[Quincy Archer Hates You Arc] Part 52: The six of us

After the revelation of the zanpakuto's name, Yato's inner world seemed to have gotten brighter than usual.

The songs didn't stop and the zanpakuto Ōkagetsu didn't stop singing while the young man watched her in amazement.

The two exchanged a few words during the intervals of each song that Ōkagetsu sang with the intention of improving their bond and in the middle of one of the woman's songs, Yato noticed something he had not seen before.

Tied to Ōkagetsu's little finger was an almost imperceptible red string and when Yato tried to see how far that string would go, he saw that the string was going towards the horizon, making it impossible for Yato to see where the end of the string was.

Yato: 'Could it be related to what Cheshire did…?'

As if she had noticed Yato's actions, Ōkagetsu suddenly stopped singing, but this time the music within that world didn't stop.

Ōkagetsu: "This string…makes me have mixed emotions." - She said smiling.

Yato: "Hmm? What do you mean by that?"

Ōkagetsu: "For a moment I felt sad and frustrated…because you weren't the first to listen to my songs…but…at the same time I feel happy and excited because thanks to this string I feel unique…special."

Yato was processing Ōkagetsu's words and when he was going to ask more questions he was interrupted by the woman who placed her hand on his shoulder.

Ōkagetsu: "Being in your inner world is not the same thing as being asleep, Yato. Soon you'll be able to see how far the red string goes, but for now...you need to rest." - She said smiling as she saw that Yato was slowly closing his eyes.

# 20th of July | Karakura High School #

Contrary to what he had planned, Yato ended up going to school.

His initial idea was to skip the last day of school to train longer, but he had already made a lot of progress last night and decided that it would be better to continue his training when everyone else was busy training too.

The teenager knew that Rukia's return to Soul Society would make the students forget about her so that didn't bother him so much, in fact it only served to stop the jokes related to his relationship with Rukia.

Not long after, the school bell rang, indicating the end of classes.

Misato: "Well…that's all the annoucements…" - She said casually. - "Okay…this is a vacation, so don't spend too much time studying…Except for this class! And don't be afraid to break a few rules…It makes for good memories."

All the students looked confused at sensei not understanding why she was encouraging that kind of thing.

Misato: "All right, kids! Come back alive in September! Class…Dismissed!!"

After the students left the classroom, Keigo gathered Ichigo, Yato, Chad, Mizuiro, Tatsuki, Orihime and Michiru in the schoolyard. He had worn a flowered shirt over his school shirt.

Keigo: "Watermelon...Parasol…Suntan oil…Flotation…Beach ball…Surfboard…and Swimsuit!! Summertime is beach time! They're almost like synonyms! I propose we all go on a ten-day beach trip starting tomorrow!!" - He spoke excitedly while gesticulating quite exaggeratedly. - "There will be fireworks, tests of courage, mixed baths in outdoor hot springs, and hijinks! Come! Join me on Asano's Beach Bash this summer vacation!!"

Ichigo: "Sorry, dude. I've got stuff to do."

Keigo: "What!?!?"

Orihime: "Sorry…I can't go either."

Tatsuki: "Sorry, I've got nationals."

Michiru: "Well…If Orihime and Tatsuki aren't going then I won't either…"

Chad: "...Same here…I'll pass…"

Mizuiro: "Oh. I'm off to Phuket tomorrow."

Everyone watched the scandal that Keigo started after being rejected like that and when Mizuiro commented that he would be in the company of his girlfriend and other nine girls the situation only got worse.

Keigo: "You are a bunch of traitors!!! At least I can count on my friend, Yato!!!!" - He said desperately as he hugged Yato's shoulder. - "You need to take advantage of that fiancée of yours not showing up yet and go enjoy life a little!!"

Although Yato was taking it all as a joke, Keigo's words made Ichigo, Tatsuki, Chad and Orihime a little uncomfortable.

Mizuiro: "That's true, if I'm not mistaken your fiancée was supposed to have appeared two months ago. Did something happen, Yato?"

Yato: "Sorry, Keigo. But it's exactly because of this situation that I won't be able to go to the beach. As far as I know, my fiancée's older brother didn't know about this engagement and when he found out he was against it."

Mizuiro: "I see. I'm sorry about that."

Yato: "Don't be…" - He replied with an Unohana-like smile. - "After all, I intend to pay a visit to her brother and give him a piece of my mind…"

***

It was evening and each of the students had taken different paths. Some went straight home while others went on vacation early.

Yato was walking slowly back home, imagining that probably at that very moment Orihime must be talking to Ichigo about Rukia.

Before he could think more about it, the teenager realized that ahead, leaning against a wall was one of his schoolmates.

Yato: "Tatsuki?"

Tatsuki: "Can we talk?"

Yato: "Sure."

They both walked to a nearby park and sat down on a bench.

Tatsuki: "What exactly happened to Rukia?"

Yato: "...What I said at school wasn't totally a lie...her brother came here and took her."

The girl remained silent, probably waiting for Yato to explain the situation better.

Yato: "From what I understand, it's considered a crime for Rukia to have given her powers to Ichigo so they took her to trial. And from what I understand, this crime is so severe that it's punishable by execution."

Hearing this, Tatsuki clenched his fists, understanding now why that earlier smile of Yato's had given her such a bad feeling.

Tatsuki: "From what you said before, it means you've already made your decision." - She said seriously

Yato: "Yes. I intend to go to Soul Society to save her."

The two were silent for a few minutes until the girl got up and still with her back to Yato she spoke

Tatsuki: "This makes things easier." - She turned her face to Yato, smiling. - "So with that we are five."

Yato: "Five?"

Tatsuki: "I'm sure that Ichigo will also try to save Rukia and if he goes, Sado and Orihime will too." - She extended her fist towards Yato, smiling with one eye closed. - "With you and me, we are already five."

Yato: "I thought you were going to the nationals." - He said smiling.

Tatsuki: "Oh, Come on! I can fight Hollows and win! Defeating other fighters in competitions and training my powers will be a piece of cake!"

He started to smile and also extended his fist and they fist bump.

Yato: "I'd just like to make a correction."

Tatsuki: "Huh?"

Yato: "It's just that I'm sure Ishida-san will also go to Soul Society despite him acting in that lonely way of his...so with him, there are six of us"

Although Tatsuki hadn't interacted much with Ishida and didn't know much about his intentions, thus far, Yato hadn't hidden anything from her, so even though she didn't believe much in Ishida, she decided to believe in Yato's words.

Tatsuki: "Then it's settled! The six of us are going to Soul Society, kick some shinigami's asses, save Rukia and we'll come home safe to laugh about it all!"