Chapter 42 Summer Adventure VI
What's so cute about her! Isn't it fun to tease her?
Kurosaki Utsuki was jumping on the tree nervously and excitedly, but halfway through he remembered that there was someone under the tree. He had to reach out and grab the branch next to him, then turned over and returned to his original position, glaring at him angrily.
Kenji Hagiwara looked back with confidence, and he couldn't lower the corners of his lips no matter how hard he tried.
Kurosaki Utsuki felt more and more embarrassed and annoyed when he looked at her, and she vaguely wanted to jump off the tree, but the boy in front of her suddenly reached out his hand to her - at the same time, fireworks suddenly bloomed in the sky.
It's the kind of scene that only appears in anime.
The girl's slightly red cheeks, the ends of her hair blown by the wind, her eyes illuminated by the colorful fireworks—
He thought that he would probably never forget this scene.
Of course, he still had something to explain: "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make Kurosaki-chan feel unhappy. What I said just now was just a feeling."
He spoke frankly and sincerely, but his voice was almost drowned out by the huge sound of fireworks.
But Kurosaki Utsuki, who had only caught the fragmentary sound of the conversation, somehow calmed down. She took the hand extended to her, sat down beside the boy again, and looked up at the sky filled with fireworks.
After a long while, she finally spoke: "...I know."
·
The fireworks display is over.
Considering that the current tram station is probably as crowded as a can of sardines, after a brief discussion with Kenji Hagiwara, Utaki Kurosaki decided to take him to another station that is a little further away so that he can take another line back to Beihua.
Hagiwara Kenji, who had mentally prepared himself for the princess carry and high-speed movement, suddenly realized that she was going to walk him to the station when Kurosaki Utsuki put him down not far from the venue. He immediately asked with a bit of worry, "Is it okay to walk in wooden clogs?"
As a matching outfit for the yukata, the orange-haired girl wore wooden clogs whose soles were not suitable for walking.
Kurosaki Utsuki didn't care at all: "It's okay. When I go out as a Shinigami, I wear straw sandals."
And she has the Blood-Station Suit, so she won't be hurt by a pair of ordinary shoes.
...Speaking of the static blood equipment, I wonder if Ishida Uryu has listened to her advice and learned how to use the dynamic and static blood equipment.
She had heard from Urahara Kisuke that Ishida Uryu would be joining them on this trip to Soul Society. If he hadn't reached what she considered a "barely fatal" state before departing, then she, as Ishida Ryugen's sole disciple, would have no choice but to intervene and stop him.
What other people decided might not concern her, but she couldn't stand by and watch her master's only son go to his death so foolishly.
"So, when Kurosaki-chan is a Shinigami, she can't change clothes?" asked Kenji Hagiwara.
Kurosaki Utsuki was stunned for a moment before realizing that what he wanted to ask was whether the clothes could be changed if they were uncomfortable.
"Of course not. I'm not some sort of puppet with clothes sewn onto my body," she replied. "While the Shinigami's identity is a form of identification, it doesn't affect their power. I can actually fight without leaving my body, but it would be troublesome if someone witnessed me."
After a moment's thought, she added, "Actually, Mr. Urahara does offer services to modify the Shinigami costume, but I don't think it's necessary since I won't be in Shinigami form for long."
However, she did plan to adjust her clothes a little. After all, the war was approaching, and she didn't want to travel in straw sandals for several days in a row.
Just as I was thinking of asking Hagiwara Kenji if he thought it was weird that Shinha was wearing sneakers, the phone on the lanyard around my neck suddenly vibrated.
Unlike Kurosaki Utsuki's knee-jerk reaction, the person on the other end wasn't Geto Suguru, but Rei Furuya. He had called her a couple of days earlier, asking if she wanted to go to the fireworks display together. She had said she would be with her family, and then asked if he wanted to join them.
This probably reminded the other party, and he immediately said that he would go and ask the Miyano family whether they would go to the fireworks festival, and then there was no news. He must have successfully infiltrated the Miyano family's team.
"Kurosaki, we just met your family." The boy's voice was heard in the background noise, as if he was still crowded in the dispersing crowd. "I heard you went to see your friends?"
"Yeah, I'm on my way to the station. What's up?"
"Hiro just asked your father when you came back and how long you would stay at home during the summer vacation," said Rei Furuya, "and the answer he got was that you arrived home this morning and will go to Mika tomorrow morning, but he doesn't know why. What are you busy with? Is it detective work? Why don't your brothers and sisters know that you are leaving tomorrow?"
……well.
"Why do they have to know? Isn't it enough for parents to know their whereabouts?"
"Hey, everyone's worried about you, including Hiro. He thinks you might be doing something dangerous."
Kurosaki Utahi glanced at the boy beside her, curled her lips, and asked the boy on the other end of the phone: "Are you worried about me too?"
"Huh? I'm not worried—what are you going to do?"
He was the first person to ask her about it, but now he said that he was not worried about her. His obvious tsundereness made Kurosaki Utsuki, who shared the same attribute, curl up the corners of her mouth happily.
"You'll find out eventually," she replied, "but not now."
"When will that be?"
"Before the end of summer vacation," she said. "I'm going on a trip with my brother next week, so we might lose contact. But you'll definitely know the answer before the new semester starts."
If she could come back alive, she wouldn't mind telling him everything. If not, she would have to leave it to her father or Mr. Urahara.
She would eventually let him know the answer anyway. The worst that could happen was that she would just write a letter in advance and ask her sister to mail it before the end of summer vacation.
"I know." The boy replied, "You must not break your promise."
"Yeah, it's a deal."
Almost at the same time as she hung up the phone, Kurosaki Utsuki heard the boy next to her ask, "Is this Kurosaki-chan's other friend?"
"I guess so. They recognized Hagiwara Kaki as me right away." Thinking back to how she had just acknowledged her as a friend, Kurosaki Utsuki's cheeks flushed. "But they didn't know I was a Shinigami."
"Is that so?" Hagiwara Kenji nodded. "Come to think of it, Jinpei-chan has asked me several times if Kurosaki-chan is 'Hagiwara Persimmon'."
"Hey—he finally found out." Kurosaki Utsuki dragged out the words. "What was your answer?"
"I said Kurosaki-chan will answer him in person next semester. What do you think, Kurosaki-chan?"
"Well, actually, it's okay to just admit it. After all, he's been helping to conceal my identity as a Shinigami, so he's trustworthy." She tilted her head. "But I can't guarantee a personal answer... So let's make a promise with him that we'll let him know the truth at the beginning of next semester."
Similar to the agreement she had just made with Rei Furuya, she didn't necessarily have to be the one to fulfill it—Kenji Hagiwara could completely tell her friends everything about "Kaki Hagiwara" on her behalf.
…It was like she was arranging her funeral, and she couldn’t help but laugh at herself.
The station sign could be seen not far ahead. Kurosaki Utsuki slowed down her pace and took out the key to Mika's house from the small bag tied to her wrist.
"This is the spare key to my house." She handed the key to the boy next to her.
Since it's a request from a friend, it doesn't seem wrong to push it a little further.
"I had originally planned to travel back and forth between Sora and Mika every day for the next few days before departure, but since you're willing to help me take care of the cat, I can save some time and stay in Sora without worry."
If this operation to infiltrate Soul Society to rescue people fails, then Ishida Ryugen will probably help her find a place for her cat after hearing the news. Although her master looks cold, he is actually very gentle at heart, so she is not worried about this.
Kenji Hagiwara took the key.
He didn't respond immediately, but simply slowed down and put the key in his pocket. After a long moment, he suddenly stopped and looked seriously at the girl who was looking at him in confusion.
"Kurosaki-chan, I also want a promise." He said very seriously.
Kurosaki Utsuki was stunned: "What agreement?"
Did he want something from her? Why couldn't she think of anything right away...
But the boy's gaze was so serious that it even made her feel inexplicably guilty.
"Kurosaki-chan, please come back safe and sound." Hagiwara Kenji lowered his head slightly, his voice full of hope, but he couldn't hide his worry for her at all. "Before the end of summer vacation, I hope to see Kurosaki-chan on the windowsill again."
It turned out to be such a request.
Kurosaki Utsuki bit her lip.
I hope she comes back safe and sound...
It was actually difficult for her to make a guarantee. She had fought against Urahara Kisuke, Shihouin Yoruichi, and the former captains and vice-captains of Hirako Mako's side, and could roughly guess the combat power level of the current captains of Soul Society. Therefore, she did not have such strong confidence in whether she could successfully rescue people and escape after rescuing them.
That's why she made promises that could be fulfilled even if she was not around, as if she were "arranging her funeral affairs."
Whether she could return victorious depended a bit on luck. This adventure might encounter various emergencies. She was even mentally prepared to sacrifice herself but make sure her brother left safely. However, her firm determination suddenly wavered at this moment.
Someone is worried about her and hopes she can come back safely.
Of course she wanted to come back. She also wanted to continue her previous daily life as a student, a death agent, and a JK detective... and also to spend her daily life with her important friends.
"I see."
She raised her little finger to the boy in front of her.
She would try to survive, try to win, and do everything she could to come back here.
"We have a deal."
Saturday, August 1
At exactly nine o'clock in the morning, Ichigo Kurosaki appeared at the underground training ground of Urahara Shoten on time.
He was still thinking about his twin sister, Kurosaki Utsuki. She had only just returned home yesterday at noon and had been preparing with her sisters to go to the fireworks festival. He hadn't found the time to chat with her privately. She had gone to meet friends during the fireworks festival and returned home late, leaving him no chance to be alone. He wondered if she was deliberately avoiding him again.
He vaguely remembered that night, his twin sister suddenly appeared after he was seriously injured by Byakuya Kuchiki, and easily won a game by wielding her Zanpakutō in human form - that memory was not very clear. When he woke up from his coma, there were only people from Urahara Shoten around him. Urahara Kisuke, who rescued him, also knew nothing about anything. He could only go to the person involved to verify.
But the ignored emails and rejected calls almost proved the authenticity of his memory - his sister had been hiding her spiritual pressure and strength, and was unwilling to reveal even a little bit to him.
"Mr. Urahara, I'm here." Kurosaki Ichigo raised his voice slightly towards the light-blond man busy not far away. "Didn't you say that you should start preparing for the opening of the gate from today? Why did you call me over again? Do you need my help?"
He didn't really mind being kept in the dark. Even a twin sister would have her own little secrets, let alone secrets involving supernatural powers. He himself hadn't told anyone about becoming a Death Agent, so he completely understood her feelings.
Indeed, he was very curious about how his sister had acquired the power of a Shinigami. The strength she displayed that night was several times stronger than his - after all, she had defeated Kuchiki Byakuya who had easily defeated him.
He also had reason to suspect that Urahara Kisuke was an insider in the whole thing. Perhaps his sister's strength also came from Urahara Kisuke's training. She would leave Karakura and go to Beika, perhaps for some special purpose.
But even if these doubts could not be solved, it did not matter. What he was more worried about was whether his acquisition of the power of the god of death would bring trouble to her.
"No, I don't need help," Urahara Kisuke said, raising a solid barrier around himself to protect him from the attack. "For the next seven days while I open the gate, please continue to fight my replacement, Mr. Kurosaki."
Kurosaki Ichigo was stunned: "Replacement?"
"Yes." Urahara Kisuke's gaze shifted to Tsuchiya, "He is the person in this world who least wants you to die."
As he spoke, the orange-haired girl in a Shinigami costume jumped down from the top of the mountain. Under the shocked gaze of the orange-haired boy, she slowly drew out the Zanpakuto hanging at her waist.
"--Miss Utah, I'll leave it to you."
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