On this day
Kurosaki Masaki attended school as usual, waiting quietly for classes to end.
Yet her thoughts were far from focused.
From time to time, her mind drifted back to that fleeting encounter
The Shinigami she had seen days ago.
Since then, she had not seen him again.
But the impression he left behind had not faded in the slightest.
After school, Masaki began her usual journey back to the Ishida residence.
However
Halfway through her return
She sensed it.
A disturbance in reishi.
A Hollow.
Her steps halted instinctively.
As a Quincy, detecting such an existence was second nature.
Under normal circumstances, Quincy were also warriors who exterminated Hollows. However, due to the long-standing conflict between Quincy and Shinigami and the imbalance caused by Quincy completely destroying souls the Soul Society had strictly prohibited Quincy from arbitrarily hunting Hollows.
After Masaki was taken in by the Ishida family, she had been clearly warned by Ishida Sōken:
If a Hollow was encountered, do not act recklessly.
Leave it to the Shinigami.
Only intervene if there was no other choice if lives were immediately at risk.
At first
Masaki intended to ignore it.
But then
A thought surfaced.
If the Shinigami she had seen before was stationed in Karakura Town…
Then
Would he appear now?
That single thought was enough.
Her curiosity overpowered her restraint.
Without hesitation
She changed direction.
Instead of returning home, she rushed toward the source of the Hollow's reiatsu.
When she arrived
She froze.
Before her eyes
A battlefield.
A Shinigami lay on the ground, gravely injured.
And standing before him
Was a Hollow unlike any she had ever seen.
Its body was black.
Its presence overwhelming.
Long white, hair-like protrusions flowed from its head, and its form radiated a terrifying pressure.
Masaki's heart tightened.
There was no time to hesitate.
She raised her hand
Reishi gathered instantly.
A spirit weapon formed.
A bow of light.
An arrow condensed upon the string.
Without a word
She took aim.
Above
Hidden from sight
Aizen Sōsuke and the others watched.
Originally, they had intended to observe the full process
To witness the Hollowfication of a captain-class Shinigami.
But now
An unexpected variable had appeared.
"A Quincy…" Ichimaru Gin murmured, eyes narrowing slightly as he observed the reishi bow.
He glanced toward Aizen.
"Shall I eliminate her?"
A faint killing intent flickered.
Removing her would ensure the experiment proceeded without interference.
Aizen, however, remained calm.
At the sight of Masaki, a different thought surfaced in his mind.
Quincy.
A nearly extinct group.
At least
On the surface.
Aizen knew better than most that remnants of their power still existed beyond what Soul Society openly acknowledged.
But direct research opportunities were rare.
And now
A pure-blood Quincy had appeared before him.
Not weak.
Not ordinary.
Interesting.
"…No," Aizen said softly.
"Let's observe."
Gin's smile widened slightly, though he said nothing further.
Below
Just as the Hollow White prepared to deliver a finishing blow to Isshin
Masaki released her arrow.
A brilliant shaft of reishi tore through the air.
It struck.
Directly.
A Quincy's attack differed fundamentally from a Shinigami's.
Shinigami purified Hollows cleansing their souls and returning them to the cycle.
Quincy
Erased them.
Reducing their existence entirely into reishi.
A far more destructive force.
Masaki's arrow pierced into White's core.
Despite its abnormal body, she had instinctively targeted the correct point.
For a moment
White froze.
Its movements halted.
Its form began to destabilize.
Isshin, lying on the ground, watched in astonishment.
He had already prepared himself for death.
Yet
In that final moment
He had been saved.
By a Quincy.
The irony was not lost on him.
Above
Gin tilted his head slightly.
"Captain Aizen… are you sure about this?"
"That Hollow seemed quite important."
After all, even he could tell
White was no ordinary creation.
Aizen's lips curved faintly.
"It won't end like this."
In fact
A new idea had just taken shape.
He had already conducted countless Hollowfication experiments on Shinigami.
Even captain-level subjects had been tested before.
But Quincy
He had never experimented on them.
Because there had never been an opportunity.
Until now.
Aizen's gaze sharpened slightly.
What would happen
If a Quincy
A natural enemy of Hollows
Were infected by one?
Below
Just as White's body began to collapse
It moved.
Suddenly.
Violently.
In a final surge
It lunged toward Masaki.
Isshin's eyes widened.
"Watch out!"
Masaki reacted instantly.
She activated Hirenkyaku, attempting to evade.
But
White's final strike
Was too fast.
A claw tore across her side.
A shallow wound
But a direct hit.
The next moment
White's body disintegrated completely.
Gone.
As if it had never existed.
Masaki steadied herself, breathing slightly uneven.
The battle
Was over.
Or so it seemed.
What she did not notice
Was that within that brief contact
Something had passed into her body.
A fragment.
A remnant.
Of White.
Silently
Deep within her
It began to take root.