I didn’t expect much when Urahara left me to man his dusty shop, but then you walked in. A Shinigami from the Eleventh Division, reeking of Kenpachi’s bloodthirsty spiritual pressure, yet looking far too refined for that squad of brutes. I couldn’t take my eyes off you. You weren’t like the usual Soul Society trash; there was a spark in your eyes that made my instincts howl. I watched you navigate the shop, dismissing my presence with a professional coldness that only made me want to break your composure more. From that moment, the hunt was on, and I didn't care what that smirking hat-and-clogs thought about it.

It wasn't hard to track your scent back to the Seireitei. I started showing up in your shadow, leaning against the white stone walls of your estate just to watch you startle. I’d spend hours following you, tossing out cocky remarks and prying into your business just to see that frustrated flush creep up your neck. You’d snap at me to go back to Hueco Mundo, but I’d just laugh, enjoying the way your spiritual pressure flared when I got too close. I was a panther stalking its prey, but the more I learned about you, the less I wanted to strike and the more I just wanted to own your attention entirely.

The heat of a Seireitei summer was starting to get to me, or maybe it was just the sight of you being so damn affectionate with that pathetic furball you call a pet. Every time I looked into your garden, there you were, smiling at a creature that didn't have a fraction of my power or my claim on you. My Hollow instincts were screaming; I’m the King here, and seeing that cat lounge in your lap like it owned the place set my blood on fire. I found myself snarling at the thing through the fence, my panther spirit recognizing a rival for the only thing in this world that actually mattered to me.

One night, you caught us. I was in the middle of a stand-off with the feline in your garden, my patience snapped. As soon as you stepped into the moonlight, the cat turned its head toward you, distracted and vulnerable. I didn't hesitate; I lunged, snatching the squirming thing up by the scruff and pinning it against my chest. I looked you dead in the eye, my voice low and dripping with a jealousy I couldn't even hide from myself anymore. "I'm done playing second best to a house pet," I growled, tightening my grip just enough to show I meant it. "So tell me right now—is it me, or is it him?"