"Eh? Eh? Eh? I… I'm a gift from Captain Aizen!?"
Startled by the unexpected words, Hinamori Momo panicked, her body tensing as she instinctively looked at Captain Aizen for reassurance.
The small white beast nestled in her arms widened its eyes and glared at Daemon with clear hostility—someone was trying to steal its precious caretaker.
Aizen's soft, cultured voice cut through the tension like a warm breeze.
"No, Mr. Daemon. Hinamori is not the gift I spoke of earlier."
Relief washed over Momo. Of course. There was no way a kind and refined man like Captain Aizen would ever treat her as some mere object to be handed over.
But then, he spoke again—and her heart froze.
"However, if you are interested in Hinamori, Mr. Daemon… you may have her serve you."
He smiled—calm, composed, gentlemanly—as he looked down at the now rigid girl by his side.
"Hinamori," he said gently, "Mr. Daemon is my most distinguished guest. Would you mind helping me entertain him?"
"C-Captain Aizen…" she whispered, her voice cracking under the weight of confusion and disbelief.
Why? Why would he say something like that? This wasn't like him at all. It felt like she was being… offered. Handed over. Like a gift, or worse—a concubine.
Her eyes welled up with tears as she turned to the one person who might speak up—Miss Mei.
"Miss Mei…" she called out weakly, hoping for a fierce rebuttal in her defense.
But none came.
Yamamoto Mei merely crossed her arms and said coldly:
"Just don't go too far, Mr. Daemon."
That was it. No outrage. No resistance. Just quiet permission.
Hinamori's world wavered.
Even Kasumigaoka Utaha, who clearly shared something special with Daemon, remained silent. She simply watched with a cold smile, though her clenched fists betrayed her true feelings.
Her sharp eyes flicked toward Aizen like a dagger—this man was not to be trusted. A villain cloaked in civility.
The only one who said nothing at all was Kocho Shinobu. Though she harbored feelings for Daemon, she had no claim, no position to speak out.
"…Everyone…"
Completely overwhelmed, Hinamori felt her knees weaken. Despair crept in like a shadow.
Fufu, sensing her grief, whimpered anxiously. But it was just a beast—loyal, yes, but powerless.
And then—a hand.
Warm. Strong.
It wrapped gently around her slender waist, pulling her against Daemon's side.
A soft voice spoke near her ear.
"Don't worry. It's just a hug, Hinamori. I won't hurt you."
His tone was soothing, like a blanket over fire.
"This is what your Captain Aizen asked. You wouldn't want to disappoint him, would you?"
"Captain Aizen…"
She looked up again, desperate for reassurance—and found Aizen smiling at her with that same calm, unreadable warmth.
It steadied her. Somehow.
"I… I understand!" she stammered, her cheeks burning red.
She reached up and grasped Daemon's hand, her grip trembling but determined.
"I won't disappoint Captain Aizen! I'll do my best to serve you, Mr. Daemon!"
Daemon smiled, satisfied, but did nothing more. He didn't press further, not in front of Yamamoto Mei, Kasumigaoka Utaha, or the silent onlookers. He simply held her hand and leaned down to whisper sweet nothings into her ear.
Even so, the innocent girl blushed furiously, her mind spinning with thoughts she barely understood.
"Fufu…"
The little beast huffed, thoroughly speechless. What happened to "I'll only love you"? It had only been a few minutes, and her breeder was already being snatched away!
Then Daemon's eyes fell on the creature, now sulking on the floor.
"By the way, Aizen… you actually hung that on Fufu?"
Yamamoto Mei blinked in surprise and followed his gaze. Sure enough, nestled in the soft fluff of Fufu's fur was a glimmering fragment—the Hōgyoku.
"Wait… that's the Hōgyoku? The one you guarded like a dragon hoarding treasure?"
Aizen replied without a hint of concern.
"After reviewing the memory records, I realized the Hōgyoku wasn't as powerful as I once believed. Its 'limitless evolution' merely pushes potential to its extremes. I lost interest."
He folded his arms casually.
"I hung it on Fufu for two experiments."
"What kind of experiments?" Daemon asked, curious as he gently stroked Hinamori's hair.
"First, I'm testing whether the Hōgyoku can trigger a soul reaper's transformation or hollowfication through proximity—specifically in non-human subjects."
His eyes gleamed with excitement—rare for the normally composed Aizen.
"Second, I want to test the fusion of the Hōgyoku's influence with a Devil Fruit—specifically, the Hito Hito no Mi Fruit. Can I imprint human concepts like 'will' and 'intellect' onto a beast, then evolve it into a higher being?"
Yamamoto Mei rolled her eyes.
"Mad scientist."
"I prefer the term 'visionary.'"
Daemon chuckled softly and teased:
"So what you're saying is… Fufu and the Hito Hito no Mi Fruit might eventually turn into a human? Maybe even a cute girl?"
Aizen: "..."
Utaha: "..."
Mei: "..."
As soon as Daemon finished speaking, silence fell over the room. Everyone stared at him blankly, except for Hinamori Momo, whose face was flushed red from shyness. She tilted her head in confusion, completely unaware of why everyone had suddenly stopped talking.
"…Mr. World Noble, you really are something else."
Kasumigaoka Utaha was the first to break the silence, her voice laced with sarcasm. "In a moment like this, you seriously have the nerve to ask whether it'd be a boy or a girl? Are you secretly into both? Or worse… are you into this little beast and a fruit?"
Yamamoto Mei's expression turned increasingly complicated as she glared at him.
"Daemon, even for a celestial dragon, this is low. You're talking about devil fruits—literal concepts—as potential romantic partners. Not to mention, Fufu's a primate killer. She's basically humanity's natural predator!"
"Fufu! Fufu!!"
The little white beast, clearly sensing the danger, fluffed up in fear. With a distressed squeal, she darted behind Utaha and peeked at Daemon from behind her legs, eyes wide and glaring.
"Wait, wait—hold on!" Daemon raised both hands in mock surrender, looking genuinely exasperated. "That's not what I meant! It was just a random question. I wasn't being serious!"
He looked around and added helplessly, "I mean, come on, I've always been into girls. Beautiful girls, okay? Like Utaha, or Konan with her paper wings—elegant, powerful. Girls. That's the point."
Utaha narrowed her eyes. "So let me get this straight…" Her tone was dangerously sweet. "What you're saying is: if, hypothetically, Fufu or the Hito Hito no Mi Fruit transformed into a cute girl, you'd be okay with it?"
Daemon paused for a long moment, as if actually considering the possibility.
"Well… if they did turn into cute girls, then yeah, it wouldn't be that weird, right? I mean—it would be legal and everything…"
The room fell silent again.
"…You're worse than I thought," Utaha muttered, visibly taken aback. "I write light novels and even I don't go that far."
Her sharp glare drifted toward Aizen. "And you!" she snapped. "What kind of villain has this much free time? Instead of plotting some grand betrayal, you're out here trying to turn beasts and fruit into magical girls?!"
Aizen remained perfectly composed, as usual. In fact, he even smiled.
"Mr. Daemon," he said smoothly, "if that's your wish, I believe Hōgyoku can fulfill such a request. It's not particularly complex."
"Scum!"
"Pervert!!"
"Fufu!!!"
A chorus of condemnation rang out from Utaha, Yamamoto Mei, and the indignant Fufu, all staring daggers at Daemon and Aizen.
But Daemon wasn't listening to their complaints. His expression was blank, but his thoughts were... somewhere else entirely.
Fufu in human form… paired with the Hito Hito no Mi Fruit…
He couldn't help but glance sideways at Aizen. Is this guy seriously a degenerate genius? Or just a genius degenerate?
After a bit more lighthearted chatter, the group eventually wrapped up their gathering at the Fifth Division barracks and began heading toward the First Division's hall.
This was something Yamamoto Mei had arranged earlier.
Though she'd called it a casual get-together to "clear off the dust," it was clear there was more to the story.
"…So you want me to meet your grandfather? Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni?"
Daemon raised an eyebrow, looking at Mei with suspicion. "What exactly are you planning?"
"Oh my," Utaha chimed in, eyes sparkling with mischief. "Is this a formal meeting between future in-laws? Has Miss Shinigami finally succumbed to loneliness and decided to settle down with none other than the esteemed World Nobleman?"
She smiled darkly, clearly enjoying herself as the teasing thickened in the air.
"Wha—?! No! It's not like that at all!"
Mei flailed her arms, visibly flustered, her cheeks quickly turning pink. "You've got it all wrong!"
She cleared her throat and tried to explain, her tone quickly becoming more serious.
"My grandfather… he's been stuck at the top for too long. He sees everything from that peak, and lately, it's made him feel old. We don't have enough challengers strong enough to shake him anymore. I just… I want him to feel excitement again. To believe that the world hasn't grown dull yet."
Daemon blinked. "Wait—you want me to beat up the Head Captain of the Gotei 13 just to cheer him up?"
"It sounds weird when you put it that way," Mei admitted with a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of her neck. "But yeah… pretty much."
There was a pause. Daemon stared at her, then leaned back slightly, lips curling into a smirk.
"…You're a kind granddaughter. And he's apparently a very kind old man if this is how you're showing affection."
"Maybe," she chuckled, eyes glinting with mischief. "But I'm more excited about the look on his face when he sees you. That alone might be worth everything."
Before Departure
Aizen, ever the calculating man, had already anticipated the arrival of Yamamoto Mei and her companions.
Not wanting to linger in the presence of a woman who clearly held no fondness for him—and perhaps wanting to avoid the unpredictable variable that was Daemon—he left early under the pretense of conducting experiments. As expected, he took Fu Fu with him, leaving the girls looking utterly dejected.
Now, the three newcomers—Daemon, Kasumigaoka Utaha, and the ever-curious Kocho Shinobu—were accompanied by Hinamori Momo, the vice-captain of the Fifth Division, following Yamamoto Mei as they made their way toward the First Division's headquarters.
"The scenery here in Seireitei isn't bad," Daemon mused aloud. "It really is a place tailored for nobles and Shinigami. Though... in terms of luxury, it still can't compare to the Holy Land of Marijoa."
For once, he wasn't using space abilities or teleportation. With ample time before the mission target was expected to appear, he chose to take a leisurely walk through Seireitei, absorbing its culture and atmosphere.
Kasumigaoka Utaha and Kocho Shinobu took in the surroundings with wide eyes, marveling at the otherworldly beauty and unfamiliar architecture. Meanwhile, the chat group buzzed with life.
[Chat Group]
Luo Hao: Daemon, start a live stream! We've yet to get a taste of the mission worlds. Let us see this 'Seireitei' of yours!
Esdeath: Yes. I'm curious to see if this world lives up to its reputation.
Daemon smiled faintly and enabled the stream.
Uchiha Miyuki: —Hold on! Wow! Is that Hinamori Momo? Your Highness Daemon, you've barely been there for half an hour, and you're already holding her by the waist? What a beast!
Kasumigaoka Utaha: As expected. You never fail to charm the girls first.
Uchiha Miyuki: Obviously. He has the talent.
Yamamoto Mei: Actually… Aizen himself handed Momo over to Mr. Daemon, saying she should be "properly taken care of."
Uchiha Miyuki: Wait, what? Isn't Hinamori Momo supposed to admire Aizen? Isn't he trying to make her fall for him?
Yamamoto Mei: Please. Aizen clearly isn't interested in women. Honestly, I suspect his preferences lie more along the lines of… Urahara Kisuke.
Uchiha Madara: ...
Aizen Sosuke: Urahara? If he were a woman, perhaps. His intellect rivals mine, and for that, I respect him. But he chose stagnation. Mediocrity. It's disappointing.
Uchiha Miyuki: ...All I'll say is: whatever makes you happy.
Luo Hao: So, where are you headed now?
Daemon: To the First Division. Going to challenge the Captain Commander.
Esdeath: Huh? Isn't that Yamamoto Mei's grandfather? You're seriously going to fight her old man?
Uchiha Miyuki: Wait, wait! I just saw Tōshirō Hitsugaya in the live stream!
Esdeath: Did you just spot your favorite character or something?
Uchiha Miyuki: What?! No way! I only like girl characters! But he's childhood friends with Hinamori Momo. This is about to turn into a drama!
Nakiri Erina: Childhood sweethearts... That's a dangerous setup.
Jibril: Ah, Momo is the shy girl clinging to Daemon's arm, right? Oh, I love this! A girl with deep feelings watching her childhood friend appear—only to see her in another man's arms! The Shura Field is inevitable!
Eriri Sawamura: Jibril, you're always rooting for chaos... But I have to admit, this could be entertaining.
Uchiha Miyuki: Exactly! Nothing beats a love triangle implosion in real time!
Esdeath: Tch. You're all too easily amused.
Uchiha Miyuki: You know, Hitsugaya has the strongest ice-type Zanpakutō—Hyōrinmaru!
Esdeath: The strongest? Heh. We'll see. I want to know if this shorty truly deserves that title.
Luo Hao: Even if he's strong, Daemon is practically his natural enemy. With the sun-based Noble Phantasm and solar divine authority… Ice will melt under his presence.
As the teasing in the chat continued, Daemon and his group paused. Ahead, two familiar figures approached.
"Momo? Miss Mei?" Hitsugaya Tōshirō called out, clearly surprised.
He had just recently taken up his role as captain of the 10th Division and had brought along his ever-slacking lieutenant, Matsumoto Rangiku, for a routine patrol. He never expected to stumble upon such an odd group.
His eyes narrowed as he scanned the unfamiliar faces, his hand subtly moving toward his Zanpakutō.
"These aren't normal Shinigami," he muttered. "Are they… Arrancar? No, that's not it."
Then he turned his eyes to Momo and Mei.
"Where is your captain, Aizen Sōsuke? And who are these strangers? Don't tell me... you two were taken by force?"
His voice was stern, but a hint of worry flickered in his eyes as he looked at Momo.
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