"So tell me—when exactly did you start having the delusion that you hadn't fallen under Kyōka Suigetsu?"
Higashino Shuuichi's voice sounded right beside Aizen's ear. In the next instant, Aizen realized the "Higashino Shuuichi" in front of him had turned into Kisaragi Shūsuke.
Impossible!
Aizen knew Higashino Shuuichi's abilities far too well. Leaving aside the fact that Higashino Shuuichi's Bankai ability, Shakutō (Borrowed Blade), could only "borrow" Bankai to begin with—even if it could borrow Shikai, it would still require Aizen's consent.
But Aizen had never received any request from Higashino Shuuichi.
So how had Higashino Shuuichi made him fall under Kyōka Suigetsu?
Unless…
Aizen arrived at the only possibility.
"You figured it out, didn't you~"
Seeing the shift in Aizen's expression, Higashino Shuuichi knew he had fully thought it through.
After all, Shuuichi had already laid enough clues right in front of him—Aizen had simply chosen to ignore them.
"It was the one who created this special space. Earlier, he was drawing in my reiatsu… but that wasn't just simple absorption."
Aizen finally recalled the detail he'd kept overlooking: the one who created this space was neither Higashino Shuuichi nor Kisaragi Shūsuke.
Moreover, he had never once appeared within Aizen's field of view. He might not have been in this space at all—perhaps he was hiding inside another space, peeping the entire time as he watched Aizen and Higashino Shuuichi fight.
That was precisely why Higashino Shuuichi didn't have to worry about that Shinigami being affected by Aizen's Kyōka Suigetsu during the battle.
More importantly, that Shinigami had absorbed Aizen's reiatsu—and the most likely purpose was to simulate Aizen's Zanpakutō ability!
And Higashino Shuuichi and Kisaragi Shūsuke… were nothing but a smokescreen, released to enable that Shinigami's power.
"Heh… hehehe… HAHAHAHA—what a scheme."
Aizen threw his head back and laughed from the bottom of his heart.
Higashino Shuuichi's plan was link after link—he had even stepped into the trap himself and used his own body as bait. Aizen couldn't even call it an unfair loss.
Higashino Shuuichi simply walked to Aizen's side and looked up toward the sky.
There, a Shinigami excitedly poked his head out.
It was the Twelfth Division's fukutaichō—Yushima Ōko.
Right now, he was ecstatic.
Because he had beaten Kisaragi Shūsuke. In Shuuichi-sama's scheme this time, he had appeared as the absolute core—so much so that even Kisaragi Shūsuke could only serve as his helper!
And judging by the result, he hadn't made a single mistake! He hadn't dragged Shuuichi-sama down again—he had completed his mission perfectly!
Surely after today… his standing in Shuuichi-sama's heart would rise above Kisaragi Shūsuke's, wouldn't it?
"Do you see him? His name is Yushima Ōko. He's the Twelfth Division's fukutaichō, but because I specifically instructed him to keep it hidden, he rarely shows outsiders his true ability. Even you, Aizen-sama, only believed his Zanpakutō's Shikai ability was 'space manipulation,' didn't you?"
Higashino Shuuichi said lazily.
Across from them, Kisaragi Shūsuke's eyes widened—while up in the sky, Yushima Ōko's small eyes filled with a very large confusion.
Aizen-sama…?
It sounded like the first time they'd ever heard Shuuichi-sama address another Shinigami like that—especially when that Shinigami had looked ready to kill them just a moment ago.
But Higashino Shuuichi clearly had no intention of explaining any of that to Kisaragi Shūsuke or Yushima Ōko right now. Instead, he focused on answering Aizen's questions.
"The one who made me hallucinate… was his Zanpakutō ability, wasn't it?"
Amid Kisaragi Shūsuke's stunned expression, Aizen slowly sat up from the ground, using the Hōgyoku embedded within him to brazenly begin healing his injuries.
"That's right. Ōko's Zanpakutō ability can not only create a space—it can also absorb the reiatsu of every living being within it for his own use. And he can record the abilities those beings have used inside that space… then reproduce them within that very same space."
Unless Higashino Shuuichi intended to kill Aizen right here, Aizen would learn these facts sooner or later. After all, the Great Spirit Book Corridor was practically Aizen's backyard.
So Higashino Shuuichi saw no reason to hide it.
"I see. So that's why you had to involve Kisaragi Shūsuke too—so you could put on this little performance. If it were just you and me, I wouldn't use Kyōka Suigetsu at all… and your Yushima Ōko would have no way to record that ability."
Aizen was still Aizen. From only the smallest pieces of information Higashino Shuuichi revealed, he instantly inferred the true objective behind the entire plan.
And just as he'd always believed—every action Higashino Shuuichi took served a strong purpose.
Almost never a wasted move.
He would even build a play within a play—solely to lure Aizen into analyzing the situation himself, arriving at a wrong conclusion, and then clinging to that wrong path with absolute conviction… until he finally walked into the end in complete ignorance.
The old Aizen had firmly believed that in all of Soul Society, only Urahara Kisuke had the capacity to even barely qualify as his opponent.
As for Higashino Shuuichi—he had been nothing more than a Shinigami with a bit of cleverness in battle. A piece that felt wasteful to discard, yet bland to keep.
But Aizen knew—after today, Higashino Shuuichi's position in his mind had changed.
Because he truly did have the ability to kill him.
Even if this time he had only succeeded by combining the power of three people to create an "information gap," forging what might have been a one-time, special opportunity—
Who could guarantee Higashino Shuuichi wouldn't find a second opportunity like this?
"As for the method you used to defeat me in the end, Aizen-sama…"
Hands in his pockets, Higashino Shuuichi finally turned his gaze toward Aizen.
Aizen stood up and returned a calm smile.
"I know. It was your Resurrección (Release) ability.
Because for your Resurrección to succeed, there's one condition that's absurdly strict: before that rule is fulfilled, you must not deal any damage to your target.
Between you and me—when I fully understand your ability, and we're in a one-on-one duel—that's virtually impossible to accomplish.
So you had to bring in a third party to share the pressure I put on you. But the moment you bring in a third party, you also inevitably face the risk of Kyōka Suigetsu. That's unavoidable."
Higashino Shuuichi nodded.
"I knew that once I fell under Kyōka Suigetsu, I wouldn't be able to tell who was the real Aizen-sama… and who was the real Shūsuke. As the true owner of Kyōka Suigetsu, Aizen-sama, you could freely swap identities at any point during the battle.
So I needed a reason—an excuse—a moment that would make you believe I had already been deceived by Kyōka Suigetsu. That way, at least before you realized what was happening, you wouldn't casually swap identities again."
"So that's why Shuuichi-sama had me use my Bankai ability on Aizen-taichō?"
Kisaragi Shūsuke looked at Higashino Shuuichi with a bitter expression.
"Your goal was to make Aizen-taichō think we truly believed my Bankai's 'Donka' (Dulling) could seal Kyōka Suigetsu?"
Honestly—back then, he had truly believed his Bankai could lock down Aizen's Zanpakutō ability.
But now Kisaragi Shūsuke could see it clearly: the relationship between Aizen Sōsuke—the Fifth Division's taichō—and Shuuichi-sama was… abnormal. At the very least, it was absolutely not something as simple as ordinary friends.
And with the way Shuuichi-sama addressed him…
Could it be that the relationship between Aizen-taichō and Shuuichi-sama was like the relationship between Shuuichi-sama and him?
Wouldn't that mean… they'd just smashed headfirst into the Dragon King's temple?!
"You succeeded, Shuuichi~"
Somehow, Aizen produced a pair of glasses identical to the ones that had been destroyed earlier in the fight, and set them back onto the bridge of his nose as he spoke softly.
Higashino Shuuichi smiled faintly, didn't respond, and continued.
"The next question is when exactly Aizen-sama used Kyōka Suigetsu on us.
But calling it a 'question'… it isn't really one."
"Because that Shinigami, Yushima Ōko, can easily determine that. The moment he confirms my Kyōka Suigetsu was recorded, it proves I used it.
But that method can only be used once—so you had to ensure I would only swap identities with Kisaragi Shūsuke one time. Otherwise, in the end, you'd face a fifty-fifty choice.
And gambling… has never been something you like, Shuuichi."
This time, Aizen cut into Higashino Shuuichi's narration and joined the post-mortem himself.
In truth, he was deeply curious about the full shape of Higashino Shuuichi's plan.
Because throughout the fight, Aizen knew he hadn't held back at all—if anything, he'd raised his vigilance to the highest possible level.
And yet, despite that, he had still stepped—one step at a time—into Higashino Shuuichi's carefully woven trap.
So right now, more than anyone else present, Aizen wanted to understand the complete picture.
And ideally, the storyteller would be… himself.
Because that way, his defeat in front of his subordinates would seem a little less humiliating.
At least, after the fact, he could salvage a shred of face. Wasn't that right?
Higashino Shuuichi nodded toward Aizen, acknowledging the inference.
He was just about to speak—when Aizen beat him to it again.
"Then, after I used Kyōka Suigetsu and swapped identities with Kisaragi Shūsuke, you had Yushima Ōko use the already-recorded Kyōka Suigetsu to control my five senses—switching the identities of you and Kisaragi Shūsuke in my perception.
That way, on the surface, it looked like you and Kisaragi Shūsuke were fighting me together—where you were the main attacker, and Kisaragi Shūsuke was support.
But in reality… I was standing in the back the entire time, watching you and Kisaragi Shūsuke act out a play for me.
Heh.
If you were only acting with Kisaragi Shūsuke, of course you wouldn't deal any damage to me. And that time window could be long enough—long enough for your Resurrección (Release) ability to complete its full preliminary setup.
Then all you had to do was pretend you'd been hit by a similar paralysis effect as before—because at that moment, in my eyes, you were the 'real' Kisaragi Shūsuke… which meant, at that moment, you were the 'me' that you, Higashino Shuuichi, supposedly saw.
That level of acting? For you, it's laughably easy.
And after that—getting stabbed through the heart by Kisaragi Shūsuke, then cut in half by me… those are fatal injuries for almost any Shinigami.
But for you, Shuuichi—someone with essentially infinite regeneration—it was probably nothing more than a scratch."
Aizen had unraveled it all.
And the more he unraveled it, the more he realized he could no longer see through Higashino Shuuichi at all.
Because from the moment Higashino Shuuichi left using a Cero (Hollow Flash), to the moment he returned, and up until the instant he completely crushed Aizen just now—
Higashino Shuuichi couldn't have made a single misstep. One wrong move, one unexpected variable, and the outcome could have been entirely different.
But when Aizen thought it over, he found something even more terrifying:
Every decision he'd made in the moment—every judgment—still felt correct, even now.
And that was exactly what made it horrifying.
Higashino Shuuichi had already accounted for every step, every thought Aizen might have.
Aizen couldn't help but wonder—
If, back then, he had truly thought differently… responded differently…
Would Higashino Shuuichi have produced a completely different counter-plan?
Unfortunately, Aizen knew he might never get the answer to that question.
Because he understood Higashino Shuuichi—
Just as Higashino Shuuichi likely understood him.
"Even so… going up against you, Aizen-sama, is still exhausting."
Higashino Shuuichi sighed, casting a half-smile toward the distance.
"Then, Aizen-sama… may I leave now?"
If it were merely "leaving," Higashino Shuuichi wouldn't need to be so formal.
Aizen glanced at Kisaragi Shūsuke, then at the sky—where Yushima Ōko had already pulled his body back into another space.
Aizen more or less understood the deeper meaning behind Higashino Shuuichi's words.
This wasn't just a simple departure.
So that's why you left and came back—why you insisted on fighting me to the end?
Aizen adjusted his black-framed glasses with his right hand, then turned away, presenting his back to Higashino Shuuichi as his gaze drifted toward a distant horizon opposite Shuuichi's.
"Go on. You defeated me… didn't you?"
The space peeled away, revealing the ruined Maggot's Nest outside.
Aizen extended his spiritual senses—
Higashino Shuuichi, Kisaragi Shūsuke, and the others were already gone.
"This is getting more and more interesting~"
Smiling, Aizen began walking toward the First Division barracks.
It was time to go and "bear the thorns" to atone!
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