"Uh… was there something over there just now?!"
On the rooftop, Arisawa Tatsuki looked toward a distant house, clearly surprised.
There was no one else on the rooftop, but she had just seen a shadowy black figure and heard strange roaring sounds.
"Hey, did anyone else see that?!"
Keigo Asano glanced over with curiosity, but then shrugged it off. "You must be imagining things. There's nothing over there."
The other classmates nodded in agreement. None of them had seen anything unusual.
Seeing everyone dismiss it, Tatsuki slowly looked away.
"Maybe it was just my imagination…"
Inoue Orihime and Sado Yasutora also turned away quietly. Truthfully, they had seen the same vague figure too.
It wasn't the figure alone—it was the strange, sharp roar that stood out.
But since no one else seemed to notice it, they thought maybe they were imagining it too.
"…It felt familiar," Orihime murmured to herself as she looked at Nanaya. "Was it something to do with what happened last night…?"
Her memory of the event was foggy, and the whole thing felt unreal.
It was as if something was off—like her feelings of longing for her brother, and her strange mix of gratitude and nervous excitement around Nanaya, were clouding the truth.
"…That's the gate of hell…"
Rukia Kuchiki stared in shock at the huge black gate that suddenly appeared in the sky.
The gate floated in the air, with two massive doors decorated with white skeletons. It slowly pulled in the terrifying figure of the Menos Grande.
"Oh wow, I didn't think hell was this fancy—it even has sliding doors," Nanaya said casually, munching on his lunch.
Rukia and Ichigo both twitched slightly at Nanaya's comment.
It was a grim, terrifying gate, and yet Nanaya made it sound like some old run-down door in the middle of the city.
"You still haven't told me what really happened," Rukia said, turning to him.
"Nothing much," Nanaya replied while eating. "I saw a Hollow and took it down."
Thanks to his Mangekyō Sharingan, Nanaya had incredibly sharp vision. Any Hollow nearby wouldn't escape his notice.
He also remembered that Sado's white parrot seemed connected to a Hollow. So, to avoid problems, he checked the area—and sure enough, he spotted the Hollow's presence in the distance.
"It couldn't have been that simple…" Rukia said, shaking her head in disbelief.
Even she hadn't been able to detect the Hollow, which meant it was probably a strong one—not your average creature.
But looking at Nanaya casually eating his bento like nothing happened, she just sighed quietly.
"What a monster…"
It had only been five days since he awakened his powers, and already he was stronger than she could make sense of.
Ding-ling-ling…
The school bell rang.
Students grabbed their bags and headed out in small groups.
"Nanaya, Ichigo, don't go home yet. Come with me—I've got something to give you," Rukia called out.
"Eh? What is it?" Ichigo asked.
Rukia glanced back at him. "It's Gikonmaru."
Soon, the three of them arrived at the Urahara Shop.
"This is the place?!" Ichigo asked in disbelief. The shop looked like any old convenience store—it was hard to believe it sold Shinigami gear.
"Yep," Rukia said, pushing the door open and heading inside.
Ichigo followed quickly behind her.
Nanaya stayed outside for a moment, looking calmly at the black cat sitting near the entrance.
"Hey, Mr. Cat, mind letting me in?"
"What do you think?" the cat replied, clearly annoyed.
This black cat—Yoruichi—was still fuming over what happened not long ago.
She was supposed to be the legendary "Flash Goddess," but Nanaya, just a human, had completely overpowered her and thrown her hundreds of meters away.
Still holding a grudge, Yoruichi narrowed her eyes, extended her claws, and growled:
"Get ready, brat!"
"Meow!"
In a blur of motion, the black cat vanished, moving so fast only a streak of black light remained.
"I'm going to shred you…"
Nanaya's eyes shifted, the red glow of his Sharingan locking onto her every move.
"Meow!"
Yoruichi attacked from an odd angle, claws aimed directly at Nanaya.
But just before she struck, Nanaya calmly reached out and grabbed her by the belly mid-air.
"…Meow?!"
The black cat froze, staring down at the hand that had effortlessly caught her.
"…Meow?!"
Her meow this time was full of shock and disbelief.
Today's Yoruichi was different from yesterday. There was no holding back. Even in black cat form, she had used Shunpo.
But despite all that speed—she still got caught.
"You're really not behaving, are you?" Nanaya said with a smirk, giving the black cat's belly another playful rub.
"Meow!" Yoruichi let out a startled yelp.
"Alright, go have fun," Nanaya said as he set her gently on the ground.
The black cat Yoruichi froze for a moment, completely stunned. Then the realization hit—and she was furious.
She was Yoruichi Shihōin! The Flash Goddess, a former captain of the Gotei 13, a noble from Soul Society! How could she be outmatched by a human?
Grinding her teeth, Yoruichi refused to accept it. It had to be a fluke. She had just let her guard down.
She leapt at Nanaya again.
Smack!This time, Nanaya caught her midair, pinching her mouth with two fingers.
"Seriously?" he said with amusement. "You're a talking cat, but you act like a moody little girl."
He tugged at her cheek a bit, then let go and placed her back down again.
"Meow!" Yoruichi cried out, charging once more, full of rage.
But it was no use.
After multiple attempts, Yoruichi ended up in Nanaya's arms again—belly-up and defeated—staring lifelessly at the sky as he gently rubbed her stomach.
She looked completely broken.
"Little black cat," Nanaya chuckled, "even Meng Huo gave up after being captured seven times. I've caught you fifteen times already. Time to surrender."
He gave her belly another satisfying poke.
Nanaya really seemed to enjoy how soft her cat belly was.
Grinding her teeth, Yoruichi finally accepted the truth. "So that's it… It's your eyes."
Even in this form, her speed was supposed to be overwhelming. But Nanaya's strange eyes could track her every move with ease.
"Damn it… He's my natural enemy…"
Yoruichi was tempted to transform back into her human form right then and there and teach him a lesson.
But she knew that to beat this annoying kid, she'd have to release vice-captain level spiritual pressure.
And doing that would instantly alert the Soul Society.
After some frustrated thought, the black cat licked her lips and said in a smooth, teasing voice, "Hey, handsome boy~ I know a fun place inside this shop. Want me to show you?"
Nanaya glanced toward the back of the Urahara Shop and frowned.
"Nope. Definitely not."
You're probably planning to drag me into the basement and beat me senseless, aren't you?
Yoruichi snapped.
"Coward! Are you scared?! I won't let you off the hook! You're the first person who's dared to treat me like this!"
"Eh?" Nanaya gave her a helpless look. "This again? You're really a handful…"
He didn't want to be stuck dealing with this black cat forever.
It wasn't the claws he was afraid of—it was her attention. Once a thief has their eye on you, you're never safe.
Who knew what else this sharp-eyed cat might find out?
Nanaya paused for a moment, then his eyes lit up with an idea.
"Wait here. I'll find something to make it up to you."
"Huh?" Yoruichi raised a skeptical paw. "What could a lowly human possibly buy?"
She was a noble in the Soul Society, used to treasures and luxury. What could possibly impress her?
"It'll surprise you," Nanaya said with a grin.
He gently placed her down again and ran off toward a shopping mall in the distance.
Yoruichi narrowed her eyes as she watched him go.
"What could a human even bring back?" she muttered. But deep down, she was a little curious.
So she waited, lying in place with her tail twitching.
Before long, Nanaya returned, holding something green in his hand.
He placed it in front of her with a proud look.
"…What is this?" Yoruichi asked, pawing at it curiously.
Nanaya's eyes gleamed with mischief.
"Catnip."