"I told you the first time you came to the Fifth Division barracks… recklessness is the privilege of genius. As your teacher, I won't stop you, but will support you to continue forward."
"No matter if it violates the spiritual laws, as long as you believe you are walking on the right path, you should not be bound by anything."
"I can guarantee that you will not be wanted by the Soul Society."
"Is Teacher going to take the blame for us?"
Shimiya Takeru asked suspiciously.
"In the worst-case scenario, that possibility isn't excluded, but don't underestimate your teacher's abilities."
"Revising the duty system, raising basic salaries, streamlining many procedures, completing many reforms beneficial to the Shinigami… hailed as the 'Dragon of Paperwork' of the Fifth Divsion, how could someone who accomplished these things be a conventional person?"
"Besides…"
Aizen said lightly.
"I still have two extremely excellent disciples like you, so it's not difficult to come up with a solution that benefits both sides."
"From my understanding of Ichimaru Gin, his goals are definitely not limited to this; there must be more unspeakable conspiracies and schemes."
"I will spend the coming time searching for Ichimaru Gin's criminal evidence. As long as the evidence is conclusive, your names can be cleared, and you might even receive commendations for your contributions. Even if no evidence is found during this period, it will definitely be exposed on the day of the execution. At that time, I will in turn use this point to achieve my goal."
"However, someone needs to help, for example… Hinamori?"
As soon as he said this, an unusual sound came from outside the door.
Shimiya Takeru and Ichigo exchanged glances, and the latter helplessly went to pull open the door.
Hinamori Momo stood there, flustered, and awkwardly raised her hand to greet them.
"Ah… G-Good evening, everyone."
"Miss Hinamori, why are you here?"
"Uh… I was preparing items for tomorrow's work, and a Shinigami told me there was a Hell Butterfly message and that you two were called, so I thought it was urgent and came over, not even having time to change my clothes."
Indeed, the Lieutenant was still wearing her Shinigami uniform from when she returned.
"What should we do, Teacher? Should we kill her to silence her?"
Shimiya Takeru said abruptly.
"?!"
"Hey! Don't say such terrifying things! Miss Hinamori, he's just joking, he just likes to tell dark jokes, don't worry… but if you choose to report us, then I'll have to do something too."
"Si Gong student, Kurosaki-kun, please rest assured, Hinamori will not betray us."
Aizen's words, full of trust, deeply moved Hinamori Momo.
"That's right! I won't betray you! I heard everything you said earlier. If you don't mind, let me also lend a hand to Miss Kuchiki!"
"But then again, while killing you to silence you is a joke, Hinamori, as I said, someone needs to help. If you are willing to assist, that would be great. As for the specific details… I apologize, but could you please write a will and then die once?"
"Eh?"
"?"
"…"
Unlike the dumbfounded Hinamori Momo and Ichigo, Shimiya Takeru looked up at the ceiling with an expression that seemed to say, "Ah, so it really came to this."
Almost the very next day.
News from the Soul Society reached the Human World.
Inside Urahara Shop—
Swish!
A blade cut through the air.
The orange-haired Shinigami girl held a large sword, pointing it at the man kneeling on both knees before her, bowing his head, and holding his hat to his chest in apology.
"Urahara, I understand the situation. Now I just want to ask you… why did you put the Hōgyoku into Miss Kuchiki's body?"
"Even if you say someone deliberately framed you, someone is brewing a huge conspiracy in the Soul Society, someone wants to seize the Hōgyoku under the guise of executing Miss Kuchiki and destroying the Hōgyoku… I can accept all of that."
"But this one thing I cannot accept… Miss Kuchiki trusted you so much, even introducing me to buy things from you, saying to come to you if I was unsure about anything… but you… caused Miss Kuchiki, who trusted you so much, to suffer such a terrible fate… I…!"
"I apologize."
Urahara Kisuke bowed his head deeply, as if he couldn't bear to see her tearful and angry expression.
"What I want to hear is not an apology, but a reason! Why, why did you do this! Why did you tell me all of this, do you want me to take revenge on you on behalf of Miss Kuchiki?!"
Orihime bit her lip, trying her best to avoid losing control of her emotions, but the cost was that her entire body trembled slightly, and she couldn't hold her sword steady.
In this state, she certainly couldn't cleanly behead him to vent her hatred while he was bowing in apology.
She… indeed couldn't do such a thing.
He should be well aware of this.
"How despicable… Urahara!"
"Hmm… I think so too, so it's fine to insult me as much as you want, as long as you can calm down and listen to what I have to say next, I'll even take a slash if you give it to me."
Urahara Kisuke said in a low, unwavering voice.
"That's exactly what I mean about you… too despicable!"
Orihime seemed to have been drained of her strength, and her large sword dropped weakly.
Yoruichi, who had been silent, walked over and helped her sit down.
Tsukabishi Tessai timely brought a cold drink, which helped to calm down the agitated person.
Urahara Kisuke put on his hat, got up, and faced Orihime, who was sitting at the low table, saying with a solemn expression:
"Miss Inoue, you just asked me why I implanted the Hōgyoku into Miss Kuchiki's body… I know that if I don't answer this question, you won't believe anything I say afterwards."
"That's right."
Orihime glared at Urahara Kisuke.
"Regarding this question, everyone actually has a misunderstanding… that is, the Hōgyoku inside Miss Kuchiki was implanted by me after she came to the Human World."
Urahara Kisuke also sat cross-legged and sighed.
"That's not the case."
"Because I was worried that those who framed me would come after me to take the Hōgyoku, I had to admit that their strength was unfathomable, and I didn't have the confidence to protect the Hōgyoku."
"So, on the day I was expelled from the Soul Society, I specifically took some time to visit Rukongai."
"I wanted to find a suitable person to hide the Hōgyoku deep within their soul."
"To avoid being discovered, I even deliberately went to a more remote and chaotic area."
"There, I accidentally encountered a very young girl who was incredibly resilient, had a strong will to live, and an astonishing tenacity."
"She possessed spiritual power and had the potential to become a Shinigami."
"But this was not a good thing for her. Having spiritual power meant a need for food, but resources were scarce in that place, and she couldn't survive on her own."
"I couldn't bear to see her desperate and die on the streets, so I found the local Shinigami, coerced and enticed them, and after paying a large sum of money, they agreed to look after her food and daily life during their tenure. At the same time, I implanted the Hōgyoku into her body."
"This way, she could both survive and help me safeguard the Hōgyoku."
"I know this was a bit impulsive and spontaneous, but at that time, I no longer had the capacity to construct a more perfect plan, so I could only take it one step at a time. Besides, wasn't such a casual action less likely to be scrutinized?"
"…"
Orihime was greatly shocked to hear this secret past.
"That girl… was Miss Kuchiki?"
"Yes."
"So, you saved Miss Kuchiki when she was a child, and then had her guard the Hōgyoku for you without her knowledge?"
"Yes."
"Then why didn't you take out the Hōgyoku when she came to the Human World?"
"I originally intended to do so, but unfortunately, she became very weak after sacrificing half of her Shinigami power to save you, and urgently needed a Gigai… So, I thought it would be a good opportunity to let her stay in the Human World and become an ordinary person."
Facing Orihime's questioning, Urahara Kisuke calmly replied.
There was even a hint of ruthlessness in his words.
"This way, no one would be able to discover the Hōgyoku, which is much better than having it wander around in the Soul Society, right under the nose of the mastermind."
"This is also a way to ensure she is never targeted by the mastermind and lives a stable life, albeit as a human…"
"Didn't Urahara ever think the Soul Society would come for Miss Kuchiki?"
Orihime felt she had found a flaw.
"Of course I considered it, but I thought Miss Kuchiki was just an ordinary Shinigami, not highly regarded in the Kuchiki Clan, so once Miss Kuchiki completely lost her spiritual power, I would find a way to persuade her to give up her Shinigami status, give up returning to the Soul Society, and then cooperate with my plan to deceive the Soul Society's subsequent investigation… I have a lot of experience in this ~"
Click, Urahara Kisuke opened his fan, his tone initially light, but he couldn't help but sigh at the end.
"But I didn't expect so many changes to happen later. I originally thought Miss Kuchiki being taken back to the Soul Society would only result in her being judged as an ordinary Shinigami, not to the point of death, but the mastermind still targeted her."
"Which part was exposed… this question no longer needs to be delved into. Right now, I am telling you all of this, Miss Inoue, because there is still an opportunity for remedy."
"Could it be that…"
Light returned to Orihime's eyes.
"Yes, we cannot let her die unjustly like this, but I know your current strength is not enough, so before the execution, I will find a way to specially train you, help you become stronger, and then everyone will go to the Soul Society to rescue Miss Kuchiki."
"…Eh? Everyone?"
"Yes ~"
Urahara Kisuke closed his fan, the upper half of his face hidden under the brim of his hat, shrouded in shadow, but his eyes glowed frighteningly.
"Both I and Miss Yoruichi will accompany you. After all, facing injustice, it's not just Miss Kuchiki, but also Miss Yoruichi and I."
"What about Urahara Shop?"
"Don't worry, Tessai will stay to look after the shop ~ I still want to continue doing business in the Human World ~ I have no intention of going and not returning, nor do I have any thought of dying… Rather, Miss Inoue, now that you know all this, what are your thoughts?"
"…I'll go back and pack my clothes right away, Urahara. Wait for me to come back for special training!"
Watching Orihime leave impatiently, without the slightest hint of fear.
Urahara Kisuke pulled down the brim of his hat and murmured:
"What a kind girl…"
"Do you feel okay deceiving such a kind girl?"
Yoruichi sneered.
"How did I deceive her? Miss Yoruichi, please don't slander me."
"Heh, I never heard that past story you just told. Although I did go out for a while when I was making Gigai for Hirako's group, that time wasn't enough for you to make a trip to Rukongai, especially to such a distant place. Do you think you can use forbidden space-transfer techniques?"
"Why would Miss Yoruichi think I can't?"
"?"
Urahara Kisuke's soft counter-question made Yoruichi freeze.
"Well, in any case, those things are no longer important. The urgent task is to use this opportunity to find evidence of Aizen's crimes. Although Ichimaru Gin is being reported this time, it must be at his instigation… Just sitting here won't allow me to contend with him, so this time… let me enter the game myself."
"Kisuke… you've changed."
"It's not what Miss Yoruichi says ~ I'm just finding the method with the highest win rate among the countermeasures I've prepared. However, whether we can win is still uncertain; we can only do our best. I believe luck won't always be on Aizen's side. We also have an ace up our sleeve."
"An ace, you say? Then let me see what kind of ability the person you're willing to stake your life on has."
Yoruichi smiled, and a trace of reminiscence appeared in her eyes.
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