I’m following,” Ichigo replied, not even looking at the weirdly drawn bat-Hollow.

Renji chimed in, arms crossed. “At first, the Soul Society wanted to just monitor the situation, rebuild after losing three captains. But when the Arrancars came to the human world, things escalated fast. So we were sent here.”

“Oh?” Ichigo said, smirking. “Even you, Renji?”

Renji stood up, fists clenched. “You wanna fight, huh?! Let’s go right now!”

“Calm down,” Hitsugaya interjected with a sigh. “In any case, Ichigo Kurosaki—Aizen definitely has his eyes on you.”

“I wonder why,” Ichigo said flatly.


---

Later that evening, the Soul Reapers dispersed. Rangiku went to stay with Orihime, while the others camped around town.

Back at home, Ichigo sat on his bed. Rukia was on the floor again, watching her usual cartoons. He looked out the window as the sun began to set.

A smirk tugged at his lips.

‘Grimmjow, huh… I can’t wait. Guess I’ll be using Bankai for the first time soon.’


TO BE CONTINUED