NOTAKING
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Ble@ch: Chapter 82
🕑 Added 2025-06-03 10:17:09 +0000 UTCBefore Ichigo left for school, he turned to Yoruichi—currently in her small black cat form, perched on his windowsill.
“Don’t follow me to school,” he said bluntly, slinging his bag over his shoulder. “Seriously. I’ve got enough chaos there already.”
Yoruichi flicked her tail. “Fine, fine. I’ll stay here and nap in your bed. Try not to get into a life-or-death situation before lunch.”
Ichigo rolled his eyes and left, walking down the street where Keigo was already waiting for him, waving with over-the-top energy.
“ICHIGOOOO! I MISSED YOU, BRO!” Keigo practically tackled him.
“You saw me yesterday,” Ichigo muttered, but let him tag along anyway.
As they approached Karakura High, Ichigo stared at the building with a tired sigh. It felt surreal being back. After all the life-and-death battles, Soul Society politics, and late-night rooftop fights, school felt… petty. Pointless. But he knew dropping out would only create more problems.
So he walked in.
The moment he stepped into the classroom, a familiar voice rang out.
“ICHIGO!”
Orihime nearly flew at him, eyes sparkling with excitement. Ichigo opened his arms, and she crashed into him with a joyful squeal, wrapping her arms tightly around his torso.
His classmates—especially the guys—froze in their seats, their faces contorted in horror and betrayal. He could feel their collective bloodlust rising behind their fake smiles.
Tatsuki stood off to the side, arms crossed and watching with an amused smile. But Ichigo knew better. He could see it in her eyes—the faint flicker of jealousy.
Without a word, he stepped toward her and pulled her into a hug too. Her eyes widened in surprise, but her arms slowly slid around him, and a small, satisfied smile crossed her face as she buried it in his chest.
The other boys in class might as well have combusted.
“Damn him...” someone whispered.
“Why does HE get to be the main character?!”
Ichigo ignored them and took his seat, chatting casually with Mizuiro and Keigo while Orihime and Tatsuki remained nearby, both clearly still glowing.
“He’s so broad…” Orihime whispered dreamily, her cheeks still flushed.
“Yeah... he is,” Tatsuki murmured, barely hiding her smirk.
Just as the teacher entered and class began, a psychic alert screamed in Ichigo’s head.
HOLLOW!!!
HOLLOW!!!
HOLLOW!!!
HOLLOW!!!
The voices pierced his senses like sirens, and Ichigo instinctively clenched his fists under his desk. He looked around discreetly. Only a handful of others had reacted—Uryuu, Orihime, and Chad.
He made eye contact with them and gave a nod.
“I’ll handle it,” he whispered, standing up.
“Ms. Shirogane,” he said aloud, raising his hand, “may I go to the bathroom?”
She barely looked up from her textbook. “Yes, Kurosaki. Be quick.”
Ichigo darted out.
Seconds later, Orihime and Chad raised their hands too.
“Um… bathroom too!” Orihime said with a bright smile.
“Same,” Chad rumbled.
Ms. Shirogane blinked. “Are you three syncing your bladders now?”
They didn’t answer, already gone.
Outside, Ichigo ran into a quiet alley, pulled out his badge, and left his body in a flash. He flash-stepped to the rooftop the hollow was haunting—and spotted it instantly. A grotesque, lanky beast snarled at him from the edge of the building.
He didn’t give it a chance to breathe.
One clean slash later, the hollow vanished into mist.
Ichigo sighed. “I wanna fight a Menos again.”
Orihime and Chad landed behind him.
“You know,” he said, brushing his shoulder, “I had this covered.”
“I know,” Orihime replied cheerfully, “but I’ve always wanted to lie my way out of class.”
“At least she’s honest,” Chad muttered, arms crossed.
“Yeah, a little too honest,” Ichigo said with a chuckle.
Above them, a figure hovered upside down in mid-air, watching the group with a sly grin.
“Ichigo Kurosaki…” Shinji Hirako whispered to himself. “Found you.”
Ichigo’s head tilted slightly, his sharp eyes locking onto Shinji without hesitation. The upside-down Visored blinked in surprise.
‘He sensed me that fast?’
Ichigo gave him no more than a brief glance before turning back to Chad and Orihime. “Let’s go. If we don’t get back soon, Ms. Shirogane’s gonna have questions.”
With that, the trio flash-stepped back toward the school, leaving Shinji behind—still upside down, still smirking.
“Interesting…”
Back in class, Ichigo slumped into his seat, eyes distant as he rested his chin on one hand. His mind wasn’t on the lecture anymore—it was elsewhere.
‘Guess it’s time for that arc already,’ he thought, recalling the upside-down blonde who had been watching him earlier. ‘The Visoreds... damn. I haven’t even had the chance to talk to Orihime or Tatsuki properly.’
He glanced to his left. Orihime was scribbling notes with surprising focus, while Tatsuki leaned back, clearly bored but glancing at him every now and then when she thought he wasn’t looking.
‘This weekend... I’ll talk to both of them then. If I’m not getting attacked every ten minutes.’
The rest of the school day flew by in a blur. Notes, noise, and mindless lectures passed through his ears without sticking. When the final bell rang, Ichigo left the building with a sigh of relief, walking toward home with his hands in his pockets.
But of course—nothing stays peaceful for long.
Riiiiing
The Substitute Shinigami badge buzzed against his chest.
“Fucken hell...” he muttered, already turning down an alleyway. He pressed the badge to his chest and left his body, slipping into his Shinigami form in an instant.
This time, he didn’t waste a second. A flash of shunpō later, he appeared above a shrieking Hollow perched on the roof of a department store.
The Hollow barely had time to raise its head before Ichigo’s blade cleaved through it, dispersing it into spiritual mist.
He sighed, sheathing his sword.
‘When is that afro dude gonna show up again? I’ll just start leaving the small fry to him. Not like they’re worth the energy.’
With another quick flash step, he returned to where his body lay hidden and fused back into it. Dusting himself off, he yawned and continued walking home as if nothing had happened.
When he slid open the door and entered his room, he found Yoruichi—still in her cat form—curled comfortably on his bed, tail flicking lazily.
“Wow, you didn’t leave,” he said, dropping his bag.
Yoruichi lifted her head. “Well, I did come visit you. It’d be rude to leave unannounced. Besides, this bed is comfy.”
Ichigo raised an eyebrow. “Did you eat anything?”
“Yep. I stole some of your secret snack stash,” she replied with a mischievous glint in her golden eyes.
Ichigo immediately crossed the room and opened the drawer behind his bookshelf—his carefully hidden stash of chips, sweets, and the occasional guilty pleasure snack.
Untouched.
“…You lied.”
Yoruichi let out a soft chuckle, stretching out. “I did go downstairs, though. Your dad’s quite generous. He gave me a whole plate.”
Ichigo blinked. “Wait… He fed you? Like... knowing you’re a talking cat?”
“Let’s just say I used my charms,” she said cryptically, tail curling in amusement.
Yoruichi then looked at Ichigo more thoughtfully as he turned toward the door.
“I’m starving,” he said, cracking his neck. “I’ll be back in a few.”
She watched him go, the door clicking softly behind him. Then she rolled onto her back, paws tucked in, a small pout on her feline face.
‘A beautiful, curvy woman is right here in his room, and all he can think about is food...’ she thought. ‘This boy really is hopeless.’
Still, there was a flicker of a smile in her feline eyes.
‘But that’s also what makes him interesting.’
TO BE CONTINUED
