Author's Note:
Anyway, I am unsure how grading works in Japan but so sorry if I messed it up? But in the current timeline, their age should be 17 years old, seniors in their high school.
Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Kubo-sensei
The abrupt response was a firm "Hell no!" followed by, "I am not like you, who seeks a female companion out of sheer boredom." But the pink hue adorning his normally scowling face said otherwise.
"Inoue isn't some plaything, Grimmjow. It's just natural to want to be around someone you vibe with," Ichigo shot back.
Isshin let out a sigh at the scene before him and chimed in, "You wouldn't have to travel so far just to come here if you just agreed to stay with us, Grimmjow. It's my duty to have you under my roof after all."
"I'm more than capable of taking care of myself, old man. Besides, I wouldn't want to make Orange here feel inferior in my presence," Grimmjow laughed, noticing the vein throbbing on Ichigo's forehead.
Following the examination, Isshin informed his nephew that he is experiencing a slight fever, mild flu, and a sore throat. However, he assured him that there is nothing he cannot handle. Isshin gave some medicine to his nephew and told him to stay out from the rain if possible as to not worsen his condition.
They boys continue talking with each other when Karin called out from the house to let them know that dinner was ready. The small family enjoyed their dinner with laughter and non stop teasing towards one another. It felt like home. It was nearly 10 PM when Grimmjow began to pack his bag in preparation for his journey home.
"You know, you're always welcome to stay here," Ichigo suggested to his cousin.
"No, it would only complicate my morning commute during rush hour," came the reply.
After a prolonged silence, Ichigo added, "You don't have to keep blaming yourself for what happened, Grimmjow. There are things that are out of our control and you, of all people, know that."
Without responding verbally, the blue-haired youth waved his hand, expressing gratitude to Yuzu for preparing dinner and for packing some food for him to take home.
"And you, more than anyone, are aware of how painful it is to feel powerless and unable to change the situation," Ichigo noted, catching the quiet reply from his cousin.
After a long and tiring journey, Grimmjow arrived at his residence just before midnight. The hallway was poorly illuminated as he fumbled to find his keys. Upon approaching his apartment door, he noted a slumped figure seated outside his unit. It was the girl with green hair once again. Stunned by her unexpected presence, Grimmjow found himself unable to speak a single word, seeing her sleeping soundly.
After collecting his thoughts, he strolled over to the girl who was peacefully sleeping, debating whether or not to wake her up. Sensing the cold night breeze, he made the choice to drape his jacket over her and lift her up, carrying her bridal style into his apartment. Once he gently placed her on his bed, he let her stay in her deep slumber while he collapsed onto the couch, exhaustion finally hitting him.
Next morning, Wednesday 7.00am
He was roused from his slumber by the aroma of sizzling bacon and eggs wafting from his kitchen. His apartment comprises one bedroom and one bathroom. The kitchen and living room are essentially combined into one space.
He also reminds himself that he resides there alone, and he is certainly more adept at burning food than cooking it into a palatable meal.
As a result, when that scent jolts his senses, he awakens from his deep slumber, only to discover the girl with green hair smiling sweetly at him while holding a frying pan.
"Good morning, Jaegerjaquez-san. I hope you had a wonderful sleep." she said cheerfully.
With a click of his tongue in irritation, he wiped his face in an attempt to dispel the remnants of sleep and stretched his rigid body. A scowl was firmly set on his handsome face.
Upon awakening further, a recollection from the previous evening events resurfaced in his mind. "YOU!" He exclaimed pointedly. "What the hell were you doing sleeping outside my apartment?"
"Oh!" She exclaimed. "I was actually looking forward to seeing you." She flashed that sweet innocent smile of hers. "Before we move on, maybe you can start getting ready for school?" She suggested.
After glancing at the time displayed on his phone, he quietly cursed under his breath before stumbling into the bathroom. Around 20 minutes later, he emerged from his room, looking neat and refreshed in his school uniform.
As he walked towards the dining table, he noticed that the girl had already prepared a plate for two. "I hope it's okay that I used your kitchen. It looks brand new, so I assumed you haven't had the chance to use it yet."
He muttered something under his breath while accepting the hot coffee she handed him. The two of them proceeded to eat their breakfast in silence. Grimmjow appeared to be enjoying the rather simple meal, as it was definitely better than anything he had ever bought at the convenience store on his way to school. The only time he got to eat a home-cooked meal these days was if he went out of his way to visit the Kurosaki residence.
"Thanks; for what you did that day," she said, breaking the silence. "I saw you catching cold in class yesterday. That's why I wanted to check on you yesterday. I'm sorry," she said quietly.
"Well if you're sorry, then stop doing stupid things like sitting out in the rain or sleeping outside a stranger's house on a cold night." He said nonchalantly; mouth still munching on his food.
A few minutes of uncomfortable silence fell between them before he continued, "Anyway, don't worry about it. Thanks for breakfast."
The girl continued to avoid making eye contact with him, prompting him to click his tongue in irritation. He then added, "I have some leftovers in the refrigerator; you may take them for lunch if you want. It's more than enough for two people anyway."
Finishing the breakfast in silence, he stood up. He was about to take both empty plates to the sink when a hand intervened. "No need, I'll handle the cleanup," Nelliel insisted. He gently moved the hand out of the way and reluctantly remarked, "You've already done your part in preparing breakfast. The least I can do is take care of the dishes."
A gentle smile illuminated her face in response to his words. "Thank you, Jaegerjaquez-san."
He simply muttered in response. While cleaning the dish, a question popped into his mind, "How did you find out where I live, anyway?" He inquired out of the blue.
"Oh, you weren't aware? We've been neighbors ever since you moved in," she answered gently.
Her reply left him speechless, causing him to let out a dumbfounded "O".
"I had no idea that the girl next door was actually the school's Angel. I'm sure plenty of guys at school would love to be in my shoes now." He thought to himself quietly.
"I can't help but notice that you have a fondness for holding onto recycled materials." she inquired, her tone almost playfully naive.
A vein pulsed on his forehead as he replied, "I've never had guests before, so I don't really feel the need to keep things neat and organized."
She burst into laughter at his response. It's so easy to tease him, she can't help but wonder why they call him the Blue Haired Devil.
He was taken aback by the sudden alarm on his phone. Realizing it was nearly 8.15am, they had a mere half an hour to rush to school.
Nelliel casually mentioned, "I suppose it's time for us to head to school," grabbing her school bag on the way to the door. "I suppose you're right," he responded.
Exiting the building together, Grimmjow deliberately lagged behind, avoiding walking too closely with the Angel.
Nelliel soon became aware that the boy behind her was intentionally maintaining a distance. Unbeknownst to her, a bicycle nearly collided with her if it weren't for Grimmjow's quick reaction. "Pay attention to your surroundings, Princess," he remarked irritably. A blush crept onto Nelliel's cheeks as she felt Grimmjow's hand on her waist, making sure she was steady.
Upon steadying herself, he withdrew his hand from her waist and proceeded to walk alongside her, maintaining a certain distance between them.
The journey to school this time is far from peaceful as he would prefer.
"Why is she so reckless?"
"What if she got hit by the bike just now?"
This girl seems to attract trouble more than anything else, if that makes sense. As he wrestled with his inner thoughts, once they both entered the school grounds, he hurried to class, showing no concern to wait for the girl.
In class (Grade 12) - Hueco Private High
Nelliel barely made it to her class as the first bell rang. She was still catching her breath from running up the stairs to the third floor when she reached her designated table. She noticed that Grimmjow was not there. "Good morning, Nelliel. Running late today?" Harribel asked. "Hey Harribel, morning. Yeah, I missed my alarm this morning," she replied casually. Harribel raised an eyebrow, knowing Nelliel to be very disciplined. Missing her alarm seemed unlikely, but she decided not to inquire further.
As the history lesson began, Komamura-sensei took attendance and noticed a blue-haired teenager sneaking in through the backdoor. "Jaegerjaquez-san, I see you've decided to join us." Caught off guard, Grimmjow remained silent and headed straight to his seat.
"Hey, Grimm, where have you been?" Ulquiorra asked, looking thoughtful. "Nowhere special. I just crashed hard after getting home late last night," Grimmjow replied, sounding a bit reflective.
Looking out the window while half listening to what his teacher is talking about upfront , he was lost in thoughts of the morning's events.
Towards the end of the class, Komamura - Sensei reminded his students about their upcoming quiz as well as the year end school trip.
"All of you must've been informed about our upcoming year-end excursion to Soul Society Museum. I would like to emphasize that the objective of this trip is to reflect on the reasons behind the collapse of the Feudal system and how it managed to endure until the Meiji Restoration. To facilitate this, I will be assigning partners randomly for a designated project. This project will contribute to your final examination this year."
Consequently, Komamura-sensei begins to announce the pairings for the project.
"Tier Harribel, you'll be paired up with Ulquiorra Cifer. You'll be writing about the advantage of implementing the feudal system." Both of the mentioned students just nod in understanding.
"Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck, you have been assigned to work with Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. Your assigned topic is the rationale behind Japan's decision to initiate diplomatic relations with foreign nations during the latter part of the 19th century." Nelliel glanced at her teacher with a smile, then shifted her gaze towards Grimmjow. It was evident that Grimmjow was less than thrilled about being paired up with her. "What kind of cosmic joke is this?"
"And that's it for today. I'm looking forward to receiving the initial draft of the assignment by the end of this month," Komamura-sensei said before ending the class.
As he followed his teacher out of the classroom, Grimmjow inquired, "Sensei, is it possible for me to change my partner?" He posed the question without delay. "Ah, Jaegerjaquez-san. May I inquire about your reasoning?" came the calm response. "I am a male, and she is a female. I doubt this arrangement will be effective. Besides, I perform better when paired with Ulquiorra," he replied defensively.
After a brief moment of contemplation, during which he rested his chin on his hand, the teacher responded, "I regret to inform you, Jaegerjaquez-san that the purpose of this assignment is not solely to evaluate your individual work but also to assess your ability to collaborate with others. It is important not to become too comfortable, as you will encounter more demanding situations once you graduate from high school." With that, the teacher departed, leaving the frustrated student behind.