生きがい [Bleach Various x Fem!Reader]

Gaining One's Confidence

"It's still so hot!" Tatsuki whines that evening.

"Ow! Brain freeze!" Orihime exclaims before she pouts and looks at (Y/N) by her side. "Why won't you accept me wanting to treat you for ice cream, (Y/N)-chan? Doesn't it feel hot around here? It's summer!"

After school, and right after Tatsuki's extracurricular activities, Orihime offers to treat all three of them to ice cream seeing that it is such a hot day that summer. But (Y/N), as always refuses her offer with the excuse that she doesn't want to burden her friend by buying her something. Although Orihime and even Tatsuki insist on her accepting the former's offer, she doesn't take it.

"Hm?" (Y/N), who has been thinking of the book back in her room, snaps out of her thoughts. "Oh. It's all right. I'm used to the heat."

"Wh-" Orihime stops before a glint of comprehension shines in her eyes. "Ohhh..."

(Y/N) nods, a smile of approval on her face. "Arisawa-san, is your right hand all right now?" the girl asks, leaning forwards slightly to look at the noirette. A look of concern adorns her face. "Inoue-san told me of your injury earlier before the summer break."

"It was nothing," Tatsuki says. "Besides, the championships are coming up next month. I'm in top form."

"You're really something, Tatsuki-chan..." Orihime awes. She sighs, the smile on her face saddening. "Compared to you, I'm... Even (Y/N)-chan is good at fighting..."

"Don't sell yourself short, Inoue-san," (Y/N) places a hand on Orihime's shoulder. "You have your own strength, too."

"Yup!" Tatsuki agrees. "You shouldn't compare yourself to us. Look at your own strengths. You're special in your own way, Orihime." She digs into her dessert again, but halts just before the second spoonful. "Wait, did you say (Y/N) is good at fighting, Orihime?"

"Yeah! You should see her use her sword! (Y/N)-chan can definitely fight someone bigger than her size with that!"

Tatsuki raises an eyebrow. "You have a katana at home, (Y/N)?"

"Well... it's a keepsake, actually. My family heirloom."

Tatsuki lets out a noise of comprehension.

"And she can fight hand-to-hand against someone, too!" Orihime adds, to (Y/N)'s horror.

"Seriously?!"

"Mhm! She took down someone who was armed once!"

An excited smile spreads across Tatsuki's face before she leans forward to look at the (h/c)-ette. "Wanna spar sometimes?"

"Uhhh...."

"Oh, come on! Say 'yes', (Y/N)! It'd make good practice for me!"

The hopeful look in the noirette's eyes...how can she possibly say 'no' to that?

A heavy sigh escapes her lips. "All right..."

Tatsuki's smile remains for the rest of their time together.

"(Y/N)-chan, here!"

Suddenly, the (h/c)-ette finds a spoonful of ice cream in her face. Behind it is Orihime's smiling face. 

"Go on," she urges.

Hesitantly, the girl does take it, to the ginger's delight. But that just leaves Tatsuki aside, staring at the scene. Soon, she, too, is holding another spoonful of ice cream with a prominently larger portion than what Orihime gives the (h/c)-ette.

"(Y/N), here."

"Eh?"

"Come on," the spiky-haired girl grins. "You took Orihime's willingly, why not mine?"