Aizen lay on the ground, staring up at the ceiling, lost in thought.
The pain in his arm reminded him that what had just happened was very real.
That guy, Kaelith Yurei, had actually mastered Captain-Commander Yamamoto's combat technique.
Aizen had spent countless attempts before he'd discovered how to use this move by sheer chance. But Kaelith had managed it with ease, achieving the same result effortlessly…
For the first time in his life, Aizen started to doubt something.
Could it be that he wasn't as gifted as he thought?
While he was reflecting on life, Kaelith approached him, fussing over him as he helped Aizen to his feet.
"Oh, Sōsuke, are you alright? Look at the mess this made! I thought you had a solid defense, so I didn't expect a single punch to send you flying!"
Aizen: "..."
If only Kaelith's face showed a bit less of a grin while saying this, Aizen might have pretended to believe him.
"Kaelith, that punch... did you just learn it?"
Aizen couldn't help but ask.
Kaelith nodded, saying, "I swear on the Captain-Commander's arm, I just learned it."
Aizen pressed his lips together.
Though the oath was unusual, he knew Kaelith wouldn't lie about such things.
These past few days, Kaelith had helped him in so many ways that Aizen felt he ought to find a way to repay him.
Originally, he thought he could research some useful techniques to improve his own strength and then pass them on to Kaelith. But now, it seemed Kaelith's comprehension was just as sharp as his own. Techniques that took Aizen a long time to master, Kaelith could probably figure out on his own.
After some thought, Aizen decided that the best way to repay Kaelith might be through his current research.
He made up his mind to speed up the experiments he'd been working on, including a few difficult ones he had initially postponed.
Noticing Aizen's distraction, Kaelith patted him on the shoulder.
"Sōsuke, are you really alright?"
"...I'll live."
Aizen echoed Kaelith's earlier words in response.
Kaelith grinned, then urged, "Check yourself over again, just in case there's any internal injury."
Despite thinking it unnecessary, Aizen did as Kaelith asked, circulating his Spirit Pressure throughout his body to make sure.
"Don't worry," he replied after a moment, "I've checked. There's nothing wrong."
Only then did Kaelith nod in satisfaction.
Watching Kaelith's expression, Aizen frowned slightly.
It felt like... this guy was plotting something again.
He'd need to be on guard around him for the next little while.
---
After leaving the dojo, Kaelith found Kinoshita.
Kinoshita wasn't surprised to see Kaelith and led him to sit down in the teacher's quarters.
Once settled, Kinoshita began, "A branch of the lower-ranking nobility affiliated with the Kuchiki family was attacked today."
He continued, "Their main duty is to ensure Sōjun Kuchiki's safety at the academy."
"Since these people were targeted, it means someone's set their sights on Sōjun... For his protection, the Kuchiki family has sent people to take him away."
"Kaelith, you should be cautious too."
"Most of the students here know about your close relationship with the Kuchiki family, so those targeting the Kuchikis might turn their attention to you."
Kaelith furrowed his brow at these words.
A few seconds later, he snapped his fingers. "I have an idea."
"Huh?" Kinoshita was taken aback, not even sure what Kaelith was plotting.
With a smirk, Kaelith said, "Starting tomorrow, I'll spread a rumor that Sōjun Kuchiki is being protected by the homeroom teacher." "That way, no one will come after me!" (t/n smart)
Kinoshita: "???"
If he could beat Kaelith, he'd have broken this rascal's leg right there!
Leaving the teachers' quarters, Kaelith closed one eye and activated the tracking Kidō he had placed on Aizen.
Back at the dojo, when he had rushed over to help Aizen, he'd discreetly cast this Kidō on him.
Later, when he'd asked Aizen to check his body, it was to test whether he could detect the Kidō.
Fortunately, Yoruichi's expertise had been reliable. Even with a Kidō directly applied, Aizen hadn't noticed.
Admiring this feat, Kaelith made a mental note to regularly check himself for any hidden tricks others might have placed on him.
In his view, Aizen's signal appeared as a small dot, stationary in the student dorms.
Returning to check, he confirmed that it was indeed Aizen, sound asleep in bed—no Kidō doubles or anything of the sort.
The next day, it was the same.
By the third day, Kaelith was starting to feel a bit anxious about his daily tracking.
With Aizen's constantly evolving abilities and sharp instincts, would he really not notice being tagged with a tracking Kidō every day?
Luckily, that night, Aizen finally made a move.
Around one in the morning, Aizen slipped out of bed, looking like he was off to use the restroom.
After ensuring his roommates were asleep, he donned a simple linen cloak and left the dorm.
It was a full fifteen minutes after Aizen had departed that Kaelith got up.
He retrieved a black cloak from under his mattress and threw it on.
This cloak, borrowed from Yoruichi, was a piece of Tenchi armor that concealed most of his Spirit Pressure.
With Yoruichi's methods for hiding presence and the techniques learned from Aizen to suppress his Spirit Pressure, Kaelith was nearly undetectable.
Scaling the dorm walls, Kaelith focused, and a map appeared in his vision.
A small light marked Aizen's position, moving toward the outer regions of Rukongai.
Kaelith felt like a detective on a mission—if only he had a solar-powered skateboard.(t/n anyone cought that reference?)
He followed Aizen's trail all the way to a small hill on the outskirts of South Rukongai.
From a distance, he could sense the powerful clash of Spirit Pressures.
Kaelith's eyes widened in surprise.
Shinigami were fighting nearby... and there were a lot of them!
Keeping his presence hidden, he approached cautiously.
On the hill, dozens of Shinigami had split into two factions, locked in fierce combat.
The leaders of both groups had the strength of senior seated officers.
Kaelith quickly deduced that this was a battle between Gotei 13 Shinigami and rebel forces.
And then, he spotted Aizen.
Dressed in linen, Aizen stood quietly in the shadows of a large tree, watching the skirmish unfold.
When the fight descended into chaos, he stepped forward, suddenly appearing on the battlefield.
With a swift swing of his blade, he struck down a rebel before they even had time to react.
Watching this, Kaelith couldn't help but raise a brow.
Aizen sneaking out night after night... was he really doing it to help the Gotei 13 fight off rebels?
That was... unexpectedly heroic.
---