Chapitre 5: Asking out
(Urahara's shop)
It was the next day, another day of living a human life in a world she had no place residing in. However, with her only link to her home of Soul Society being the orders she is given, she still had to make due with supplies. Thankfully the former captains residing in Karakura seem to have a consistent supply of necessary materials. Here she was now, loading up on those materials.
"Okay, will that be all Kuchiki-san?" Urahara asked his current customer, filling her request form of Soul Reaper equipment and supplies.
"Not yet." She replied, getting to what she felt was the most crucial piece. "I need some Gikongai for Ichigo. Assuming you have yet to give him one." She did have a few complaints about her body but the former captain did tell her prolonged use might bring up some bugs in the gigai.
"That was handled a while ago." The eccentric inventor told her. "But he doesn't like using him."
"Why? If he does he could just slip out of his classes no problem if a hollow shows up during school? He wouldn't even need to worry about his body then." She fished for more information about her stubborn and forced partner's life.
"All he said about that soul was, 'he's an annoying useless pain.'" He told his customer. Trying avoid telling her about the soul in question.
"Fine," She responded, "I'll get him to tell me then." She turned to leave before remembering some details from the earlier night. "By the way, that boy Sado said he was one of Ichigo's training partners and he has some strange power. Anything else you'd like to tell me?" She glared at the jovial man. Urahara brought out his fan and laughed.
"Ichigo has some good friends! Let's leave it at that." He remembered that talk with Chad. Even now he didn't know everything about it, just that it was hollow based reishi and power. Everyone involved agreed to keep the nature of his abilities a secret for obvious reasons. She had to confront a certain strawberry about certain details.
(Karakura High)
"So that's the end of that huh?" Keigo asked Ichigo after they discussed the exorcism of Chad's new bird.
"Yeah, poor kid didn't have any friends when he was alive. So we filled that void with a day of fun." Ichigo responded, drinking his juice while Mizuiro and Chad feed the little bird. They agreed to not relay the real story. Those two didn't need to be dragged into that world of ghosts and monsters.
"Ichigo!" They heard someone cheer happily. They turned to see Rukia, finally at school, waving at Ichigo and smiling.
"Hey look, it's your girlfriend Ichigo." Mizuiro said casually as the petite Shinigami made her way towards them.
"WHAT!" Keigo cried out. "Ichigo, when did this happen?!" He said, tears comically running down his face as he pleaded to the young Soul Reaper. "How could you go around, picking up chicks, without me!? Get me a date too Ichi-!" Keigo was promptly quieted with a swift punch to his chest as Rukia finally reached her target.
"What do you need Rukia?" He asked her.
"I just have some questions I need to ask you in private." She said, smiling and acting cutesy to keep up appearances. Ichigo noticed some of the subtle signals she was trying to send to him to recognize that she means Soul Reaper specific questions.
"Alright, let's go." He said, following her to a private place they could talk.
"Well there they go." Mizuiro said, still relatively unfazed by the sight before him.
"Ichigo you traitor!" Keigo screamed out. "How can you call yourself my friend and not hang with the guys! You trai-" He was hit with the juice Ichigo had on hand that he threw.
"I don't think Ichigo can possibly help you get a date Keigo."
"He could try." Keigo grumbled from the ground. Chad was just watching in slight amusement.
(With Ichigo and Rukia)
"So what is it Rukia?" He asked as they got to an empty area of the school.
"Kisuke said that you had an artificial soul already." She said, skipping to the heart of the matter. "May I see it?"
"Really?" He said raising an eyebrow. "Fine." He reached inside his bag and pulled out a cartoonish yellow lion stuffed animal. "This is Kon, Kisuke gave him to me when I was ten. He told me how Soul Reapers use Gikongon when they need a quick eject and to keep their cover." Rukia took the stuffed doll from her teammate and inspected it. "I didn't like the dispenser so I tried this instead. By the way, what's with that whole, 'soul candy' thing?" He asked, confused by that name from so long ago. Rukia adopted an undignified blush, embarrassed by the reason behind the name.
"The Shinigami's Women Association didn't like the name Gikongon. Said it wasn't cute enough." She didn't like the name either, but she was a representative of her clan, she needed to present herself as such...and not give Ichigo more reason to think less of her. "Well, he's no Chappy." She said, looking the lion in the face, letting her inner girl take over. "But he is pretty cute." She caved, hugging the doll to her chest.
"Your boobs may not be big, but they're really nice too, Rukia!" A muffled voice spoke out. Rukia heard it coming from her chest and threw the doll up while screaming. Ichigo, staying calm, reached out and caught the perverted spirit. "Nice catch!"
"Shut up." Ichigo growled at his irritating stuffed animal.
"Ichigo! What the hell is that!?" She screamed, pointing at the lion in his hands.
"Like I said, this is Kon." He said, like it was the simplest thing. "He's my artificial soul."
"Yo!" He greeted with a raised paw.
"I don't like using him because he's a pervert. I'm worried about what he would do in my body." Ichigo remembered the last time he left Kon in his body...that was a bad time.
"Now I get your reluctance." Rukia said, finally calming down. She never though putting a soul in an inanimate object would yield such results. "Why do you keep him then?"
"Because he's useful to have." He told her. "When he recognizes a threat he becomes a decent fighter. I usually leave him with my sisters because they haven't a full grasp on their abilities yet." Rukia remembered when that was an idea Soul Society had, but it was deemed 'inhumane' and all such souls from that project were destroyed. Just then her phone was going off, signifying new orders.
"Ichigo!"
"I know." He said, unzipping Kon's back and pulled out a small green pill that he swallowed. The two separated and Kon began stretching in Ichigo's body.
"Been awhile since I was in here." He said.
"Remember Kon!"
"Yeah yeah, lots of scowls and no flirting or peeping." He dismissed his boss as the two Soul Reapers left to find their targets. "Would it kill him to try to live a little?" He asked no one in particular. "Now, let's see." He quickly checked the time. "Almost time for the next class, better get moving."
(Ichigo's class)
"Agreed. We'll ask him together." Tatsuki said as she and Orihime finished their lunch. After warding off a certain red haired lesbian, the two could coordinate their plans without a hitch. They agreed to share Ichigo and would start with a simultaneous date between the three of them. The date would be at the 'Don Kanonji Show,' coming up that weekend. They felt this was the chance to make their move. Kon came through the door and the two friends walked right up to him, prepared to ask when Orihime noticed something.
"Hey, where's Ichigo?" Tatsuki and Kon were surprised by the question. Kon was trying to come up with an explanation while Tatsuki took a second glance to confirm her ditzy friend's claim. Orihime was surprisingly observant their mutual crush.
"Yeah, you're not Ichigo! Where is he?" Kon pulled them both out of the classroom and into the still empty hallway.
"Okay, first question." Kon said as he got their attention. "What makes you think I'm not Ichigo?" Tatsuki was glaring at the imposter of her crush when Orihime explained why.
"You seem like a complete and utter waste of a character with no importance or impact to the series." She said with a completely straight face. Kon felt the words stab into him like arrows.
"Fair enough. Next question." He said after pulling out said arrows. "How much do you know about him?"
"I know he's spiritually aware." Orihime said.
"Are you related to this 'Soul Reaper' stuff?" Tatsuki asked, causing the two to gape at her. She shrugged and told them she overheard Yoruichi-Sensei talking with someone about Ichigo.
"Well, no use hiding it now." Kon reasoned. "Yes, Ichigo is a Soul Reaper, I'm an artificial soul filling in for him while he's doing his job, and he probably won't come back for the rest of the day." He said while sensing another hollow.
"Damn!" Tatsuki cursed. "All that motivation wasted." They were really nervous but were determined to power through it when Ichigo showed up, but it wasn't Ichigo in the end.
"What? Were you going to ask Ichigo out?" He asked causing them to blush furiously and attempt to deny it. In response, using some of his enhanced reflexes from his many upgrades, he snatched up the show tickets they had. "All three together!?" Kon asked, impressed and pissed at the same time. He may not like Ichigo too much, but he alone practically saved his life and gave him his own to live. Sure he was the servant of the Kurosaki's but they never made him feel as such, he had a life debt to his master. "I'll accept in his stead." He said, grinning while writing on one ticket 'I owe Orihime and Tatsuki one date'. "And trust me." He smiled and winked. "He'll definitely go."
The rest of the day passed as such. Normal and uneventful...until Ichigo found that ticket.
(Later that night in Ichigo's room)
"Kon!" He yelled at the stuffed lion sitting on his desk, going over the notes Kon managed to make for him. "What's this thing about me owing Orihime and Tatsuki a date?"
"What? You told me to be you and I thought you would agree." Kon said in his defense. "Two hot chicks together at once, what straight man would say no?" He said in an overdramatic fashion.
"A busy Soul Reaper, that's who!" He growled.
"What's this!?" Exclaimed Isshin and Yuzu, who heard him from downstairs. "My son has a date with two girls at the same time!? Oh Masaki my love! Our boy is becoming a fine man!"
"Who are your girlfriends Ichi-Nii?" Yuzu gazed at her brother. "Is it Tatsuki and Orihime?" She met Orihime a few times and they got along while Tatsuki came to the clinic quite a few times when she started hakuda training. "Karin! Ichigo's got a date!"
"With two girls? Didn't peg you for a womanizer Ichi-Nii." Karin said.
"I don't have any dates and I'm not a womanizer!" Ichigo yelled in his defense.
"If you don't want it, I'll go." Kon said.
"You are not going anywhere near them!" Ichigo roared at the lion.
"Do you hate them?"
"No!" He yelled, insulted.
"Do you want them to think that?"
"No." He said, more subdued.
"So you'll go with them." Kon confirmed.
"Yes." Ichigo said, feeling defeated in a way.
"Good. It's official!" Kon said with Isshin ending the group chat on Ichigo's phone. It was then that he realized that he could have talked to them and declined the invite gently like a proper man.
"Kon!" He growled, more mad at being tricked than anything else.
"Relax, I'll probably never do anything ever again and be replaced by a much more interesting character who is way more upbeat than me and would be a great contrast for you."
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone