With the mission complete, it was time to deal with the spoils.
And that was when Higashino Shuuichi found himself troubled.
"Shuuichi-kun, you look pretty interested in that zanpakutō, huh?"
As always acting as Starrk's mouthpiece, Lilynette bounced over to him, asking curiously.
"Mm. I am, a little."
He nodded. After all, this blade was something that could seal even Yamamoto Genryūsai's zanpakutō release. Stronger than the Sternritter's Medallions in the future—they only stole Bankai. Raika could prevent even Shikai, suppressing kidō on top of it.
A shinigami facing Raika was left with only hakuda and basic swordsmanship.
For Higashino Shuuichi, tied to Aizen's faction, it was the ultimate treasure.
If he held Raika, then when Aizen eventually fell and he had to "defect" back to Soul Society, even if they refused to believe his "undercover" act, he would still have the power to survive any pursuit.
But the problem was how to take it.
From his memory, a *Makaōtō* could not coexist with a zanpakutō. To use Raika meant abandoning his current blade. To keep his zanpakutō meant giving up Raika.
And he couldn't bring himself to discard Bingzhe, the blade he had cultivated with such care, whose powers served him so well.
So the reality stood before him: he couldn't touch Raika. If he did, it might bind to him and cost him his zanpakutō.
But if he left it alone, the Kasumioji family would surely reclaim it soon. And if they did, he'd have to face a captain-level opponent again to seize it.
"Sigh… seems the only option is to tell Aizen."
He was reluctant, but reason told him this was best. Aizen could send Hollows to take the blade back to Las Noches, where it could be kept safe.
But when he reported it, he would have to hold back certain details. He could not mention its ability to suppress zanpakutō and kidō. And he would have to grease Szayelaporro, to ensure the scientist didn't dig too deeply into the blade's nature.
As for Aizen himself, Shuuichi guessed he wouldn't study it. His focus was wholly on souls. Research like this, scraps at best, would be delegated to Szayelaporro.
Just as he prepared to contact Aizen, Starrk's voice interrupted.
"Baraggan's side doesn't look so good." Starrk frowned toward Las Noches.
"Of course. Pairing him with Szayelaporro? With his character, he'll slack off, maybe even 'help' the Squad 10 captain a little, just to keep him from rotting away too fast. He wants a perfect specimen, after all. If they pulled it off smoothly, *that* would be the miracle."
Higashino sneered. He even suspected Aizen never expected Baraggan's group to succeed. This was just another way to put Baraggan in his place.
Otherwise, why split them like this? He could have grouped Baraggan, Starrk, Szayelaporro, and Higashino together, and gone alone himself. Even if Baraggan sniped at him mid-battle, against that lineup, not Sengoku Ryū but even Kyōraku Shunsui would have been crushed.
"So, do we—"
Starrk still leaned toward helping.
"No need. We just watch."
Higashino cut him off quickly, already knowing his thoughts.
And then, when Aizen finally answered his call, his suspicions were confirmed.
Aizen had already handled it. He had even returned to Soul Society, used Kyōka Suigetsu to cover their alibis, and come back to Hueco Mundo—just in time to "finish" the Squad 10 captain who had conveniently fled into his path.
"A zanpakutō that doesn't degrade into an asauchi after death?"
After Higashino's report, Aizen smiled faintly.
Of course, Higashino hadn't revealed the truth of the *Makaōtō*. To everyone else—Starrk, the Hollows, even Aizen—it only looked like an unusual zanpakutō.
"Yes, Aizen-dono. But it seems to devour its wielder's reiatsu. I'm not suited to carry it back. Could you send Gillians to transport it?"
But on the other end, Aizen chuckled, expression full of intrigue. "Bring it back? Why would I want that?"
Higashino froze. *Not following the script again…*
"Then your orders, Aizen-dono?"
"Leave it there.
Such a blade couldn't have been created by that expedition captain. If it had, the Gotei 13 would have known. No, there are hands behind this. And they won't wait for Soul Society's asauchi-retrieval squad.
Find them. Follow them. Discover their true intent.
If I'm wrong—kill them all, and *then* have the Gillians bring the blade back."
For once, Aizen explained himself.
And Higashino realized he had been worrying for nothing.
He had fallen into a trap of thinking like himself—always from the small perspective. But Aizen was different. His gaze was never on details, but on the meanings behind them. A single strange zanpakutō wasn't worth his eye. What it represented—that was what mattered.
"This works too. Everyone gets what they want. Perfect."
Ending the call, Higashino smiled faintly. Truly, Aizen was a "good" boss.
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