NOVEL NEXT Chapter 313: Home
(Ryoto's pov)
I was looking down at Oshizu as she was begging for her life. I'm honestly surprised that she didn't leave her body, which is literally Gigai outside of Bleach when I think about it. Maybe her fear of being killed (Ha!) makes her stay in her body.
I was never good at sending souls to Soul Society, even if—on paper—it was my job. I turned to Rin to ask her to take care of the situation. I don't believe she was aware that the nurse's assistant was a ghost in a fake body, but she sensed that Oshizu was not an ordinary girl.
"We are not here to claim your soul. We retired, but I could send you to the otherworld if you want to, I think."
Our residential ghost relaxed slightly, but she was still on guard against us.
"N-n-no t-thank you, S-S-S-S-Shinigami-sama."
She also didn't dare raise her head even after Rin confirmed that we weren't here to get her. Meanwhile, Rin realized something when she spoke to Oshizu. She turned to me with a questioning look.
"We retired... right?
"...I mean, I left our resignation letter to Yama-jii... when he was out of the office and wouldn't be there for a long time, so I wouldn't need to tell him that to his face..."
I avoided looking her in the eyes, and the realization hit her.
"Oh my God. You didn't tell Captain Commander about our departure. Are you aware of what he'll do to us when he finds out!? He'll speed up global warming and literally blow up walls of the multiverse to get to us!"
Rin was rightfully panicking as Yama-jii had a certain reputation, but I quickly calmed her down.
"Don't worry, Rin. I thought of it and did something to prevent it." Rin calmed, hearing my confidence. "I left my favorite lollipop flavor there together with the letter." And just as quickly as her mood improved, it plummeted down.
"We are doomed." Rin's head dropped low, and I quickly rested my hand on her head.
"Don't worry, Rin, I was just joking. I did leave a lollipop, but it wasn't the only thing I did. I cashed as many favors as I could and even did some work so it would last for some time. He'll forgive us. He feels indebted to us, especially me, for finishing something he couldn't."
This was the end of our conversation, so I clapped my hands to change the solemn mood.
"Now, Mikado-sensei. You asked how you can help me. With another examination, of course! We are in need of your expertise. There have been a lot of changes since I last saw you."
Ryouko looked at Oshizu, who was still kneeling on the floor and then turned back to me.
"I assume that whatever you want me to check has to do with Oshizu's reaction."
I gestured 'kind of' with my hand.
"It's a part of it, yes, but there is much more for you to see. I even doubt that you'll manage to test everything in one day."
That picked her interest.
"You really know how to pick a girl's interest, don't you."
I smirked.
"That I do. But I'm also a massive tease. That's why we are doing this tomorrow. For a small preview, look into Rin's eyes."
Mikado followed my direction and started observing Rin's eyes. For the first time, she noticed her heterochromia. Mikado is a school nurse, so she should know that Rin didn't have this condition before, so I bet it was a surprise. I was even more surprised when I heard what Mikado had to say after seeing these eyes.
"...Why does her blue eye have a similar feeling to your eyes, Ryoto?"
"I'm impressed Mikado-sensei. Only one glance, and you are already on the right track. I'll explain everything I can tomorrow before the examination. I already have plans for today."
Our nurse composed herself, but I could see unimaginable curiosity twinkling with a bit of madness sprinkled in there. I'm very familiar with these eyes since Kisuke had a similar look whenever he found something interesting to research. Rin realized the same thing if her emotions were any indication.
"I see. Then I can't wait until tomorrow comes~." Mikado-sensei said, and glee could be heard in her voice.
I'm starting to think that maybe it wasn't the best idea to ask Mikado-sensei for help when she went almost full mad scientist with my blood back in the day, but I trust her enough to keep my secrets. As they say, 'Never lie to your doctor or lawyer'.
We then said our goodbyes to our doctor and, still kneeling, Oshizu, we exited the infirmary.
Now that all that was done, all I had left to do was return home. Yes, home. It feels strange to think like that. I had a home in Seireitei, but there is something different about your first home.
"Let's go home, Lala."
"Yes!" Lala answered enthusiastically. How I missed her cheerful personality.
It was also time for me to separate from Rin. I know that we can never be separated again, even if we would be on opposite sides of the world, but it felt strange to return home and go in two different directions. We didn't need to say anything to each other, and we both knew that if anything happened and we needed the other, we would rush to the other as quickly as possible.
The way home was... confusing. I'm going to be honest and say that I didn't remember the exact way home. Some things were familiar, but the whole path was not clear. Thankfully, I had Lala attached to my body, who acted as my navigator.
As I arrived at the Yuuki household, I saw Celine, the plant that Lala got for me on my birthday. She is my favorite plant, and I can't wait to sleep under her shade once more. I tried many different trees, but nothing compared to her.
"Ryoto?"
Lala called me because I wasn't entering the house. I was just standing there and staring at it. I was getting a bit emotional, but after many years of life as an assassin taught me how to hide these emotions.
"It's nothing. Let's get inside."
And so I did. I opened the door, and I immediately noticed that Lala and I weren't the first to get back home. Mikan was already there, and hearing someone opening the door, she came to the entrance to check who it was. She was eating a vanilla popsicle.
"Ryoto? You are early. Weren't you supposed to wait for Nagisa-kun, Karma-kun, Kaede-san, and Rio-san to return home with them?"
Did I promise something like that? I can't quite remember, but if that's true, then I feel a bit bad. I suddenly remembered about Ritsu, an A.I. who lived rent-free in my smartphone.
I took out my phone from my pocket.
"Ritsu, can you please inform everyone that something urgent happened, and I went home earlier than planned."
Ritsu appeared on my screen, and she saluted.
"Yes, I'll inform them immediately, Ryoto."
I smiled at her. "Thank you, Ritsu. You are wonderful." She would be very helpful with all the paperwork in Soul Society.
I put my phone back and turned to Mikan, who seemed worried. It seems my words were badly interpreted.
I whispered to Lala's ear to give me some space, but she didn't want to, although, with some persuasive words, she reluctantly let go of me. I gave her a chaste kiss on her cheek as a thank you.
I approached Mikan until I was standing in front of her.
"Did something happen, Ryoto?" She asked, but the only answer she got was a hug from me. I would have hugged Rito back in school, but I didn't want to embarrass him in front of the class.
Mikan panicked as I picked her up off the ground.
"R-Ryoto!? Put me down! Don't treat me like a child!"
Her protest stopped as she realized that my body was shaking slightly. It was just my emotions trying to have an out but I didn't want to let them.
"I missed you, Mikan."
My little sister, who was a bit too mature for her age, realized that something was not right.
"What happened, Ryoto." This time, the question was said much more gently.
I finally put her down and looked in the eyes.
"More than you could guess. I'll explain when everyone gets back. In the meantime, how about we make some snacks together."
She agreed, and I realized something. I got a bit used to having only one arm, and it showed as I worked my magic. I also forgot where most tools were kept, and Mikan looked strangely at me when I asked.
We didn't do anything fancy, so we were done fairly fast. I also need to mention that Lala reattached herself to me. Mikan was already used to Lala's antics, so she didn't even mention it.
"By the way, Ryoto. Someone dropped a package for you."
Now, that was something surprising. I don't remember ordering anything, but that isn't saying much at this point, so I went to check it out. It wasn't a big package, but it wasn't small either. The only information on it was to whom it was sent, and the sender's name and the sender's name were what made my eyes go wide.
It was a package from Karen.
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END
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