Ichigo looked at everyone laughing and sighed.
"I do have guy friends, okay? Like Zaraki Kenpachi! Kuchiki Byakuya! Aren't they my friends too?"
As he defended himself with lines like "Just because I have fewer guy friends doesn't mean I don't have any" and "So what if I have more girl friends, is that a crime?"
The entire shop erupted in laughter again.
But it didn't last long. After the jokes faded, the group returned to serious business—waiting for Soifon's report.
Eventually, they all left Urahara's shop to return home separately.
However, the Kasumiooji family's forces were already moving openly.
Their top assassin, Nukui Hanza, whose left arm was parasitized by a weapon, brought a whole squad of assassins aiming to wipe out Ichigo and the others in one strike!
"I don't give a damn about Rurichiyo. My target is you, Kurosaki Ichigo!"
Nukui pointed his blade straight at him.
Ichigo turned to Rukia and Senna.
"You two, get Rurichiyo home. I'll deal with this guy and catch up."
Neither of the girls objected—they knew better than anyone how strong Ichigo really was.
(Cough cough, don't overthink that.)
Once Rurichiyo was safely out of sight, Ichigo faced Nukui without restraint.
They flash-stepped to a rooftop, Ichigo eyeing the weapon on Nukui's arm.
"Shinigami Zanpakutō are soul-bound. If the user is dead, the blade should disappear. So why is that still in your hand?"
Nukui smirked.
"Who said this was a Zanpakutō?"
Not a Zanpakutō?
That was crucial information.
Before Ichigo could ask more, Nukui charged at him with a swing of his blade.
Ichigo was wary of that weapon—it could reflect moonlight and hypnotize enemies.
It gave off serious bootleg Kyōka Suigetsu vibes, so he stayed cautious.
Of course, Ichigo was overthinking it. Rukia and Senna were affected because their spiritual pressure wasn't strong enough.
For Ichigo, the weapon's illusions were basically useless.
Still, his cautious approach gave Nukui a false sense of superiority.
"What's wrong? Is this all the great Kurosaki Ichigo's got?"
Nukui taunted, striking over and over.
Ichigo calmly blocked each attack without a word. Then he activated his blade.
"Cry out—Zangetsu!"
The massive cleaver materialized, and in one swing, he blasted Nukui back!
If Nukui's weapon had been a regular Zanpakutō, it would've shattered instantly.
Though the slash didn't kill him, it left the entire right side of his body numb!
Even after recovering, Nukui was stunned by Ichigo's strength.
"What, can't even take a single casual swing from me, and you talk big?"
Ichigo's words weren't loud, but they struck deep—pure psychological warfare.
"What!? You dare mock me!? Hyaah!"
Nukui screamed, wildly swinging his weapon to reflect more light toward Ichigo.
Ichigo raised Zangetsu to block.
"That trick doesn't work on me. Got anything else?"
Unexpectedly, Nukui grinned.
"Who said I was using the same trick? You don't get it—this weapon has different abilities depending on the user!"
So… the same weapon produces different powers depending on who wields it?
Ichigo mentally took note again.
Honestly, it was rare to find such a talkative villain.
Most of the previous assassins were tight-lipped and killed themselves if captured. But this one? Total goldmine.
"Bwahahaha! Enter my Mirror World!"
Nukui cackled and dragged Ichigo into a crystal-like mirrored dimension.
Ichigo didn't resist at all.
This was a golden opportunity to mine him for intel. It'd be a waste not to take advantage of this idiot!
Inside the Mirror World, Ichigo felt his body become heavy.
It didn't affect his movement, but he played along, pretending to be paralyzed.
"Wh-what's going on!? Why can't I move!?"
Nukui laughed maniacally.
"This is my Mirror World! It seals your movements! You're mine now, Ichigo! First of many victims!"
He poured all his spiritual pressure—blue-purple in color—into his weapon.
Spiritual pressure enhances weapon power… noted.
Ichigo kept observing.
A crescent-shaped blue-purple slash shot toward Ichigo.
But Ichigo didn't panic.
He let his own spiritual pressure erupt.
Black reiatsu exploded, flooding the Mirror World.
Crack… crack…
Under the pressure, the Mirror World shattered.
"What!? How is your reiatsu this strong!?"
Nukui was horrified.
Ichigo sighed.
"You're a frog in a well. You saw a glimpse of the sky and thought you understood the world."
Smash!
The mirror dimension crumbled completely.
Terrified, Nukui opened a portal and fled.
Lucky for him. If he'd stayed a second longer, Ichigo wouldn't have gone easy anymore.
"So? What did you learn?"
Yoruichi appeared beside Ichigo.
"I got some good info. Looks like the Kasumiooji family really has been mass-producing some powerful weapons."
Ichigo leaned Zangetsu on his shoulder, then blinked.
"Wait… why are you here, Yoruichi?"
"Kisuke sensed they were sending assassins after you the moment you left. He told me to catch one alive—but the only one who didn't suicide was your guy."
Yoruichi sounded exasperated.
Assassins this loyal were rare.
Who would've thought the Kasumiooji family of all people could raise so many death-bound killers?
Rukia and Senna also arrived after cleaning up the other attackers.
Ichigo relayed everything Nukui had revealed.
Rukia frowned.
"But why? Why is the Kasumiooji family building all these weapons?"
The room fell silent.
Indeed—why?
They couldn't be making them just for fun.
Back in the Soul Society, Cloudbine couldn't wait any longer.
Taking advantage of Rurichiyo's absence, he proposed a candidate for her husband—Kanenogi Ushio.
In truth, he wanted to place this man in the position of family head, using him as a puppet to seize control.
However, the Kasumiooji family had always followed a matriarchal system, and his proposal was initially rejected.
So what did Cloudbine do? He eliminated the elders who opposed him.
With fear in their hearts, the remaining elders caved during the second meeting.
From the shadows, Soifon had seen everything.
"Hmph. The Kasumiooji family must have a death wish."
She didn't bother to comment—just coldly observed.
Cloudbine didn't stop there.
He issued a second assassination order for Rurichiyo—this time not just sending Nukui, but three other assassins as well.
Each of them received unique weapons from Cloudbine, and all were eager to prove their worth in the human world.
But let's be honest—if they were really that strong, they'd be in the Gotei 13, not skulking around in the shadows.
Back in the living world, Inuzō and Sarugaki realized Cloudbine had gone all in.
It was open war now.
From this moment on, Cloudbine would stop at nothing to kill Rurichiyo.
"Lord Ichigo, we've decided to relocate Princess Rurichiyo to a secret residence," they announced.
Ever since they'd seen Soifon and Kenpachi treat Ichigo with such respect, they had become even more formal around him.
"Good idea," Ishida said. "If Cloudbine's openly sending killers, then hiding her is wise."
"Don't worry," Ichigo reassured them. "Once we uncover his goal, we'll counterattack."
Inuzō and Sarugaki bowed in gratitude.
Tatsuki added, "Let's all stay with Rurichiyo for the next few days. That way, no matter what happens, we'll keep her safe."
Orihime, Rukia, and Senna all agreed.
With these four as her guard, not even a Captain could break through easily.
"Thank you all so much," said Sarugaki.
"No need to be so formal."
Ichigo added, "We're all on standby. If anything happens, just call us right away."
"Got it."
At that moment, Rurichiyo came out of the house.
Seeing her, everyone fell silent.
She wasn't stupid. She knew someone wanted her dead.
But since no one would tell her who, she didn't know how to ask.
Just like Orihime said—they were trying to protect her by not telling her the truth.
Still, the loneliness in her heart was real.
Later, Rurichiyo sat on the rooftop, letting the night wind wash over her as she tried to empty her mind.
Ichigo sensed her emotions and joined her.
"You really can show that kind of expression too, huh?" he said. "Like someone completely unburdened."
Rurichiyo smiled softly.
"You make it sound like I've always been burdened."
Ichigo didn't reply, just gazed at the stars.
Rurichiyo looked at him.
"Ichigo… the human world is really nice. Even if I climb up to the roof alone, no one scolds me."
Ichigo turned to her.
"Because you're a princess… everyone's afraid you might get hurt."
At those words, Rurichiyo closed her eyes.
"…Yeah. Because I'm a princess, if I get injured, someone else gets punished. Even if it was just an accident."
"I have a lot of things I want to do, but every time I act on my feelings, someone ends up suffering the consequences."
"So I learned to be obedient… to never act out."
She sighed again.
Ichigo gently shook his head.
That's the dark side of being nobility.
If you're not at the very top and lack power, even a high-ranking noble like the Kasumiooji family is still trapped in feudal rules.
Bound by tradition.
Rurichiyo began sharing a childhood memory.
One day during archery practice, a wild boar accidentally wandered into the garden. Terrified, she ran—only to fall into a trap.
She wasn't hurt, but Cloudbine still dismissed her archery teacher.
Not only that—every guard on duty that day was punished too.
Even the boar was dealt with.
That's when she realized she had no freedom.
She became the obedient daughter, never acting out.
The only ones allowed to remain by her side were Inuzō and Sarugaki.
Thanks to them, Rurichiyo had been protected so well until now.
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