Chapter 196: Is That Really About Supervision?
"You've become quite independent, Satoru."
Looking at Satoru standing before him, Aizen spoke calmly.
Right now, he wasn't in a good mood.
Without his knowledge, Satoru had managed to create such chaos.
Though he didn't know the specifics, judging from Yamamoto Shigekuni's explosive Reiatsu, this was undoubtedly a major incident.
Moreover, from Yamamoto's demeanor when he left, the problem hadn't been completely resolved yet.
If even Yamamoto Shigekuni couldn't resolve it immediately, it showed just how dangerous this situation was.
And for something this significant, he had been completely kept in the dark beforehand.
If there were concerns about the core experimental content, he could understand not being told.
After all, even the closest friends keep secrets from each other, and he wouldn't press for details.
But keeping it this tightly under wraps—what was the meaning of that?
If Kisuke Urahara hadn't come to find him, would he still be completely unaware of what had happened even now?
Satoru was momentarily taken aback.
Then he put on an expression of deep remorse.
"Kisuke Urahara! I knew that guy was up to no good, trying to drive a wedge between us brothers! He deserves to be executed!"
"Sōsuke, just wait. I'm going to take Urahara's head right now to honor your departed spirit!"
As he spoke, he turned to leave.
Slap!
Before he could take a step, a hand landed on his shoulder.
Satoru wiped his tears.
Turning back, he looked at Aizen.
"Sorry, Sōsuke, this was my mistake."
"But I didn't intentionally hide it from you."
Aizen nodded: "Mm, I know."
He understood Satoru's nature all too well.
Back when they first met at the academy, for some inexplicable reason, this guy had been wary of him.
Though Satoru pretended to be a good classmate on the surface, inwardly he kept his distance, practically wanting to flee a thousand miles away.
Even then, Aizen knew Satoru had no acting skills to speak of.
If Satoru truly started guarding against him and creating distance, Aizen would sense it before Satoru even realized.
This current situation felt less like wariness and more like concealment for some well-intentioned purpose.
After considering several possibilities, Aizen spoke:
"Did you think what you were doing was too dangerous, so you didn't want me involved?"
Satoru shook his head vehemently.
That made sense—if Satoru had known about the danger beforehand, why would he only call Yamamoto at the last moment? Given his relationship with Yamamoto, wouldn't it have been better to have him standing by earlier?
After some thought, Aizen continued:
"Then, is this experiment you were conducting related to me?"
Hearing this, Satoru showed a thoughtful expression.
He shook his head.
Then nodded.
So it was related to him after all.
Aizen showed understanding.
Seeing him thinking, Satoru grinned.
"Stop guessing, Sōsuke."
"I've made a breakthrough... When I finish what I'm working on, I'll show you my world-shaking talent!"
"Is that so."
Aizen responded casually, neither confirming nor denying.
Seeing this, Satoru smirked.
Enjoy your composure now—just wait until you see the shadow space and don't get your eyes popped out!
While fantasizing about Aizen kneeling in shock, he said:
"Sōsuke, wait for me a moment. I need to go see the old man first and report the situation."
Aizen shook his head: "No hurry. Tell me first."
He was extremely curious about what had actually happened at the Technical Bureau.
Hearing this, Satoru widened his eyes: "How can that work? This is classified information, I..."
Aizen narrowed his eyes.
"...I definitely need to brew some tea first so you can listen while drinking!"
Satoru coughed guiltily and turned to prepare tea.
Soon, in the burned-out laboratory, the two sat facing each other with a makeshift tea table between them.
Aizen picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and showed a disdainful expression.
Meanwhile, Satoru gulped his tea noisily while recounting everything that had happened.
"...That's roughly what happened. Those last bits of information were all obtained through my diligent interrogation—completely firsthand, incredibly valuable!"
Satoru finished his sixth cup of tea and boasted.
Aizen ignored him, spinning his teacup while thinking.
He had gleaned much from Satoru's account.
After a moment, he looked up: "Alright, I understand everything now."
"You go report to Captain-Commander Yamamoto. I'll clean up here for you."
"Oh oh, I'll leave it to you then!"
Satoru grinned, flashing a smile worthy of a toothpaste commercial, then strode away.
Watching his retreating figure, Aizen chuckled softly and shook his head.
Rising to his feet, he approached the melted wall, intending to inspect if anything usable could be salvaged.
After a moment of observation, he narrowed his eyes slightly.
...
...
First Division, Captain-Commander's study.
Under Yamamoto's gaze, Satoru recounted all the intelligence he had extracted from Bambietta through interrogation.
First and foremost was the information regarding the "Sternritter."
According to Bambietta, the Sternritter served as the empire's final line of defense.
Once activated, it was nearly impossible to breach from the outside.
As a trade-off, the Quincy would also be unable to open the barrier from within until Yhwach awakened.
In Satoru's view, this was rather good news.
At the very least, he wouldn't have to worry about being abruptly surrounded by Quincy barging in through a portal in the middle of the night while he was sound asleep.
However, she had no knowledge of the Wandenreich's current coordinates either.
The Wandenreich hides within the shadows of the Seireitei and can relocate to any location within it.
Unless the Shinigami had hundreds of Satorus conducting a carpet search across the entire Seireitei, it would be nearly impossible to locate the hidden Wandenreich where Isshin was concealed.
Next came intelligence regarding the current specific strength and personnel of the Quincies.
Regarding these matters, Bambietta did not hold back much.
In her view, since Haschwalth had activated the Sternritter, it meant he had no intention of letting her return alive.
If the Quincies had already abandoned her, why should she stubbornly protect them?
Besides, Satoru and Suì-Fēng's techniques were just too good—it was truly too comfortable.
Satoru organized the list obtained from Bambietta and handed it over to Yamamoto.
Looking over the contents of the list, Yamamoto frowned slightly.
"So that's how it is… That form where they unfold light wings is called Vollständig, huh."
"I've seen Quincies use a similar ability before, but back then, after using it, they would lose all their power."
"Compared to those days, these pests have become even more troublesome…"
After pondering for a while, he glanced at Satoru, hesitating whether to speak of the events of the past.
Before he could reach a decision, Satoru, seeing that he had finished his contemplation, coughed lightly and said:
"Teacher, regarding the Quincy Bambietta… She is involved in too many secrets. In my opinion, why not temporarily place her under my custody for me to personally oversee?"
"…"
Yamamoto couldn't help but roll his eyes.
Is that really about overseeing her?