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"Teacher…" Aozaki Reiji called softly.
"Hmm?" Yamamoto looked at Aozaki Reiji in confusion.
Noticing his hesitant expression, Yamamoto's heart stirred with a hint of anticipation.
This ungrateful disciple wasn't entirely heartless after all.
He must have been awestruck by the Old Man's handsomeness, right?
However, under Yamamoto's gaze, Aozaki Reiji sighed helplessly and slowly said, "Old Man, I admit you look really cool like that."
Yamamoto secretly gloated upon hearing this, but Aozaki Reiji's next words startled him.
"But… if you keep this up, don't blame me if the Squad Barracks are gone."
"What?!" Yamamoto's expression changed, and he quickly turned to look behind him.
What he saw was the Squad Barracks already reduced to ruins, with broken tiles and scorched marks everywhere.
The former Squad Barracks were ablaze, showing a scene of impending desolation.
"That damn Old Man is truly despicable!"
"He burned down the Squad Barracks himself, and now he wants me to pay for the repairs."
Aozaki Reiji lay on the table, complaining with a furious expression, "And he even self-righteously claimed it was an advance payment for my protection fee, which is simply absurd!"
"As if I and the Zero Division are bound to fight."
"Hmph, didn't he consider that he's already so old, his bones could shatter with a single pat?"
"Why would I still need his protection?"
At this moment, in a secret underground laboratory in the Seireitei.
Aozaki Reiji was complaining to Aizen about a certain greedy Old Man.
Aizen, meanwhile, sat quietly in front of a giant screen.
White light reflected off his plain glasses, forming a glare.
He was intently reviewing data, only occasionally nodding perfunctorily to indicate he heard Aozaki Reiji's words.
"Hmm… who did you just say you were going to fight?" Aizen suddenly asked.
"The Zero Division! How did your ears become so bad?" Aozaki Reiji said discontentedly.
"!?" Aizen seemed to be electrocuted, his body instantly stiffening for two seconds.
Then he suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with shock as he stared at Aozaki Reiji.
Is it finally going to begin?
"The Zero Division?!" Aizen's voice trembled slightly.
"That's right! Haven't I told you before? I'm going to the Soul King Palace soon." Aozaki Reiji proudly lifted his chin, a proud smile on his face.
"To the Soul King Palace?!" Aizen's eyes widened, an uncontrollable excitement appearing on his face, as if he had been looking forward to this news for a long time.
However, Aozaki Reiji gently shook his head, explaining with a smile, "Don't be so excited. We're just going to visit the Soul King Palace for a bit of sightseeing. It's not that easy to start a war."
Sightseeing?
I got excited for nothing!
Aizen couldn't help but be stunned.
After a moment of silence, he added in a calm tone, "If you have the chance, don't forget to gather some information about the Soul King Palace and the Zero Division."
"If I can obtain their detailed information, I might be able to formulate some countermeasures in advance."
Upon hearing this, Aozaki Reiji showed no joy, but rather a hint of heartache, as he looked at Aizen and questioned, "Aren't you worried about my safety at all? I'm your good friend!"
Facing Aozaki Reiji's question, Aizen merely glanced at him briefly.
He didn't speak, then withdrew his gaze and continued to focus on his own matters.
Aozaki Reiji: "?"
Why does this feel a bit annoying?
Just as he was thinking about whether to secretly replace Aizen's favorite tofu snacks with his disliked eggs next time Aizen wasn't around.
Aizen suddenly looked up, a hint of helplessness flashing in the depths of his eyes, and said with a somewhat playful tone, "You cunning fellow, since you've decided to go, you must have the confidence to protect yourself."
After speaking, the corners of his mouth curved slightly, revealing a sly smile.
"This means the possibility of you encountering danger is very low. Of course, that doesn't mean there's absolutely no such possibility."
"But you've already evolved into a man of a higher dimension than me, how could you possibly lose to those people?"
Aozaki Reiji raised an eyebrow after hearing this, and chuckled lightly: "Oh… so you have so much confidence in me."
He walked over to Aizen, his face immediately showing a smug expression.
Aizen looked at Aozaki Reiji and responded indifferently, "I only have confidence in myself and the Hōgyoku."
"After all, the Hōgyoku is my creation."
However, Aozaki Reiji put an arm around Aizen's shoulder, waved his hand lightly, and said with a playful grin, "Come on, Aizen… don't be shy. It's okay to be generous with good friends."
He completely ignored Aizen's twitching eye and continued talking to himself.
Aizen's face darkened.
You, fellow, don't just give me such an unpleasant nickname!
He felt utterly speechless, yet helpless.
But on the surface, Aizen remained calm, his tone indifferent, as he pushed up his glasses and said, "If you only want to talk to me about such trivial matters, then you can leave now."
Aozaki Reiji did not leave after hearing this, but suddenly asked with a serious expression, "Sōusuke… we are good friends, right?"
Aizen frowned slightly, hesitated for a moment, then replied, "Reluctantly… I suppose so."
Aozaki Reiji continued to press, "Then, it's only right for good friends to go through fire and water for each other, isn't it?"
The corner of Aizen's mouth curved slightly, revealing an almost imperceptible smile: "I don't understand 'going through fire and water,' but if you let me stab you twice, I'm quite good at that."
Aozaki Reiji sighed helplessly, then slowly spoke again, muttering Aizen's name: "Sōusuke…"
"During my absence, I'm leaving everything to you!"
Aizen was silent for a moment, then responded softly, "Is that what you wanted to say? Such weak words shouldn't come from your mouth."
He paused, and said indifferently, "So-called trust and reliance are actions of the weak. For us, they are unnecessary things."
Aozaki Reiji grinned, stood up, and asked with a hint of teasing in his voice, "Do you really think so?"
"…Of course!" Aizen replied somewhat irritably.
He knew, of course, that such behavior didn't fit his persona.
It was a sign of becoming weak, but he just couldn't suppress the emotions in his heart.
Words like these, as if he were making final arrangements, were not what he wanted to hear.
Thinking of this, Aizen frowned, and a wave of annoyance surged within him.
However, just then—
Crack!
Aozaki Reiji's palm landed heavily on his shoulder.
The hand possessed immense strength, enough to bring a sense of security, yet it made his body sway.
Aizen narrowed his eyes, just about to reprimand this impolite behavior.
He saw Aozaki Reiji grin, giving him a comforting smile.
"Don't worry, Sōusuke, there's no need to be afraid."
"Your father's life is very tough; he won't die from such a small matter."
"Just you wait, the Boss I promised to help you clear hasn't been defeated yet! How could I die so easily?"
The last sentence could have been left unsaid.
Aizen silently complained in his heart.
He had no objection to Aozaki Reiji calling himself "father."
According to Aozaki Reiji.
Friends are such unstable creatures, existing in a quantum entanglement state where "father" and "son" can switch at any time.
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