222: Chapter 222 The Inescapable Skin and the Backstabbing Teammate

"What?! The system won't let you take it off?" Tuaner and Ryan's mouths hung open in shock. Even Sister Loran had a suspicious look on her face, while Xiaoya completely trusted her Sister Mia.

Mia shared the Paradise Lost System's notification with all her team members.

She irritably rubbed Inoue Orihime's face, which had slightly changed under her own influence.

She let out a helpless sigh. "Yes, Paradise Lost also says that if Kurosaki Ichigo turns evil, he'll destroy the world... even more terrifying than Yhwach. It really is a case of 'it takes three years to learn to be good, but only a moment to go bad.'"

"It really is like that. Some guys, when they're in the righteous camp, even a dog on the street can kick them twice. But once they switch to the evil side, they become gods who can destroy anything in a second." Luo Xiaoya agreed with Mia.

"Paradise Lost won't force you to have his babies, will it?! I remember there was a little girl in the original story." Loran was enjoying the drama. "Would you bring it back to Paradise Lost to raise? Or back to our own timeline?"

"Don't let your imagination run wild; it's not that horrific yet. For now, as long as he can see Inoue Orihime, he won't go crazy. Let's just leave it like this for now..." At this moment, Mia suddenly felt that a total team wipe might not be such a bad thing. Her teammates were truly... something else.

"Actually, it's not a bad deal. Kurosaki Ichigo is nineteen, and you're twenty-three, Sister Mia. If I'm not mistaken, Inoue Orihime should also be nineteen." The gossip expert Luo Xiaoya was now online.

"Calculating the time, Aizen is about to attack Karakura Town. Without Inoue Orihime, his 'battery pack,' it will be extremely difficult for him to forge the King's Key or absorb enough energy for the Hogyoku again."

Mia felt somewhat fortunate. At least her mind was still clear, and she wasn't under the hypnosis of Kyoka Suigetsu like Orihime was.

"Wait, didn't Orihime just... with Aizen..." Tuaner suddenly realized a problem. "If you meet him..."

"If you meet him, it'll become capital for Aizen to mock you for the rest of your life..." Ryan added the most lethal blow to Mia.

"He'll politely ask you, 'Miss Mia, did your zanpakuto allow you to read all the memories of the poor, hypnotized Miss Inoue Orihime? Tsk tsk, including last night's...'" Tuaner earnestly stabbed Mia again.

Finally, Mia, in the form of Inoue Orihime, was driven into a state of self-isolation by her lovely teammates. She hugged her shoulders alone and hid in a corner...

A Hell Butterfly arrived, bringing news from the Soul Society.

Kisuke Urahara and Mayuri Kurotsuchi had teamed up to create a "mirror version" space in Karakura Town. The layout inside was exactly the same as the original; the only difference was that there were no people.

The new fake Karakura Town, serving as the battlefield to lure Aizen into combat, was ready. Mia felt that the fake Karakura Town was somewhat similar to herself—both were meant to take the hits...

They were just waiting for him to walk into the trap. Additionally, Byakuya Kuchiki, Kenpachi Zaraki, and their group were delayed in Hueco Mundo. Although they weren't in any danger, they wouldn't be able to get away for the time being.

So for Mia, it was now time to openly slack off.

In the morning, wearing the face that was a mix of Inoue Orihime and herself, she went to school to pick up the graduation photos she had taken with Ichigo, Uryu, and Chatot. Except for Ichigo, who had to repeat a grade, several of them had successfully graduated.

Because of the changes in her appearance, height, and temperament, Inoue Orihime became a topic of conversation among her high school classmates after graduation. It was rumored that she was working as the president's secretary in Board Member Miss Mia's company, making them incredibly envious.

Having handled the identity issues, Mia returned to the villa and began struggling with herself, pondering how to peel off Inoue Orihime's skin and return to being herself as soon as possible.

Because she discovered that this seemingly living skin was starting to slowly lean towards becoming a "dead object," and Inoue Orihime's original habits and memory-driven actions were beginning to seep into her at an accelerated rate. This night of mental pollution made it take five minutes for Mia to figure out who she was when she woke up.

"Why wasn't she this resilient when she was hypnotized by Kyoka Suigetsu? But now she's trying her hardest to influence me. Is this a case of 'the kind demon being bullied'?" Mia sat on the grass, complaining weakly. As a pure-hearted succubus, being highly experienced in that area because of her zanpakuto was truly unparalleled...

The sunlight behind her was blocked by a tall figure.

"Orihime!" Kurosaki Ichigo looked at the "Inoue Orihime" before him. Even though he knew the soul inside was Mia, he still couldn't suppress his desire to get closer.

"Back off! Back off! Back off! From now on, you must stay at least one meter away from me. I've already accompanied you to the movies; just treat it as being dumped by a bad girl, okay?" Inoue Orihime's sweet voice made Mia somewhat uncomfortable; even an argument sounded like she was acting spoiled.

"Orihime..."

"Please show me some respect and call me Teacher Mia, or Captain."

Kurosaki Ichigo was pinned to the spot by that "Teacher Mia," as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him from behind. He gazed at the familiar face before him and heard that sweet, soft, yet distant voice. His heart felt as if it were being squeezed by something, aching with a dull pain.

"One meter... is that right?" he repeated in a low voice, his lips curling into a smile that looked worse than crying. He slowly took two steps back, not stopping until his feet stepped onto the stone path at the edge of the lawn. "Is this... far enough, Teacher Mia?"

Mia didn't turn around, but her fingertips curled into a fist under her skirt. She could clearly sense the burning gaze behind her, like heated needles piercing her back in a dense pattern. "Say what you have to say, or get lost." She deliberately made her voice cold and hard, but Inoue Orihime's soft and sweet tone made the words sound somewhat like she was throwing a tantrum.

Kurosaki Ichigo was silent for a moment, his spiritual pressure drifting uneasily around him as if he were trying his best to restrain something. "Mr. Urahara already told me about the Mirror Space being prepared to deal with Aizen." He paused, his voice dropping even lower. "Do you plan to participate?"

"What else?" Mia turned around, deliberately tilting her chin up and glaring at him with those almond eyes that belonged to Inoue Orihime. "Am I supposed to wander around with half-baked power and anger like you? Did you do your morning training? I've changed my appearance, not lost my memory! Go now, or there'll be no dinner tonight!"

These words hit Kurosaki Ichigo's heart like a stone. He suddenly gripped his sword hilt, and the air around him instantly became heavy. But when he saw the forced toughness in her eyes, the surging hostility was forced back down. "It's too dangerous there," he said in a low voice, with a plea in his tone that he hadn't even noticed. "Aizen's Kyoka Suigetsu..."

"I don't need you to remind me." Mia interrupted him, raising a hand to touch her face, her fingertips tracing the skin with a hint of disgust. "I'm much more clear-headed than a certain someone who was hypnotized. As for you, you'd better think about how to coexist peacefully with the White inside you. Don't go wiping out your own people before you even hit the battlefield."

Kurosaki Ichigo's face turned several shades paler. He opened his mouth but couldn't say a word.

Looking at him like this, a surge of anger rose in Mia's heart, mixed with an indescribable irritability. "Anything else? If not, I'm going back to study how to peel this skin off." She waved her hand as if shooing away a fly. "Seeing you is bad luck."

After saying that, she turned and walked toward the villa without looking back. But when she reached the entrance, she couldn't help but peek back through the glass door—Kurosaki Ichigo was still standing there, his back to her, his shoulders slightly slumped like an abandoned large dog.

Mia gave a "tsk" in her heart and slammed the door shut. "What's wrong with me?" she muttered to the empty living room. "If I keep looking, I might get influenced by this body's Original Owner's memories and end up overflowing with sympathy. In a chaotic world, the first to be killed is the 'Holy Mother'; I absolutely cannot be influenced by her. Be strong, Mia, you have to be strong!"

Outside the door, the moment it closed, Kurosaki Ichigo slowly raised his hand and pressed it against his chest. His heartbeat was incredibly fast, half because of the argument just now, and half because... even knowing that the soul inside was Mia, his heart still accelerated uncontrollably when he saw that face. Moreover, under Mia's control, Orihime had an indescribable charm.

He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the confusion in his eyes had been replaced by determination.

No matter who she was, no matter what she became, this time, he would never let anyone hurt her again. Even if... he had to fight against his own out-of-control self.