Chapter 32 - Kurosaki Clinic

As the sun rose into the sky, Jin rode the train over to Karakura Prefecture. Fewer people crowded the car he boarded than he was used to. Usually, he mostly encountered students, but today, he mostly saw office worker types. At one stop in particular, a familiar face boarded the same train as him.

"Eh, you are… Hideyoshi-kun, right?" The woman cautiously asked as though afraid she got his name wrong.

Jin lowered his gaze and looked back into the woman's gray eyes before replying, "Good morning, Hiratsuka-sensei. And yeah, you got my name right."

A sigh of relief slipped from the woman's lips, but then her brow wrinkled, and she asked, "Why aren't you wearing your uniform? Oh, wait. You took some time off school. I forgot."

"Yeah. I'll be getting off soon. Honestly, I'm surprised to see you on the train. Thought you had a car for some reason."

Shifting her eyes away, Hiratsuka replied in a hesitant tone, "...I'm a new teacher. There's no way I have enough money to buy my own car yet."

"Hmm. I see."

'I thought she had some sort of high-end car in her anime, though. Was I wrong in thinking she was from a rich family, or is she lying for some reason.'

Perhaps noticing Jin expressing some suspicion, Hiratsuka changed the subject by asking, "What did you take time off school for again?"

"Community service."

"Heh? Is that so?" Hiratsuka quietly replied, her eyes flashing with a strange expression of elation or something similar.

"Yeah. Still, we should probably be more quiet now. People are glaring at us."

"Ah, right."

With that, the two fell silent along with everyone else on the train. When they reached the stop closest to the Kurosaki Clinic, he said a quiet goodbye to Hiratsuka and disembarked. From there, he walked along the streets of Karakura Prefecture while thinking about how strange it was that he was interacting with people he once knew as fictional characters. He didn't know how he had lived eighteen years without realizing such people lived in the same world as him. 

'Or maybe I met some without realizing it?'

Lost in thought, he arrived in the front of the Kurosaki Clinic as though on autopilot. When he approached the door, it slid open, and a familiar duo popped out.

"Ah, it's you!" Rukia exclaimed, pointing at him.

"What are you doing here?" Ichigo asked with a puzzled expression.

"Good morning to you, too," Jin retorted with a light smile. Not caring about their lack of manners, however, he answered, "I'm here for the clinic. Is it open?"

"Well, technically, we open at nine, but my pops'll probably help you out earlier if you need it."

"If he can treat me, that'd be great."

"Did you get injured?" Rukia asked, picking up on the implications of his need to see a doctor.

"Yeah. Kinda. You two heading to school?"

"Yup," Ichigo casually replied.

"Alright. Take care on your way. I'll head inside," Jin said, stepping toward the door. 

"Wait!" Rukia called out before dashing toward Jin. She grabbed his wrist and pulled him off to the side, confusing Ichigo.

"Need something?" Jin asked, raising a brow.

"You interfered last night."

"So?"

"Why?"

"Ichigo's doing your job, right? I just don't want to see anyone hurt due to his inexperience at the moment."

"Eh? Really?"

Noticing some suspicion in her black eyes, Jin contemplated a good way to convince her not to worry about it. The best he could come up with ended up as, "Well, I also work for Urahara, if that convinces you not to worry about it."

Rukia's eyes lit up with realization before she mumbled, "Oh~, I see. Hmhm. That makes a lot of sense."

"Also, do you mind letting go of my wrist? I got stabbed in the shoulder, and it hurts a bit when you pull on my arm like that."

"Ah, sorry!" Rukia exclaimed, immediately releasing his wrist. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine after resting a bit."

"...Well, don't overdo it."

"Thanks. Also, Ichigo left you."

Rukia spun her head around. Just like Jin said, Ichigo was nowhere in sight. Her eye twitched uncontrollably.

"I. CHI. GO."

'Haha. Poor guy's in for a beating. Hang in there, orange-head.'

Ignoring Rukia who sprinted off in pursuit of the temporary soul reaper, Jin entered the clinic. Inside, he saw a middle-aged man with spiky black hair and a thin beard. However, the current state of things gave him pause. The man was flying through the air toward two young girls, one with black hair, whom he recognized, and another who looked more like Ichigo with lighter hair and eyes.

"Give papa a kiss goodbye!"

"Ew. No," The black-haired girl grumbled, side-stepping out of the way. She immediately started walking toward the door, but then she noticed Jin and stopped. A slight blush of embarrassment appeared on her cheeks, and she looked away.

Yuzu also dodged her father's overdone affection, but it looked more instinctive than out of actual disgust.

Meanwhile, the man got up, a floor-burn showing up on his forehead. He still beamed a happy smile and kissed Yuzu on the cheeks before saying, "Have a good day at school, girls! Oh, who is this?"

"I didn't expect to walk into such a show of affection," Jin mumbled just loud enough for Karin to hear. He looked down at her and said, "So we meet again, Ichigo's sister."

"...I'm not small, and I never said I was Ichigo's sister."

"Hm. I see. If you're heading to school now, then take care along the way. The streets have been pretty dangerous lately."

"Mind your own business," Karin grumbled before ambling around him and leaving.

"Ah, Karin! Wait for me!" Yuzu exclaimed, dashing after her sister. Along the way, she smiled at Jin and said, "Hello, mister!"

"Hello."

After the girls left, the man adopted a more serious and professional expression one might expect from somebody in the medical field. It instantly reminded Jin of the first manga panels when Isshin first revealed his serious side.

"Sorry about that, young man. Did you need something this morning?" The middle-aged man inquired. Then, he focused his gaze on Jin's shoulder and added, "You are injured?"

Slightly surprised, Jin widened his eyes slightly. Then, he nodded and answered, "Yeah."

Instead of explaining, he unbuttoned the top two buttons of his collared shirt with his left arm and pulled the collar aside. Bloody gauze revealed itself, explaining far more than words could.

Narrowing his eyes, Isshin instantly said, "Follow me. I'll patch you up."