Bleach : Letters From the Other Side

Brute, Cold-hearted Human

Letters from the other Side - Extra Chapter

The BlueSky Notebook

Kurosaki house

9.48 am.

Sunday

Sundays and national holidays were the Kurosaki clinic's closing days. Because of this, breakfast started two hours later than usual.

After quickly finishing his own breakfast, Kurosaki Ichigo, with an "I'll eat this later in my room", hurriedly loaded food and drink on a tray and, leaving behind his father and sisters who were having a leisurely breakfast, exited the living room. He went up to the second floor and into his bedroom where, with a thump, he knocked on the sliding door of the closet.

"I've brought food -"

"Mmm... Uwah..." a voice could be heard yawning from inside. The rustling sounds inside grew louder and slowly, the sliding door was opened. A sleepy-looking, pyjama-clad Rukia looked at Ichigo and gave him a slight nod by way of a good morning.

"Oi, you only just wake up?" Ichigo greeted the sluggish Rukia as he handed over the tray.

"Uhm... Thanks..." Her movements slow from being half-asleep, Rukia took the tray, placed it on her lap and picked up the glass. Leaving the sliding door open, she drank the diluted grapefruit juice. Its chilly sourness gradually cleared her head.

(It's a really nice day...) Gazing out of the window, she ate the sandwich that was on her plate. Cucumber, her favourite food, had been placed in the ham sandwich and she couldn't help her expression softening.

Ichigo, who'd been spreading his printouts and notebooks on the top of his desk, reached out his arm towards the bag that was on his bed in order to get the textbook he needed. Suddenly glancing up, he caught sight of Rukia happily stuffing her cheeks.

"What are you grinning about...?"

"I, I'm not grinning!" Rukia denied, flustered. It was a bit embarrassing to be caught smiling without realizing it.

"Well, it doesn't matter."

Ichigo turned away from the blushing Rukia and faced his desk again to start studying. From the corner of her eyes, Rukia watched Ichigo whose propelling pencil was silently racing away. Minding her facial expression, she finished her breakfast.

She stepped out of the closet and, with a "Thank you for the meal", placed the tray on the bed. Ichigo, still turned away, replied with an "Uhn -" at which Rukia peered over his back.

"You go as far as studying on such a beautiful day off... You're surprisingly serious, huh."

"...You're really laidback, huh?"

Ichigo's hand stopped moving and he turned around.

"What do you mean?"

"What do I... Starting tomorrow, we've got tests!"

(Oh that's right, the teacher did say something like that...) Rukia remembered.

"Is that why you're studying? There written tests, right?"

"Well... yeah."

"In that case, there's no need to study for them especially. Because the important ones are the practical tests."

At Soul Society's educational institution for training shinigami, the Shinou Spiritual Arts Academy, very few written tests were held. The knowledge taught in class being entirely battle-orientated, when looking at someone's practical skills, it was immediately obvious whether or not they'd acquired it. No matter how much knowledge one possessed, it was meaningless if it couldn't be used in a fight.