Late at night, in the Squad 4 barracks. Hasumi Ren sat cross-legged on his bed, wide awake. His consciousness sank into his inner world.
When he opened his eyes within, he saw Garenge sitting listlessly in midair, swinging her slender legs with a blade of grass formed from spiritual pressure dangling from her mouth.
Ren walked over to her side and sat down quietly, gazing out at the vast white wasteland in the distance.
Garenge floated over and quietly perched herself on top of Ren's head, letting her legs dangle right in front of his eyes.
"What's wrong, Master? Is it time for your late-night emo session?"
Ren didn't say anything. He kept his mouth shut and let out a heavy breath, two streams of air exhaling from his nose with a distinct melancholy.
Then, he reached up and tickled the soles of Garenge's feet.
Ticklish, Garenge shrieked and tumbled off Ren's head, landing heavily on the ground.
She lay on her side, arching her back like an enraged kitten, and kicked Ren hard twice.
Ignoring her antics, Ren closed his eyes to check on the clone he had placed in Hueco Mundo.
His Hollow clone was doing perfectly fine, wandering the desert of Hueco Mundo. It had devoured quite a few Hollows during this time.
By now, its strength could be considered formidable even among the Adjuchas it had encountered and defeated.
While an Adjuchas of this level wouldn't normally catch Aizen's eye, it might draw some attention if it exhibited something unique during his experiments.
Assessing the clone's status, Ren nodded. His Hueco Mundo clone was a hidden chess piece he had planted long ago.
Throughout this period, he had barely allocated any attention to controlling it. From the moment it was first split off until now, he had hardly interfered with its growth, only checking in occasionally to let it hunt freely across Hueco Mundo.
Now that it had evolved into an Adjuchas-class Hollow, it was fully capable of handling more complex missions.
"I want to recall the clone," Ren said.
Garenge raised an eyebrow. She rolled over in front of Ren and looked up at him. "You want this clone to go after the Hogyoku?"
Ren nodded. "Aizen has been on guard against me making direct contact with the Hogyoku. He might have already realized that I can absorb its energy."
"Because of that, I have no chance of getting close to it myself. But the clone is different. It's a Hollow. Aizen won't have the same level of suspicion toward a random Hollow."
"As long as the clone can slip onto his list of experimental subjects, it will have a chance to touch the Hogyoku during the process."
Garenge rested her head on Ren's lap. "What about the risks?"
"If it's discovered, I only lose a clone. Aizen has no reason to connect that Hollow to me." Ren's voice was calm. "Even if things go wrong and the clone is destroyed, it's better than exposing my true self."
Garenge looked at him, pouting slightly. "You're surprisingly carefree about it."
Ren smiled. "It's just a clone. Sacrificing it for a shot at the Hogyoku is a fair trade. But how exactly to pull it off is what requires some careful thought."
As Ren pondered, he began to bounce his leg slightly. Garenge's small head bobbed up and down along with the movement.
"Aizen looks for and captures Hollows in the Soul Society to use as experimental materials."
"If the clone appears in those areas and intentionally exhibits abnormal spiritual pressure fluctuations, there's a high probability it will catch his attention."
"Then, as long as the clone displays some kind of uniqueness in his eyes..."
"Making Aizen develop an interest in this specific specimen..."
Garenge thought about it, her voice rising and falling with the rhythmic bouncing of her head.
"The early phases of this plan are easy enough to pull off. The real issues are what happens after it touches the Hogyoku, and how the clone escapes Aizen's clutches. That part will be incredibly difficult. You'll need help."
Ren nodded. "You're right. It's hard to pull off on my own."
At that, Garenge sat up and stretched her neck. "Why not go discuss it with him? He might have some good ideas."
Ren didn't say anything; he knew exactly who Garenge was referring to. Then, he shook his head.
"No, the fewer people who know about this, the better."
"Although Urahara and I are partners, he tends to prioritize his own calculations."
"If he finds out I have a Hollowfied clone, he might try to use it for something else, and I don't want any unnecessary complications."
"Later on, if it becomes absolutely necessary, it won't be too late to ask him for help."
Garenge stood on her tiptoes and patted Ren's shoulder. "Alright, you have my support. Do your best, scrub Master."
Garenge's figure gradually blurred, her voice growing distant. Ren's consciousness floated back up, returning to reality.
Opening his eyes, he saw that the night outside was still deep. The conversation with Garenge felt more like a dialogue with his own inner self. It just so happened that these matters were things he couldn't share with anyone else anyway.
Taking a deep breath, Ren closed his eyes and reconnected with the clone far away in Hueco Mundo.
Across the white desert, a silhouette dashed under the moonlight. It was his clone, a Hollow with a completely pitch-black body.
After devouring numerous Hollow fragments and evolving into an Adjuchas, its appearance had undergone some changes. Its build was more slender, its overall proportions closer to a humanoid form, a mask covered its face, and its eyes gleamed with a dark red light.
Ren withdrew his perception and opened his eyes. All that was left now was to wait for the right opportunity.
A few days later, in the underground cavern beneath Sokyoku Hill. Ren received a message and returned to this place.
Urahara was already waiting, several documents and miscellaneous parts laid out across his workbench. His expression was as relaxed as ever as he greeted Ren, showing no outward sign of change. Yet Ren could sense a faint, invisible wall that had subtly formed between them.
"I've reorganized the formula framework for the Garganta for you." Urahara slid a document over to Ren. "If you set up the spiritual pressure nodes according to this framework, the success rate will be much higher."
"You'll only need to run the final spiritual pressure simulation. I've optimized all the other steps for you."
Ren took the document and flipped it open. Dense arrays of formula nodes were clearly marked at every single step. Urahara's expertise was truly profound; this plan was leagues more refined than his own crude design.
"Thanks," Ren said, closing the document.
Urahara waved his hand dismissively. "Aizen will master Garganta technology sooner or later. The earlier we understand his movements, the better we can prepare in advance."
"Besides, since it's my own design, it will be easier for me to operate down the line." He paused, looking at Ren. "Ren, about what happened last time..."
"It doesn't matter," Ren interrupted. "I completely understand. It's not a question of trust."
"When it comes to the Hogyoku, no one can afford to easily trust anyone else."
"As long as our goals and interests align, nothing else matters."
Urahara fell silent for a long moment. Then, he let out a sigh. "I'm glad you understand."