Deep within the Great Spirit Library Corridor, time itself seemed frozen beneath mountains of ancient tomes.
Candlelight flickered inside bronze lamps embedded in towering stone pillars,
casting warped, colossal shadows across pitch-black bookshelves that stretched all the way to the ceiling.
This was the archive of Seireitei's history.
At its center stood Ichimaru Gin, holding a freshly compiled record in his hand.
The book detailed, with unsettling precision, the battle between Uchiha Senya and Shihōin Yoruichi.
For once, Gin's ever-present smile was restrained.
"What exactly is Tai Chi?"
"And why is it described as the strongest Hakuda?"
"And how did Uchiha Senya come to master it?"
Questions lingered in his mind.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Footsteps echoed through the corridor, crisp and deliberate, cutting through the library's grave-like silence.
Gin did not turn.
He already knew.
A ripple of blue light passed through the air.
Aizen Sōsuke appeared beside him, posture relaxed, one shoulder resting casually against the cold stone shelf.
That flawless, gentle smile—unchanged, as if carved into his face—was firmly in place.
"I didn't expect to see you here, Gin."
His voice was warm, polite, almost friendly, reverberating softly through the corridor.
Gin shifted his gaze from the book and inclined his head slightly.
"Where Aizen-sama goes, I naturally follow," he replied smoothly.
"After all, Shihōuin Yoruichi was defeated in East Rukongai by a mysterious individual."
His eyes curved into crescents.
"I was… curious."
A perfect answer.
No openings. No excess.
Aizen chuckled lightly.
"Then you must have found what you were looking for."
His eyes flicked toward the book in Gin's hand.
"You wouldn't mind sharing, would you?"
"Of course not."
Gin's smile widened, almost playful.
"You'd never guess."
He lifted the book slightly.
"It was just an ordinary Shinigami from the Tenth Division."
"Uchiha Senya."
For a fraction of a second—
The air stilled.
The candle flames wavered.
Aizen's shadow distorted across the bookshelf behind him.
Then the moment passed.
Aizen's smile returned, seamless and gentle as ever.
"…Uchiha Senya?"
He repeated the name calmly, his mind already racing through years of records and personnel data.
"That is… unexpected."
His tone carried genuine intrigue.
"The former Shiba Clan orphan, is it not?"
Gin hummed in agreement.
"When I learned the truth, I was surprised too."
He tilted his head.
"Who would've imagined someone capable of defeating a captain-level Shinigami had been hiding in the Tenth Division all this time?"
The candlelight danced within his narrowed eyes.
"Now that I think about it… Senya's been there for years, hasn't he?"
"And yet," Gin continued softly,
"No matter how hard I search my memory, I can't recall ever truly interacting with him."
"Indeed," Aizen said slowly.
His smile thinned—just slightly.
"Since his assignment to the Tenth Division, I don't believe I've ever spoken to him directly."
He frowned, ever so subtly.
Then his gaze shifted back to Gin, piercing and still.
"Gin."
"Don't you find that… strange?"
Gin's smile didn't falter.
"Perhaps it's only coincidence."
Aizen raised a finger, gently brushing the spine of an ancient tome.
"Perhaps."
"But history teaches us one thing."
His voice grew quieter—deeper.
"One coincidence is mischief."
"Two coincidences are chance."
"But coincidences that persist for years… precisely avoiding every critical moment?"
He withdrew his hand.
"That is no longer coincidence."
"It is intent."
His eyes gleamed faintly behind his glasses.
"He has been deliberately… avoiding me."
Gin took a step away, boots tapping lightly against the ancient stone.
As if remembering something, he reached for another shelf and pulled out a dust-covered volume.
His smile curved higher.
"Aizen-sama, speaking of coincidences…"
"There's an old 'page' here you might find interesting."
Aizen accepted the book without hesitation.
"Oh?"
Gin's voice drifted lazily through the corridor.
"Do you remember the times you publicly released Kyōka Suigetsu?"
"Shinigami initiation ceremonies."
"Hollow extermination demonstrations."
He chuckled softly.
"Every single time…"
"Our Senya-kun happened to fall ill."
Gin spread his hands.
"Without fail."
"Perfectly."
"Missing every opportunity to witness Kyōka Suigetsu's true form."
Silence.
Not ordinary silence.
A suffocating, crushing stillness that pressed against the soul.
Aizen froze.
The mask of warmth on his face cracked.
His pupils contracted violently.
A low, abnormal creak echoed—
Crack.
Spiderweb fractures spread across his glasses.
Light refracted through shattered lenses, casting grotesque, fragmented shadows across his face.
The eyes behind the glass were no longer calm.
They burned.
"So… that's it…"
Aizen's voice emerged hoarse and low.
"So that's it."
He laughed softly—dangerously.
"Within Seireitei…"
His lips stretched upward, forming a smile utterly devoid of warmth.
"There exists a mirror…"
"One that even Kyōka Suigetsu cannot reflect."
The cracked lenses glittered in the candlelight.
"Hiding this deeply…"
Aizen exhaled, his tone almost reverent.
"…How fascinating."
His gaze sharpened.
"Uchiha Senya."