— — — — — —
The moment Ryo opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Aizen standing right in front of him.
White uniform, one hand in his pocket, that gentle-seeming yet emotionless smile.
"Welcome back, my friend," Aizen said with his usual calm poise.
"How long was I out?" Ryo stretched a little, testing his body while he asked.
"Twenty days."
Aizen's answer was straightforward.
"Oh? Not bad."
Ryo raised a brow. The Sun Authority inside him had only fallen dormant, not vanished. His God Gloth had regressed into a normal cloth yet remained active, and he could faintly sense the Leo legatee somewhere in the Soul Society.
Aizen spoke again, this time sounding faintly surprised. "You've changed more than I anticipated."
"You can tell?"
Ryo looked up at him, surprised. Then he paused, smiled, and added, "No, you can't."
At first he really thought Aizen had perceived the shift in his strength. But the realization came fast: Aizen hadn't seen anything clearly.
And because he couldn't see the limit anymore—that was exactly why he was surprised.
Before, Aizen could at least make out the outline of Ryo's power. Now that boundary had disappeared.
"Little Garden… it truly is a world worth yearning for."
Aizen turned away with a light smile, voice steady. "Since you're back, let's settle everything within ten days."
Ryo looked at him, slightly amused.
"You're not even going to ask if I found a way to replace the Soul King and stabilize the world?"
Aizen angled his head just a little, speaking gently. "I believe in you."
"You almost made me laugh." Ryo grinned, nearly chuckling outright.
Aizen? Believe in someone else? Impossible. That man trusted no one but himself.
Ryo spoke with absolute certainty. "You've already found your own method to stabilize the Three Realms."
Aizen smiled too—brightly, almost cheerfully.
"As expected of you."
He sounded genuinely pleased that Ryo doubted him at every turn.
Distrusting everyone was one of Aizen's core principles.
And of course, he hadn't pinned his hopes on Ryo. He had been researching his own solution all along. Ten days was simply when he'd planned to end things anyway.
Whether Ryo returned or not didn't affect his plan. He'd never placed his chips on anyone else.
Ryo tilted his head. "So? What's the situation right now?"
He then waved his hand. "Actually, never mind. Get someone else to explain it. Talking to you is exhausting."
Aizen didn't answer. He simply walked toward the door.
It slid open on its own, revealing Nemu—upper body in a standard shihakushō, lower body in a short skirt.
Aizen stepped past her and spoke as he left. "I've already sent someone to retrieve Orihime."
"Oh?"
Ryo blinked, then chuckled. "You're not worried the people you sent will die?"
It was Ryo's idea to keep Orihime in the Soul Society, so he knew perfectly well how messy retrieving her might get.
Aizen's subordinates might not make it back.
"It's fine. They're insignificant."
Aizen's tone was flat as he added, "Five hours from now, meet me in the main hall."
The door closed automatically.
Ryo couldn't help laughing.
"This guy… no wonder he's so strong."
There was admiration in his voice.
Aizen had definitely been provoked—mostly by Ryo's ridiculous rate of growth.
Just a little, maybe. But clearly enough for the Hōgyoku to keep feeding his evolution.
That hunger for strength was proof of who Aizen was.
"He's probably off researching how to deal with Yamamoto and Zero Division. Maybe even Yhwach."
Ryo wasn't worried at all.
Aizen might talk down to everyone, but when it came to actual combat, he took every enemy extremely seriously. He never allowed himself to be cornered.
In the original timeline, the only reason he lost was because the Hōgyoku's overwhelming power warped his mindset.
Now, after being smacked down by Ryo, some of that arrogance would naturally peel away.
"Poor Ichigo Kurosaki. If Aizen isn't holding back… how's he supposed to win the early rounds? "
Ryo sighed dramatically, though the mischievous smile on his face betrayed him.
"..."
Nemu approached in small steps and bowed deeply. "Master."
Seeing her beautiful, restrained expression made Ryo's mood even better.
"Nemu, fill me in. What's been happening in the Soul Society while I was gone?"
"Yes." She nodded and began summarizing.
...
"Ooooh~"
"Kisuke Urahara was apprehended by five captains, brought back to the Soul Society, and appointed captain of the 12th Division?"
"Yamamoto publicized Aizen's crimes and apologized to the Visoreds? And they accepted? Some even reinstated as captains?"
"This old man really threw his pride into the fire. Admitting he was wrong? He must've been grinding his teeth the entire time. Otherwise the Visoreds wouldn't have come back. Watching Yamamoto get angry ulcers every time he sees them probably entertains them to no end."
"Oh girl say more~ Yamamoto even invited Isshin Kurosaki to return but got rejected? Interesting. Ichigo must be stunned. Finding out he's actually from the Shiba clan, and cousins with Ganju? That's going to be fun to watch."
"Zero Division has descended secretly multiple times? Possibly meeting with Yamamoto? So the two sides have reached some kind of agreement?"
"And two days ago someone claiming to be from the Wandenreich approached Aizen? Hah… Yhwach must be worried Zero Division and Yamamoto will take him out before they deal with Aizen."
"Fair enough. The Wandenreich hides in Soul Society's shadows, but Zero Division isn't blind. Looks like both sides have discovered each other. This is getting interesting."
"Wait. You're saying a group claiming to use Fullbring approached Ichigo Kurosaki a few days ago too?"
"Heh. Now it's chaos. Literal chaos. Every stray cat and mangy dog is showing up. Aizen must be under a lot of pressure."
Ryo's grin widened, eyes gleaming with amusement.
The spark he had tossed into winter had grown into a wildfire by summer, burning down the entire forest and driving every creature into the open.
The dark forest was gone.
The prey were gathering.
And of course, the hunter wouldn't miss the hunt.
His mood brightened even more.
He looked at Nemu standing calmly before him. "Nemu."
"Yes, Master?"
"You… joined Kisuke Urahara, didn't you?"
.
.
.