If we followed the usual plot, when faced with a situation like "wanting to go out and make one's own way but being opposed by an elder," clearing it would usually require a battle full of flashbacks and verbal sparring.
In the end, the protagonist would fight with everything they had to win by half a move, then be let go by an elder who complained with their mouth but was honest in their heart.
With hot-blooded manga logic already ingrained in his head, Iori had long prepared himself to fight Aizen Yuki.
Unexpectedly, after both of them finished explaining their plans, Yuki neither agreed nor disagreed with Iori's idea. Although it conflicted with her own plans, she also didn't firmly reject him.
During this time, Yuki's interest shifted to the food. She chewed slowly and savored the dishes, and what she talked about with Iori were just amusing anecdotes from within Seireitei. She no longer dwelled on the matter of the Hueco Mundo expeditionary force.
At first, Iori was quite puzzled, but after all, he had been "family" with Yuki for a long time. With a bit of thought, he quickly understood.
The reason wasn't complicated.
Aizen Yuki wasn't a feudal, patriarchal type. You could even say she leaned toward laissez-faire, she respected other people's choices and looked at things rationally, so she wouldn't try to stop him.
At the same time, deep down she probably also held a belief in "survival of the fittest," so even toward those close to her, she wouldn't dote on them everywhere like a nanny.
This woman, after all, was somewhat of a "social Darwinist"…
In fact, Aizen Sosuke in the original story was much the same, just colder in how he expressed it.
Or perhaps no one could ever get close to his inner heart, so people simply couldn't tell whether he was truly cruel or merely someone who "respected others' fates and let go of the urge to help."
Yuki was much more "gentle" than Aizen himself. What's more, Iori wasn't an outsider to her, so her attitude was more intimate, but don't expect her to lecture you earnestly, or stage some nauseating family-bond showdown…
After figuring this out, a sudden realization washed over Iori, but at the same time the food suddenly didn't taste as good.
"If I don't come back…"
Iori hesitated before asking, "Would you be sad for me?"
"I would, probably."
Yuki didn't think the question was inauspicious at all and answered frankly. "But that would also be a choice you made yourself. Only by walking your own path can a person reach the end. If you die halfway, it can only mean you misjudged your own strength."
"There's nothing to regret about that. Most things in this world are like this. In fact, people who can choose the right direction from the very beginning and walk it all the way to the end are extremely rare cases…"
"But, on a purely personal level, I'd probably be very sad."
"That really puts me at ease." Iori spread his hands. "So big sister really does have me in her heart."
"Tease me again and I'll make you bleed~"
"Hehe…"
"Then what about the other way around?"
"The other way around?"
"If one day I suddenly disappeared… would you cry for me?"
Yuki rested her cheek on her hand, her long, beautiful eyes calmly gazing at Iori. "Would you come to love this world because of it, or hate it?"
"..."
Iori had originally wanted to say something nice offhand, but suddenly he froze.
His attitude toward Yuki had always been both bold and reserved, that is, actively getting close and building feelings, while always staying alert and reminding himself not to go too deep.
This was undoubtedly the rational choice, in line with maximizing benifits… but when it really came down to his own emotions… did he actually want Aizen Yuki to exist, or not?
"You look awful." Yuki laughed to herself. "You're starting to doubt yourself for a moment, right?"
Iori fell silent. In front of people like Tosen and Akame he was always strong, but this time he was truly shaken, faintly realizing something he had been deliberately ignoring before.
"You don't need to rush to answer this question. You probably can't find the answer right now anyway."
"Respect, closeness, dependence, admiration, or wariness, vigilance, hostility… killing intent. Which of these are my assumptions, which belong to your true feelings, or are they a contradictory fusion of both?"
"Just thinking about how we have such a unique family relationship… really feels romantic~"
Aizen Yuki smiled in a relaxed manner, her posture carrying a nobility and elegance that transcended status and rank.
"Can't figure out your true feelings?"
"Don't be impatient. There's nothing strange about that, because I have similar doubts too. I also can't figure out..."
"What you mean to me."
Yuki's gaze grew deep. The world had once been very simple to her; everyone had their place.
For example, Grandma, that was someone she needed to repay and take care of; for example, classmates, those were people she could use, toy with, or ignore; for example, Captain-Commander Yamamoto, that was someone she had to respect, revere, and then surpass;…only Iori was different.
Only Iori was an existence Yuki couldn't see through, one full of possibilities.
And regardless of the reasons, both Yuki and Iori were, at their core, extremely "lonely." Perhaps it was this bond between similar souls that created such a strange attraction.
Were they kin? Helpers? Rivals?
She couldn't tell, but precisely because she couldn't tell, it was interesting.
"Who knows… I didn't expect to be hit with such profound questions at the dinner table."
Iori let out a long breath. "If I can't think of it now, I'll think about it later. We have plenty of time anyway, and time will always give an answer, won't it?"
"Sly guy~"
Yuki cheerfully lifted her cup of wine, about to drink it all in one go. As she saw the rippling reflections in the clear liquor, something stirred in her heart. She looked toward the Japanese-style garden outside, and Iori followed her gaze.
On the pond, a shishi-odoshi bamboo tube caught flowing water. When it filled to the brim, it tipped over, disturbing the calm surface of the pond.
The bamboo segment struck the stone with a short, hollow sound. Everything quickly returned to stillness in the deep night, waiting for the next cycle.
"So it's a full moon tonight… Iori, when the water surface ripples, even the moon in the sky sways along with it~" Yuki smiled at the corner of her lips. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"
"But in the end, the moon on the water is just a false reflection."
Iori poured himself a cup as well, speaking casually. "The moon always hangs high there, unchanged, and the disturbed water will eventually return to calm."
"You really don't understand romance at all."
Yuki shot Iori a bored look, then turned her gaze back to the sky, her mood inexplicably brightening.
"No matter what… the moonlight tonight is truly beautiful~"
"But how could this moonlight possibly compare to you?"
Iori drank the sake while taking in the scenery, carelessly tossing out the line.
Right after saying it, he remembered something and couldn't help but smile.
Good thing that novelist who loved suicide hadn't been born yet, otherwise, Yuki's words just now would definitely make people read too much into them, right?
As he secretly laughed, he had no idea that Yuki slightly tilted her head, her beautiful eyes resting on him, her gaze carrying a playful interest…
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[The Moonlight Is Truly Beautiful]
[Category: Bond]
[Rank: A]
[Quality: Rare]
[Drawing…]
[Calculating…]
———
[Rewards Overview]
[Attributes: None]
———
[Talent]
[Wind, Flowers, Snow, and Moon]
[1. An innate tendency to discover and appreciate "beauty."]
[2. Not easily numbed by harsh reality; more easily moved by beautiful scenery or touching stories.]
[3. Greater sensitivity on a spiritual level, slightly increasing the chances of entering states such as "enlightenment," "no-self," or "unity of heaven and man."]
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———
"Temporary Ninth Seat of the Twelfth Division, Aizen Iori, reporting for duty!"
"Alright, come in. We've already received your transfer order, but according to regulations we need to conduct the necessary review… You're not very lucky, kid. This sort of thing is usually handled by me, but this time the captain specifically asked to see you personally."
Arriving at the expeditionary force's rotational rest base, the one who received Iori was a young man with neat features, thick eyebrows, and big eyes, who looked kind and easygoing. His hair had a slight natural curl, giving him an atmosphere of warmth and laziness.
Among the Hueco Mundo expeditionary force, where almost everyone wore a grim, burdened expression, seeing such a cheerful face… either he was naturally thick-skinned, or his strength was high enough that he could stay relaxed.
Iori felt it was probably both, until he heard the man's next words.
"I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is 'Amagai Shusuke.' I'm the Third Company Captain of the expeditionary force, roughly equivalent to the Fourth or Fifth Seat in the Thirteenth Division. No need to be formal, just call me 'Amagai.'"
"When you meet the captain later, be sure to mind your words and actions. You're an auxiliary staff member on temporary assignment, so the captain probably won't make things too hard for you."
"Thank you, Senior Amagai." Iori looked at the gentle man and gradually overlaid his face with the character image in his memories.
…Not much had changed. Over two hundred years, he'd just gone from a young man to a middle-aged one.
It was just unclear what state Amagai was in now. It seemed he only went dark after his father's incident. Setting aside the side twisted by hatred, Amagai himself wasn't really a bad person, you could even say he was a young man with a bright future.
Come to think of it, he'd joined the Hueco Mundo expeditionary force this early… no wonder hardly anyone recognized him when he later returned to Seireitei. Turns out he didn't interact much with the Gotei Thirteen.
Amagai led Iori through the base. Along the way, the death gods they met all greeted Amagai, but every one of them looked rushed.
"Everyone looks pretty busy, right?" Amagai kindly explained to Iori.
"That's because Central 46 issued an order to transfer some of the expeditionary force's elite to the world of the living, to take part in the purge against the Quincies… Just the personnel changes alone are a huge headache, not to mention all the problems caused by the drop in combat power."
"That's understandable. After all, even a student like me who hasn't graduated yet got sent to the Thirteenth Division. You can really tell how tight manpower is right now."
"A student, huh…"
Amagai glanced at the wooden sword at Iori's waist, with the three characters "Toyako" written on it. His eyes were full of curiosity, but out of politeness he didn't ask directly.
Maybe there was an Asauchi hidden inside the wooden sword, and the owner had just made the scabbard look like that out of personal interest~
Those three characters, "Toyako," looked inexplicable at first glance, but a genius death god recommended by a vice-captain couldn't possibly be carrying an ordinary wooden sword… there must be some deeper meaning to it, he just didn't know what.
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[CG Recorded]
[Said to be a demon sword "Star Shatter," made from ten-thousand-year adamantine wood and gifted by a hermit~ In reality, it's just a curry-flavored wooden sword, a hot spring travel souvenir that can also be bought on TV shopping, the Toyako!]
[Category: Common CG]
[Rank: E]
[Quality: Common]
———
[Rewards Overview]
[Stamina: Slight Increase]
[Spirit: Slight Increase]
[Tenacity: Small Increase]
[Note, Don't stare at it. Even if you're looking forward to it, I still won't Bankai, Toyako: Shut-in: Immortal Sayings.]
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Iori, "…Huh?"
"What's wrong?" Amagai looked at Iori in confusion when he suddenly made a strange sound. "Are you feeling unwell?"
"It's nothing… I just suddenly remembered I forgot to lock the door before going out." Iori waved his hand. "But there's nothing valuable in my room anyway, so forget it."
"That won't do. If you don't fix that careless habit, you'll suffer a big loss on the battlefield."
"Thanks for the reminder. I'll be more careful." Iori's expression didn't change, but inside he was furiously complaining.
'Why does this even have a CG?!'
[T/N: There's a monthly discount ongoing on my P@treon page for the next three days. You can get 20% off on your membership. Enjoy~
p@treon. cum/AmbitiousTranslator ]