Bankai Complex: A Shinigami and Quincy Miscommunication Rom-Com - Shinigami Substitute: Slashing Anomalies on the Night Riverbank

The curtain of night had fallen over the riverbank of the Karakura River. The place that bustled with boys playing baseball and people walking their dogs during the day was now utterly deserted. The wind sweeping across the water's surface rustled the tall grass. Where the streetlights couldn't reach, the darkness sank deep as water. Within that darkness stood two figures. One had a human form. Clad in black shihakusho, a single sword in hand. Vivid orange hair swayed in the night wind as if standing on end. Deep furrows carved between his brows, and amber eyes filled with fierce resolve glared straight ahead at the grotesque shape before him. Kurosaki Ichigo. Seventeen years old. A second-year high school student — and a Substitute Shinigami who exterminated the evil spirits called Hollows that wandered into the living world. The other figure looked like nothing that belonged in this world. It stood nearly three meters tall. It retained a humanoid shape, but its spine curved unnaturally, and both arms stretched long enough to reach the ground. A gaping hole opened in the center of its chest, and something like black mist leaked from it. Its face was a white skull mask. A Hollow. The Hollow let out a low growl and began to circle Ichigo slowly. As if sizing up its prey. Its movements were clearly different from the Hollows Ichigo had faced before. (...What the hell is this one) Ichigo tightened his grip on his sword. The Zanpakuto — a large cleaver-shaped blade called Zangetsu. Its steel trembled faintly. No — it wasn't the blade that trembled. It was the air itself, the very atmosphere, shuddering as it passed through the sword. The concentration of reishi filling this place was wrong. The Hollow moved. In an instant, its slow movement shifted to beast-like speed as it circled to Ichigo's right flank. Its long arm bent like a whip, and sharp claws swung down aimed at his neck. "Too slow." Ichigo dropped his body half a step, evading the claw's trajectory by a hair's breadth. The wind pressure grazed his cheek. Without pause, he swung Zangetsu in a horizontal arc. The blade carved a shallow gash across the Hollow's flank. "Gyaaaaaaah!" The Hollow shrieked and leaped backward. Black blood sprayed from the wound, staining the gravel of the riverbank. But its movements showed no sign of weakening. If anything, the pain seemed to have only made it more ferocious. (Too shallow. I need to cut deeper) Ichigo clicked his tongue. The Hollow growled again. This time it charged head-on. Swinging both long arms wildly, it lashed out with its claws in erratic arcs. Ichigo parried with Zangetsu while watching for an opening to counter. The shrill clash of metal against claws echoed across the night riverbank. Ichigo's heart pounded like a hammer. (This one's different from the Hollows I've fought before) A Hollow was normally a soul whose lingering attachments or grudges had swollen grotesquely. It had no reason — it simply devoured human souls on instinct. Its movements were savage but often monotonous, easy to read. But this Hollow was different. Between attacks, it was watching him. If he moved right, it came from the left. If he retreated, it pursued. It was as if it were learning how he fought. (Learning...? A Hollow?) That was impossible. Hollows had no intellect. That was the common sense Ichigo had learned through all his battles. And yet. And yet — what was this unease? "Uwoooooooh!" The Hollow roared and brought both arms down simultaneously. Ichigo raised Zangetsu overhead to block. A violent shock ran from his arms through his entire body, and his feet sank into the gravel. (Its strength and speed are on another level...!) They locked in a contest of force. The Hollow's face was inches away. Behind the skull mask, red eyes glinted savagely. The moment he saw those eyes, something cold ran down Ichigo's spine. This wasn't just a Hollow. "You...!" Ichigo shoved the Hollow back with sheer force and put distance between them. His breath was ragged. They'd exchanged only a few blows, yet he felt as exhausted as if he'd fought for hours. The reishi concentration was too thick. He'd heard that Karakura Town was originally a place dense with reishi. A singularity where the boundary between the living world and Soul Society was thin, making it easy for Hollows to appear. That was precisely why Ichigo patrolled as a Substitute Shinigami. But tonight was abnormal. The air was heavy. With every breath, it felt like something was accumulating in his lungs. Zangetsu stirred restlessly. The blade that resonated with his soul kept trembling, as if warning him of danger. "This ain't normal..." Ichigo muttered. The Hollow charged a third time. This time low, crawling almost along the ground. Its long arms reached out to grab his legs. Ichigo jumped. Straight up. He vaulted over the Hollow's head and landed behind it. Twisting in midair, he reversed his grip on Zangetsu. "This is over." Using the momentum of his fall, he drove Zangetsu into the Hollow's back. The blade pierced through the hole in its chest, the tip emerging from behind the mask. The Hollow froze instantly. Then it crumbled slowly. Its body dissolved into black particles, scattering into mist and melting into the night wind. Purification of the soul. The moment a Shinigami's Zanpakuto sends a Hollow to Soul Society. Ichigo landed and gave Zangetsu a single swing to shake off the blood. "...Hah." A deep sigh escaped him. His heart still hadn't settled. Sweat beaded on his palms, and his fingertips trembled slightly. (What was that Hollow) Ichigo scanned the riverbank. Nothing remained of the Hollow's remains. There was only the same night scenery as always. The sound of the river, the wind, the distant lights of the city. But something was different. The reishi concentration was still thick. If anything, defeating the Hollow seemed to have made it even denser. (Something's happening in this town) Ichigo was certain of it. But for now, he didn't know what. "...Guess I'll head home." Ichigo slung Zangetsu back over his shoulder and left the riverbank. At home, his family was waiting. His loud-mouthed old man, and his cheeky little sisters. To protect them, he'd cut down any Hollow. Ichigo looked up at the night sky. No stars were visible. Thick clouds covered the moon. As if hinting that something was closing in on this town. Ichigo shook his head and started walking. ———— The next morning. The moment Ichigo passed through the gates of Karakura First High School, he stopped in his tracks. (...What the hell is this) The spiritual pressure drifting from the school building was distorted. Normally, there was no spiritual presence at school at all. There was only the clamor of morning voices, the shouts of club activities, and the sound of the class bell. But this morning was different. From all over the school building, faint but alien spiritual pressure was leaking out. It wasn't a Hollow's. It was thinner, more ambiguous — and yet unmistakably "not normal." "Oi, Ichigo, what're you spacing out for?" The one who called out was his classmate, Asano Keigo. A small guy who was always noisy. "Huh? Oh, it's nothing." Ichigo answered. Keigo peered at his face and grinned. "You've been wandering around at night again, haven't you? You've got bags under your eyes." "Shut up. Did you actually do your homework, or what?" "Gah! I forgot! Let me see your notes!" "Not a chance." Ichigo brushed Keigo off and headed for the classroom. Walking down the hallway, the distortion in the spiritual pressure grew stronger. The moment he opened the classroom door, a thick, humid air enveloped him. (The air is heavy) Same as the riverbank last night. The reishi was dense and stagnant. Ichigo sat at his desk and looked out the window. On the schoolyard, students in morning practice were running around. There was nothing unusual about the sight. But something invisible was definitely covering this town. (I'll go on patrol after school) Ichigo made that decision in his heart. ———— After school. Ichigo was walking alone on his way home. As he passed near Karakura Cemetery, it appeared without warning. The ground cracked. No — more precisely, something was crawling up from beneath the ground. From between the gravestones, a black shadow seeped out like ink bleeding through paper. "Tch!" Ichigo instantly braced himself. The shadow took shape in moments, becoming a Hollow. Smaller than last night's, but still two meters tall. It had a four-legged beast-like form, with countless tentacles sprouting from its back. The Hollow recognized Ichigo and growled low. "At this hour, in this place...?" Ichigo scanned his surroundings. Fortunately, no one was around. No. There was. About ten meters behind Ichigo, a female student stood. A black-haired girl in a sailor uniform. She was walking with her head down, unaware of either Ichigo or the Hollow. She seemed to be wearing earphones — a white cord dangled by her ear. (Bad...!) Ichigo tried to step between the girl and the Hollow. But the Hollow was a moment faster. Ignoring Ichigo, it leaped toward the girl. "Like hell I'll let you!" Ichigo kicked off the ground with all his strength. Just before the Hollow's tentacles could reach the girl. Ichigo swung Zangetsu down. The blade sliced diagonally through the Hollow's body. The Hollow couldn't even scream — it dissolved into black particles and vanished. Ichigo landed and caught his breath. (That was close...) His heart pounded in his ears. His hands were shaking. If he'd been a moment slower. That girl would have had her soul devoured by the Hollow. "...Um—" When Ichigo turned to call out to her, the girl was already running. Her face twisted with terror, fleeing from him. "Hey, wait! Are you okay?!" Ichigo shouted, but the girl didn't look back. She hadn't been able to see the Hollow. No — she couldn't see the Hollow. But she'd seen Ichigo suddenly swinging a sword at thin air. From an ordinary high school girl's perspective, it must have looked like an orange-haired guy had just gone crazy slashing at nothing. (Right... of course) Ichigo stood frozen. His figure fighting Hollows was invisible to ordinary people. The Substitute Shinigami Ichigo, the Zanpakuto, the Hollows — all of them were spiritual beings. That was why Ichigo had always fought alone. Against enemies no one could see, in battles no one would ever know. A life he might have saved — a life he might not have — was now running away from him. (...Might not have saved) That fact pressed heavily on Ichigo's chest. If that Hollow had moved just a little faster. If Ichigo's reaction had been just a little slower. That girl would be dead. Ichigo clenched his fist. His nails dug into his palm. The pain kept him grounded. (I have to get stronger) That's what he thought. And then. Deep in the cemetery, beyond the tree-lined path, he sensed something. Ichigo raised his head and readied Zangetsu. "...Who's there?" The presence wasn't a Hollow's. Nor a Shinigami's. It was more — how should he put it. A presence that felt warm, somehow nostalgic, and yet made his chest tighten painfully. Ichigo glared down the tree-lined path. Wind blew through the trees. The presence vanished like mist. "...Just my imagination?" No — it wasn't his imagination. Something had definitely been there. Ichigo stared at the path for a while, then finally lowered Zangetsu. (Something's happening in this town) Last night's Hollow. This morning's distorted spiritual pressure. And that presence just now. They were all connected. Ichigo felt it in his gut. But he couldn't talk to anyone about it. The work of a Substitute Shinigami was his alone. Until Soul Society sent an inspector, Ichigo had no choice but to protect this town by himself. (I've got no choice but to do it alone) Ichig

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Episode 1

Name: Bankai Complex: A Shinigami and Quincy Miscommunication Rom-Com
Author: Novelia

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