"I'll Make You Remember Today"
"It's Tōsen!"
A member of the Gotei 13 immediately recognized the newcomer. The Shinigami who had descended upon the battlefield was none other than Tōsen Kaname, Vice-Captain of the Ninth Division.
Tōsen Kaname stood suspended in midair, his black haori fluttering faintly in the residual Reishi turbulence left behind by the Hollow outbreak. His expression was calm almost solemn as he drew his Asauchi and held it horizontally before him.
"Sing… Suzumushi."
The moment the command left his lips, an imperceptible vibration rippled outward from the blade. The sound itself was inaudible, yet its effect was absolute.
The Gillian-class Hollows rampaging below abruptly froze in place, their massive bodies stiffening as if shackled by an unseen force. Even the air seemed to still. The Gotei 13 members who had been fighting desperately seized the opportunity and immediately withdrew, forming defensive positions at a safe distance.
Tōsen's voice remained even.
"Suzumushi Tsuishiki First Form."
The paralysis deepened.
Then, without haste, Tōsen raised his blade and brought it down in a measured arc. The motion was slow far too slow to threaten beings of that size yet a strange afterimage followed the swing, lingering in the air for a fraction of a second.
"Second Form Benihikō."
In an instant, countless crimson-hued Reishi blades erupted from the afterimage, raining down upon the immobilized Hollows like a silent storm.
The battlefield was pierced through in a heartbeat.
Several Gillian Hollows let out soundless screams as their masks shattered, their bodies dissolving into streams of Reishi before they even had time to struggle.
Silence returned.
"As expected of Vice-Captain Tōsen…"
A burly Ninth Division member exhaled in awe.
"To defeat that many Gillian with such ease…"
Tōsen flashed forward using Shunpo, appearing among the assembled Shinigami. His gaze briefly swept across the battlefield before settling on the man who had spoken.
"Take the wounded and secure the civilians under the surrounding structures," Tōsen said calmly. "I will report the situation directly to the Captain-Commander."
With that, his figure vanished once more.
No one noticed that, just before leaving, Tōsen had discreetly retrieved several rice-grain-sized crystalline fragments, each emitting a faint blue glow, from within the dissipating remains of the slain Hollows.
No one… except Raizen Kō.
"So it really is Aizen Sōsuke…"
Hidden atop a nearby rooftop, Raizen Kō narrowed his eyes.
From the moment Tōsen appeared, Raizen had been certain. The deliberate extraction of those fragments confirmed it beyond doubt.
This Hollow disaster wasn't random.
"Oh? Sneaking around like that isn't very polite, you know."
A lazy, almost playful voice sounded directly behind him.
Raizen's body stiffened.
He turned slowly and found himself face to face with a silver-haired boy no older than fourteen, dressed in a Shinigami uniform. His eyes were perpetually narrowed into thin crescents, his smile unsettlingly serene.
Ichimaru Gin.
Raizen immediately felt it.
The spiritual pressure.
It was restrained, almost casual but undeniably sharp. Like a blade hidden beneath silk.
If his true body were present, Raizen might not have feared Gin at this point in history. But right now, within Soul Society, he was nothing more than a newly arrived soul possessing spiritual awareness, but lacking formal training, Zanpakutō, or rank.
Meanwhile, Ichimaru Gin was already the Third Seat of the Fifth Division, serving directly under Aizen Sōsuke.
There were rumors he had already achieved Bankai.
Raizen swallowed and forced himself to relax.
"Th-those Hollows were terrifying," Raizen said, deliberately letting fear creep into his voice as he clutched his chest. "It must be exhausting… protecting everyone like this."
Gin's smile didn't change.
Then without warning his eyes snapped open.
The short blade at his waist extended with explosive speed.
The flash of steel passed so close that Raizen felt the wind slice past his ear.
A wet sound followed.
Behind him, a small Hollow one that had been suppressing its presence was split cleanly in two before it could react.
Raizen collapsed to the ground, shaking violently, his face drained of color.
"It's dangerous outside these days," Gin said lightly as he retracted his Zanpakutō. "Best not to wander around too much."
He turned and walked away, never once looking back.
Several minutes passed.
Only when Gin's spiritual pressure had completely vanished did Raizen slowly rise to his feet.
The terror on his face faded, replaced by cold indifference.
With his spiritual perception, he had sensed that Hollow long before Gin struck.
But exposing even the slightest abnormality such as a newly arrived soul using Kidō or reacting too calmly would invite immediate suspicion.
Especially from someone like Ichimaru Gin.
Besides, that Hollow had been insignificant. Barely stronger than a wandering Pluss.
And, unlike the Gillian Hollows earlier, it hadn't left behind any of those strange blue crystalline fragments.
Dusting himself off, Raizen returned quietly to his residence.
Deep within a forest on the outskirts of Rukongai, a man wearing glasses stood with his hands folded behind his back. A gentle smile rested permanently upon his face, refined and warm enough to disarm suspicion.
Aizen Sōsuke.
Two figures approached him from opposite directions.
Tōsen Kaname knelt on one knee and respectfully presented the recovered crystalline fragments.
"My apologies, Captain Aizen," Tōsen said quietly. "The experiment remains unstable. The Gillian Hollows still lose their sanity too quickly. One specimen containing a fragment separated from the group and was likely eliminated by another division."
Aizen accepted the fragments, studying them with quiet fascination.
"It's quite alright, Tōsen," he said pleasantly. "The data obtained this time is already… most enlightening."
He turned his gaze toward Ichimaru Gin.
"Did you notice anything unusual?"
Gin scratched the back of his head, smiling.
"I took care of a stray Hollow hiding near the residential district," he replied. "Other than that… everything looked normal to me."
Aizen's smile deepened imperceptibly.
Rukongai Eastern District, Fifty-Seventh Ward
Raizen Kō sat at a small wooden table alongside Iwasaki Eri and the elderly woman known as Hana-bāba, sharing the modest thank-you meal she had prepared.
Compared to the chaos earlier, the warmth of the room felt almost surreal.
"Raizen-kun, you were incredible today!" Eri said excitedly. "You managed to get both of us that far so quickly!"
Raizen laughed awkwardly.
"Maybe I was an athlete in my previous life," he said lightly. "I just kept running… and somehow didn't stop until the Shinigami arrived."
Neither Eri nor Hana-bāba had seen what truly happened on the rooftop.
Hana-bāba snorted, still shaken.
"Those Shinigami from Seireitei are useless! Taking all our money every year, and they can't even keep Hollows out of Rukongai. If it weren't for you, this old woman would be dead!"
The three of them complained for a while, their shared experience drawing them closer.
After the meal, Raizen hesitated before speaking.
"Grandma… I want to apply to the Shin'ō Academy. Do you know how?"
Eri's expression faltered.
Hana-bāba was silent for a long moment. Then she rose and retrieved two envelopes from a cabinet.
"With your status," she said slowly, "you shouldn't be eligible for at least three years."
She handed the envelopes to Raizen.
"But take this letter of recommendation. It's addressed to Oda Yū, an instructor at the Academy. He'll allow you to take the entrance assessment early."
Raizen bowed deeply.
"Thank you."
"Don't misunderstand," Hana-bāba said sharply. "The assessment is brutal. Fewer than one in ten pass. Whether you succeed depends on you."
Raizen nodded without hesitation.
As Eri and Raizen cleared the dishes, Hana-bāba stood quietly, staring at the empty doorway.
"…If Maruta were still alive," she murmured.