Their meeting took place in the Shin'ō Spiritual Arts Academy.
The sunlight was gentle. After the brutal battle it had just gone through, Shin'ō Spiritual Arts Academy was only now beginning to show a hint of recovery.
Quite a few of the instructors who'd originally taught at the Academy had lost their lives in the Menos incursion days earlier.
On Higashino Shuuichi's suggestion, Tsunayashiro Kamihara had agreed to his proposal of selecting future Katana-gari-shū members by working as a teacher.
After all, it wouldn't do for the Katana-gari-shū to have no personnel forever.
Riding on the prestige he'd earned this time by stepping out at Soul Society's moment of crisis and slaying the ruler of Hueco Mundo, Baraggan, Tsunayashiro Kamihara did have some confidence in the training plan Higashino Shuuichi was talking about.
So although Higashino Shuuichi's real purpose in coming here was to meet with Aizen, on the surface he still had a decent cover identity.
And the only reason the two of them had to go to such trouble just to meet this time was purely because of Aizen's twisted sense of humor—he still hadn't put Ichimaru Gin under Kyōka Suigetsu.
To keep Gin from learning who Higashino Shuuichi really was, their meeting had to be arranged in this sort of "underground handoff" fashion.
After all, chances like last time—where Aizen could meet with Higashino Shuuichi openly as a representative of the Gotei 13—were going to be rare.
"A resolution to establish a special Day-Moon Class in Shin'ō Spiritual Arts Academy?"
Sitting in the faculty lounge, Aizen glanced over the resolution stamped by the Central 46 that Higashino had handed him and spoke.
As a long-standing senior instructor at Shin'ō Academy, and simultaneously Captain of the 5th Division, Aizen had naturally stepped in to shoulder part of the administration now that the Academy was short on staff.
"Yeah. I feel like the connection between Shin'ō Academy and the Gotei 13 is still too stiff. Those young Shinigami who graduate from Shin'ō get thrown straight into missions as soon as they join the Gotei, and the casualties are just too high.
Not every vice-captain has the time to teach their squad members advanced zanjutsu, hakuda, shunpō, and Kidō.
And even if they did have the time, the gap in skill levels between squad members in every division is huge. How are they supposed to conduct targeted training like that…?"
Higashino Shuuichi answered smoothly.
But Aizen had zero interest in listening to that long explanation.
"The truth?"
Higashino met Aizen's gaze and showed a flash of white teeth.
"As expected, nothing gets past you, Aizen-sama… The truth is, that modified artificial soul project I've been working on with Kurotsuchi Mayuri—this latest test was a great success. Mayuri got a lot of valuable data out of it.
Based on his projections, the next phase of experiments will be able to start within five years at most. But that phase involves a qualitative leap in capabilities, so the test opponents we pick can't just be some random low-ranking Shinigami to pad the numbers like this time.
And Aizen-sama, you know as well as I do—the number of seated officers is limited. Most of them are stationed permanently in Soul Society and rarely go to the Human World. Just a single seated officer from 13th Division would be very inconvenient to schedule around."
"So I thought: instead of waiting for 'the right time' like we did this time, why not take the initiative myself? I'll personally train a batch of Shinigami who meet the experimental requirements, then send them to specific locations under the guise of missions or field practicums.
That way, the time, the place, even the personnel… all become controllable."
Higashino laid his plan out clearly.
Since the modified soul project didn't conflict with anything Aizen was doing, he had no intention of hiding it.
And the advantages of being open were obvious.
Just look at this time: Aizen might have said this operation was something he'd come up with on a whim, but in truth, both Soul Society's reaction and Mayuri's responses had all been within his expectations.
Before Higashino had even made his own move, Aizen had already stepped in to deal with the biggest problem of the first experiment for him.
That said, helping was helping—but when it came to Higashino's behavior, Aizen still felt nothing but disdain.
"So you're still hung up on that old plan of yours—to develop Fullbring?"
Aizen knew perfectly well why Higashino had approached Kurotsuchi Mayuri in the first place. Because the first person Higashino had tried to recruit as a collaborator… had been Aizen himself.
After Aizen turned him down, he went to Szayelaporro. Only after Szayelaporro clearly stated he had no interest did Higashino finally end up with Mayuri.
What Aizen couldn't understand was this: after devouring Baraggan's Hollow core, Higashino Shuuichi's reiatsu had spiked to the point where it was nearly on par with his own. Add in Higashino's personal abilities and his various trump cards, and Aizen wouldn't be surprised at all if someone told him Higashino could already give him a proper fight now.
So in this situation… was there still any need to develop that so-called broken Fullbring?
Aizen felt Higashino's obsession with obtaining more power was a bit excessive—even worse than his own.
"Yes, Aizen-sama. But at this point I'm simply curious.
I just want to see what kind of Fullbring I can develop using the fragments of the Soul King's body embedded in me. That's all.
It's one of the few sources of entertainment I can still find, I guess."
Higashino didn't need to ask; he could hear Aizen's true opinion hidden in his tone.
But he was bitter in his own way too. He didn't have some monstrous talent for research. He didn't have Aizen's innate genius.
If he wanted to survive without incident under the hands of all those monsters in the future, he needed as many trump cards as he could possibly stack.
Hadn't he almost gotten killed this time by Baraggan exploiting his own "black tech"?
If he hadn't, back in that fictional future, left himself an ace up his sleeve that even he had forgotten… he'd probably be in Hell right now, clinging to Kuruyashiki "Papa" and screaming for help.
"Entertainment, huh? Hmph~ True enough, entertainment is… very important."
Higashino's answer actually struck a chord with Aizen.
Once your power reached their level, it was indeed enjoyment that became the primary driving force.
Then, all of a sudden, Aizen shifted the topic. The smile stayed on his lips, but his gaze turned sharp.
"In that case… did you not find any entertainment in the Royal Palace?"
He didn't even bother to ask whether Higashino had gone to the Royal Palace.
He simply took it as fact, leaving no room for any of Higashino's verbal acrobatics.
Fortunately, Higashino hadn't planned on using any.
"The people in the Royal Palace are, in the end, a little too dull. They sit up there guarding a few empty palaces.
Staying there held no entertainment for me at all."
Higashino replied calmly.
"Is that so? So it really is that boring of a place.
As I thought… a place that shouldn't exist."
Aizen showed no surprise at Higashino's answer. It was as if everything was unfolding exactly as he'd expected.
"But speaking of that, Aizen-sama… I wasn't there long, but that monk called Ichibē Hyōsube invited me to join Squad Zero."
"Ha, hahaha!"
Higashino hadn't even finished his sentence before Aizen burst out laughing, as if he'd just heard the funniest nonsense in the world.
"So, why did you turn him down?"
He didn't need to ask the outcome. He already knew.
From what he'd learned via the Great Spirit Book Corridor about some of Squad Zero's rules, Aizen knew that once you chose to become a member of Squad Zero, your entire body would be reconstructed by the Soul King's power known as the Ōken.
The reason those Squad Zero members possessed such outrageous fighting power was precisely because of the Ōken.
But it was obvious that, at the moment, Higashino Shuuichi's body hadn't been remade by the Ōken.
So he had clearly refused Ichibē Hyōsube's invitation.
"Because becoming a member of Squad Zero might be the dream of most Shinigami.
But it will never be mine."
Higashino's answer seemed like it addressed Aizen's question—but at the same time, it didn't.
Because it was the kind of question that'd be trouble if he truly answered it in full. Rather than give himself a headache, he simply kicked the ball back into Aizen's court.
So long as you still want me to keep doing things for you… you have no choice but to believe me.
That was the cleverness of Higashino Shuuichi's reply.
"What a pity I couldn't go with you."
Naturally, Aizen heard the implication behind his words. So he chose to shift the subject again.
"But it's not like there's no opportunity, Aizen-sama."
Higashino Shuuichi gave him a bright smile.
"What do you mean?"
Aizen thought, Oh? Another surprise?
"Although I refused Squad Zero's invitation, they did agree to let me return to the Royal Palace again in the future.
As long as I speak to the Shiba clan's representative in charge of the escort to the Royal Palace, they'll make an exception and send me up again.
If you wish, Aizen-sama… you could come along with me then."
On the surface, he sounded full of anticipation.
In truth, he'd already started calculating in his mind just how he could sell Aizen to "the monk" for a good price.
This was his chance to turn things around and sing the song of the liberated serf!
After all, never mind the Aizen who didn't yet have full control over the Hōgyoku—even after fusing with the Hōgyoku and evolving further, Aizen might not be able to defeat Ichibē Hyōsube. Much less if he stormed into the Royal Palace alone, onto Squad Zero's home turf.
And considering that Ichibē Hyōsube, who might have communed with the Soul King's will in some unknown way, would do anything to ensure that future savior Kurosaki Ichigo was born safely, the odds were good that he wouldn't actually kill Aizen.
So Higashino could well imagine it: Aizen getting taught a vicious lesson by the monk, then tossed back down to Soul Society to begin a fresh round of "lying low and grinding his teeth."
For Higashino Shuuichi, that would basically change nothing.
If anything, he'd now have the chance to win the favor of some of the other Squad Zero members by playing "guide" and dragging Aizen up there to get beaten.
He might even receive a few special gifts in return.
After all, among the members of Squad Zero, the only one who was practically a machine devoid of emotion was that monk, Ichibē Hyōsube.
The others still had their own likes and dislikes.
Unfortunately, Higashino soon found out he was wrong.
Put nicely, he had underestimated Aizen's breadth of mind.
Put bluntly, he'd misjudged Aizen's arrogance.
"Together? Is this your first day knowing me, Shuuichi?
According to the records in the Great Spirit Book Corridor, those Squad Zero members living in the Royal Palace can see everything that happens in Soul Society.
So they definitely know who I am. They definitely know everything I've done here.
They might even be listening to every word you and I are saying right now."
"But, despite that, they chose to invite Kirio Hikifune. They chose to invite you.
And they chose not to invite me.
You think they don't know about our relationship?"
At that, Higashino finally understood.
From beginning to end, Aizen had always been fully aware of what Squad Zero existed for.
No wonder that night, when he had Higashino orchestrate the Kasumiooji clan rebellion, he never deployed any of his pre-arranged forces to the key battlefields in advance.
Because Aizen already understood, back then, that if that rebellion really did draw Squad Zero down… they would go straight for him.
Carefully arranging anything on the battlefield was meaningless.
All of his true preparations would be centered around himself.
Only, in the end, Squad Zero's performance that night had left him bitterly disappointed.
These were the exalted members of Squad Zero?
These were the elite who guarded the Soul King's mutilated corpse?
"Untouched by the human world" wasn't nearly enough to capture their apathy.
"No, I'm sure they do know. It's just that, in their eyes, I'm merely a Shinigami who doesn't know his place. So nothing else matters.
So yes, Shuuichi—this is the challenge they've laid down for me.
They probably think my long-standing desire to go to the Royal Palace and 'meet' them is juvenile and laughable.
Which is why, if I accepted your offer to go to the Royal Palace with you…
I'd have already lost."
Aizen shook his head, sounding utterly confident.
Higashino listened and kept silently shaking his own.
This was absolutely overthinking it. Ichibē Hyōsube was simply following the "script" the Soul King had given him. He didn't have his own joy or anger, sorrow or delight.
But then Higashino thought it through again.
Was what Aizen said actually wrong?
Judging from Ichibē Hyōsube's behavior alone, Aizen's explanation really was logical and well-supported. It was hard to find fault with it. It even held together as a self-consistent story.
"But I'll go to the Royal Palace regardless."
Aizen raised his head and looked up at the ceiling.
Higashino Shuuichi knew his gaze had already pierced through it—extending toward the Royal Palace he had yet to see.
He was still that same solitary figure, staring down with cold pride at everything below.
"In my own way."
//Check out my P@tre0n for 20 extra chapters on all my fanfics //[email protected]/Razeil0810.