3 Chapter 3

Yoruichi gave Suì-Fēng a nod, and then she turned to Yuichi and said, "Since you're hungry and have no money, I'll take you to eat a meal. Suì-Fēng will return the body to the Seireitei while we go get a meal."

Yuichi watched as Suì-Fēng picked up the body and disappeared. He noticed that she didn't take the Zanpakuto, as Yoruichi still held it. Yoruichi turned to Yuichi, smiled, and said, "Now follow me. I know a pretty good place to grab a meal."

Yuichi followed her for about a quarter of an hour before they arrived in front of a restaurant named Bento House. The waiter promptly seated them ahead of other customers, most likely due to Yoruichi's soul reaper attire. Once seated, Yoruichi ordered two full-course meals for the both of them.

'Now I need to eat enough for her to consider making me a soul reaper, but not too much that it draws attention. If anyone notices me, I might end up on Aizen's hit list. Yoruichi is a captain, so maybe I should eat half or a third of what she eats. No, she'll be observing me, so I should see the amount of food they bring and judge what to eat on my own.'

"I have something to ask you, but we'll save it for after the meal. My manners have been poor, so let me ask how you've been handling your new situation," said Yoruichi.

"Everything is happening so fast that I... I don't know if I can keep up with all the changes. In less than an hour, I find out that I'm... dead, and I see a monster kill a person. I don't know how to react, so I'm just following what you tell me to do. I don't know how this world works, and what I'll have to do to survive, so all I can do is follow where you lead me," answered Yuichi.

"Oh, you make it sound like I'm a bad person manipulating a poor, helpless soul," retorted Yoruichi.

"No, no, I didn't mean it that way. I just meant I'm grateful for all the help you've given me, is all. This is a dangerous place, so I appreciate all the help you've given me," said Yuichi.

As they talked, a waiter soon arrived and placed their food in front of them. Yoruichi had ordered the same thing for both of them, and three plates were placed on the table. The first plate held sashimi, consisting of tuna, salmon, squid, and prawns, as well as cucumber, pickled radish, and sweet egg. The second plate contained tempura, made with deep-fried prawns, and the last plate held soba, a delicious Japanese noodle dish.

The meal looked so delicious that it made Yuichi's stomach growl, causing Yoruichi to chuckle and start eating. Yuichi also began to eat after witnessing Yoruichi enjoying the meal. When Yuichi took his first bite, he felt a sensation as if a strange energy was filling his body.

'This sensation must be reiryoku, or spiritual energy, they always talk about in Bleach. The food is made of concentrated spirit particles, better known as reishi. The very air here contains reishi, but strong souls can't live off that. I thought that I might be a human who came to this world, but the fact that I can eat this and Yoruichi is certain that I'm a soul means I'm probably dead in my original world.'

"You stopped eating; are you full? Is the food not to your liking? Are you full?" asked Yoruichi, noticing that Yuichi had stopped eating after only a few bites.

"No, sorry, the food's fine; it just hit me now that I'm dead. I guess what they say is true, and that things truly only hit you when things calm down. I can't seem to remember much about my life or how I died," said Yuichi.

"That's normal; it's unusual for a soul to remember everything when transferred to the Soul Society. Most souls only remember important stuff like family members or enemies. Don't sweat that stuff and continue eating; you'll feel better once you're full," reassured Yoruichi.

Yuichi heeded her advice and continued eating while still making an effort to keep track of the amount he ate. In the end, Yuichi decided on a little less than half. When Yoruichi finished and saw that Yuichi had stopped eating, she called for the waiter to pay for the meal and clear the table. Yuichi apologized for being unable to finish all the food, to which Yoruichi waved her hand, indicating that it was okay.

Yoruichi then looked at Yuichi and asked, "So, would you like me to explain how the Soul Society works before Suì-Fēng finishes and comes to take you?"

"Yes, please, but before that, can you please tell me about that monster? I want to know if there are more and where I should stay away from to avoid them," said Yuichi.

'If I start asking about her and the other soul reapers, it may cause her guard to go up. Someone in my position would be nervous and worried about the hollows. It has to be her idea to make me a soul reaper, and if I can get her to introduce me to Urahara, then I'll be able to figure out when I am.'

"Those creatures are called hollows. Hollows are beings born from human souls who do not cross over to the Soul Society after their deaths and remain in the Human World for too long. They are corrupted spirits with supernatural powers that devour the souls of both living and deceased humans," explained Yoruichi.

"Wait, so that was a human soul? Did that man fight to kill those monsters?" asked Yuichi, trying his best to put on a shocked face.

"Yes and no. He and I are what are called soul reapers. We, soul reapers, are guardians of souls like yourself who are going through the cycle of transmigration. We use our Zanpakuto to purify hollows who commit evil deeds, ensuring their safe passage to the Soul Society for rebirth," clarified Yoruichi.

Yoruichi then stood up, tried to look epic, pointed at Yuichi, and said, "You have the makings of a soul reaper. You possess a power we call reiatsu, which only a few souls can use. In the Soul Society, we have a place called the Spiritual Arts Academy that teaches souls how to harness their reiatsu. I want to take you there if you'll agree to come with me."

"If I go to this Spiritual Arts Academy, will I have to fight those monsters?" asked Yuichi.

'I can't break character and seem too eager. My best shot at survival would be to join the academy, learn everything they have to teach me, and eventually defect from the Soul Society.'

"I won't lie to you, yes, you'll probably have to fight them. Although some squads have other duties aside from fighting, so it's possible to join one of those. Sometimes hollows manage to break into the Soul Society and target helpless souls with strong reiatsu, like yourself. I genuinely believe that this is the safest path for you. So, will you join?" said Yoruichi as she extended her hand.

'Damn, that's a good sales pitch; I'd totally buy into it if I didn't know why she's doing this. The academy was formed by Yamamoto, and his orders included enrolling all potential souls with reiatsu. I need to go there anyway, but I might as well guilt-trip her into looking out for me.'

"Okay, I trust you, and I don't know anyone else here but you, so if you say it's my best chance, then I believe it," said Yuichi in a pitiful voice as he shook her hand.

Yoruichi looked at Yuichi's face and, perhaps feeling pity for him, placed her hand on his shoulder and said, "Don't worry; I'll help you out. I'll train you so that you can make it and become a soul reaper."