Just like Shirou told Tatsuki that night, days passed by quietly and peacefully. There was nothing that happened. Hollow didn't attack and everyone was safe, not counting small events that usually happened in Karakura.
It was a normal and mundane life.
There were still a few days left until vacation was over. However, that didn't mean Ichigo would stop training and hunting hollow. There were some appearing , a few weak ones that were easily killed.
It was the opposite for Shirou. He hadn't encountered a single Hollow after that day.
Maybe because Ichigo and Sado, who had been actively patrolling and hunting them. Not to mention that he had spent most of his time in the mountain to train his Blut and Spirit Weapon.
Thwang!
A blue arrow created by Reishi pierced the tree cleanly, leaving a small hole in it.
'Well... That's an improvement.' Shirou thought, 'Maybe it's because I am used to the training, or my control over reishi is improving.'
After training for a week, he progressed enough to make an arrow without using the Quincy Cross as a medium.
Although the shape and the power was not yet perfect, it was enough to fight low level Hollow. He could split the arrows in the middle of its path by modifying its composition slightly, thanks to Uryu's pointer.
"Huh, I guess you did improve." Uryu commented from the side.
Every time Shirou trained, he would always watch for a while and give some pointers before disappearing. While he looked cold, he was actually kind of caring. Or maybe, it was just his comradeship as Quincy that made him want to help Shirou.
"Thank you for the compliment." Shirou said, "But this is still far from your level."
"Of course, it is far. It will take years before you can master it." Uryu pushed his glasses up, looking at Shirou with his sharp gaze. "You can't split your arrows easily yet. You need to spread the Reishi into more points to make a rain of arrows."
Saying that, he created a Spirit Weapon and demonstrated it.
He pulled the bowstring and a white arrow formed on his finger. He fired the arrow, which flew into the sky. A moment later, the arrow splits and a rain of arrows rained down on the trees, piercing through their trunk with ease.
Holes appeared on every tree and ground in a circular pattern, and a cloud of dust rose from the point of impact.
"See? You have a long way to go before you can reach my level." He said, "But you can do it."
"Right..." Shirou trailed off seeing the technique.
That would be useful to fight against a large number of enemies. Though the power was weak compared to the usual arrows, the sheer amount of it would be more than enough to compensate for that.
Using Noble Phantasm would be overkill. Not to mention, tracing it would need more Reiryoku than just using Spirit Weapon.
Indeed, very useful.
"I think it's enough for today. We should go home now. The sun is setting." Ishida Uryu said.
"Uhh, I guess you're right." Shirou looked around, his eyes looking at the darkening sky, "I think we should. It will be hard to train in the dark anyway."
They walked together out of the forest. Shirou and Ishida were silent for most of the time. Ishida wasn't a talkative person and he preferred to stay in his own world, unlike Shirou who could adapt to any situation and made some conversation.
This time was different though.
A topic was made from an earlier discussion.
As a newbie at using Quincy technique, Shirou had many to ask. Such as why he still had to use his own Reiryoku to form a weapon when he had Reishi around him.
The reason was that without his Reiryoku as a medium, it would take longer time to gather the Reishi and create a weapon. And that the process was not as efficient as using your own Reiryoku, because the amount was too much and the quality of the Reishi from nature wasn't that dense.
Controlling Reishi was an easy task. But when the Reishi was taken from another place and the quantity was a lot, it would be a different story.
He learned many things about Quincy. And he also shared his knowledge with others. It was a win-win situation for both of them. He knew more and could teach the other more stuff too.
When Shirou arrived at his home, he could already smell the scent of food from outside.
Opening the door, he heard his mother's voice from the kitchen.
"Is that you, Shirou?"
"I am home. Are you cooking?"
"I'm making your favorite food. You're just in time, Shirou." Masaki peeked out from behind the kitchen door, smiling brightly at him. "Can you call Yuzu and Karin for dinner? They are playing outside and haven't come home yet."
Shirou was a little surprised by this request but nodded nonetheless and replied with a smile of his own. "Alright."
Stepping out of his house once again, Shirou walked down the street to the park where his sisters usually played.
Twilight was fast approaching as the sky darkened into a deep shade of blue. Stars were already shining in the night sky and the moon was already visible above the horizon. The air felt a little cold against his skin, making Shirou shiver a little bit.
Soon, night would arrive.
It was not a very long walk, but the distance felt longer due to his tiredness from earlier training. It took about ten minutes to get to the park.
From afar, he could already spot two familiar figures in front of the park. One of them was wearing a white shirt while the other was wearing a blue shirt.
It was Yuzu and Karin. They played ball with other kids, their smiles were visible even from afar. Shirou smiled, watching them for a bit. They were still young.
And even if Karin had spiritual awareness and could see ghosts, he hoped that they would never get involved with supernatural stuff.
"Yuzu, Karin! Time to go home!"
"Ah! Nii-chan!" Yuzu waved her hand to him. She was holding a ball in her hand while talking to Karin about something or another. "We'll go back soon!"
Shirou walked toward them and patted Yuzu on the head, causing her to smile happily. Her smile was like bright sunshine and her face radiated joy.
Meanwhile, Karin just grunted as she turned her face away from Shirou, looking somewhat embarrassed.
"Don't pat me in front of my friend." She said, blushing lightly.
"Okay, Karin." Shirou smiled, ruffling her hair one last time. He turned around and said, "Mom is waiting. She's cooking your favorite food."
Karin's expression instantly changed and her face brightened up. Her eyes were shining with excitement and anticipation as if she couldn't wait any longer.
She immediately started walking faster towards home. Yuzu giggled at her sister's antics as she ran after her, catching up quickly as well.
Shirou watched his sisters' interaction fondly before following them.
It was always like this every evening after school or during weekends when it was Masaki's turn to cook.
"So what are you playing today?"
"Ah, we were playing baseball." Yuzu replied cheerfully, her face filled with happiness, "Karin is really good at hitting the ball. She scored four home runs in just three games! It's amazing, right?"
Shirou glanced at Karin who looked annoyed and muttered under her breath. "...It's not like it's anything special."
"It's not something you see everyday." He praised.
Karin huffed, looking away in an embarrassed manner. She was blushing slightly.
"You don't have to be modest. I am praising you." Shirou smiled, patting her on her shoulder, "It's a good achievement."
"It's not." She said firmly, "It's not like it matters. No one else cares about it anyway."
Her words left him speechless for a moment before Shirou let out a small laugh. He ruffled his hair playfully as he said, "Don't say that. It matters to me and your friends."
"Yeah yeah, whatever." She brushed off his compliment and continued to walk forward without another word. Shirou sighed in exasperation at his sister's stubbornness.
Sun had set and it was already night.
And night turned into days again.
One day, Tatsuki contacted Shirou for something.
"... That's how it is. Can you help the Karate Club with their outdoor training? I don't know anyone to ask but you!"