In a secret laboratory in the Rukongai, the beeping of spirit particle instruments and the scratch of pen on paper recording data echoed.
Aizen Sōsuke was currently recording new data. The Hōgyoku experiment was nearing its conclusion; once a prototype was formed, subsequent refinement was merely a matter of time.
Thanks to the body samples and Fragment of the Soul King provided by Kensei Kenzuru, the Hōgyoku research had progressed much faster than expected, with results surpassing even initial projections.
Looking at the data on the paper, significantly higher than the projected values, Aizen couldn't help feeling a surge of excitement.
With the Hōgyoku, she could catch up to Kensei's footsteps, and then she could have him...
The sound of the door opening abruptly interrupted Aizen's thoughts. Initially thinking it was Kensei, having reported to the Captain-Commander, coming to bother her again, she knew the visitor's identity the moment she saw the purple hair behind the door.
"Good afternoon, Aizen~" Shihōin Yoruichi wore a triumphant smile, like a cat who'd just stolen the cream. "I came to discuss something with you."
Aizen set down her pen and paper, adjusted her glasses, and looked calmly at this uninvited guest. "Miss Shihōin, I don't recall granting you permission to enter this place without authorization."
Though unsure what had happened to Yoruichi to develop her physique so rapidly in a short time, Aizen had no intention of asking.
"Look, it's just the two of us here. There's no need to keep up that fake appearance." Yoruichi crossed her arms, staring directly at Aizen. "Or are you lacking in confidence?"
"Boring provocation."
Aizen replied coolly, but still dispelled the Kidō concealing her true form.
After all, Yoruichi knew her secret. With just the two of them present, continuing the disguise was indeed pointless, merely self-deception.
"I'm curious when you plan to tell Kensei this secret."
Yoruichi leaned against the edge of the lab bench, casually picking up a beaker and twirling it in her hand.
"It won't be long now." Aizen's gaze shifted to the faintly glowing Hōgyoku behind the protective glass. The corner of her mouth lifted in a slight smile before she turned her attention back to Yoruichi. "If you're here to cause trouble, you'd better leave early."
"I came with sincerity to discuss cooperation."
Placing the beaker on the bench, Yoruichi sat on a chair, tilting her chin to indicate Aizen should sit opposite her.
For the next ten-odd minutes, the two engaged in an efficient yet subtly pointed negotiation.
Yoruichi's terms were clear: providing various forms of support to Aizen in exchange for partial usage rights to her research results.
"By the way, Kensei agreed to it."
Hearing this, Aizen, who had been somewhat hesitant, nodded.
Even if Yoruichi didn't offer these resources, if she needed them and asked Kensei directly, given Kensei's personality, he wouldn't refuse. Since the outcome was the same, and she could get resources for free now, there was naturally no reason to refuse.
"Do you need me to draft a contract for you?"
Aizen tapped the table with her finger, hinting at something. "Miss Yoruichi, you seem to have forgotten my Zanpakutō's ability."
"Tch—"
Yoruichi curled her lip, looking displeased. However, as if remembering something, a mischievous smile reappeared on her face.
"Ah, it's quite warm in here."
Yoruichi loosened her collar, deliberately revealing the red marks on her neck, even stroking them as if worried Aizen might miss them.
"The temperature here is almost as hot as the hot spring Kensei and I soaked in the other day."
Aizen's finger, organizing documents, paused slightly.
"It was so exhausting" Yoruichi deliberately drew out her words, each syllable dripping with smug satisfaction. "Who knew, even though it was Kensei's first time, he turned out to be quite talented in practice"
She paused briefly, her gaze locked on Aizen's face, ready to capture any tiny slip in composure.
But Aizen merely continued organizing the documents, her movements steady as always.
"But I suppose you wouldn't understand such things, right?" Yoruichi smiled slyly, like a victorious general. "After all, it's a 'pure' roommate relationship. You two have shared a room for so long, and he's never talked to you about these things?"
Aizen finally stopped her movements. Instead of answering Yoruichi's question, she walked to a hidden corner of the laboratory. She retrieved the remaining vial of Kensei's stored sample from within. The label recorded the detailed time and a special number of unknown meaning.
"You're right," Aizen said, holding the test tube up to the light, her tone as calm as water. "Kensei is a beginner in many areas."
Hearing Aizen's inexplicable statement, Yoruichi raised an eyebrow.
"For example, when the muscles on his waist are touched, he reflexively tenses up."
"Another example: his hands always habitually grasp for something to hold."
Handing the test tube in front of Yoruichi, Aizen's eyes behind her glasses were utterly placid.
"I learned about these things earlier, and in more detail, than you did, Shihōin." She paused, tilting her head slightly as she added, "Would you like me to provide you with a detailed analysis report?"
"After all, what some might consider 'natural talent'... is actually just the result of someone having already trained Kensei."
The expression on Yoruichi's face froze. Her eyes sharpened as she couldn't help but straighten up. "What do you mean by that?"
"I mean exactly what I said."
Aizen pushed up her glasses, looking down at Yoruichi.
"But Kensei doesn't even know you're a woman! How could he possibly—" Yoruichi's mouth fell open as if she'd realized something, her face full of disbelief. "You drugged him! Didn't you!"
Aizen didn't reply. She simply took an empty teacup from the cabinet—identical to the one she always used for Kensei.
"Speaking of which, Kensei is particularly sensitive to certain medications," Aizen said in a conversational tone, her fingers tracing the rim of the cup. "For instance, sedatives. He only needs one-third of the standard dose to enter a deep sleep state."
She turned to look at Yoruichi. "You should be aware of these characteristics too, Miss Shihōin, right? After all, you two are already 'very familiar.'"
"You! You!"
Yoruichi felt her lungs were about to explode from anger. How could someone use such dirty methods as drugging to achieve unspeakable goals?
Aizen walked up to Yoruichi, leaned in slightly close to her ear, and whispered, "Since Captain Shihōin has already 'confirmed the relationship,' then, from a researcher's perspective, let me offer you some advice."
Aizen pulled a few handwritten records from her notebook and handed them to Yoruichi.
Yoruichi took the paper.
The data on the paper was dense and meticulous. Every action had annotations, reference values, trend arrows, and sensation assessment ratings—flawlessly professional.
Staring at the paper for a long time, Yoruichi's mind gradually calmed.
"I understand now," Yoruichi said slowly, deliberately. "Why people always say researchers are the most dangerous beings."
"I am merely a researcher." Aizen turned and walked back to the microscope, her back to Yoruichi. "Kensei's physical data is an extremely valuable experimental sample. I need to ensure the sample's stability, health, and sustainability. That is all."
Yoruichi said nothing more. Staying here any longer was pointless. Slapping the record sheet onto the table, Yoruichi turned and walked towards the door.
Her hand on the doorknob, Yoruichi paused, then looked back.
That familiar, provocative, and flamboyant smile had returned to her face—as if nothing had happened, as if the previous conversation had just been idle chatter.
"Data is dead. People are alive." Yoruichi tilted her head, smiling brilliantly. "Who Kensei actively holds when he's awake, whose name he actively calls out... these are what truly matter."
As soon as the words fell, Yoruichi vanished from the room with a Shunpo.
With her back to the door, Aizen immersed herself once more in her experiment. Yoruichi's words had not affected her in the slightest.
"Hah. The howl of a defeated dog."
***
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