5 Chivalrous Spirit

With Ichigo showing up between the second and third periods, Ohta no longer felt obligated to check on him after school. Instead, he hung back a bit as part of his usual changing things up, loitering for nearly an hour in the school library before making his way home.

*Rwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah-*

"Hmmm...?"

Halfway through his detour, Ohta heard the tell-tale sound of a masked monster screaming, its eerie reverberation resonating with his core even though it sounded fairly far away.

"It's pretty rare for them to show up during the day like this..." muttered Ohta. However, as he had long ago decided not to go out during the day, he ultimately ignored the sound and continued on his way. The year was 2001, and while cell phones hadn't been upgraded to have HD/megapixel cameras, it was better to be safe than sorry. Even more so since he was in his school uniform...

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After spending the previous evening conducting finesse training with his psychic abilities, constructing a 3668-piece lego diorama of a traditional Japanese house, Ohta made his way over to the Arisawa household with a bored look on his face.

Reaching a decently-sized, walled-off house with white walls and a red roof, Ohta made his way up to the front door and pressed the buzzer. A few seconds later, the faint reverberation of someone running down a set of stairs could be felt and heard, followed by Tatsuki opening the door in a light blue t-shirt that exposed part of her belly and black sweatpants.

Seeing that it was Ohta standing outside, Tatsuki blinked in surprise and remarked, "It isn't even 10 AM yet. Did you have something going on this afternoon or something?"

"Not really," replied Ohta, stepping past Tatsuki and making his way into her home as if it were his own. She gave him a side-eye as he did so but waited until he removed his shoes before scratching her head and saying, "My mom won't be back until 2. She had a shoot this morning..."

"Is that your way of telling me to leave and come back later?" asked Ohta, sizing up the petite tomboy with raised brows.

Frowning, Tatsuki replied, "That isn't what I'm trying to say. But still, you should have called before coming over..."

Before Ohta could ask why, an orange-haired girl appeared at the top of the stairs in yellow, mushroom-patterned pajamas, appearing even more surprised than Tatsuki when she first answered the door.

"Ohta-kun...?"

"Ah, I see..." remarked Ohta, shifting his gaze to Tatsuki and adopting a teasing smile as he teased, "You had a sleepover last night."

Punching Ohta in his rock-like shoulder, Tatsuki winced before shaking her hand and threatening, "Cut it out, or I really will make you leave..."

Turning his attention to Orihime, still standing at the top of the stairs, Ohta raised his plastic bag, exhibiting the meat and melon he had purchased the previous evening as he said, "We're going to have a barbecue. Care to join us?"

"Can I..!?" exclaimed Orihime, her eyes glistening with expectation and excitement. Ever since her brother had died three years prior, she lived on a meager allowance provided by the Life Assurance Association. Her diet generally consisted of bread, rice, and discounted goods, so premium-cut meat and fruit were rare commodities for the bubbly ginger.

Returning his gaze to the exasperated-looking Tatsuki, Ohta asked, "Can she?" with a teasing smile.

"Of course, she can," replied Tatsuki, crossing her arms as she asked, "But what about mom? Did you bring enough for four people?"

"When have I not brought extras?" asked Ohta, making his way past the short-haired teen as he added, "I'll be borrowing the kitchen. You should get changed. Your stomach is showing."

Though she typically wasn't self-conscious, Tatsuki pulled down the front of her shirt in response to Ohta's comment. Not even 3cm of skin was on display, but having him point it out made her panic when she really didn't need to...

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While Tatsuki, now wearing a somewhat baggy shirt, set up a portable grill, Ohta worked on preparing the steamed rice, miso soup, and veggies that would accompany their meal. Tatsuki offered to assist him once she finished setting up the grill, but Ohta shot her down since she was usually the one who prepared food for her and her mom. Her mom, Fubuki, was a Professional Photographer and the breadwinner of the family even before her father's death, so Tatsuki had willfully picked up the slack, making her adept at house chores and cooking despite being a notorious tomboy.

Once everything was ready, Ohta began carrying the ingredients to the dining room, finding the two girls seated next to one another as Tatsuki fussed over some bruises on Orihime's arm.

"You really need to start paying more attention," stressed Tatsuki. "It's not normal for a girl to be hit by multiple cars in just a few weeks..."

Clearly not taking Tatsuki's advice to heart, Orihime exhaled an airheaded

'Ehehehe~' type laugh before musing, "Guess I'm just lucky."

"That isn't luck!" exclaimed Tatsuki, abruptly shifting her attention to Ohta to appeal, "Can you talk some sense into this girl?"

Setting the ingredients on the table, Ohta glanced at Orihime's injuries before remarking, "If you're that worried, get Ichigo or someone else to walk her home. And no, that isn't an invitation to get me to do it. I live in a completely different direction."

Answering in Tatsuki's stead, Orihime raised her hands, waving them from side to side as she stammered, "T-That really isn't necessary. I don't want to trouble anyone. E-E-Especially Ichi–Kurosaki-kun..."

Shrugging his shoulders, Ohta looked to Tatsuki as he asked, "Hear that?"

Furrowing her brows, Tatsuki briefly glared at Ohta before adopting a far gentler expression as she turned to Orihime and said, "Come on, Orihime. It would only be for a few days. I'm worried about you."

"He'd definitely do it," remarked Ohta. "Ichigo might be a broody edge lord, but he's a genuine goody-two-shoes. If he learned you kept getting injured on your way home, he'd probably stalk you just to ensure you get home safely."

Realizing that Ohta was backing her up, a faint smile developed across Tatsuki's face as she appended, "See, what did I tell you? If you just ask him, Ichigo will definitely walk you home."

"Y-You really think so?" asked Orihime, shrinking into herself and adopting an awkward smile. She wasn't good at being put on the spot, and though she denied it to everyone that asked, it was fairly evident to everyone but Ichigo himself that she had a crush on him. The thought of walking home together was exciting but also terrified her greatly...

"If he doesn't, I'm sure Ohta will," replied Tatsuki, seemingly disregarding his previous statement as she looked at him with a silent plea in her eyes.

"Wow, way to throw your childhood friend under the bus..." remarked Ohta, subsequently looking to Orihime as he added, "But, sure. If you can muster up the courage to ask Ichigo to walk you home, I'll bite the bullet and accompany you if he refuses."

"I...I really don't want to be a bother..." replied Orhime, looking down to avoid Tatsuki's and Ohta's gazes.

"Then stop getting hurt," replied Ohta, turning to retrieve the meat from the kitchen. He honestly didn't care how many cars Orihime got hit by as a result of her carelessness, but he was indebted to the Arisawa family until he became independent. Tatsuki would become moody if he stood by and allowed something to happen to her best friend, so if push came to shove, he could at least make sure someone wasn't intentionally hitting Orihime with their car...

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"Is this really necessary...?" asked Orihime, smiling awkwardly as Ohta held up his hand for the umpteenth time, preventing her from stepping onto a crosswalk.

"You've been hit by three cars in the past month," replied Ohta. "Most people don't get hit once in their entire life. Do you know why that is, Inoue-san?"

"Because they look both ways before crossing the street...?" replied Orihime.

"Because they look both ways before crossing the street," parroted Ohta. "Now, follow my lead..."

Though Ohta treating her like a child was starting to annoy her, Orihime emulated his actions as he looked left and right, confirming there weren't any incoming cars before walking her across the street.

Upon reaching their destination, Ohta clapped his hands, saying, "Great job, Inoue-san. Yet another successful crossing."

"..."

Seeing the ill-tempered pout on Orihime's face, Ohta raised his brows and asked, "What's wrong? Feeling constipated...?"

"That's not it!" exclaimed Orihime, stamping her foot and balling her hands in indignation. She had rarely spoken with Ohta in the past, so she had no idea he could be this frustrating.

Shrugging his shoulders, Ohta contended, "This wouldn't be necessary if you hadn't caused Tatsuki and her mother to worry. It's fine to get angry, but don't forget 'why' I'm annoying you."

Puffing out her cheeks, Orihime poutily replied, "You don't have to be such a jerk..."

"It's effective," asserted Ohta. "Now, let's continue. There are only a few blocks remaining, so I'll give you an opportunity to show me what you've learned."

Though she kept her cheeks puffed, Orihime followed along when Ohta resumed walking. She wanted to tell him off for being a meanie, but she couldn't refute his words. She really had been getting injured a lot lately, so for the sake of her and Tatsuki's friendship, she bore her grievances in silence...

*thump* *dink* *thump* *dink* *thump* *dink* *thump* *dink*

Drawn by the incessant thumping and dinking sound, Ohta and Orihime gazed into the park they were passing to find Ichigo furiously swinging a baseball bat, deflecting balls from a rapid-fire pitching machine.

"Orarararararara-!" shouted Ichigo, striking every ball that came his way. Curiously enough, nearly every time he hit one, a cloud of black pepper would be released, forcing him to constantly move around to avoid being caught within its plume.

("What the hell? Is that some kind of special training...") pondered Ohta, his expression largely unchanged except for a curious raise of the brows. At the same time, Orihime's eyes widened as she asked, "Is that Kurosaki-kun...?" in a confused tone.

"Besides yourself, how many other people do you know with orange hair?" retorted Ohta. However, instead of focusing on Ichigo, his gaze shifted to the raven-haired woman seated nearby, her nose buried in the pages of a manga.

("She feels different than the last time I saw her...") thought Ohta, shifting his gaze to Ichigo as he noted, ("Both of them do...).

Turning back to Orihime, Ohta was about to tell her it was her lucky day but found the orange-haired girl had abruptly vanished. Looking further down the sidewalk, he found her sprinting away, momentarily stopping at the crosswalk to look both ways before resuming her escape...

"Well, at least she's learning..." muttered Ohta, returning his attention to Ichigo and the raven-haired girl to find the latter staring back at him with narrowed, suspicious eyes. He doubted she recognized him, but her gaze made it clear she noticed something unusual about him.

Raising his right hand, Ohta gave a casual two-fingered salute before promptly turning and walking away. He was tempted to probe the girl for answers and information, but the presence of Ichigo complicated things. The less his classmates knew about him, the better. Thus, even though it was fairly obvious that Ichigo was somehow involved with the girl, Ohta decided to confront her at a more opportune time, specifically when she was alone. Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long as the girl appeared to block his path, eyes narrowed as she asked, "Who are you?"

"That depends," replied Ohta, adopting a fearless smile as he appended, "Who's asking?"

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(A/N: Orhime be like, "I am speed."')