Hiroki reclined on the soft couch by the study window, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the cool wall of his teacup, his eyes blankly gazing at the Karesansui in the courtyard, which was meticulously tended to by the maids.
It had been a year, a whole year!
His thoughts were like the still water in the stone basin of the courtyard, but beneath them, waves of resentment were churning.
Those 100,000 points! That was real capital! He had originally calculated everything perfectly: beat Aizen up in Hueco Mundo, establish dominance, intimidate him, and make him obediently hand over the Hollowfication Technique.
And the result? That old schemer took such a brutal hit from the "Divine Essence," yet he acted as if nothing had happened, working nine-to-five in the Fifth Divsion, clocking in every day.
He lived a more disciplined life than Hiroki himself!
"Aizen Sōsuke... are you a tortoise? Your patience is top-tier!" Hiroki complained wildly in his heart, but on the surface, he could only maintain the composure expected of the Head of the Shihoin Clan.
He buried his face in the soft cushion and let out a muffled, resentful wail: "My 100,000 points... I hope they weren't really thrown to the dogs (Hollows)! This deal was a total loss! How has it been a year and not even a peep?"
Just as he was immersed in the deep regret of "investment failure" and resentment toward the Soul Society's peculiar sense of time, almost convincing himself to completely forget this "failed" cooperation, the study door was gently pulled open a crack.
"Lord Hiroki."
From outside the door came Tamaki Chizuru's voice, tinged with a hint of tension. Hiroki lazily raised his head, too bothered to even fully open his eyelids: "Hmm? What is it?" He figured it was just some accounts or a trivial visit request from a noble and prepared to dismiss it absentmindedly.
Chizuru's voice carried a clear sense of disbelief and nervousness: "The Captain of the 5th Division... Lord Aizen Sōsuke requests an audience."
"..." Hiroki's laziness and boredom instantly froze. He blinked, doubting he had misheard, and subconsciously confirmed: "Who? Who did you say is requesting an audience?"
"The Captain of the 5th Division, Lord Aizen Sōsuke." Chizuru repeated clearly, her eyes also filled with uncertainty.
Hiroki: "!!!"
He suddenly sat bolt upright from the couch, moving so fast he almost threw out his back.
The expression on his face instantly switched from a laid-back salted fish to a bewildered idiot.
Aizen? He came to the door? After a whole year?!
He suppressed the stormy waves in his heart, took a deep breath, and tried to rearrange his facial muscles back into the calm and composed clan head mode, though his voice was still a bit shaky: "Mhm... please, invite Captain Aizen... to the study."
"Yes."
A moment later, the study door was opened again. Aizen Sōsuke's figure appeared at the doorway. He was still wearing the black shinigami uniform with the white captains haori of the Captain of the 5th Division over it, wearing that eternal, gentle smile on his face.
However, Hiroki's sharp (or rather, exceptionally focused due to shock) gaze precisely captured an extremely faint movement on Aizen's left forearm as he pushed the door open—a movement that almost blended in with the skin texture, a very subtle sense of pulling.
Was that... a subconscious protective stiffness of the muscles? Hiroki's pupils shrank slightly as his gaze swept over Aizen's left arm, which was completely covered by the long sleeve of the captains haori.
Inside, that bone-deep scar torn by the laws of "Divine Essence"... seemed not to have completely vanished! This subtle flaw was like a stone thrown into a deep pool, instantly stirring up waves in Hiroki's heart.
It seemed the "souvenir" left by that sword strike was far more profound and lasting than he had imagined! This guy's injury still hadn't healed?
"Lord Hiroki, it has been a long time. I hope you will forgive my unannounced visit." Aizen's posture was humble and polite, his voice as gentle as a spring breeze. He walked straight to the guest cushion opposite Hiroki and sat down in a seiza position extremely naturally and without any hesitation, his movements as fluid as if they had been practiced a thousand times.
Hiroki maintained his composure on the surface, picking up the hot tea newly served by the maid Izumi, and gently flicked the green tea leaves with the cup lid, using this action to hide the hurricane raging in his heart.
Do you people from the Soul Society have no sense of time?!
Suddenly popping up after a year of calm—what kind of "long time no see" is that!
Hiroki's inner voice was roaring madly, but his facial muscles didn't budge an inch. He even managed to force a socially polite curve: "Captain Aizen is being too formal. It's not exactly 'unannounced,' it's just... indeed a bit 'unexpected'."
"I apologize for delaying so long before coming to disturb Lord Hiroki." Aizen picked up the teacup in front of him and took an equally elegant sip, as if discussing the weather rather than a year of silence. "There were simply too many affairs to attend to, and I could not pull myself away. I hope Lord Hiroki can be magnanimous."
Hiroki's inner thought: Too many affairs? Do you mean clocking in and slacking off at the Fifth Divsion?
On the surface, he just nodded slightly: "It's fine. Captain Aizen is a busy man. I wonder, what brings you here today?" He decided to get straight to the point to avoid being confused by this guy's talk.
Aizen put down his teacup, the smile on his face not changing in the slightest, but his tone took on a perfectly measured gravity: "The matter Lord Hiroki mentioned that day, I have always kept it in my heart and dared not forget. The reason for my delay was precisely because I was putting all my effort into perfecting this item, in hopes of not failing your expectations."
As he spoke, he very naturally took out a silver metal box that looked ordinary on the outside, engraved with complex Sealing Techniques. The box wasn't large, but even through layers of seals, it emitted a cold, violent, and chaotic energy fluctuation that caused a subtle tremor deep in Hiroki's soul.
Aizen gently pushed the silver box toward the center of Hiroki's table: "This is the core result of the 'Hollowfication Technique' that I currently master and have repeatedly improved for stability. After rigorous testing, its safety and controllability far exceed the initial version.
Lord Hiroki, it is yours."
!!!?!
At Hiroki's imperceptible nod, Izumi quickly took a step forward. Her movements carried the lightness and alertness characteristic of a Ninja, her hands as if receiving an extremely dangerous and fragile object, as she carefully picked up the cold silver box.
On the surface, Hiroki calmly adjusted the teacup lid, but inside, it was a mess of thunderous confusion and bewilderment!
Wait, what?!
An unprecedented information storm instantly erupted in his mind:
Wait, wait, wait... the script is wrong! Giving this technology... isn't it a bit too thorough and straightforward?!
This... what are we even cooperating on?! Hiroki was stunned. What was the routine he had originally planned? To do what he did with Urahara Kisuke: provide a safe venue, massive amounts of reishi materials, or just throw money at him, or even send the Uchiha Squad as muscle... in short, provide all kinds of support in exchange for the other party sharing key progress and data.
That's what "cooperation" is! And now? The other party just throws the final product in your face. What's left to "cooperate" on? Drinking tea together?!
He paid such a high price and risked offending this behind-the-scenes big boss to "negotiate," only to find that the "cooperation framework" he had envisioned was completely overturned by a single action! He even felt a sense of displacement, as if he had punched cotton and then the other person handed him a bag of gold.
Hiroki, expressionless (mainly due to facial muscle stiffness from excessive shock), picked up his teacup again and took a large, forceful gulp of hot tea, barely suppressing the roar of "What the hell are you giving me this for?!" in his throat.
The tea was hot, which was perfect for calming his shock.
All that remained in his heart was a massive sense of absurdity and a confusion where a losing deal suddenly turned into a huge profit, yet felt extremely unsettling.
He slowly put down the teacup and finally looked up directly at Aizen. His face still wore the calm mask of the Head of the Shihoin Clan, but the alarm bells in his heart were ringing frantically.
The other party being so "generous" meant they must be after something even bigger!
"Oh? I see."
Hiroki forced his voice to sound steady, even carrying a hint of the slight arrogance of someone taking a gift for granted. "Captain Aizen, being so straightforward is indeed beyond my expectations." He paused intentionally, scrutinizing Aizen's eyes (though he knew it was of little use), and asked the key question directly:
"So, what do you want?"
There was no other way! The original plan was completely ruined. He had to bite the bullet and ask. Once the other party named their price, he would see how to handle it. Was it a request for resources? Or a demand for the Uchiha Clan's power to help conquer Hueco Mundo? Or... something even more dangerous?
The smile on Aizen's face seemed to deepen. Beneath that gentle curve, his gaze suddenly became incredibly sharp, just as it had been in front of the ruins in Hueco Mundo, filled with a fanaticism and a desire to explore ultimate power. He leaned forward slightly, his voice low and clear as he uttered the word Hiroki least wanted to hear:
"Heh, Lord Hiroki is indeed a straightforward person. I... would like to learn about..." Aizen's gaze behind his glasses seemed to penetrate Hiroki's body, reaching directly to that terrifying origin that annihilated everything, "Divine Essence!"
Boom!!!
Hiroki felt as if his mind had been struck by another blow from his own Taixu Divine Sword!
It's over!!!
This lunatic! Of course! He knew it! This old schemer's ultimate goal was this! This thing that he himself didn't even know how to use except by cheating with points!
He's set his sights on the Tai Xu Sword Qi!
Hiroki's heart was instantly in a state of utter panic, with countless "what to do" comments scrolling through his mind.
How should I explain! Should I tell him: Hello, this is a trial card from the system, you need to top up points to use it, there's no monthly subscription, and I can't afford the annual one, and I don't even know how to use it myself yet?!
Say it's a forbidden technique? That the cost is too high?
Say it requires a special constitution? A bloodline awakening?
Hiroki's expression on the surface remained calm—it was purely due to the high degree of stiffness and blankness after being overly shocked.
He lowered his eyelids slightly, as if falling into some deep thought. His fingers unconsciously traced the edge of the smooth low table, his gaze distant as if recollecting the mysteries of the primordial universe. This posture made him look like he was deliberating how to explain the principles of a supernova explosion to an ordinary person, filled with an unspeakable sense of depth.
Time ticked away in the heavy air.
After a full few dozen seconds, Hiroki finally raised his head and looked into Aizen's eyes, which were filled with the fire of a quest for knowledge.
"That thing..." Hiroki's voice was intentionally low and slow, with a hint of undetectable raspiness, "To you..."
He paused, shook his head slightly, and spoke with a nearly condescending, mentor-like helplessness: "It is still too early."
Aizen's gaze didn't waver in the slightest; instead, it became even more fervent because of this evaluation that implied a threshold. He sat up straight, like the most devout student: "I would like to hear the details. Please do not hesitate to enlighten me, Lord Hiroki. Any difficulty, any price—I, Aizen, will certainly do my best to overcome it!"
Seeing Aizen's "if I hear the truth in the morning, I can die in the evening" attitude, Hiroki knew that if he continued to "play it cool," he would eventually be exposed.
He steeled himself, his mind racing, and instantly thought of a barely feasible "bluffing" plan—a demonstration. He would take the hardest part to explain and shove it into Aizen as a direct "insight"! Let him retreat in the face of difficulty, or... be so immersed in the shock that he wouldn't have time to question the technical details?
"Forget it." Hiroki sighed deeply, as if he had made a difficult decision. "Words are ultimately pale. The path of the strong requires personal 'insight.' Never mind... it can't be explained clearly with words." He looked directly at Aizen, his gaze suddenly becoming incredibly solemn. "In that case, I will let you 'see' it directly."
An uncontrollable glint erupted in Aizen's eyes.
Hiroki extended a long finger. There was no buildup or energy fluctuation at the fingertip, yet it seemed to instantly draw the reishi flow of the entire space. His voice was like an ancient proverb:
"...Do not resist."
The moment the words fell, a faint, near-transparent golden light composed purely of will, like the first ray of dawn breaking through the morning dew, shot out from Hiroki's fingertip with incredible speed but without any killing intent!
The target—was precisely the center of Aizen's brow!
Facing this golden light suddenly shooting toward his conscious core, Aizen's body instinctively tensed for a moment, his Reiatsu surging within him! But it was only for a moment.
In his mind, the memory of that world-destroying Divine Essence sword light in the ruins of Hueco Mundo instantly flashed—that will that shattered time and space and obliterated all rules. Hiroki wanted to kill him? Back then in Hueco Mundo, if the power of that sword had been even half a bit stronger, he, Aizen, couldn't possibly be sitting here right now!
This thought was like an anchor, instantly suppressing all his defensive instincts. The uncertainty in his eyes was replaced by a resolute trust, or perhaps a gambling spirit. Not only did he not construct any mental barriers, but he instead actively and completely opened his spiritual core, as if welcoming a refreshing rain!
*Pfft.*
That wisp of golden intent, like a drop of water merging into the ocean, entered the center of Aizen's brow without any resistance.
"Boom—!"
Aizen felt the scene before his eyes suddenly collapse, distort, and reconstruct!
In a daze, he was no longer in the elegant study of the Shihōin Clan, but in an infinite... cold vacuum!!!