Ichigo discovers that one of his classmates, Orihime Inoue, is being stalked by her older brother's spirit who turned into the hollow Acidwire due to Orihime stopping her prayers for him, which makes him hesitate to fulfill his duty. As Ichigo is forced to use his power again, his qualms of killing hollows are rested and he finally submits to his purpose as a substitute Soul Reaper, killing Acidwire. Before he does so however, Orihime's older brother was able to revert to his kind and gentle nature, expressing his love for her and thanking her before bring sent to the Soul Society, the place where Soul Reapers and souls reside, via Ichigo's zanpakuto.