Arriving at his home, Shirou noticed the rowdy atmosphere inside. Chatters could be heard, along with a loud bang and some shouting.
A normal occurrence in Kurosaki's household, and he was sure it was his brother who caused it. Well, that's Ichigo for you.
The difference was that the other party was not his father but someone else.
Shirou walked into the house, his feet carrying him to the living room, which was full of people today.
Karin, Yuzu, Orihime, Tatsuki, and Ichigo. They sat around in the living room with Karin playing a game on her handheld, Orihime chatting with Yuzu excitedly about her favorite food, while Ichigo and Tatsuki were wrestling with each other.
Well... It was mostly Tatsuki who attacked while Ichigo just casually deflected or countered every attack. It's clear that she was toying with him, and Shirou knew it.
"I am back." He announced himself.
"Welcome home, Nii-chan!" Yuzu greeted, "I've heard you're about to make sandwiches? Do you want to eat together?"
"Yes, let me cook it. You can continue to chat with them, Yuzu."
"O-Okay, then! Do you need help?"
Having been satisfied with teasing Ichigo, Tatsuki fixed her clothes and asked.
"Of course. Can you help me wash the vegetables while I prepare the ham?"
Shirou accepted Tatsuki's help and they entered the kitchen. He took a few ingredients and placed them on the table. He also prepared some plates and started preparing the food.
His hands moved swiftly, his body was moving with efficiency and grace, almost like he was dancing as he made the sandwiches.
Tatsuki watched him as he worked with an amazed expression on her face. The sight was a pleasant sight, but something bothered her mind, and she spoke up.
"You're really skilled. How long have you been cooking for?" She asked while helping him prepare the meal.
"I have been cooking since I was child. So... 9 years, I think. I have a lot of experience."
Not to mention his previous life experience, where he spent more than a decade to perfect his craft. He might even pass as a professional chef in this world.
"I see. You must be a prodigy in the kitchen. To think you're this good at a young age, it's impressive." Tatsuki said, her eyes filled with admiration and curiosity. "I have been cooking for 2 years already, and my skill is still nothing compared to yours."
"It's just a simple sandwich."
"You know I don't mean that, right? You've got the talent and experience, you should be proud of yourself." The black-haired girl said.
"Thanks, I guess." He smiled and said.
They finished cooking the sandwiches, and they were pretty good.
The taste of the bread mixed perfectly with the filling, the sauce made from a secret recipe that was given by the old lady of a restaurant where Shirou worked before, made the whole dish tasted delicious.
They ate their meal together with the others and chatted a bit.
Time flew, and the clock struck ten.
Tatsuki and Orihime stood up from their seats, ready to go back home.
"It's already late. I need to get going."
"Let me take you home." Ichigo offered.
"Then I will escort Tatsuki." Shirou added, rising from his seat.
"You don't need to." Tatsuki rejected, "We can go back by ourselves. You guys need to go to sleep, right?"
"It's dangerous at night, especially with Hollows running rampant." Ichigo replied.
He had already told all of our friends about the hollow and soul, but only a few of them could actually see it, like Orihime, Sado and Uryu.
Tatsuki wasn't one of those, but at least she had some basic spiritual awareness and could feel something dangerous when hollow was around. So it was a logical thing for Ichigo to take Orihime home. Shirou would escort Tatsuki then.
However, telling them about it didn't mean that they would believe it fully. Tatsuki hadn't seen a hollow and didn't know what kind of creature it was. So she still rejected his offer.
Shirou wouldn't usually push it if he hadn't met a Hollow earlier, "Well, I am free right now and it will make us calm if you let me accompany you. What do you say, Tatsuki? Just take this as my favor."
Not trying to force her by saying it was for her own good. But by making her accept his offer as a favor. He was also free so there was nothing to lose.
"...Fine." She relented and agreed, "Let's go, Shirou. See you tomorrow, Ichigo, Orihime."
"Let's go too, Inoue." Ichigo walked to the front door and turned to look at the girl, "I will make sure you arrive home safely. Let's go."
"Umm, thank you, Ichigo-kun." Orihime smiled and waved her hand at them. "Bye, Shirou-kun, Tatsuki-chan!"
The four left the Kurosaki's household, parting their way on the street. Shirou left a message to Karin to lock the door as he walked with Tatsuki to her house.
Shirou accompanied her in silence, the night air felt comfortable for them.
Tatsuki glanced at Shirou who seemed to be deep in thought, and asked, "Hey, Shirou."
"Yeah?"
"Is your business earlier related to that Hollow thing?" Her voice sounded serious and her gaze was fixed on the road, avoiding Shirou's gaze. She seemed to be somewhat hesitant in asking him that.
And Shirou's silence confirmed it. He only smiled bitterly at that, "...You really don't have to know about that stuff. I have handled it already. It will not harm you."
"That doesn't change the fact that there are dangerous things in our world. How many times have you risked your life just to keep us safe, Shirou?" Tatsuki continued, "Ichigo too. How many times did he go and risk his life? I know Orihime and Sado also do the same thing, right?"
"Well, it's true."
"That only made me feel a bit useless." Tatsuki clenched his fist tightly. "You all are fighting against something that I can't even see. Karate is useless, even. And that frustrates me."
Silence filled the air between them, Shirou could only watch her quietly, thinking about the best words to answer her, "...I am not a good talker, but let me just tell you this, Tatsuki."
The raven haired girl looked up at him, "What?"
"You don't need to worry. A Shinigami will be dispatched from their headquarters to protect everyone in the town. Ichigo, and of course me too, will not fight that much anymore. Hollows will not be able to hurt you. Not in the slightest, I assure that. You can rest easy now."
What happened before was just an exception, and he wouldn't let anyone be involved in that matter ever again.
Tatsuki smirked at him, "Heh, that's not like you."
"Hmm?"
"I know you enough to tell you that." Tatsuki said, stopping her step. "I know you're hiding something. I don't know if Ichigo is aware of it or not, but I am. So please, be honest with me. Don't tell me some bullshit about being safe and shit. I can protect myself just fine!"
She raised her fist and smiled, her expression showed nothing but confidence in her skill, "So please, tell me everything. I will not let my friend fight alone!"
"...You're really stubborn."
Tatsuki chuckled, "Well, of course. I can't lose to my friend, right? You're stubborn too."
"I can't say that. You have a talent for Karate and I can't beat you in that." Shirou complimented, "Anyway, there is nothing to talk about, Arisawa. There will be nothing dangerous anymore, and your normal life can continue. That's all."
"Your, huh?" She muttered under her breath.
"Huh? What did you say?
"...It's nothing." Tatsuki looked at him and grinned, hiding her real feeling behind it. "Let's hurry, I want to sleep. My home is right in the corner. Thanks for escorting me."
"Yeah. Goodnight, Arisawa." He smiled at her and waved.
With a final goodbye, they parted their ways. Shirou was now alone on the street, walking to his house.