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The sharp crack of impact rang out as Su Li knocked Kurosaki Ichigo free from the wall. In a flash, his figure blurred and reappeared in the training ground, dragging the bloodied boy with him.
"Ichigo!!" Orihime gasped, hurrying forward. Her hands trembled as a golden light spread from her hairpins, wrapping Ichigo's body in its gentle glow.
"Oi oi… Su Li-san, you're making too much noise again. Planning to tear down the whole place?" Hirako Shinji muttered with a resentful grimace.
Su Li's gaze cut toward him like a drawn blade, his tone suddenly sharp. "Not your fault? I told you to take him and train him—where have you been these past days?"
Shinji shrank his shoulders beneath that stare. "I—I went to Urahara Kisuke… to talk about Aizen's next move…" He didn't dare meet Su Li's eyes.
Su Li's expression hardened. "What's there to talk about? Isn't Aizen's plan just—" He stopped short, realizing he'd spoken too much. Everyone's eyes immediately snapped onto his face, their attention tightening like a noose. Shinji's expression sharpened, the glimmer in his eyes betraying curiosity and suspicion.
Su Li almost cursed himself. Careless. Too close to slipping. He forced a chuckle, glancing away toward the cracked ceiling. "Aizen's plan is an ulterior thing, nothing so easily guessed."
The silence that followed was heavy. Shinji broke it with a thin smile. "Don't play dumb, Su Li-san. Kisuke already told me. You should've guessed Aizen's goal long ago."
Su Li said nothing.
Shinji's tone hardened. "Aizen's going to create the Ōken. At the cost of Karakura Town. Isn't that right? Because it was you who reminded Urahara Kisuke." His eyes bored into Su Li, unblinking.
After a moment of silence, Su Li gave the faintest nod. Gasps rippled through the group.
"Then why the hell didn't you tell us sooner?!" Shinji snapped.
"I needed confirmation," Su Li replied evenly.
Shinji stared at him in disbelief. "So you deliberately fed the hint to Kisuke, just to make him confirm it?"
Su Li's lips curled faintly. He did not answer.
Shinji exhaled hard, staring at him as if seeing a ghost. "How lazy can you be? Something like this, and you couldn't even check yourself? Kisuke's been tearing his hair out for ten days straight just to confirm it!" His voice rose. "Do you have any idea—"
Su Li cut him off with a quiet smile. "Kisuke's hair has always been white. And besides, his investigative skill far surpasses mine. Leaving it in his hands was the most reliable choice." His tone was calm, unblushing.
Inside, of course, Su Li thought differently. He already knew Aizen's plan. But he could never state it outright—without evidence it would mean nothing. Better to drop hints, let Kisuke shoulder the burden of proof, and reap the result. Why waste his own effort when others could confirm it for him? After all, having a man run around doing the work for you—there was a certain comfort in that.
Shinji's face finally collapsed into despair. He glared at Su Li as words like bandit, capitalist, exploiter raced through his mind. From the moment they had met, none of them had ever escaped being used in his schemes. Not Kisuke, not himself. All of them had become his unwilling wage earners.
Yet the others hardly noticed Shinji's frustration. Their faces were pale, stricken by the weight of what they'd just learned. The room fell silent.
At last, Su Li spoke, voice flat. "Have Kisuke inform the Soul Society. War is coming."
Shinji drew a deep breath and nodded.
"You'll need to be ready," Su Li continued. "I'll request from Seireitei that you be brought in as outside support. You want revenge—you won't want to miss this chance."
Excitement flickered through their grim expressions. Until now they had wondered if they'd even be allowed to fight. The Gotei still considered them traitors, masks branded them as exiles. But Su Li's words promised legitimacy, the chance to face Aizen not as rogues but as allies.
For once, everyone looked at him with gratitude instead of resentment. Perhaps, they thought, the money and effort they'd wasted these past weeks had not been wasted after all.
"This time, I'll kill him with my own hands," Hiyori hissed, hatred burning in her eyes.
"Kill him," Kensei growled, his expression equally fierce. Even gentle Hachigen's eyes had grown sharp.
"Thank you," Lisa murmured, her gaze bright as she looked at Su Li. A rare smile crossed her face.
Su Li only waved it off with his usual calm. "Think nothing of it." He turned his eyes back to Shinji. "Shinji, you'll handle Ichigo's training from here. Who knows what tricks he'll pull next time." His chin tipped toward the unconscious boy.
"Understood," Shinji nodded. With Aizen's plan confirmed, there was no need to run daily to Kisuke's shop.
Then a shadow of doubt crossed his face. "But Su Li-san… what about you? What will you do now?"
Everyone's eyes shifted toward him.
Su Li straightened, face suddenly solemn. "Me? Of course I have something important to do. I'm busy."
The others nodded in understanding. As captain, Su Li bore countless responsibilities. He might seem lazy on the surface, but in truth, he was more reliable than any of them. He knew when to play, and when to shoulder duty. To them, he was the model of a true captain—unshakable, trustworthy, responsible.
Their admiration swelled. Su Li's figure seemed suddenly larger, his presence greater than before.
And then he turned to Lisa, eyes sharp with mock seriousness. "Now then, what page was I just on?"
The spell shattered. Half the group nearly collapsed to the floor.
---
Time flowed onward.
Hueco Mundo.
In the depths of Las Noches, within a chamber of the inner palace, several figures gathered. A glass container shattered with a crack, releasing a swirl of white mist.
From within the vapor, a small boy's silhouette emerged.
Aizen's voice slid smoothly through the air. "Tell me your name, new compatriot."
The boy raised his head weakly. "Wanderweiss… Wanderweiss Margela."
Aizen's smile curved faintly. He turned, eyes falling on the dark figure waiting behind him. "Ulquiorra. Do you remember the order I gave you a month ago?"
The Espada lowered his head with solemn respect. "Yes, Lord Aizen."
"Then carry it out. The decision is yours. Take whomever you wish."
"Yes," Ulquiorra replied quietly.
Aizen lifted the Hōgyoku in his palm, its glow pulsing faintly as he turned to leave. Midway, he paused, his eyes drifting upward toward a lone figure perched high above.
"By the way," Aizen said softly, "would you care to join them… Grimmjow?"
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