When Hitsugaya returned to the Squad 10 office and saw the mountain of paperwork piled on his desk, it finally dawned on him—he had let those old men boss him around again.
With Aizen Sōsuke's sudden death, he was temporarily handling Squad 5's affairs. He already had more work than he could manage, and now the matter of Shiba Kaien had been added to his plate.
*Why did I ask for more trouble?* Hitsugaya felt a headache coming on, but thinking about it carefully, he really only had himself to blame.
Taking on Squad 5's affairs was born from a hope to find some clues among the things Aizen left behind. This wasn't just to uncover the truth for Momo, but also to give Aizen a proper resolution.
And based on Kyōraku Shunsui's speculation, Shiba Kaien might also know some inside information. Though he hadn't explicitly said it, that was likely what Shunsui meant.
So, this "trouble" was actually a case of one party wanting to get rid of it and the other fighting to take it. Everyone got what they needed, and everyone was happy.
It was just... Hitsugaya suddenly thought of a possibility. Could this also have been part of Kyōraku's calculations? If it was that old man, it was entirely possible...
At times like this, he needed someone to share the burden. Hitsugaya glanced out the window at the fading sunset. *Where on earth did Matsumoto run off to?!*
In Squad 5's First Special Detention Facility, Matsumoto Rangiku gazed at Hinamori Momo, who sat in her cell with her head bowed, lost in a daze. In less than a day, had she really become this haggard?
It was hard to believe this was the usually lively Hinamori Momo. But it was understandable; to her, Captain Aizen was an absolutely indispensable existence.
Matsumoto couldn't help but sigh. She felt she could understand the other woman's feelings a little. Captain Aizen's death seemed to be connected to Gin. Matsumoto desperately wanted to tell everyone that Gin wasn't the type of person to do such a thing, but she found that her own vision was clouding—she was losing sight of Gin, too.
"Rangiku-san..." Hinamori finally noticed Matsumoto's presence. Those lifeless eyes made the comforting words Matsumoto had prepared catch in her throat. She could only hand over the letter tied with a silk ribbon.
"What is this..." Hinamori asked mechanically. It might be a transfer order, or perhaps a document requiring her explanation.
But whatever it was, it held no meaning for her anymore. The only possible meaning it could have was to remind her once again of the harsh reality that Captain Aizen was dead and would never return...
"This was found in Captain Aizen's room."
*Just as I thought...* But right as Hinamori thought this, Matsumoto gave her an answer she completely didn't expect. "It's for you."
"Captain Aizen, gave it to me?"
Matsumoto nodded. She really wanted to hug Hinamori, but she felt that she, who still trusted Gin in her heart, had no right to do so.
She had thought she had so much to say, but she hadn't expected to waste all that time preparing, only for not a single word to come out.
"It's a good thing our captain found it. If it had been anyone else, it probably would have been handed over as evidence and never reached your hands."
Matsumoto slowly stood up. She wanted to tell Hinamori: *You don't just have the late Captain Aizen by your side; there is also someone who has been thinking of you from the very beginning.*
But saying such things now would probably have the opposite effect. She could only hope that Hinamori would slowly come to realize it herself.
"I don't know what's written inside. As a lieutenant, receiving your captain's final words must be a very happy thing."
"Read it well."
*And then, say a proper goodbye to Captain Aizen in your heart, for the last time...*
But even as Matsumoto left Squad 5 all alone, she didn't understand whether those unspoken words were meant for Hinamori, or for herself.
If it was that guy Gin, he probably wouldn't even give her the chance for a proper goodbye.
"Come with me to another place, Ukitake. Later, of course."
In the forest below Sōkyoku Hill, Ukitake had been waiting early at the agreed meeting spot. For Shunsui to act so mysteriously, he must have something important to discuss.
"Sorry, sorry, kept you waiting, didn't I, Ukitake?"
"What exactly happened?"
"You already figured out what's been going on recently after you went back, right? Simply put, I actually met with Yoruichi a while ago." Shunsui said as he pulled a piece of paper from his robes. "Let's walk and talk. This place seems pretty hard to find."
Simply put, chronologically speaking, Yoruichi seemed to have sought him out immediately after entering the Seireitei. However, she was discovered by Shunsui, and the two had privately negotiated a certain degree of cooperation.
"Of course, I put them through a bit of a test. I can tell that those kids are purely here to save Kuchiki Rukia and have no other ulterior motives. That much is absolutely trustworthy."
"Wait!" Ukitake interrupted Shunsui. As the captain of Squad 13, and the one who had indirectly facilitated all of this, he naturally knew that Rukia's execution was highly suspicious.
But right now, there was something else he wanted to know more. "Did Yoruichi not say why Rukia's execution absolutely must be stopped? Also, does she know anything about the truth Kaien mentioned?"
"She didn't say. But looking at her demeanor, she should know."
This answer surprised Ukitake. He knew Shunsui very well; convincing this man was no simple task. Yet now, Shunsui clearly intended to side with Yoruichi.
Shunsui understood Ukitake's doubts, so he continued, "As for why she didn't say, I'm afraid that even if she spoke this truth, I absolutely wouldn't believe it. So she simply tossed the problem to me, letting me convince myself."
"Absolutely wouldn't believe it?" Ukitake thought for a moment, and suddenly his expression changed drastically.
"You've thought of who it is too, haven't you?"
Ukitake nodded. If there was an unknown mastermind behind Rukia's incident, but from Urahara and Yoruichi's perspective, revealing this person's existence wouldn't be believed by anyone, it only left three possibilities.
First, this person was either Shunsui or Ukitake Jūshirō himself.
Second, this person was the most unlikely individual in the Seireitei to ever be suspected. The only one imaginable was their teacher, Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni.
Third, they had already spoken of this person, or this truth, in the past—but it still hadn't changed the fact that they became wanted criminals.
"Aizen Sōsuke!"
Shunsui sighed helplessly. Recalling the soul disappearance incident a hundred years ago, he was the one who had testified for Aizen.
"But Aizen is already dead... So, you went to see Aizen today to confirm if he faked his death?!"
"With Captain Unohana's judgment, plus what we saw with our own eyes, we can be certain that what we saw was indeed Aizen's corpse. Just like how I was absolutely certain I saw Aizen himself a hundred years ago!"
"But doesn't that instead..."
"Exactly! That instead proves that Aizen is in on it. Before, I absolutely wouldn't have believed it, but now, I'm actually starting to doubt..." Shunsui turned his head and pointed at his own eyes, enunciating every word clearly: "I'm doubting whether what I see is actually the truth."