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Chapter 331, Section 328: Heading Towards a Different World

When Ichigo Kurosaki woke up again, the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was the familiar ceiling.

"————?!"

He almost sat bolt upright in bed, then pressed his chest, cheeks, and sides with a look of shock.

Panic was practically written all over his face.

He was breathing heavily, his eyes filled with fear, like a mentally unstable patient who had been provoked—he appeared extremely flustered.

It's normal to have this kind of reaction.

Even though the controller was taken away, Ichigo Kurosaki was fully aware of his situation.

He watched as his body underwent a terrifying transformation, unleashing an incomprehensible, even unbelievable, power—and the little girl he had never met before, his opponent, possessed the same power.

What exactly happened? What am I hiding on myself? Why—

Such thoughts flooded his mind, causing Ichigo Kurosaki to unconsciously clench his right hand at the front of his shirt, pulling it slightly inward, and his breathing became extremely heavy.

"Are you awake, Ichigo?"

He only realized what was happening when he heard a familiar voice coming from beside him and looked to the side.

This is my own room.

But in the corner stood a completely unfamiliar figure.

The other person's face was hidden in shadow, and the moonlight from outside the window poured into the room, but only barely illuminated half of the other person's body.

It was a black retro outfit I'd seen once before—with tabi socks on, giving off a serious yet extremely strange vibe.

Kurosaki Ichigo's breathing slowed down subconsciously, after all, the girl who almost killed him in his memory was also wearing this outfit.

But wait—

That sound just now?

Kurosaki Ichigo's expression faltered slightly, but before he could speak, the other person had already stepped forward and emerged from the shadows.

With a serious expression and smoking a cigarette, Kurosaki Isshin nodded slightly to his son and spoke in a subtly meaningful tone.

"Ichigo, how are you feeling?"

"Dad?"

"Yeah, what's wrong? Don't you even recognize me anymore?"

"No—that's not it. The important thing is—why are you wearing this outfit? And what about the person who attacked me earlier? I, I—"

There are so many things I want to ask.

That's why Ichigo Kurosaki seemed to have aphasia, showing a bewildered and helpless expression.

However, this reaction seemed to be exactly what Kurosaki Isshin had expected. He simply smiled calmly and gently patted Ichigo's shoulder.

"Don't overthink it, take it slow, and move forward little by little. I know you're worried, but it's okay—I'll always be on your side."

"Dad—"

Hearing these words, Ichigo Kurosaki gradually calmed down.

No matter how irritable he may seem on ordinary days, he is ultimately just a high school student.

Not yet mature enough to be independent, but not so fragile that they need help from others even when hurt.

This limbo is precisely where Ichigo Kurosaki is currently in his situation.

"Your story—yes, I don't even know where to begin."

A look of emotion appeared on his face. Kurosaki Isshin remained silent for a long time, then chuckled softly as if relieved.

Oh.

"Let's start from when I met your mother, Ichigo—we're not actually ordinary humans."

The in-depth conversation between the father and son was an experience I had never had before.

Clearly, this had an extremely exaggerated impact on Ichigo Kurosaki's worldview—his expression gradually changed from blank and bewildered to confused and puzzled, until finally he lowered his head as if he had lost his ability to think.

Without making a sound, Ichigo Kurosaki slightly raised his right hand and gently pressed it against his forehead.

There is so much to digest and understand, bit by bit.

But before that—

"Dad, did you already know all this a long time ago?"

"Um."

"So you also know about those things hidden inside my body?"

"Um."

"Then you should have told me sooner! If I had possessed this power earlier, Mom wouldn't have been killed, right?!"

Kurosaki Ichigo grabbed his father's shoulder, clenching his teeth, his expression one of near collapse.

"Why didn't they teach me this kind of thing from the beginning?! I could definitely have done it, right? If it were the me from before, I could have saved Mom!!!"

"—That was something I couldn't have foreseen either, I'm sorry."

There's so much to say, it's like a mountain.

But for the boy named Kurosaki Ichigo, the wound that he has been unable to heal himself is the one that his loved ones, whom he could not save.

Of course, this can be considered a family matter in the literal sense.

Seeing that Kurosaki Isshin also showed a slightly sad expression, Ichigo seemed to have just come to his senses and took two steps back.

o

He stood still, his gaze lowered, his hands clenched tightly as if he were quite unwilling.

I cannot forgive my own incompetence, but it is an unavoidable fact.

After a while, the boy tried to comfort himself—he raised his head, gasped for breath, and quickly adjusted his state through deep breathing.

"Sorry, Dad."

I shouldn't have lost my temper.

Or rather—

At least for Ichigo Kurosaki, he shouldn't have lost his temper in front of Isshin Kurosaki.

After all, although his father has been a bit unreliable over the years, he has always been working hard for the family.

Despite doing a job he disliked and dealing with trivial matters, Kurosaki was able to raise three children and was truly a worthy father.

However, on the other hand...

"Since they've already decided not to associate me with these things, why bother arranging this in the first place?"

Based on the conclusions drawn from their conversation, Ichigo Kurosaki roughly understood his father's deeper meaning.

That's why he found this process of going back on his word very strange.

Faced with Ichigo's question, Kurosaki Isshin remained silent for a moment before speaking softly.

"Because some things that you absolutely had to deal with happened—"

The safety of the three realms, the Soul King incident, Yhwach, and a host of other issues are still too distant topics for Ichigo Kurosaki at this moment.

Therefore, Kurosaki Isshin simply glossed over it and steered the conversation to the next round.

"Your strength is a prerequisite for accomplishing all of this, so you must grow—of course, simply saying this is not enough to make you understand the seriousness of the problem."

and so.

"I have a very specific plan and arrangement."

Kurosaki Ichigo asked, somewhat puzzled.

"How do I do it?"

"I'll guide you through some training first, so you can get a basic understanding of the power within your body. This process will probably last less than a week."

Time, and then————

Kurosaki Isshin paused for a moment, then spoke slowly and deliberately.

"I'll take you back to Soul Society. There—you'll receive richer and more useful knowledge. And there are some people I think it wouldn't hurt for you to get to know them beforehand."

Soul Society, Gotei 13 —

Such topics also emerged one after another, giving Ichigo Kurosaki a headache.

He didn't understand the meaning of these things at all, but—with Kurosaki Isshin by his side, he wouldn't completely lose his composure.

"Dad, were you also a member of the Gotei 13 before?"

"Of course, I am the former captain of the 10th Division."

"Then—what kind of organization is the Eleventh Division?"

Although Ichigo Kurosaki had never met the Gotei 13, he still remembered the words Matsushita Hisaka left behind before she left.

He was indeed curious about the components of this world and the various things he had never seen before. But of all these things, what he cared about most was Matsushita Hisaka's father.

What kind of person could raise such a daughter?

"The Eleventh Division?"

Kurosaki Isshin paused for a moment, then gave a thoughtful look.

"You asked something very interesting—that Matsushita Yusuke is quite an interesting and influential figure, even for the entire Soul Society."

"What do you mean?"

"Haha, it's a long story—oh right, now that you've completely recovered, let's go out and find a restaurant to eat something? To be honest, I haven't had dinner yet—"

"There's still curry in the fridge, don't waste the money, just eat your meal."

"No! I want some dumplings and beer too. Do you remember Lai Lai Xuan outside? It's the place I used to take you to when we were little."

"Ah—the place that fries mini sausages? Is it still open?"

"What are you saying? He's a mainstay in this neighborhood, how could he possibly go out of business just because someone like me is gone? So, take this rare opportunity to go out for a drink with your dad."

Kurosaki Isshin seems to have fully recovered, and his smiling appearance now shows no trace of his former authority.

However, it is precisely because of this that Ichigo Kurosaki feels at ease.

After all, this was the father he knew, who usually acted unreliable, not the cold and aloof captain.

"I see----"

Kurosaki Ichigo sighed softly and began packing his clothes.

"Then let's go."

"Oh! My son's all grown up! How about we grab a drink later?"

"Am I still a minor?"

"If you don't say anything, nobody will care—what does it matter! Drinking with Dad is so much more fun!"

"I just can't do anything with you!"

Under the moonlight, the father and son looked at each other and smiled, as if there was no barrier between them whatsoever.

On the other side...

Having completed all her missions, Matsushita Hisako is returning to her resting place with Kuchiki Rukia.

During this time, Rukia couldn't stop asking a lot of questions.

For example, what exactly happened just now, what is the current situation, and what will happen next—even Matsushita Hikaru, who is usually quite normal-tempered and indifferent to everything, felt a little overwhelmed.

"Rukia-nee-san—I can't really explain this kind of thing either. Could you please not ask such detailed questions? It sounds like something my mom would say to me—"

The other person belatedly realized what was happening, rubbed their face, and gave an embarrassed smile.

"Excuse me----"

"There's no need to be so serious. Actually, I didn't mean to blame you. It's just—everyone has their own secrets, right?"

It was clearly the younger and less experienced party.

But at this moment, facing Matsushita Hishika, Rukia seemed to be in the more wrong position, showing an embarrassed and helpless expression.

"I...I won't ask anymore—"

"I already told you there's no need to exaggerate—we'll get to know each other better as we get to know each other, and I'll explain everything to Rukia-nee!"

Having said that, it seems that both sides have reached a consensus.

After resting at the camp, Matsushita Hikari returned to her room and sat on the edge of the bed, a slightly subtle expression on her face.

She seemed to have thought of something.

Suddenly he stood up and took out a palm-sized object from his pocket.

This is a research product of the Technology Development Bureau. It is said to be modeled after the concept of a mobile phone, but with expanded capabilities, so that it can dial different frequency bands—forming a connection between two different worlds and ultimately achieving the specific effect of making a call.

of course.

Previously, it was all still at the theoretical level.

Now that I've got my hands on this latest model, I haven't tried Panasonic Ritsuka before—it's a rare opportunity.

Moreover, this was also a commission from Mayuri Kurotsuchi.

The other party was also researching these things, and considering that she had caused a scene at the Technology Development Bureau some time ago, she was in the wrong in this regard.

There's simply no reason to decline.

Edit according to the specific number, and then send.

In essence, it's equivalent to dialing. After hearing a melodious echo, and waiting for nearly ten seconds, a familiar voice came from the other end.

"Feed? Can you hear me?"

"Ah—can it really be cleared? Is it Captain Nekomamushi?"

"Does that brat think my research is some kind of worthless junk? This level of communication is something I can easily achieve with just a little research! Hmph, it seems my approach is sound—all I need to do next is stabilize the frequency band."

Now, let's get back to the main topic.

"If there are no other questions, I'll hang up now. I have other things to attend to."

"Wait, wait, wait! I need to contact my dad. Can you help me?"

"Then I'll transfer you to the Eleventh Division. Just wait a moment."

The technology of Soul Society has advanced to this level —

After a short wait, a more familiar, even reassuring, voice came from the other side.

"Is it water chestnut? What's wrong?"