"..."
The following morning, Arisawa Tatsuki sat in the seat belonging to Asakura Yoh, her heels tapping restlessly against the floor. The pent-up frustration she had been suppressing all night looked ready to explode at any moment.
"Now, now, Tatsuki-chan. Asakura-kun did that for our own good. After all, even if the three of us teamed up right now, we wouldn't even have the strength to make him use his Shamanic spells."
Inoue Orihime tried to console her from the side.
The reason Tatsuki was this fuming was that she had been trapped by Yukio for over an hour yesterday, and Yoh hadn't told them anything about what had happened.
Most importantly, Yoh hadn't returned to their base all night. She had even gone to the Asakura mansion, but he wasn't there. She then ran to the Kurosaki house, only to find that Kurosaki Ichigo hadn't come home either.
She had spent the entire night alternating between worry and anger, unable to catch a wink of sleep.
She had specifically come to the classroom early this morning to wait for them, but now class was almost about to start, and there was still no sign of Yoh.
Just as Tatsuki thought she wouldn't catch them at school either and was preparing to ask for a leave of absence to go look for them...
Asakura Yoh and Kurosaki Ichigo appeared at the door at the same time.
"Morning, Tat—"
As soon as Yoh entered the classroom, he saw Tatsuki sitting in his seat. He greeted her as if nothing had happened the previous night.
His response was a rapid-fire sprint followed by a flying roundhouse kick.
Ichigo instinctively put some distance between himself and Yoh. The three of them had grown up together, so this kind of scuffle was just part of their daily routine.
Yoh skillfully closed his eyes and ducked, dodging the kick and its powerful pressure.
After these past few days of training, Tatsuki's already outstanding physical abilities and fighting skills had grown exponentially.
Once he felt that Tatsuki had regained her stance, Yoh stood up, opened his eyes, and continued to wave as if nothing were wrong.
"Yo! You've got plenty of spirit."
Tatsuki slammed her fist directly into Yoh's raised palm, then grabbed him by the collar and forced him back against the classroom wall.
"What exactly happened last night?! You aren't getting away until you explain everything!"
Actually, the heavy weight in her heart had already vanished the moment she saw that Yoh and Ichigo were both safe; what remained now was mostly resentment.
Yoh knew this, so he didn't resist and simply let Tatsuki vent her frustration.
However...
Yoh pointed behind Tatsuki.
"Huh?"
Though annoyed by Yoh's nonchalant reaction, Tatsuki still turned her head to look behind her. She found the entire class staring straight at the two of them with eyes like saucers.
Only then did she realize that their current position was a bit too close. From the perspective of others, it even looked like she was pinning Yoh against the wall in a kabedon.
Quite a few girls were looking at Tatsuki with blushing faces, marveling at her boldness.
Naturally, there were no few whispers about what Tatsuki had just said.
"Last night... what did she mean by 'last night'...?"
"What needs to be explained? What exactly happened between those two..."
"Arisawa-san is way too proactive. They're still in the classroom, how bold..."
"..."
The murmurs rose and fell. Tatsuki's cheeks gradually heated up, and even the tips of her ears turned red. After a deep breath, she grabbed Yoh and dragged him out of the classroom.
"Ah! They're leaving! They're leaving!"
"An elopement!?"
"Whoa!"
"Wait, why is Orihime chasing after them too?!"
"It's so chaotic! Let me catch my breath..."
Chad, meanwhile, had arrived at Ichigo's side. Ichigo had already taken his seat. Chad used the eye not covered by his bangs to inconspicuously scan the boy sitting in what used to be Kuchiki Rukia's seat.
'Was this guy in our class before?'
"Ichigo, is everything okay?"
"Yeah," Ichigo answered somewhat dismissively.
In truth, he didn't know if things were actually okay. Rukia had been taken away, and he seemed to have lost the Soul Reaper powers she had given him.
But that Clogs-and-Hat guy had told him last night that he could help him regain his Soul Reaper powers and send him to the Soul Society.
Yoh had also confirmed that the man named Urahara Kisuke did indeed possess such an ability.
Although he wasn't sure why the man was helping him, to be honest, he didn't care that much. As long as he could restore his strength to save Rukia, he was willing to do as the man said.
As for the rest... he was too lazy to think about it. He would leave the complicated matters to the smart ones.
He only wanted to protect the people important to him. As long as there was no conflict in that regard, they weren't his enemies.
"By the way..."
Ichigo couldn't help but look at the short-haired, athletic-looking boy sitting in Rukia's seat.
"Who are you?"
"Huh!? What are you talking about, Kurosaki? It's me, Momozono! Momozono Tessei!"
Momozono Tessei's surprise didn't seem faked at all; his tone suggested he was quite familiar with Ichigo.
"Haven't I invited you and Asakura to join the Karate Club a bunch of times already?!"
'Has his memory been altered by the Soul Reapers...?'
Ichigo recalled that Rukia used to do this kind of thing often, so he wasn't particularly surprised.
'But being invited does sound familiar... whatever, it doesn't matter...'
Ten minutes into the first period, the trio of Yoh, Tatsuki, and Orihime finally returned to the classroom. This naturally sparked another round of discussion among their classmates, though it was quickly suppressed by the teacher.
Soon, Yoh, Ichigo, and the others discovered...
No one in this classroom remembered Kuchiki Rukia except for them, as if she had never existed at all.
...
"Well then, the communications and precautions... that's all for today."
The homeroom teacher stood at the podium, smiling as she announced the arrival of summer break.
"Alright, summer vacation starts tomorrow. Make sure you do all your homework properly, except for Modern Japanese—since that's my subject.
...And when you go out to play, make sure there's a bit of a criminal edge to it. It'll make for wonderful memories later!"
'...Is that something a teacher should be saying...?'
"Okay! Everyone! Try not to die before September!
That's all!
Dismissed!"
'Does this teacher know something...?'
Yoh complained inwardly. What kind of homeroom teacher says stuff like that before summer break? A criminal edge... did she know they were planning a prison break?
...
"Watermelon, beach umbrellas, sunscreen, inner tubes, beach balls, surfboards...!"
Asano Keigo bragged about the gear he had prepared, finally pulling his centerpiece from his bag.
"And most importantly, the swimsuits!"
He held up a bikini, shouting with a lecherous expression. His blatant horniness was so open that it actually left people with nothing to say.
""