Chapter 22: The Blade That Bends
The vast examination hall fell into an eerie, inexplicable silence once again.
Mayuri Kurotsuchi's arrival turned the drunkard at the center of everything into the undeniable focus of thousands of eyes.
Aizen's expression flickered briefly before he quickly rebuilt his warm, gentle smile.
"Captain Kurotsuchi, forgive the interruption. My Fifth Division is merely a support unit—how could we dare question the spiritual particle technology of the Technology Development Bureau?
I only said that out of concern that other students might raise objections and cause unfair suspicion toward Kuroha.
Since Captain Kurotsuchi is willing to testify, I'm sure no one here will have any complaints."
With those words, Aizen turned and walked to the side.
If there were two people in the Seireitei Aizen truly feared, one was this eccentric, unpredictable scientist—Mayuri Kurotsuchi.
A complete madman who never played by any rules.
As the saying goes: genius and lunatic are separated by a thin line. Mayuri stood right on that line.
Gin Ichimaru, seeing Aizen back off, immediately understood the shift and quietly returned to his seat to watch the show.
Shunsui Kyōraku secretly let out a breath of relief.
"Captain Kurotsuchi… since you're willing to verify, then Shiba Kuroha's results should be valid, right?"
What had started as a routine exam had turned into one twist after another.
While it was certainly refreshing, as chief examiner Shunsui now only wanted to finish Yamamoto's task as quickly as possible.
But seeing Mayuri's green, predatory eyes scanning Kuroha up and down, Shunsui's heart sank.
"Indeed… an excellent test subject. Even my Ashisogi Jizō is humming in anticipation. Let's start with a little cut—for respect!"
Mayuri's creepy grin widened. His Zanpakutō flashed from his waist and slashed straight toward Kuroha's face.
The sudden attack made both Shunsui and Kenpachi freeze.
They never expected the chaos to calm for one second—only to explode again even worse.
With Mayuri so close, neither of them could react in time to stop him.
Clang!
A sharp metallic ring echoed through the hall.
Kuroha's previously unsteady steps suddenly stabilized. His right hand shot out like lightning and caught Ashisogi Jizō mid-swing—bare-handed.
The sight of him catching a captain's Zanpakutō with his bare hand made Aizen and the others—who had just shown a flicker of glee—freeze again.
Even they lacked confidence they could catch Mayuri's strike so cleanly.
Let alone a blackout-drunk Shiba Kuroha.
Especially when they saw the bubble of snot on Kuroha's nose pop with a pop— and the drunken haze in his eyes instantly cleared, replaced by faint disbelief.
"Ah… slept really well. Time's about up—I should head to the exam."
Kuroha stretched lazily and opened his sleepy eyes.
The system notification that had just chimed had swept away every trace of alcohol fog in his mind.
His clearest memory now was still back in the black prison—facing nearly a hundred prisoners.
He had originally planned to train his Extreme Hakuda bare-handed, taking them all down.
But seeing the sheer number… he'd decided to leave everything to alcohol.
Fake!This has to be fake!
That single thought dominated everyone's mind.
They might not have experienced drunkenness themselves, but they had at least seen drunk people.
Just moments ago he was a slurring, staggering drunkard. Now he acted like nothing had happened. The massive contrast was impossible to accept.
"You brat—you were faking being drunk the whole time!" Shunsui exploded.
He had just gone through hell trying to open a backdoor for Kuroha. And now the kid acted completely innocent?
"You're Captain Kyōraku? This is the testing hall? Oh… so I really was drunk earlier."
Kuroha rubbed his head in genuine confusion.
"You're Captain Kurotsuchi? You really do look as creepy as the rumors say. But… with that stance right now, I'm starting to wonder—were you just trying to sneak-attack me while I was drunk?"
He scanned the room. With the alcohol fog gone and memories gradually returning, Kuroha slowly pieced together what had happened.
But as the instigator of the entire mess, he fully embraced the ultimate rule: thick skin makes you invincible.
His light, breezy deflection—even with Shunsui's famously good temper—finally made the captain snap.
Shunsui reached for his Zanpakutō, ready to follow Mayuri's example and give the kid a thorough beating.
"Heh heh… you little brat. Managing to piss off Captain Kyōraku like this is a talent in itself," Mayuri said, reaching out to block Shunsui with a creepy laugh.
"But let me remind you—this Zanpakutō isn't like those of ordinary cats and dogs. I've personally modified it with neurotoxins.
You touched it bare-handed. Feel carefully—do you notice your hand going numb? That tingling, prickling sensation will soon spread through your entire body. Eventually you'll collapse here paralyzed. Trust me—it's far worse than being drunk."
As captain of the Twelfth Division and director of the Technology Development Bureau, Mayuri loved tinkering with himself and his Zanpakutō.
In the entire Gotei 13, no one was harder to predict than Mayuri Kurotsuchi.
"You mean… this thing that goes limp on contact? I thought you were joking earlier. So you really were trying to cut me."
Kuroha raised an eyebrow and immediately released his grip.
The blade he had been holding—Ashisogi Jizō—bent like soft taffy.
The bizarre sight left everyone in the hall stunned once more.
Shunsui couldn't help but speak up: "Kuroha, don't get cocky. That's probably just Captain Kurotsuchi's Zanpakutō ability. I advise you—if you don't want to die—check your body right now. See if anything feels wrong."
As he spoke, Shunsui glanced at Mayuri.
Seeing Mayuri's own bewildered expression, Shunsui's heart sank further.
Could it really be that Ashisogi Jizō went limp… because of Shiba Kuroha?
Especially since Kuroha didn't look poisoned at all.
The more Shunsui thought about it, the more uneasy he felt.
This kid was hiding far more secrets than anyone realized.
At that moment, Mayuri was equally dumbfounded. After mentally calling Ashisogi Jizō several times, he finally noticed the bent blade slowly straightening.
But the slow recovery process—in this setting—gave off a very… suggestive impression.
A few blushing female examinees clearly let their minds wander.
"Captain Kurotsuchi's tastes are kinda weird… is he bent too?"
A sudden whisper popped up.
Mayuri nearly faceplanted.
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