Chapter Fifteen: Ichigo Kurosaki

Chapter 15: Ichigo Kurosaki

"Ring-ring!!"

I reached out to silence the jarring alarm clock by my ear, squinting to block out the morning sun, and rubbed my still-dazed head.

Come to think of it, it’s awfully quiet this morning... Wait! Quiet?

"Good morning, Ichigo!"

Sure enough, a "gorilla" I didn't know where had sprung from caught me off guard while I was distracted. He kicked me in the back, sending me flying. Of course, this has been happening every single morning for years. By the time I was kicked, my body had already reacted out of pure instinct, rolling to dissipate the force... What a terrifying reflex; how exactly did it become so ingrained?

"You gorilla! Don't you get tired of doing this every single morning? I was right by the window! What would have happened if I'd fallen out!?" I turned back to look at the bearded, delinquent middle-aged man, suppressing the urge to strike back. My mother used to say that one must learn to be patient, to reason with others, and to appeal to their emotions...

"That’s my boy, Ichigo! You truly are my son—I’ve got nothing left to teach you!"

"Oh, really? Then stop bothering me in the mornings!"

"You unfilial brat! Your old man is doing this for the sake of your physical and mental health! Waking you up early every single day to train you is a display of love! And you call me annoying!? Would you have such agility without me!?"

#! Sure enough, logic only works on people; talking to a gorilla is just a waste of time!

"I never asked you to! And look! It's only seven o'clock! A normal high school student would still be sleeping!"

Before I could finish, a roundhouse kick came my way.

"Unfilial brat! Yuzu and Karin are already up and have made breakfast! And you, as their big brother, can actually sleep peacefully in your bed! Do you want to waste your sisters' hard work from early this morning!?"

Ugh, this guy...

"What can I do? Not only do I have school, but when I get back, I have to deal with wandering ghosts... Look! See, here comes another one..." I said, pointing to a salaryman ghost drifting in from the balcony.

"No matter the reason, nothing should break the harmony of this family!" Ignoring my explanation, the gorilla raised his fist and roared: "What else? Just because you can see ghosts and talk to them, you think you’re something special?"

"Shut up! I’m saving them!" Faced with the gorilla’s unreasonable behavior, I threw my own fist, and we began to brawl.

The gorilla... the man before me, my father, Isshin Kurosaki. He runs a private clinic. Even in his forties, he still acts like a child, always picking fights with me. I wonder if we were enemies in a past life. Thanks to his "generosity," I go to school with bruises on my face every morning. My classmates assume these injuries are from me getting into fights with thugs, which has caused quite a few negative rumors about me at school...

"Ichigo-nii... Oh my! I knew you two were fighting again. Honestly, aren't you tired of the noise every morning?"

"Yuzu?" A girl with orange hair holding a soup ladle walked in at the doorway... my youngest sister, Yuzu Kurosaki. Though she seems tearful and timid on the surface, Yuzu is actually a capable and strong girl, very gentle and kind. Since our mother passed away, she has taken on almost all the housework. Her spiritual power seems weak—unlike Karin and me, she can only vaguely see the shadows of spirits, something she is quite envious of... though I don't see what there is to envy.

"Ha! An opening!"

Oh no! In that brief moment of distraction, the gorilla tripped me, grabbed my right arm, and locked his legs around my neck. "So... so painful... you jerk! Let go..."

"Heh heh! Daddy wins big time!"

"Win my foot! Die!"

Watching us wrestle, Yuzu sighed helplessly, turned, and headed downstairs. "You two, that's enough. Come down and eat breakfast quickly, or it'll get cold..."

Let’s ignore the two idiots upstairs.

"Ugh... thought I was going to die..." I leaned against the banister and slowly headed downstairs, recalling the near-suffocation. If I weren't physically strong, an average person would have been killed by their own father. The old man actually plays for keeps every time... But seeing the "redecorated" gorilla face on the old man made me feel a bit better.

"Ichigo-nii, Dad... you're down?"

Yuzu had already set the table, and my other sister, Karin Kurosaki, was already sitting in her chair eating. Karin is Yuzu’s twin, but unlike Yuzu and me, who inherited our mother's orange hair, she has black hair like our dad. She’s extremely athletic, and her personality is similar to mine. She can also see spirits, but whenever Dad and I fight, she chooses to stay neutral. Sometimes I even wonder if she enjoys watching us brawl.

"Good morning. I'll start eating now..." I sat in my chair, and just as I picked up my bowl, the gorilla started causing trouble again.

"Hey!! Ichigo! You haven't said good morning to your mother yet! I don't remember raising an unfilial son like you!"

#! Fine... you’re just uncomfortable if you aren't arguing with me, aren't you!?

"Mom, good morning..." I stood up and greeted the portrait on the wall, looking at the woman smiling gently in the photo.

"Honestly, I should really replace this idiotic portrait!" Who keeps a memorial photo that looks like it’s surrounded by bright, gaudy flowers? Is our dad an alien or something?

The cleaver-wielding boy is on the move.

"I'm off..." After finishing a harmonious breakfast, I grabbed my bag and headed out the door. I raised a hand to shield my eyes from the sun and set off for school.

Ichigo Kurosaki, that’s my name. Just an ordinary high school student... well, if you don't count the fact that I can see souls drifting around the streets.

"Yo, Ichigo!"

Huh? Someone calling me?

I turned around and saw two of my classmates, Mizuiro Kojima and Keigo Asano. They’re the two I get along with best in class. It was Keigo who called out. That guy is still the same; he tries to tackle me the moment he sees me. I reflexively raised my leg and kicked him away, then greeted them nonchalantly: "Yo, Mizuiro, Keigo... good morning..."

"Good morning, Ichigo..." Mizuiro was busy texting on his phone, not paying the slightest attention to the flying Keigo. He looked up, smiled, and greeted me before returning his gaze to the screen.

Mizuiro Kojima looks very cute and easily attracts older women; he’s quite popular with girls. He seems to have a knack for dating; he claims a cousin of his taught him how to handle relationships with girls... I think the cousin's name was something like Makoto. Well, that’s not important.

"That's so mean, Mizuiro! Why can you call Ichigo by his name, but you won't call me that!?" Keigo, having climbed back up, didn't come to settle the score but remained obsessed with how Mizuiro addressed him.

Keigo Asano loves noisy, crowded places. He’s afraid of loneliness and hates being alone. His nerves are constantly on edge! He’s jumpy and always fixated on Mizuiro using honorifics for him.

"Because calling someone by their first name is a sign of friendship, Keigo-kun. Ichigo and I are friends, so there’s nothing wrong with calling him by his name, Keigo-kun. If you’re done, we should head to school, Keigo-kun..."

Well! I often suspect Mizuiro is the "black-hearted" type—he’s already used the honorific three times... Watching Keigo on the verge of a breakdown, I couldn't help but find it both funny and pathetic.

...

"Ah!" Turning a corner, I bumped into someone. A gasp—it sounded like a girl.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch."

"What the... Inoue?" Seeing the well-endowed orange-haired girl on the ground, I recognized her as a classmate.

Orihime Inoue is a simple, kind, and somewhat eccentric girl. Sometimes during breaks, I see her spacing out, giggling, not knowing what’s going on in her head. I’ve heard from my childhood friend Tatsuki that this girl likes to eat some strange dishes... like... ramen bread with curry and mustard... Ugh, just thinking about it makes me feel nauseous.

"I... I'm sorry..."

Seeing Inoue sitting on the ground, speaking so softly, I couldn't help but think how strange she was. Usually, the first one to apologize should be me...

"Ichigo!" Just as I was about to reach out to help her up, a girl with black hair blocked my path, looking agitated. "You bumped into her! Shouldn't you say something!?"

"Oh, sorry... Are you okay, Inoue?" Better to apologize now.

"Yeah..." Watching Inoue nod with a smile, I reached out my hand. "Get up..."

"Eh!?" I had meant to help her, but when Inoue saw my face, she immediately stood up, looking terrified, and said nervously, "No, it's fine, really..." She even retreated behind Tatsuki.

Am I really that scary?

"See! Ichigo, your expression is too fierce!"

"Yeah! Yeah! Ichigo, you actually scared Inoue! You're really the worst!"

Faced with Tatsuki's questioning, I could only shrug helplessly. It wasn't intentional; what could I do if I couldn't control my face? And Keigo, what does this have to do with you!? Go stand over there!

I reached out and grabbed Keigo by the collar, tossing him away. He was caught by a massive man.

"You okay?" The nearly two-meter-tall frame blocked the sun. Keigo initially thought a bear had run into the city and was startled, but upon hearing the voice, he relaxed. "Oh, it's just Chad..."

"Yo, Chad, good morning!" Seeing Chad, I walked over to greet him.

"Good morning, Ichigo..."

Yasutora Sado, or Chad. Despite his rugged appearance, he is usually silent and gentle, possessing a physique far stronger than the average person. We met back in middle school when I helped him out after he was being harassed by a group of delinquents. Still, just looking at him, he doesn't look like a high school student at all...

Since we all ran into each other, we walked together.

Along the way, everyone talked and laughed. This kind of life is truly peaceful. It would be even more perfect if I couldn't see souls, but I don't want everyone to know I’m a bit "strange"...

PS: Copied exactly from the anime! No mistakes!