Bleach: In Soul Society, I just want to retire

The barefoot child hesitated for a moment before reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a handful of coins, their surfaces tarnished with green rust.

Yamabuki Ditang blinked at the sight—it was the first time he'd ever seen the currency used in Soul Society. The coins were small, oval-shaped pieces of bronze, far removed from the modern currency he was familiar with in his past life.

"Little brother, what's your name? And have you eaten anything? You look like you haven't had a proper meal in a long time." Yamabuki crouched down and handed the child a rice ball, one of the dry rations he had prepared earlier.

The boy stared at the food in disbelief. "My name is Chojiro... Are you sure I can eat this rice ball?" His voice trembled with uncertainty, but the hunger in his eyes was unmistakable.

Yamabuki nodded. "Of course. Go ahead. You need your strength."

The boy hesitated no longer. He wolfed down the rice ball in just a few bites, as though it was the first real meal he'd had in days.

"Chojiro," Yamabuki began after the boy had finished eating, "can you tell me what happened? What does the monster look like? Where did it appear?"

Yamabuki knew this was the only way to gather information. In a world without surveillance systems or any kind of advanced technology, intelligence could only be obtained the old-fashioned way—by asking questions and piecing together the truth.

From the brief conversation that followed, Yamabuki learned that Chojiro and his sister, Hanako, lived together on Mt. Koifu. Life for the two siblings had always been hard. Three days ago, while foraging for wild vegetables, they encountered a terrifying, spider-shaped Hollow. The creature had taken Hanako and disappeared.

Yamabuki's expression grew serious. "Wait a minute," he said, his brow furrowing. "Are you absolutely certain the Hollow took your sister? Are you sure it didn't… eat her on the spot?"

Chojiro nodded vigorously. "I'm sure! It didn't eat her. It took her away!"

This made Yamabuki's stomach tighten with unease. From his knowledge of Hollows—both from his past life's understanding of the Bleach storyline and his current experiences—he knew that most Hollows lacked intelligence. They were driven by primal instincts and rarely spared any prey that came within their grasp. If a Hollow found food, it would devour it immediately. It wouldn't leave anything for later.

But according to Chojiro, the Hollow hadn't eaten Hanako. It had kidnapped her.

Two possibilities crossed Yamabuki's mind.

The first was that Chojiro's memory had become distorted by trauma. It was possible that Hanako had been killed in front of him, but his mind refused to accept the truth. In an attempt to protect himself from despair, Chojiro might have convinced himself that his sister was still alive somewhere.

The second, far more troubling possibility, was that the Hollow possessed intelligence.

Yamabuki's gut told him the second scenario was more likely—and it filled him with dread. Intelligent Hollows were far more dangerous than their mindless counterparts.

What's more, Hanako had been taken three days ago. The chances of her survival were slim at best.

Even so, Yamabuki resolved to help. "If I can rescue her, that would be ideal," he thought to himself. "But if it's too late… I'll have to tell Chojiro something to keep his hope alive. Even a small spark of hope is better than complete despair."

The bigger challenge now was figuring out how to draw the Hollow out.

"Chojiro," Yamabuki said, a sly grin spreading across his face, "I'll help you rescue your sister. I don't want your money, but I do need you to do me a small favor."

Chojiro, not yet sensing the danger in Yamabuki's tone, nodded earnestly. "If you can save my sister, I'll do anything you ask!"

Moments later, Chojiro found himself tied up like a fish dangling from a tree branch. His arms and legs were bound tightly with ropes, leaving him utterly helpless.

"Help! What are you doing?! Why are you tying me up?!" Chojiro yelled, wriggling furiously in an attempt to free himself. "Are you using me as bait? I'm just a kid! You can't do this to me! Let me go!"

Yamabuki, leaning lazily against a nearby tree, waved him off. "Relax. You can't catch a wolf without using a lamb as bait. Don't worry—I'm here. That Hollow will either run away in fear or meet its end by my sword."

Chojiro's struggles continued, but Yamabuki ignored him. Instead, he yawned and settled into a more comfortable position, cradling his Zanpakutō in his arms. "Man, I didn't sleep well last night… Then that old man Yamamoto woke me up at the crack of dawn for training. I'm going to take a nap. Call me if the Hollow shows up."

"Wake up! Don't sleep!" Chojiro cried. "Are all the members of your so-called Gotei 13 this unreliable?! Let me go! What if the Hollow actually comes?!"

But Yamabuki had already drifted off, a loud snore escaping his lips.

No matter how much Chojiro screamed or begged, it was no use.

Just when Chojiro was about to give up, he heard rustling noises coming from the bushes. His heart raced as his eyes darted toward the sound.

"Hey… wake up!" he whispered urgently. "There's something coming! Wake up!"

Yamabuki's snores only grew louder, a comical snot bubble inflating and deflating with each breath.

The rustling grew louder, and Chojiro's fear reached its peak. He braced himself for the worst, only to see a small kitten leap out of the bushes.

It was just a cat.

Chojiro let out a sigh of relief. But before he could fully relax, he noticed something unsettling. The rustling hadn't stopped. There was something else in the bushes.

And then it appeared.

A monster, its white mask gleaming menacingly, emerged from the shadows. Chojiro's blood ran cold. He wanted to scream, but fear had stolen his voice.

The Hollow ignored the kitten entirely. Its focus shifted between Chojiro and Yamabuki, its gaze lingering on the latter.

The stronger the spiritual pressure, the more enticing the prey. Yamabuki's vice-captain-level spiritual pressure made him an irresistible target.

The Hollow's grotesque face twisted into what could only be described as a wicked grin. With its limbs bent like a giant praying mantis, it lunged toward Yamabuki.

But just as the Hollow's hooked arms were about to strike, a silver flash of light split the air.

In one swift motion, Yamabuki's Zanpakutō severed the creature's arms and pierced its mask, shattering it instantly.

"Little brat, stop screaming so loudly," Yamabuki muttered, standing over the Hollow's disintegrating body. "I could hear you just fine." He gave the Hollow's remains one final look before turning to Chojiro. "So, was this the one that kidnapped your sister?"

Chojiro, still pale and trembling, shook his head. "No… that's not the one. That's not the Hollow."

Yamabuki froze. His expression shifted to one of shock and realization. "You mean… there's more than one?!"

Before he could process the implications, a thick strand of spider silk shot out from the bushes, wrapping tightly around his wrist.

"Not good…" Yamabuki muttered, struggling against the silk.

From the shadows emerged a massive spider-like Hollow, its towering form over five meters tall. Its eight legs stretched over ten meters, and a grotesque human face adorned its abdomen, half-covered by a mask.

"You fool," the Hollow hissed, its voice dripping with malice. "That was just a decoy. And now you've let your guard down!"

The creature sprayed another stream of silk, binding Yamabuki tightly. No matter how hard he struggled, the bonds only tightened.

The spider Hollow cackled, dragging Yamabuki deeper into the mountains.

As the darkness closed in, Chojiro was left alone, staring into the void with a look of sheer terror etched onto his face.

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