Chapter 3

You can't just wander off like that! We're on a mission!

Well, the cakes in the window looked so delicious, I just couldn't stop myself.

How were you able to walk in there and buy a cake like that when you don't even have a gigai?

Oh yeah, I brought along something for that. It's right over here.

It's a device we've been working on that makes a soul actually appear to have a physical body.

This isn't exactly what it was designed for, but it's pretty handy when you want to buy a cake.

Sigh...

It's a ghost!

It looks like a bound spirit.

Am I just imagining this, or are you guys really able to see me?

Yeah, we can see you. Cuz we're Soul Reapers.

What a relief. This is great!

It's not great!

In fact, it's the just opposite of great because it appears that you're attached to this store. We can't let you stay here. It's just too dangerous!

If you stay here, the Hollows will come. They're attracted to souls like yours. When they do, you'll become one of them. Then you'll attack the ones you love.

In order to prevent that from happening, we'll perform a Konso and send you to the Soul Society.

No, wait! I'm not ready to go yet! Please, just let me explain. That's all I ask! I don't want something horrible to happen!

It'll be all right! You'll feel better soon!

What if he doesn't tell us and something horrible happens?

Yeah, what's the rush? Why can't we at least hear his story?

My name is Heita Momoyama. I, uh, I'm a baker and that shop back there is where I used to work. I had just left the shop when I was hit by a car...

I worked hard at my job. The master pastry chef there had been training me to make cakes.

Listen...You're dead. I'm sorry, but you've baked your last cake.

You don't have to say it like that, do you?

You must really have a thing for cakes, 'cause whenever someone brings them up, you go right off the deep end.

I'm not ready to go... Not till my mother knows I'm all right. You see, she still gets up every morning when the streets are deserted and comes to the place where I died, to pray for my soul to move on.

But I'm worried. She's not looking so well. In fact, my older sister's been so worried about her that she asked mom to leave her apartment and move in with her and her husband.

And I thought that would be good for her. It's just that with all of the time I had been putting in, learning to bake cakes, I'd been working so hard, my mother never even got to taste one of them.

If we all work together, we can bake the cake! You'll be my hands and I can teach you!

Well, she has to taste one of my cakes! I know this may sound completely insane, but if you can make it exactly like I tell you to, it will be my cake!

I don't know what to say. No spirit has ever asked me to bake a cake.

Let's do it!

Huh?!

You don't care. You just want to do it so you can eat a bunch of cake, right?

Who cares? We should help the guy out! Besides, it might be a really good cake!