The air of the alley still lingered on his skin. Inoue Orihime's voice. Abarai Renji's scream. The Chappy that Kuchiki Rukia had dropped. The sound of Ishida Uryuu's glasses slipping down. Kurosaki Ichigo kept replaying it over and over in his futon. "[excited]I've always liked you, Ichigo! Always!!" The voice echoed in his head. Next came Renji's roar. "[angry]WHAAAAT!?!?!?" And then Rukia's voice—a sound that wasn't quite words. Ichigo pulled the futon over his head. No good. He couldn't sleep. Not at all. His right palm was still warm. The sensation of that light blade hadn't faded. He'd touched it. The shadow. He'd touched it for the first time. That much was certain. But the power had vanished immediately. Still unstable. And he still hadn't said anything in response to Orihime's confession. When morning light filtered through the thin curtains, a voice came from downstairs. "[gentle]Big brother, breakfast is ready!" His sister's voice. Ichigo forced his heavy body upright. Sitting at the table, chewing toast, he was thinking vaguely about how to respond when Karin, sitting across from him, stared at his face. "[serious]You look terrible, big brother" "[serious]I'm fine" Karin thought for a moment, then said it straight. "[serious]The health textbook said romantic troubles affect sleep quality the most" Ichigo's hand stopped as he reached for his shoes. He had nothing to say. Karin was already eating her toast again. "……Well, whatever" He just went outside. ＊ Nijino Hama High School was quiet on Saturday morning. After the shadow disappeared yesterday evening, the teachers had been notified and it was marked as early dismissal. But Ichigo's feet naturally turned toward the school building. He wanted to go to the roof. He didn't know why. He just wanted to. The roof of Nijino Hama High School—a place with three benches, with Sagami Bay spreading beyond the fence. On clear days, you could see the ocean from here. Ichigo pushed open the door and stopped. They were all there. Rukia sat on a bench by the fence, holding Chappy. Renji stood beside her, legs planted firmly. Uryuu leaned his back against the railing, notebook open. Orihime stood a little apart, holding a lunch bag in both hands. All of them looked at Ichigo. "[surprised]……Why are you all here?" "[serious]We need to talk" Rukia spoke quietly. She stood up and came to stand in front of Ichigo. Her white wolf-cut hair swayed slightly in the morning breeze. Her silver eyes looked straight at him. Ichigo remembered the air of the alley from yesterday. The moment Rukia's eyes regained their light. That sensation still lingered somewhere in his chest. Rukia looked around at everyone, then began speaking slowly. "[serious]Veil Shift—gray shadows born from the cracks in the rewrite—is spreading across all of Nijino Hama City. As you all saw yesterday, anyone who touches them becomes apathetic. If we leave it alone, the entire city will sink" Renji crossed his arms. Uryuu began writing something in his notebook. Orihime watched Rukia with a serious expression, clutching the lunch bag to her chest. "[serious]Only those with memories from past lives can sense the shadows. And right now, the only one who can cut them is—Ichigo, you" Silence. The smell of the tide carried on the wind. Renji spoke first. "[serious]I can see them too. Then I'll fight" He said it bluntly, arms still crossed. Nothing more, nothing less. Uryuu looked up from his notebook. "[cold]There are many gaps in the data. But—cooperation is the logically optimal solution" He spoke while partially hiding his mouth with the notebook. Whether he was embarrassed or something else, it was hard to tell. Orihime raised her hand eagerly. "[excited]Me too! If there's anything I can do, I'll definitely do it!" She shouted while lifting the lunch bag with both hands. Ichigo looked at the three of them in turn. "[serious]……You guys are way too different from each other" Renji yelled. Uryuu answered while writing in his notebook. Orihime shouted while holding up the lunch bag. Not one of them declared it the same way. Rukia turned her gaze to Ichigo. "[serious]Ichigo. Will you do this?" A short question. Ichigo looked at each of their faces. Renji. Uryuu. Orihime. And Rukia. His power was still unstable, his memories from past lives were hazy, everything was uncertain. But these four were here. There were people he wanted to protect. "[serious]……Yeah, I will" Renji's face immediately turned red. "[angry]Don't get the wrong idea! I only came to protect Rukia!!" Uryuu hid his face with his notebook. "[cold]I'm not doing this for you either. Just so you know" Orihime smiled brightly. "[excited]I'm doing it for Ichigo!" Rukia sighed and looked at Ichigo. Her mouth moved just slightly. It was almost a wry smile. "[sarcastic]Honest bunch you've got around you" Something in Ichigo's chest became noisy. Rukia's gaze, for just an instant, held a different color than usual. Completely different from the eyes that had asked "Who?" in the alley yesterday. Eyes that seemed to be confirming something, carrying something that continued from past lives. That moment ended quickly. "Ah" Orihime turned toward the school grounds. Everyone turned back. ＊ Gray was rising from the edge of the school grounds. Different from the human-shaped shadows before. Much larger. The outline of four legs was forming—a beast larger than a cow, its surface made of gray mist. A Kagenushi. A higher-order Veil Shift with will, it began walking slowly toward the school building. There were still students in the building on Saturday for self-study. Dozens of them, left in classrooms in apathetic states. "[serious]Let's go" Ichigo went over the railing. "[angry]Hey!!" Renji's voice flew after him. From two stories up, he dropped to the school grounds. The impact hit his knees, but he stood up. Looking back, Renji was running toward the roof door. Uryuu was running toward the special classroom building. The sewing club room—what was he planning? Orihime was running toward the hallway, shouting. "[excited]Please listen to me! Come to the infirmary!!" She was guiding the apathetic students. Rukia stood at the edge of the roof. She gripped metal fragments tightly in both hands and closed her eyes. Ichigo ran toward the Kagenushi. Light gathered in his right hand. Longer and clearer than yesterday. He confirmed the shape as he ran. It was there. He could use it. The Kagenushi turned its head. It sensed Ichigo. He ran at full speed and swung the blade. Slash—! There was impact. Gray mist was shaved away. It shaved away, but—the Kagenushi didn't flinch. An arm-like part swept horizontally. Boom! He was sent flying. Slammed into the school grounds' sand, he rolled several meters. Sand got into everything. He tried to get up, but his hands had no strength. The light blade was fading. A voice came from far away. "[angry]Ichigo! Get up! Don't show Rukia something uncool!!" Another voice flew from the roof. "[angry]Renji! Don't say unnecessary things!!" "[angry]Is there anything more important right now!!" While Ichigo lay covered in sand on the school grounds, Rukia and Renji were shouting at each other from the roof. Ichigo laughed a little in the sand. Just like them. At the same moment, Uryuu came running back from the special classroom building. His arms were full of sewing thread. Renji, passing him, stopped. "[surprised]What are you gonna do with that?" "[serious]This is the most efficient method" "[surprised]I don't get it!!" Renji kept running while shouting. Uryuu ran into the area around the Kagenushi and quickly began stringing thread between pillars. Countless threads spread through the air. White, thin lines were woven around the beast's feet. The Kagenushi's hind legs got tangled in the thread. Its movement stopped for an instant. Uryuu pulled the thread while his arms unconsciously moved into the shape of drawing a bow. He hadn't noticed yet. But his body remembered—the movements of a Quincy from past lives, his body remembered. Orihime's voice came from the hallway. "[excited]Ichigo! I believe in you!!" Rukia's voice fell from the roof. "[serious]Ichigo—you are not alone!!" Ichigo lifted his face. Covered in sand, knees shaking, light fading. Still, the corner of his mouth rose slightly. Rukia's voice and Orihime's voice echoed in his head at the same time. Both voices reached different places in his chest. "[serious]……I know. That's why I can stand" He said it quietly and stood up. At the same moment, Rukia gripped the metal fragments tightly in both hands. Something changed. The fragments began to glow—and Ichigo felt that light flow into his right hand. The light in his right hand returned. More stable than before. Rukia was becoming the medium for his power. The Kagenushi, its feet tangled in thread, was struggling. Now. Ichigo ran. Straight ahead, at full speed. He raised the light blade high. The Kagenushi turned its head. But it was too late. Its feet were tangled in thread. He swung the blade down. Slash!!! The Kagenushi was split in two. Gray mist became rainbow-colored particles of light and scattered. Spreading across the entire school grounds—then quietly faded away. Inside the school building, something changed. Students who had been standing blankly in hallways began lifting their heads, one by one. "Huh, why am I here?" "I suddenly feel like doing something" "What was that feeling of not caring about anything?" Normal air returned to the school building. Ichigo stood in the middle of the school grounds, watching the light particles fade. Then—a voice was heard. From the remains of the Kagenushi. A low voice, neither male nor female, neither young nor old. "You still haven't remembered. The true meaning of the rewrite—" The voice disappeared. Ichigo looked around. No one was there. Only he had heard it. "[excited]Ichigo!! You did it!!" Renji came running and slapped Ichigo's shoulder hard. His sand-covered shoulder, without hesitation. It hurt. Uryuu quietly wound up the thread as he spoke. "[cold]……It worked out, at least. Not that I'm moved or anything" His voice was slightly lower. He said he wasn't moved, but his voice was too quiet. Orihime burst out of the hallway. "[excited]Ichigo!! That was amazing!!" She came running and was about to throw herself at Ichigo— "[serious]Well done" Rukia reached him first. She was already down from the roof. Gripping the metal fragments in both hands, she looked up at Ichigo. Her silver eyes—seemed to be confirming something, and in them were both the bond from past lives and something born here today. "[angry]You!! Why'd you come out first!!" Renji shouted at Orihime. "[surprised]Huh? I didn't come first! Rukia did—" "[angry]Well, yeah, but!!" "[sarcastic]You lot, enough" Renji and Orihime collided trying to stand next to Ichigo at the same time. Uryuu watched them both and spoke quietly. "[cold]That's inefficient" Ichigo looked up at the sky where the Kagenushi had disappeared. He didn't tell anyone about the voice. He didn't want to dampen these five smiling faces right now. ＊ When the sun had tilted to the west, the five naturally gathered on the roof. Ichigo and Rukia sat side by side on a bench by the fence. Renji leaned his elbow on the railing, looking at the sea. Uryuu sat on a bench a little apart, notebook open. Orihime sat at the edge of a bench, the lunch bag on her lap. A rainbow stretched beyond Misaki Hill. Sagami Bay was dyed in sunset colors. No one said anything. It wasn't awkward. They were tired, quiet, and it just felt good. Ichigo said softly. "[serious]……We never did eat that lunch today" The air collapsed all at once. "[excited]Then I'll make one tomorrow! Curry-flavored chocolate parfait sandwich!" "[surprised]Is that even a lunch!?" "[serious]I can make something bett