Despite his previous actions to cheer himself up, Ren soon started moping again. Even if he tried to convince his own mind that everything was fine, the grief and the pain still persisted.
It was currently the middle of Spring, with the occasional cherry tree livening up the atmosphere, and the sky over Karakura Town was now a deep orange, which would later fade away as night approached. There were a few birds flying about, and many students walked along the river, chatting about their day and the excitement they had for school… or hadn't.
Along the way, he passed by the little girl spirit Akane and saw she was feeling better, whatever the disturbance she felt previously was not concerning her anymore. Seeing her smile cheered Ren up a lot more than any of his previous attempts could.
After parting with her, he was now walking silently, lost in thought as he muttered to himself.
"There's no longer any reason to doubt that I am living inside the world of Bleach. I don't understand why and how this happened, but frankly, it doesn't matter."
"As such, I need to start taking this seriously. Though I have information from the anime explaining how power works, I don't really understand it, not even in the slightest. I can't feel anything different, nor control some sort of mysterious energy that is supposedly part of my soul."
He was put through training in his previous life, and knew how to handle himself and use various weapons, but it honestly wasn't of much use when faced with concepts such as Reiatsu, Reiryoku and the like. A random Kidou, Hadou or whatever-it-was-beam could very well kill him, and he hadn't practiced his fighting skills for many years already, even in his previous life. Hell, if he actually kept training throughout the years, he probably wouldn't be in this sort of situation right now.
"I wasn't of the religious kind before, and also didn't have interest in things such as spirits and the occult. My best bet right now is the knowledge I can remember from the anime, and whatever I can find over here."
He refused to believe there was no way to find information on how to awaken any powers he could have or how to train them.
Since beings such as the Quincy and Shinigami existed among humans for who knows how long, there was bound to be some records remaining about such things. Ren even imagined that the stories and folklore would differ greatly from his world, though he wasn't very familiar with this side of japanese culture, to tell the truth.
"One thing worth noting is that the powers are very individualized over here, so apart from common techniques, I would probably need to find out things for myself through experimentation once I awaken anything… assuming I have the chance. Well, since I am able to see and interact with spirits, it's safe to say I must have something in me."
The sides of his mouth stretched into a smile at this thought. He was getting excited to see what his powers could possibly be.
"Quincy powers are very cool, but some of the techniques have various drawbacks, and while I could recreate whatever I remember through trial and error, without any heritage or information I'd probably have a hard time. From that point-of-view, Shinigami powers are pretty much ideal, since I would be able to become stronger by simply deepening my connection and understanding of my Zanpakutou, even without learning their ways."
"... though… How would I even get a sword for myself is the real question…"
Especially in the early arcs, the Soul Society was not very welcoming to intruders. If he wanted to do it the proper way, Ren would need to somehow die and get sent there, and that's if he didn't become a Jibakurei (Bound Spirit) or even worse, a Hollow.
"Hmm… that is honestly another option, in and of itself."
Objectively speaking, with his knowledge, he could climb the ranks of the Hollow hierarchy very easily if he put his mind to it. While the start would be a pain to get through, and he could probably die at any point if he wasn't strong enough, if he managed to become an Arrankar, and achieve a level of power akin to a Vasto Lorde class Menos, he could live comfortably as well.
"The problem is that heritage and blood also play an important role here, as much as one's talent and skills do, and I honestly would like to avoid becoming a Hollow. It's a lot of suffering, and too many things could go wrong, not to mention that they would become that prick Aizen's dogs later. Maybe he has already started meddling in Hueco Mundo… it's too much of a stretch to think I can remain safe from his plans."
The best option was one in which he could use his knowledge to his advantage, and to do so, it was paramount to remain close to the main characters. They would be involved in every major event that would happen in the future, and even if Ren didn't fight, by staying close to them he could navigate through the various disasters coming their way and ensure his survival.
Ren remembered the interactions he had today. Chad didn't speak much, but he gave a reliable and trustworthy impression. Keigo and Mizuiro were almost perfectly opposites, but were good friends that now extended that friendship towards Ichigo, Chad and himself. Their banter lightened the atmosphere a lot, balancing the group.
The way he was casually made a part of their circle was something Ren had rarely experienced in his previous life. He was accustomed to observing people and how they behaved, and many times he could see through their facade and the hidden intentions they had. Though he strived to treat every person kindly and respectfully, there were many that he knew weren't friends he could trust to have his back.
"Those guys seem like good people, so I want to be friends with them, if possible. From what I remember, and what I saw today, I believe they're the kind to become friends for life."
He thought with a smile. Ichigo himself was someone he paid particular attention to today, and Ren concluded that he was pretty much in line with the one whose life and struggles he accompanied through many hours of watching and reading. He felt some sort of connection to Ichigo, since he understood him in a way probably no one else knew in this world, and that applied to many others too.
"Heh, well, there's also the ladies… If I can't go back to my previous world, I could find someone here and live a happy life."
Ren thought of the girls in his class, and the group surrounding Orihime and Tatsuki today. While he was a little curious on how they got along so quickly on the first day, there's nothing he can do since he got involved in the fight against Oshima Reiichi and his buddies.
"I managed to greet them briefly in class, so we're basically acquainted classmates for now. With this, I met with most of the characters in Karakura High School. I never imagined such a thing was even possible. Henry would never believe me."
"Knowing I could meet Rukia, Rangiku, Yoruichi and others is a pretty exciting prospect, hehe. Well, If I'm too weak, they would never give me any attention anyway, so there's that."
His concern was that he lacked a comprehensive understanding of how to use spiritual powers himself. In terms of concepts and theory, he had a lot, but he couldn't trust his memory completely, since there were bound to be things he simply hadn't bothered paying attention to, had forgotten or didn't know. Maybe the knowledge itself he had was flawed, since it only amounted to what he understood from the story and dialogue.
"Well, I can think and solve one thing at a time. Rushing it could make things worse."
His life had changed suddenly, and by a lot, but for now there weren't any serious problems.
"Back to the point, once I get home, I should make a list and put my thoughts in order. My priority for now should be to find out if I have or can develop any powers, get along with the people around me, and learn more about my family and current situation."
The last one was particularly concerning, since he hadn't found anything related to his supposed sister Ella's whereabouts, current status and the like.
"I hope nothing bad happened to her. From what I've learned, she already went through a lot."
Having already accepted his identity as Ashikawa Ren, he would do everything he can to help. It was the least he could do after finding himself in this new body.
Growl*
Hearing his stomach requesting sustenance once more, Ren smiled wryly.
"Heh, my ACTUAL first priority should be making a trip to the grocery store tomorrow. I think what's left back home would only last a day too."
Thinking up to this point, he froze.
"Hey, do I have any money? Like… at all…?"
This was something he hadn't checked before. He didn't look properly at his phone yet, so there was a plausible chance the previously Ashikawa Ren only had a small amount remaining, or maybe none at all. The possibility made Ren sweat coldly.
"Let's add another one: 'Look for work so I don't die of hunger.'"
As the list of things to take care of only increased, Ren picked up the pace. It was best to solve this as soon as possible.
[A few hours later, Ashikawa Household]
Once he was home, Ren took a bath to cool off his head, and prepared something to eat.
Thankfully, there was still enough groceries to make dinner and a somewhat humble breakfast tomorrow. He sat down in the living room, eating while making all sorts of notes on whatever information he remembered from the original series.
This was the first thing he realized was urgent earlier today, since the more he delayed, the less useful his knowledge would become.
After somewhere around four hours, he put down his pen and took the notebook in his hands, examining its contents. There were dozens of pages, nearly two hundred, filled with every ounce of information he could muster out of his mind. He jotted down even the trivia and seemingly useless knowledge he had, just in case.
Looking at the final result, he had a satisfied smile on his face, "This is pretty much the best I can do right now. If anything else comes to mind later, I'll add that in as well."
Glancing at the clock hanging by the wall, his smile turned wry.
"Sheesh, it's already near 11pm. I didn't expect it to take this long. Somehow, the more I wrote, the more details came to mind."
His right hand felt a little sore, just like the days when he used to spend hours practicing how to conduct properly with his mother. She was aware of his interest in music and started teaching him the basics initially, but soon, his old self started showing the underlying potential he had. That only served to put him into a proper practice schedule, however, so as to not let his talent go to waste.
"To think something like this would make me feel nostalgic… I should get some sleep."
Ren rubbed his eyes and went upstairs to rest. He initially felt like it was better to have the information stored physically instead of digitally, so it took a lot longer to finish. He was feeling exhausted, mostly from the mental exertion, but it was worth it.
Lying down on his bed, he soon dozed off. Tomorrow will be a long day.
—
Extra Titles: ("Food is also important.", "Is it masochistic to feel nostalgic from pain?", "Where's Ella?", "Finally getting over from an existential crisis", "A little girl's smile can heal almost anything").