"So you think Unohana suspects you?"
Three days later, in Seireitei's Flower Street, at Chiyen Ramen, Aizen put down his chopsticks and spoke softly.
"Yeah. That's why I figured clinging to the vice-captain seat wasn't wise. In the Kaidō match with Yamada Seinosuke, I barely tried. If I'd gone all out, he might not have beaten me."
Higashino wiped his mouth with a napkin.
"Your choice was correct. Behind that gentle exterior, Unohana is a beast. You should tread carefully under her."
Aizen adjusted his glasses.
"But like this, even though I'm just demoted to 3rd seat and can still handle treatments, most Shinigami will probably prefer Seinosuke instead."
Higashino sounded worried.
"You needn't. In fact, even without this, I was going to have you stop."
Aizen's lips curved faintly.
"Does that mean there's progress in the research?!"
Higashino leaned in, feigning excitement and lowering his voice.
"On the contrary—the current path has stalled. But not long ago, Szayelaporro discovered new possibilities studying certain beings in the Human World. I found it interesting. If one road's blocked, try another."
The confidence in Aizen's smile told Higashino this wasn't new at all. Clearly he'd been at it in secret. If not for the Seinosuke business, Aizen would never have suggested he stop.
"Is there anything I can help with, Aizen-dono? I've got more free time now."
Higashino asked tentatively, though inwardly he wanted no part of it.
Fortunately, Aizen had no such plans.
"Not for now. The new direction requires things your current position can't touch. The best options are the 10th or the 9th. I'll wait until Kaname finishes at the Academy."
"Kaname…"
Higashino understood. The new path was the Hōgyoku.
And to forge it required souls with the potential to be Shinigami—something the 4th Division couldn't provide.
The 10th could patrol Rukongai to find them; the 9th could cover up the crimes.
If it were his choice, Higashino would pick the 9th. The 10th's work anyone could do, but the 9th's cover-ups required the right people. That was likely why Kaname would eventually join the 9th in the original timeline.
After resting a bit, Higashino and Aizen left the ramen shop separately. Outwardly they were just casual acquaintances; showing more closeness would be unwise.
And then, two years of peace passed.
The first year, Higashino lived on edge, fearing Unohana might suddenly investigate him. But nothing happened. To his face, she was always the same gentle elder-sister figure. She even privately apologized to him once over the Seinosuke matter.
By the second year, Higashino felt lost. Nearly two years, and Aizen seemed to forget him entirely. Aside from one or two vague pep talks, there were no tasks. He lived like an ordinary Shinigami.
It unsettled him. He knew that the calmer the surface, the greater the storm beneath.
Aizen even restrained the Hollows in Hueco Mundo, releasing only one or two occasionally to give the Gotei 13 something to fight. That could only mean Aizen was preparing something big.
But in Higashino's hazy memories, this part hadn't existed in the original story. That only deepened his unease.
"What the hell are you planning, Aizen?"
Reclining on his bed in the 4th Division, Higashino pondered uneasily.
Then came a knock.
"Shuuichi! Open up!"
At the door stood a clean-cut man with short black hair parted neatly, wearing shihakushō: Gingan Jirō, the 6th Division's 14th seat, who dreamed of opening a glasses shop in Seireitei.
"What is it, Jirō?"
They'd met after Higashino stepped down as vice-captain, when he tried to curry favor by picking out glasses for Aizen. Jirō had been loitering there, and with his deep knowledge of eyewear, the two quickly became friends.
"The Noble Hunting Festival! The once-every-four-years festival is finally starting! There's a signup booth at Sakura Plaza. Any unmarried Shinigami can register! Don't tell me you already signed up?"
Jirō's eyes shone with excitement.
"The Noble Hunting Festival?"
Higashino blinked before remembering. Wasn't this that thing nobles copied after seeing it in the Human World?
A so-called "hunt," but in truth an arranged marriage fair—a stage for noble men to show off for noble women.
The Gotei 13 Shinigami participated as security, not hunters.
But for commoner men, it was the closest they'd ever get to noble women.
Maybe, just maybe, one might choose them.
Plenty of Shinigami held on to such hopes.
But Higashino had never cared. His modern sensibilities weren't interested in noblewomen. He preferred to wait, let the Human World develop, and find love there.
He'd honestly forgotten the festival even existed.
Now, though, alarms blared in his head.
"Could it be Aizen's silence these past two years was all to wait for this?"
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