"Did you find money on the ground?"
"Huh? No, why?"
"Then why do you have such a disgusting grin on your face?"
Sitting on the edge of the seat, Tōsen shifted even farther to the side, so much so that half his body was practically hanging in mid-air.
"Far more disgusting than usual."
Ugh… those words hurt.
Seiya Arima scratched the back of his head awkwardly, his expression somewhat embarrassed.
"Uh… really?"
Sipping red tea behind his desk, Aizen smiled faintly.
"It's a bit exaggerated, Seiya."
So.
"Did something good happen?"
Sitting in the Fifth Division Vice-Captain's office, Seiya gave a foolish, happy smile in response to his superior's question.
"Well, it's not a big deal or anything, but I finally made things official with Isane."
Now he'd have a soft, sweet-smelling girlfriend to hold!
Of course, considering Isane's duties and residence in the Fourth Division, meeting up with her wouldn't always be easy.
But that didn't matter—there were always ways around difficulties!
Though he downplayed it, Seiya's infectious grin made it impossible to ignore his sheer joy—almost as if someone had brainwashed him into becoming a lovable idiot.
"…." x2
Not just Tōsen.
Even Aizen struggled to keep a composed expression.
"Ahem. Seiya, your personal matters aren't exactly the topic of discussion today."
Moments like these called for selective ignoring.
Aizen steered the conversation back to a serious tone.
"Tōsen, Seiya, the reason I called you here is to discuss a matter."
Hearing this, both of them straightened their postures slightly.
"First, I want you to identify promising Shinigami and gradually bring them into our fold."
At these words, Seiya immediately understood.
Aizen wanted to increase his manpower.
Tōsen, however, spoke up directly.
"Lord Aizen, is there a problem you can't handle?"
Such a question wasn't out of place.
From a subordinate's perspective, Aizen's request could easily be misinterpreted as dissatisfaction.
Like, "We're not enough, so he needs to find more capable people."
Aizen shook his head calmly and explained.
"Tōsen, you misunderstand. I have no complaints about your work; in fact, I'm quite satisfied with your progress."
"But to achieve our goals, we must make adequate preparations. Manpower is an unavoidable necessity. We can't handle everything personally."
"So, begin reaching out to individuals with potential. You don't need to bring them directly to me; just earn their trust."
This statement made Seiya recall certain storylines from the original timeline.
Figures like Renji Abarai, Momo Hinamori, and Izuru Kira—they were all Seiya's peers during graduation.
Later, during their training to fight Hollows, Aizen's experimental half-completed creatures wiped out most of their classmates.
Only those few survived.
"So this recruitment approach was already in place long ago? And it was only after the methods were perfected that more significant steps were taken…"
Shinigami exams and training often resulted in casualties, but not to the exaggerated extent orchestrated by Aizen.
Aizen was truly a firm believer in survival of the fittest.
Taking this into account, Seiya nodded in understanding and responded accordingly.
"I understand. I'll keep an eye out for such individuals."
Tōsen, still somewhat puzzled, gave his own response as well.
"Understood."
Seeing both of them agree, Aizen's smile deepened.
"Excellent. Let's move on to the second topic for today."
Setting his teacup aside, Aizen adjusted his posture, intertwining his fingers as he spoke.
"Seiya, you're close to reaching Third-Class Reiatsu levels, aren't you?"
"…?!!"
Tōsen's reaction was even more dramatic than Seiya's.
He whipped his head around as though attempting to "see" Seiya in shock.
As for Seiya himself, he scratched his head awkwardly, offering a quiet reply.
"Lord Aizen, how did you figure that out?"
Aizen placed both hands on the desk, the light reflecting off his glasses adding an almost theatrical tension to his expression.
"I didn't. I simply took a wild guess."
"But judging by your reactions, it seems my hunch was correct."
"You've indeed touched that threshold, haven't you?"
Ugh, this habit of his was so exasperating.
At the same time, Aizen made sure to clarify.
"Don't misunderstand; my guess stems from my expectations of you, Seiya."
Adjusting his glasses slightly, Aizen's smile grew even more pronounced.
"After all, in my vision, you were always meant to reach this level."
True geniuses are always exceptional.
As for Tōsen…
"While you're still at Fifth-Class Reiatsu, there's no harm in exposing yourself to advanced concepts early. It's something you'll need to understand eventually."
Aizen stood up slowly, walking around his desk to stand in front of the two of them.
"With some time left before the new term begins, why don't the two of you join me for some special training?"
He paused briefly, allowing them to digest the offer.
Then, with a faint smile, he added:
"While I can't guarantee significant improvement in your strength…"
"This could still serve as valuable experience from someone who's been down that road."
Even if it's just for reference, it should prove helpful.
Faced with such an invitation, how could either of them refuse?
Seiya was already beaming with anticipation.
Training personally with Aizen—what an honor!
However, a lingering question that had long puzzled Seiya bubbled to the surface.
Though it was a bit personal, the atmosphere felt right, and there were no outsiders present.
So he mustered the courage to ask:
"Lord Aizen, may I ask you something?"
Aizen turned his smiling gaze toward him.
"What is it, Seiya?"
"What's your Bankai like?"
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Powerstones?
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