In Japan, addressing someone by their given name without their surname is a sign of intimacy.
Typically, only relatives, elders, and close friends address each other this way.
And Aizen,
was now directly calling Shinji by his given name.
He extended his hand to Shinji, his attitude sincere.
"Captain Aizen, I refuse."
Facing Aizen, Shinji spoke.
"Oh? Still refusing? This is the third time, isn't it?"
Aizen didn't seem angry at all, smiling as he lowered his hand.
"I'm just a slacker; I can't help Captain Aizen much."
"But a slacker who can achieve Shikai as a student in the Spiritual Arts Academy is a rare sight indeed, once in a century."
Watching Shinji suddenly fall silent.
Aizen pushed up his glasses, the corners of his lips curling upwards: "A few months ago, I saw you practicing your Zanpakuto late at night in the academy dojo. You can't deny that, can you? It seems you've already started dabbling in Bankai, haven't you?"
"Actually... that was Abarai Renji."
Shinji's expression was faint.
You want me to admit it?
Impossible!
You definitely didn't get a clear look at my face then, Shinji was certain of that.
Aizen: "..."
"Lord Shinji, a man like you cannot hide for long. Sooner or later, you will shine your own light and illuminate this world."
After a faint smile,
Aizen shook his head.
"But my dream is to be a good-for-nothing heir of the Kuchiki Clan, living a life of leisure."
Shinji lay there like a salted fish, completely lacking motivation.
Eventually,
Aizen left, resigned... With dead fish eyes, Shinji stared expressionlessly at the ceiling, lost in thought.
My name is Kuchiki Shinji, not Wang Dachui. I'm not here to be funny. Nor am I Bai Xiaofei, with unimaginable disasters happening around me. And I'm certainly not Baldy Qiang, needing to have a love-hate relationship with two bears and starting a shameless daily life.
However,
I have a man named Aizen by my side, and he often extends his hand to me: 'Come on, Lord Shinji, let's achieve something great together!'
This,
is truly exhilarating... as if!
That's Aizen, a man who, by himself, using only his intellect, can manipulate the entire Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, and the Human World, whose intelligence is constantly online like a demon!
As for his combat power, there's no need to even mention it.
And he,
Kuchiki Shinji, his only dream, is to safely survive... no, to safely live until the grand finale.
This world is too dangerous.
Lieutenant-level Shinigami possess all sorts of mysterious and unpredictable abilities.
Captain-level Shinigami can destroy a city as easily as eating and drinking.
Not to mention, at the current stage, there are Vasto Lorde-class Hollows who eat souls like food and can beat Captain-level Shinigami like a ball.
Later,
there's Aizen, who is above all Shinigami and Hollows!
Even later,
there's Yhwach, who wants to destroy and rebuild the world.
Why the hell is this world so dangerous?!
Fortunately,
his background isn't bad.
As the biological younger brother of Kuchiki Byakuya, the head of the Kuchiki Clan, the leader of the Four Great Noble Houses, Shinji is practically guaranteed to be the next head of the Kuchiki Clan.
But this,
is not enough.
The Captains of the Sixth Division are almost always held by the head of the Kuchiki Clan.
Therefore,
once Kuchiki Byakuya retires or falls in battle, the position of Captain of the Sixth Division will essentially go to Shinji.
And so,
to safely live until the end, Shinji chose to be a slacker.
Not disguising his strength?
Completely displaying his talent?
He was destined to participate in the final battle with Aizen in Karakura Town, or the Thousand-Year Blood War against the Quincy.
Therefore, being a salted fish was the safest option.
As long as I stayed obediently in the Kuchiki Clan, none of you would notice me.
But Lord Shinji never expected that Aizen would actually notice him among a group of students.
"Perhaps joining the Fifth Divsion at this time is indeed a good choice, but…"
Lord Shinji's expression was unpredictable.
Just like a certain snake-like character, if he could be guided by Aizen, his strength would definitely undergo earth-shattering changes, and he would also have access to various black technologies.
As long as he didn't act too out of line, he might even be able to quickly master the full power of Bankai with Aizen's help, and perhaps even the Hollowfication power.
But… "Why is the Hōgyoku with me, you bastard!"
Lord Shinji's face darkened as he lifted his shirt.
On his chest,
a gem that seemed to distort even sight and space was quietly embedded there, as if it had completely grown together with him, continuously injecting life-enhancing power into his body.
And at this moment,
Lord Shinji was about to enter the process of life-level elevation, which was the first stage of fusion with the Hōgyoku.
By then,
he would definitely be discovered by Aizen!
Then,
"Oh, good heavens, so you have another Hōgyoku there."
And so, Lord Shinji died.
Next year, Rukia could burn incense for him.
This was not the ending Lord Shinji wanted!
Therefore,
finding a way to overcome this crisis was the top priority.
He needed to find a way to cover up the commotion of fusing with the Hōgyoku so that Aizen wouldn't discover it.
"Ah, pervert, why aren't you wearing clothes!"
At this moment,
a girl's cry of surprise came from the room. Rukia, with her back to Lord Shinji, shouted with a flushed face.
"It's just my shoulder, why are you so excited?"
Lord Shinji pouted. He had already put his shirt on before Rukia came in.
"But you should at least act like an elder brother in front of your younger sister, right?"
Rukia stamped her foot in annoyance.
"So… you're finally admitting I'm your elder brother?"
Rukia: "…"
"Don't you have anything to say to me?"
Rukia's eyes darted away, her hands clasped together, and she lowered her head slightly.
This guy must care about her a lot. A girl's intuition was always accurate, which was why she had always refused to call Lord Shinji her elder brother.
And in this current atmosphere, with no one around to disturb them, it was the perfect time to clear things up.
"Say what?"
Lord Shinji raised an eyebrow in confusion, and casually tugged at her ahoge.
Hmm… the feeling was as good as ever.
"It's… it's that kind of thing. It's come to this, so don't hide it anymore."
Rukia's face grew even redder. She leaned her face slightly forward, her eyes tightly shut in nervousness.
"Oh, I understand, you're talking about that, right?"
Then, she heard the answer she wanted. The guy in front of her indeed understood her hint.
Next,
were the words Rukia wanted to hear.
"Rukia, you this…"
Thump thump thump!
A knock on the door sounded.
A man with a red pineapple-shaped hairstyle, a large area of green Pattern tattooed above his eyebrows, and wearing a student uniform,
poked his head in from outside the lounge door and shouted loudly:
"Hey, Lord Shinji, I heard you fainted. Your physique is too weak, isn't it? Do you want to start practicing Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Shunpo, and Kidō with me tonight?"
Lord Shinji: "???"
You, the real bottom-feeder, have the nerve to say such things?
Rukia: "???"
The words I wanted to hear were about to come out of Lord Shinji's mouth. Would you die if you appeared a few seconds later?
Thinking this,
Rukia's expression gradually turned dangerous, and her petite body seemed to be covered in some kind of dark, terrifying lines.
"Die, you idiot Renji!"