'To Aizen Sōsuke,
It has been a while, Teacher. Now that autumn is giving way to winter, I hope you are keeping warm and taking care of your health.
Since arriving at the Second Division, half a month has already passed.
Just as you said, Captain Yoruichi is a very approachable person. Under her guidance, I've learned many useful techniques…
Given time, I believe these skills will prove invaluable.
Thank you, Teacher, for showing me this path.
Though it may annoy Captain Yoruichi to hear this, I've already mastered most of what I can learn here.
I wouldn't mind staying longer, but Captain Yoruichi has been persistently inviting me to formally join the Second Division. If I remain much longer, she might resort to more direct methods to keep me.
The situation is… complicated, to say the least.
Therefore, Teacher…
Please guide me once more. Where should my next destination be?
Yours sincerely,
Seiya Arima.'
Aizen Sōsuke sat in his office chair, the letter in hand, his lips curling into a faint smile.
He seemed quite pleased.
His fingers gently traced the edges of the paper, as if savoring each word written upon it.
After a moment of thought, Aizen leaned back, his gaze still lingering on the letter, while his right hand reached toward the nearby bookshelf.
The letter wasn't long — only a few seconds were needed to read it in its entirety.
But to Aizen, it seemed worth reading several times over.
With a relaxed expression, he retrieved a sheet of letter paper and a writing brush.
However, just as he dipped the brush into ink and prepared to write, the office door burst open without warning.
Hirako Shinji strode in, rubbing his head with an irritated expression.
"Ah, there you are, Aizen… Here, take care of this report for me, would you? I've got other things to— Wait, what are you doing?"
Aizen let out a nearly inaudible sigh as he calmly tidied up the scattered items on his desk. His voice was steady as always.
"As you can see, Captain, I'm writing a letter."
Shinji raised an eyebrow. "Why do you sound… annoyed? Did someone upset you?"
"It's a bit rude to assume someone's mood based on conjecture," Aizen replied with a faint smile. "Also, next time, please remember to knock before entering."
"Yeah, yeah. Sorry about that. Anyway, I'll leave this with you."
Shinji placed a stack of documents on Aizen's desk, but his gaze lingered on the letter nearby. His sharp eyes quickly caught the name at the bottom of the page.
"Hey… isn't that from Seiya Arima? That kid's got a lot of nerve, sending you letters like this."
Shinji chuckled, his tone light and teasing.
"You were only his teacher for, what, a month? Yet the two of you act like old friends."
Aizen's serene expression didn't waver. Over the years, he'd perfected the art of masking his true emotions.
But even he couldn't deny that something about Shinji's comment irritated him.
"As you said, Captain, Seiya Arima is just a student I taught briefly. It's not unusual for young souls to encounter difficulties and seek guidance."
Aizen adjusted his glasses, his gaze cool and composed.
"As his former instructor, it's my duty to help him find his way. Is there anything wrong with that?"
There was a brief pause before Aizen coughed softly, clearing his throat. When he looked up again, his familiar smile was back in place.
"Perhaps I've been a bit too enthusiastic. I'll make sure to temper my approach in the future."
Shinji's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Alright, alright… I get it. No need to be so serious. Just make sure that report reaches the Captain-Commander's desk on time. Oh, and one more thing."
As Shinji turned to leave, he paused and glanced back at Aizen.
"You're writing back to Seiya, right? If you do, tell him this:
"Don't draw too much attention to himself outside the academy. Kiganjō's fully recovered and is running his mouth again over in the Eleventh Division."
Aizen's brow twitched ever so slightly.
Shinji continued, his tone nonchalant but carrying a hint of warning.
"Kiganjō's still fuming about what happened. He's been saying he'll hunt that kid down and make him pay… peel off his skin, rip out his guts, all that charming stuff."
"Of course, Yamamoto already issued a formal warning, so Kiganjō won't do anything too outrageous."
"But… you never know. He might send some underlings to cause trouble, or try to ambush the kid himself."
"Just tell Seiya to be careful."
With that, Shinji turned and walked out, not bothering to wait for a response.
Aizen remained seated, his expression unchanged.
"Interesting…"
He chuckled softly, folding Seiya's letter and placing it neatly on his desk.
Thoughts swirled in Aizen's mind. Scenarios played out, each one leading to the same conclusion.
"It's still early… perhaps even premature. But if it's Seiya…"
Aizen dipped his brush in ink, his movements deliberate.
A day later, in the Second Division:
"Seiya, you've got mail!"
"Ah, thank you, Big Bro Maeda."
Fresh from sparring with Yūshirō, Seiya wiped the sweat from his brow and jogged over to the gate.
"I'm sorry to trouble you with these little errands."
"No trouble at all! Things have been slow in the Second lately, so I've got time to spare. Don't worry about it!"
Having grown familiar with the Second Division's members, Seiya took the letter and sat down to read it.
The moment he unfolded the paper and saw Aizen's elegant handwriting, his expression shifted.
Excitement turned to confusion.
Confusion turned to disbelief.
Finally, his face froze in shock.
"Uh… what?"
His eyes darted back to the letter.
"Teacher… are you serious?"
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I'm about over the time where I usually start my patreon for a fanfic but that's because I'm still unsure if people would be willing to pay for my usual $15 for 20 advanced chapters subscription. Let me know in the paragraph comment if you guys would like me to start now.