After noon, the weather became unbearably hot. Not a single breeze stirred. The thick, sticky air felt like freshly boiled water, forcefully pouring itself into one's lungs.
The blazing sun scorched the earth. The soil on the ground had been heated until it was burning hot—step on it barefoot, and each step seemed to send up a wisp of white smoke.
Tap… tap…
Tap… tap…
Hungry and thirsty, Fūma Kamano walked barefoot under the blazing sun, staggering forward step by step.
He didn't know where he was.
Nor did he know where his destination lay.
All he knew was that he had wandered here from a very distant place. The people who had traveled with him had died one after another along the way.
Now he was the only one left, trudging onward alone.
Eventually, the hunger became too much. His vision darkened, and he collapsed into unconsciousness.
When he woke up the next day, he discovered he had arrived at a barren and desolate gobi desert. The land was empty and lifeless.
A few scattered poplar trees had thrust their thick roots deep into the gravel in search of water. In the distance came the faint, intermittent buzzing of cicadas.
Thud!
Unable to endure the combined torment of hunger and scorching heat any longer, Fūma Kamano collapsed beside the road. Staring at the seemingly endless wasteland before him, despair filled his eyes.
Is this a dream?
It must be a dream… right?
Yet the blazing sun and the gnawing hunger in his stomach constantly reminded him that everything was real—terribly real.
Even his consciousness seemed to blur slowly as time passed.
"Here. Eat this."
"Huh?"
Fūma Kamano stared blankly at the wrinkled dried persimmon suddenly appearing in front of him. He grabbed it immediately and devoured it in just a few bites.
Only then did he finally have the strength to lift his head.
In front of him crouched a young boy with short light-purple hair, dressed in a neat but worn black short robe. The boy smiled with his eyes narrowed.
"You collapsed here because you were hungry too, right? Looks like… you're just like us—you have that kind of power."
"You…"
Fūma Kamano couldn't help but feel that the boy's narrow, fox-like eyes made him look suspicious at first glance.
Still, he didn't know why he had accepted the persimmon—and even eaten it so eagerly, like a stray dog that hadn't seen food for days.
"Oh, my name is Ichimaru Gin. Nice to meet you."
Ichimaru Gin placed the bundle of firewood he had been carrying on the ground and reached out to help Fūma Kamano to his feet.
"I… am Fūma Kamano."
He hesitated for a moment before giving that name—an ordinary, unremarkable one.
The reason he used a different name was simple. In this strange and unfamiliar place, it was better to remain cautious and avoid attracting attention.
Even though the boy had just saved his life with a dried persimmon, those squinting eyes still made him feel like the kid wasn't exactly trustworthy.
"Well then, Kamano-san…"
Gin took out a bamboo tube filled with water and handed it to him.
"Where are you headed?"
Fūma Kamano pulled out the wooden stopper and took a long drink. Hearing Gin's question, he shook his head.
"I don't know where this place is. But I have a strong feeling in my heart: if I want to live, I just have to keep moving forward."
"I see…"
Gin assumed that Fūma Kamano was a newly arrived soul in the Soul Society, so he relaxed his guard slightly and said quietly:
"This place is the Soul Society, a world where only Shinigami and wandering souls live."
"The Soul Society?!"
Fūma Kamano vaguely remembered something.
His destination on this journey seemed to be… Seireitei, the central region of the Soul Society.
"To be precise, this is District 62 of East Rukongai, called Hanakare."
Gin shrugged and looked at Kamano with a faint, sly smile.
"As you can see… it's a poor and barren place."
"…."
Fūma Kamano said nothing.
Because he had already recovered from the confusion, shock, and worry he initially felt.
I came from the branch family of the Royal Clan…
I traveled thousands of miles to reach the Soul Society in order to gain the power needed to take revenge on the Royal Clan's main family!
But before obtaining true strength, he would have to hide in the darkness and quietly wait for the dawn.
So Fūma Kamano calmly looked at the boy who called himself Ichimaru Gin and asked:
"Gin-san, earlier you said I was hungry because I have the same 'power' as you… what did you mean by that?"
"The 'power' I'm talking about is… spiritual power. Didn't you feel it?"
"…No."
Although Fūma Kamano already realized why he was hungry, he could only pretend not to know.
"In the Soul Society, ordinary souls don't feel hunger like this. As long as they have water, they can survive normally."
Gin hoisted the firewood back onto his back. His narrow eyes looked up at the cloudless sky as he explained in his Kansai-accented tone:
"But souls like us—those who possess spiritual power—can't survive on the spirit particles in water alone.
That's why hunger drained your strength.
If you hadn't gotten food in time… you could have died from it."
"Mm… Thank you, Gin-san! If it weren't for that dried persimmon you gave me, I probably would've starved to death just now!"
Fūma Kamano knew that everything Ichimaru Gin had said was true, so he expressed his gratitude sincerely.
If I get the chance in the future, I will definitely repay this kindness.
"It's not that serious, Kamano-san! But if you want to survive, you should head back—the Seireitei is to the west."
Carrying the bundle of firewood on his back, Ichimaru Gin stepped onto a crooked, winding path. Without even turning around, he waved casually at Fūma Kamano.
"It's getting late. I should head back too. Well then—good luck! Bye-bye!"
Fūma Kamano watched the young Ichimaru Gin's figure slowly fade into the dim yellow sunlight. In his heart, he thought quietly:
Ichimaru Gin…
He's really a good person…
I hope…
I'll have the chance to see him again someday.
After that, Fūma Kamano silently stood up and looked back at the path he had come from.
No wonder he hadn't encountered a single kind person after walking for so long…
He had been going in the wrong direction the entire time.
Honestly, he felt incredibly lucky that when he was on the verge of death, he happened to meet Ichimaru Gin, who was out collecting firewood—and that a single dried persimmon had saved his life.
And from Gin, he had also learned that this place was District 62 of East Rukongai.
If he wanted to reach Seireitei, he would have to travel west and pass through 61 districts.
According to records from the Great Archive, the entire Soul Society is like a fried egg.
The golden yolk in the middle is Seireitei, while the surrounding egg white is Rukongai.
The former is where the nobles and Shinigami live, a place with beautiful scenery, exquisite food, and supreme honor and authority.
The latter is where all wandering souls arrive after leaving the Human World, guided by Shinigami through Soul Burial and issued registration passes.
In Rukongai, the east, south, west, and north each contain 80 districts.
District 1 has excellent public security, good living conditions, and abundant food.
However, as the district numbers increase, resources become scarcer and the living environment worsens. Eventually, souls begin to rely on killing each other to survive.
It's said that District 80, the worst of them all, is completely barren. Famine spreads everywhere. There is almost no public security, transportation mostly means walking, and communication basically means shouting.
Fortunately…
He was currently in District 62.
Although the conditions here were still harsh, they weren't extreme. As long as he kept going and reached the next district before nightfall, he should be safe.
Now that he had confirmed he was in the Soul Society, he had no other choice.
He would have to join Seireitei and become a Shinigami.
If he wanted to become a Shinigami, he first had to enroll in the Shin'ō Academy.
If he wanted to enroll in the academy, he first had to reach Seireitei.
If he wanted to reach Seireitei, he had to pass through 61 districts.
And if he had to pass through 61 districts…
Then what was he waiting for?
He should start moving right now.
Thinking about it like that, his life plan suddenly became simple and clear.
The gloom in Fūma Kamano's heart suddenly disappeared. The road ahead seemed closer than ever, and his mood unexpectedly became much lighter.
He even began humming a tune:
"When I tried to fly, you told me not to cry…
The sky I aimed for was blue—so blue…
Even the sorrow…
And the feelings I hold for you…
Are slowly turning into words…
Toward that unknown world…"
And so—
Under the scorching heat, Fūma Kamano walked barefoot, fanning himself with his hand, humming a song as he continued on the road toward Seireitei…
Toward becoming a Shinigami.