The familiarity of the voice made my heart jump. And the little nickname made me blush a little. "Captain Hirako!" Rangiku exclaimed. I froze, my head screaming, he's a goddamn captain?! I looked up, seeing Shinji standing on the fence. His hands were in his pockets and he was wearing the school uniform. I gave Shinji a shy wave.

He jumped down from the fence, "Didn't know ya had such an impressive ability, cutie," he muttered casually, though the nickname was causing me to lose my cool. The group looked over at me, their looks questioning how I managed to meet the captain. Or maybe they were questioning how I got a captain to give me nicknames.

"Thank you," I replied, shyly. It was like as if my voice just ceased to exist. Ichigo had the most spontaneous reaction, as also Orihime.

"How did you meet that guy?" Ichigo gestured to Shinji, asking me.

"Festival..." I answered, fiddling with my fingers. I ducked my head down, trying to hide the growing blush on my cheeks. It felt like I was burning.

"She was kind enough to help me," he squatted down beside me, grabbing the apple in front of me.

"And this is the price of helping a stranger," I muttered, this is why mum doesn't let me help strangers.

"Wait," Yumi paused, "When did you two meet? If I can recall, you were always with us."

"Remember when I said I wandered around?" I looked at Yumi, "By wandering around, I meant helping him," I gestured to Shinji, "We had a word or two... it was just a minute."

"And now he's calling you nicknames," Ichigo shot a look to Shinji.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Shinji asked, putting an arm on my shoulder, causing me to look up, "You have Orihime, don't cha?"

Ichigo's face burned red. I looked over to Orihime. She was reacting the same. "But still, you can't just claim some girl you just met," Ichigo huffed.

"Yer right," he looked over at me. I looked back at him, "Wanna go on a date?" he patted my shoulder.

I froze. My face immediately turned red, "Wh- Uh--," suddenly I forgot every Japanese word I learned. My fingers fidgeted with each other. I looked away from him, putting my hands over my face. He chuckled at my reaction.

"Captain, don't tease her like that," Rangiku said, her tone playful.

"Though she isn't the only reason I'm here," everyone went silent. The playfulness in the air was suddenly replaced with tension. I removed my hands from my face as I slowly brought my chin up. "Soul Society has been informed of the situation here," he looked to the side, seemingly crossed, "Tch, can't believe that bastard broke out."

Everyone's gaze was thoughtful. "We don't know what he's planning," he continued, "But we can safely assume he's going to recover the Hogyoku," he looked over to me and Orihime, "And you two can do that." The two of us looked at each other before slowly nodding at the statement, "Your new powers may be exciting, but you have to keep it a secret, Ned," I nodded.

"What I'm trying to say is," he sighed, "Honestly, even Soul Society isn't sure if we could do anything. Most of the Espadas are dead or missing. There aren't any strange activities or signs going on. He isn't making any moves yet."

"Are you saying we can't do anything?" Ichigo asked.

"We just have to take precautions," Shinji replied, "Like making sure Orihime is never alone and no one makes a big deal out of Ned's abilities," he patted my shoulder, "Then, we'll be fine."

Everyone murmured to themselves. Thoughtfulness was written on their faces. I looked around, feeling like the odd one out. I furrowed my eyebrows, unsure of how I should react. It was my first time being in such a tense situation. I was making an effort not to burst into laughter because I always tend to.

The tension was causing me to fidget even more and become uneasy.

Shinji got up, "I've got other places to be," I looked at him. He looked over to me, "Don't look at me like that," I realised I was pouting. Pouting wasn't something I do often, which surprised me. He smirked, "I'll pick you up at the gate after school. How does that sound?"

I couldn't help but smile, "That sounds good..." I replied, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

"I'll see ya later then, angel," he jumped onto the fence and there he went. Though, he looked like he was walking on air. Maybe he was walking on air.

I looked over at the group, seeing their eyes on me. "Um..." I looked at each of their faces. All of them had a rather curious look. "Neddy-Chan..." Orihime called out softly, "Are you and Hirako-Kun...?" Orihime paused, unsure if she should continue, "He seemed very in--."

"You two can't be!" Ichigo suddenly spoke out, "He always calls cute girls all kinds of stuff, so you have nothing to worry about, Ned."

"Oh," I sounded a little heartbroken. Maybe I was a little bit? I actually found Shinji really attractive. Something about his asymmetrical bangs and his flirting made me feel things. Okay, maybe I did like his hair a bit more than usual because, to me, it was a fashion statement.

Everyone seemed to notice the sorrow in my tone, "Aww, she's in love with Captain Hirako!" Rangiku exclaimed, causing my face to once again become crimson red. "Don't worry, Ned. I'll find a way to match-make you two!" Rangiku patted my shoulders.

"M-Match-make?" I squeaked out, "I'm only here for a year!"

"And that's more than enough time!" Rangiku continued, "He asked you on a date, didn't he? What are you going to say?"

"Yeah, Neddy-Chan! Are you gonna accept it?" Orihime chimed in. She leaned a little closer to me.

"I-I thought he was joking!" I laughed nervously, adjusting my glasses, "What am I supposed to say?"

"Yes!" the two babes chimed, "You're supposed to say yes!"