With Yamamoto's orders in hand, Aizen left the training grounds and hurried toward the Shihōin estate.
After putting several miles between himself and the area, he let out a barely perceptible sigh of relief.
Good. Yamamoto hadn't suspected anything.
Then again, there was no reason for him to be suspicious in the first place.
If there ever came a day when Yamamoto inexplicably took notice of him, it would undoubtedly be Satoru's fault.
At the thought, Aizen took a deep breath, feeling his blood pressure rise slightly.
When he arrived at the gates of the Shihōin estate, he explained his purpose to the guards.
Hearing that he had been sent by Yamamoto, the guards didn't dare delay and quickly relayed the message inside.
Before long, a maid emerged, her hands folded in front of her as she gave Aizen a slight bow.
"My apologies, sir. The head of the household and Lord Satoru left for the Second Division barracks last night and are not currently in residence."
Aizen raised an eyebrow.
The Second Division barracks…
Could it be that he had misjudged the situation? Perhaps Satoru wasn't out fooling around but was there for specialized training?
After all, once he graduated, that guy would soon be assigned to the Second Division.
Getting familiar with the place ahead of time was indeed a smart move.
Thinking this way, Aizen suddenly felt that many things made a lot more sense.
Every so often, Satoru's strength would make a sudden, massive leap forward.
When it came to practical applications like Zanjutsu, Hakuda, and Hohō, Satoru trained diligently—Aizen had seen that firsthand.
But he rarely saw the guy working on his spiritual pressure.
Maybe Satoru was going to the Second Division to train his spiritual pressure?
With this speculation in mind, Aizen left the Shihōin estate and headed for the Second Division barracks.
Having visited once before, he was already familiar with the route.
After stating his purpose and confirming his identity with the guards, Aizen entered the Second Division.
Sure enough, as soon as he got close, he sensed Satoru's spiritual pressure.
Following it, he made his way forward.
From a distance, he heard a miserable wail.
"Have mercy! I really can't do this anymore!"
Aizen blinked in surprise.
Before he could process it, Satoru's voice rang out—
"What nonsense! You're nowhere near done yet!"
"Don't forget, I'm about to join the Second Division and become a high-ranking officer!"
"If you don't do as I say, you know what'll happen, right?"
"Keep going!"
Aizen: "…"
After a brief moment of bewilderment, he hurried toward the source of the voices.
Rounding a corner, he came upon an open clearing.
A young Shinigami with messy blond hair, clad in a shihakushō, was kneeling on the ground with a miserable expression.
Standing beside him, Satoru wore the smug look of someone giving orders, occasionally barking out demands.
The ground around them was littered with papers covered in writing.
Further away, Yoruichi Shihōin leaned against a tree, looking half-asleep.
The blond-haired young man—none other than Kisuke Urahara, who had recently deepened his bond with Satoru during the prison incident—was hunched over, staring at a half-written equation with a pained expression.
After studying it for a while, he turned to Satoru.
"It's no use. Just imagining it isn't giving me any ideas… At least show me something tangible."
Satoru frowned slightly. "Tangible? We'd have to go to the human world for that. Getting approval for a Senkaimon as an ordinary Shinigami is a hassle."
Hearing this, Kisuke's face lit up with hope.
"Then don't rush it for now. We'll wait until there's an opportunity to..."
Before he could finish speaking, Yoruichi nearby grinned and raised her hand:
"No problem, leave it to me! The Shihōin family has noble-exclusive Senkaimon gates. Whatever machine you want, Satoru, I can have someone fetch it for you!"
Satoru smiled with relief.
Kisuke felt like crying.
Hearing footsteps, Satoru looked up.
Seeing Aizen, he paused briefly before cheerfully running over.
"Sōsuke, perfect timing!"
He pulled Aizen over—much to the latter's pained expression—dragging him to the open space.
Then with his other hand, he hauled Kisuke up.
"Come on, let me introduce you two."
"Sōsuke, this is Kisuke Urahara, a genius whose intellect is no less than mine!"
Aizen: "..."
Was being compared to Satoru's intellect supposed to be a compliment?
"Kisuke, this is Sōsuke Aizen, my classmate—his intellect is also no less than mine!"
Kisuke: "..."
Perhaps due to working all night, or perhaps because Satoru's statement was too absurd, he found himself momentarily speechless.
He glanced up slightly at the young man before him.
Though seemingly a few years younger, this boy named Aizen gave him an immediate sense of tension at first glance.
A dangerous one...
Kisuke's body tensed subtly.
Aizen also studied Kisuke.
Jokes aside, he did acknowledge Satoru's ability to judge people.
If Satoru claimed this somewhat disheveled blond man was intellectually strong, then he likely had real skill.
After a brief assessment, Aizen smiled warmly.
"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Urahara. I'm Sōsuke Aizen, a student at the Shin'ō Academy. I look forward to learning from you."
"Ah, uh, likewise, nice to meet you too."
Urahara hesitated before awkwardly returning the greeting.
Despite having mastered Shikai and possessing strength rivaling high-ranking officers, he was inherently somewhat socially anxious.
Even facing a student like Aizen, he couldn't muster any seniority.
He wanted to observe Aizen further, to pinpoint what exactly about this young man felt threatening.
But before he could finish scanning, Satoru tugged at his clothes from behind.
"Alright, introductions are done. Let's get back to work."
"You wouldn't want Vice-Captain Ōmaeda finding out you've been faking injuries to skip work, right?"
"Guh!"
Kisuke's eyes widened in fear.
Under Satoru's smug gaze, he mournfully sat back down, propping his chin as he resumed studying the gaming console Satoru wanted.
Watching this scene, Aizen sighed.
"Satoru, stop wasting time. Do you remember what day it is today?"
Satoru blinked, surprised. "What did you just call me?"
Aizen remained expressionless. "It's graduation exam day."
"Captain-Commander is already waiting at the training grounds. If you're late, you might as well start preparing your will."
Hearing this, Satoru nearly broke into a cold sweat.
Last night, he and Yoruichi had been practicing Hakuda in the 2nd Division when they happened to encounter Kisuke on his midnight stroll.
Recalling Kisuke Urahara's inventive talents, Satoru couldn't resist the temptation. He immediately took control of Kisuke, using his official authority to pressure the latter into helping him conceptualize designs for gaming consoles.
In his excitement, he'd completely forgotten such an important matter!
Abandoning thoughts of gaming devices, he hurried toward the training grounds alongside Aizen.
As they approached, both men's eyes widened in surprise.
Without them noticing, a massive gathering of Shinigami had already assembled there.
Though still some distance from the training grounds, there were already about five hundred Shinigami surrounding the area!
What was happening?
Were they selling tickets??
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