Bleach: Watch Closely, This Is How You Use a Zanpakutō

"Ugh..."

Senjumaru Shutara clutched her chest, feeling her heart pounding wildly as she stumbled into her room. Fumbling with the door, she slammed it shut and slid down against it, gasping for breath.

What the hell am I doing?

She couldn’t tell if she was more embarrassed or frustrated—all she knew was that she kept questioning herself over and over.

For days now, she had barely slept.

No matter how many times she returned to her room, rest never came.

Even lying in bed, her body felt unbearably hot, as if she were trapped in a fever that refused to break.

Images of Masatsuki Aozaki refused to leave her mind.

Kirio Hikifune’s figure would also surface from time to time, alongside a chaotic mess of thoughts, all tangled together, leaving her completely overwhelmed.

Eventually, exhaustion had claimed her, but when she woke again, it was already morning.

She rubbed her eyes, trying to shake off the lingering haze of sleep.