Chase Chad Around

Morning at the Kurosaki Clinic finds Karin too unwell to eat, and Isshin bursts in with word that their patient Sado has vanished from his room. At school, neither Mizuiro nor Keigo can explain the reliable Sado's absence, and Ichigo rushes off mid-lesson to search. At the elementary school, Karin is violently sick and snaps at her sister and a classmate before deciding to head home.

On the streets, Rukia meets Ichigo and explains that Soul Society cannot pinpoint a Hollow until it enters the human world from the void between realms, which is why they are stuck waiting. Refusing to hold back while Sado is in danger, Ichigo concentrates and, to Rukia's amazement, perceives dozens of spirit ribbons, seizing the one tied to Yūichi's faint soul, a feat normally reserved for seasoned soul reapers. Meanwhile, Sado narrowly avoids a falling rafter in a warehouse and realizes the Hollow has tracked him, vowing to keep Yūichi safe and reunite him with his mother.

When Sado bolts into the open, Ichigo and Rukia give chase, but Ichigo stops as an exhausted Karin collapses near him. Rukia orders him to carry her home while she pursues Sado alone, warning that worry will only get them both devoured. Ichigo reminds her she is too weak to face a Hollow by herself, and she promises a veteran never gambles. As Ichigo carries Karin off, she reveals that Yūichi's strongest memory bled into her mind, the sight of his mother being murdered before his eyes, and she begs Ichigo to help him. Behind them, a shadow rises at Rukia's back.

Ichigo unlocks the ability to read spirit ribbons and lock onto Yūichi's soul. Karin's shared vision confirms Yūichi's mother was murdered, and the opening chapter ends with the Hollow closing in on Rukia as she trails Sado alone.

This chapter opens the second volume, GOODBYE PARAKEET, GOODNITE MY SISTA, within the Agent of the Shinigami arc. It was adapted into the anime's fourth episode, Cursed Parakeet. Viz Media titles the chapter Chasing Chad.