In the underground laboratory of Las Noches, Higashino Shuuichi stood still, his gaze fixed on the ground.
Uneasy?
From the moment, over eighty years ago, that he resolved to side with Aizen, disguising himself as bait to draw him in and successfully securing that first stake of trust, Higashino Shuuichi knew this day would come. One day, he would have to raise his blade against fellow shinigami.
Yet he carried no burden over it. In his logic, if they didn't die by his hand, they would fall to Aizen, Tōsen, or Gin anyway. The only difference was that Aizen might have to spend more effort and planning otherwise.
As for saving those marked by Aizen, he never entertained such childish thoughts.
He was just a small figure who happened to know pieces of the future story, a man who only wished to survive. The god who let him cross into this world hadn't given him the power to save it. Why should he take on that responsibility?
So when Aizen gave him the order, Higashino Shuuichi strangely felt relief, though he didn't know why.
But excited? Not really. If he could choose, he'd still prefer to remain the vice-captain of Squad 4, occasionally collecting reiryoku samples for Aizen. That job was perfect—aside from the frustration of never being able to fully display his skills.
Worried? Even less so.
What kind of man was Aizen? Higashino Shuuichi thought he might even know him better than Aizen knew himself.
This was a man who never fought an unprepared battle (well, except after merging with the completed Hōgyoku, when his arrogance spiraled). If Aizen wanted him to take down a captain, then he surely had a complete plan already in place.
Even though Higashino knew his own real strength was only slightly above the average captain, far from being able to kill one outright, he felt calm. Calm, as if all this were simply the natural course of things.
Half an hour later, he finally left the underground lab.
Only now did he fully understand the true purpose behind Aizen's last "grand operation."
He had underestimated Aizen's schemes.
Baraggan and Starrk leading a Hollow assault on Soul Society had not been so simple.
Harvesting spiritually gifted souls from Rukongai was one goal. Testing years of research results was another. Gauging the captains' strength was yet another. And measuring Soul Society's response to a crisis was the fourth.
Most importantly, Aizen had closed the book on his reiryoku research. From now on, he would no longer focus on that field. Which also meant Higashino Shuuichi was "unemployed."
Following that thought, he considered the true aim behind Aizen sending him to cooperate with Starrk and eliminate the expeditionary captain, Sengoku Ryū.
Warning the nobles who had dared stir trouble, to show Hueco Mundo wasn't weak? That was one reason. But it couldn't be the main one.
"Could it be… he wants to see how Soul Society reacts to losing two captains at once?"
Yes, in Aizen's plan, Baraggan and Szayelaporro would join forces to kill the captain of Squad 10 dispatched with the expedition, nearly at the same time as Higashino's strike.
The death of one captain wasn't unheard of in Soul Society's long history. But two or more at once? That hadn't happened since over eight hundred years ago, during the war against Yhwach's Quincy empire.
Even during the purge against Quincies sixty years earlier, only one captain had been lost.
Higashino didn't think Aizen was already planning for the great incident decades later that would drive away Yoruichi, Urahara, and others. More likely, he was sketching out a purge of the Gotei 13 itself.
If he could cut off Yamamoto Genryūsai's arms, his strongest allies, then all that remained was to focus on Yamamoto alone.
The later "incident" would simply have been a convenient coincidence that fell right into Aizen's path.
Of course, this was only Higashino's speculation. But knowing Aizen, it was probably sixty or seventy percent correct.
"Shuuichi, how do you plan to deal with that annoying expedition squad?"
When Higashino emerged, before Starrk could speak, his fraccion Lilynette piped up.
Seeing the playful girl with short pale-green hair and a skull shell on her head, Higashino flicked her forehead with a finger. "Who are you calling 'Shuuichi-kun'? You barely reach my waist. Saying that doesn't embarrass you?"
"You dare hit me?! Stupid Shuuichi!"
Lilynette immediately leapt up to retaliate.
"Enough, Lilynette," Starrk said, halting her antics. "But Higashino Shuuichi, Aizen-dono told me to cooperate with you. Aside from Baraggan's men, all of mine are at your disposal. Do you have a plan yet?"
Plan your ass.
Higashino wanted to roll his eyes at both of them. No wonder Hollows fared worse and worse after centuries of fighting shinigami.
Even Starrk, a top-class natural arrancar, wasn't too sharp.
It had been less than an hour since he learned of the mission. What was he, a prophet? To already have a mature plan prepared?
But all of that stayed in his head. Out loud, he wouldn't dare. Not with Starrk—the wolf who, if not for "plot armor," could've lived all the way into the Wandenreich war to clash with the Sternritter.
"Let's find the target first. I don't know their operating patterns or that captain's strength yet. We'll decide the specifics when the time comes."
Higashino thought a moment before answering.
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