Bleach [19-21] (Patreon)

Chapter 19: Two Squads Converge

Yoshio not only gained Tanimoto's favorability, but also Satoru Fujita's and Kohei Tanaka's—though not up to 80, they were over 70.

This was indeed the best time to earn others' goodwill.

Before long, Ichimaru Gin returned, still with that slitted smile. "Unfortunately, I checked the surroundings, but found no trace of a Hollow."

Fujita spoke in disappointment. "If even Lieutenant Ichimaru couldn't find it, do we have to rely on Yoshio to passively defend?"

 "Not good!"

A Shinigami blurted out, "Kawai's corpse suddenly disappeared!"

 "What?!" Kohei Tanaka exclaimed. "The corpse vanished? Weren't you guarding it?!"

 Yoshio looked over and found Kawai's body was indeed gone, leaving only an empty shihakushō.

Seeing this, everyone was reminded of why they came here.

 "The souls are disappearing?!"

 "Could that Hollow be the culprit behind the vanishings?!"

Tanaka quickly looked to Ichimaru. "Lieutenant Ichimaru! Do we keep advancing, or report back to the Captain?"

Ichimaru's tone never seemed to change. He turned forward. "Fujita, take a squad back to the Seireitei to report what happened."

 "As for us, we need to push forward and notify the 9th Division."

 "Yes!" Fujita nodded and immediately led his team back toward the Seireitei.

 Yoshio watched them go and took a deep breath.

Would that team even survive?

 "Cancel the rest. We move immediately to the 9th Division's current position."

Ichimaru issued orders. Their squad mobilized at once. Yoshio, Tanimoto, and Tanaka exchanged looks, seeing the worry in each other's eyes.

In this situation…

Even if they rendezvous with the 9th Division, can they trust each other?

Yes, Yoshio could identify the parasitic Hollow—but what if something goes wrong?

What if the other side refuses to admit it?

Will the 9th Division believe the 5th's word?

This…

Seems like a test of trust.

 Yoshio felt a storm buffet his heart. He faintly guessed the nature of Aizen's little game.

Since he liked playing the good guy and making friends in the Seireitei, then Aizen would run a game to isolate him from everyone.

If Metastacia could keep parasitizing, sooner or later, more people would be killed by Yoshio's accusations.

Those people had friends. How would they see Yoshio?

Moreover, people are emotional creatures. Would they really execute someone just on Yoshio's word?

Perhaps under Game Master's influence, Yoshio noticed something he'd previously overlooked.

Why did Metastacia split so ostentatiously in front of everyone?

Was that an inevitable result of its power?

Probably not. In the original, its fusion truly merged with the host—death meant real death; it didn't crawl out. Otherwise Rukia wouldn't have carried that trauma for so many years.

So if later Yoshio identified another Shinigami parasitized by Metastacia, and after execution nothing crawled out…

How would people treat Yoshio then?

Tch, so that's how you want to play it?

 Yoshio glanced at Ichimaru Gin, whose slit-eyes seemed eternally unchanged.

He said nothing and kept to the formation.

The Shinigami sped along. After another three hours, Tanimoto halted.

 "The 9th Division is five kilometre ahead."

 Tanimoto was the best at reiraku tracking in their team—in other words, he had the strongest sensing ability.

His Zanpakutō's power was similar to Ichimaru Gin's, capable of long-range lethality, so sensing was crucial.

Hence his soul ability was the ultra-strong pinpoint shot, [Special Beam Cannon].

 Five kilometre is like spanning several Karakura Town blocks—no great distance to them.

But the continuous march left the Shinigami panting—though Yoshio was fine.

 [Game Master] was doing work.

The others were exhausted by now.

 "It's fine. Everyone can rest."

Ichimaru spoke from the front. "I'll notify the 9th Division."

He raised his hand and began chanting.

 "Silken net of black and white! Twenty-two bridges, sixty-six crowning sash; footprints, distant thunder, pointed peaks, revolving grounds, nightly prostrations, sea of clouds, the pale ranks of troops, complete the grand circle and surpass the heavens! Bakudō 77: Tenteikūra!"

Ichimaru cast Bakudō 77, a kidō used for long-distance communication.

They weren't using denreishinki because it hadn't been invented yet in this era.

Typically, Shinigami communicated via kidō or Jigokuchō. They hadn't brought any butterflies, and denreishinki didn't exist yet, so Tenteikūra it was.

Given it was the 9th Division, Yoshio also wanted to see if Hisagi was among them.

The result came quickly. The 9th received Ichimaru's Tenteikūra and soon arrived; among them was Hisagi Shūhei.

 Yoshio swept his eyes over the 9th and kept silent.

Two Shinigami in the 9th were already parasitized by Metastacia. Even before they reached him, he could see the red glow around them.

When they drew near, he could see the soul abilities on them.

Both were ["Parasitize,"] proving they were Metastacia.

But Yoshio didn't expose them—this was the keen instinct granted by [Game Master].

As he'd just reasoned, if he exposed them and killed them and nothing abnormal emerged from their bodies, he'd be the one put on the spot.

So he'd keep them under constant watch and strike only when they made a move.

He felt that with his current strength, dealing with them would be easy.

He glanced at Ichimaru Gin and found Gin watching him too, so he gave him a smile.

Ichimaru returned the smile, as if both had guessed what the other was thinking.

Chapter 20: Aizen Reveals Himself

After the two squads regrouped, they exchanged intel.

Ichimaru Gin reported the Hollows they encountered on the way and the incident of Kawai being parasitized, while the Ninth Division recounted their own experience.

"When we were investigating in Kagarashi, two Shinigami also disappeared. But by the time we arrived at the scene, only their shihakushō were left. I didn't expect it to be the work of a Hollow."

The Ninth Division's lieutenant said with a frown.

At this point in time, the Ninth Division's lieutenant wasn't Hisagi yet. After all, both Hisagi and Yoshio had only graduated a few years ago.

With so little time, it was only enough for Hisagi to become a seated officer.

The Ninth Division lieutenant's soul ability is ["Draw-and-Slash,"] which fires off a powerful iai strike. Though it's an offensive ability, there's no way to acquire it in the short term.

He wasn't familiar with this Ninth Division lieutenant at all.

While Ichimaru Gin was speaking with him, Shuhei also spotted Yoshio. He walked over and said, "Yoshio, I didn't expect you to be part of this mission too."

 "Shuhei, stick close to me later."

 "Hm? What do you mean?" Shuhei was taken aback.

 Yoshio then explained how Kawai had been parasitized earlier.

Then added, "My Zanpakutō's ability lets me see who's been parasitized, so you have to trust me. Best if you stay by my side."

After hearing Yoshio out, Shuhei said in shock, "Are you serious? That Hollow's ability is to parasitize a Shinigami's soul? What a vile power!"

 "Of course it's true."

 Yoshio looked over at Tanimoto Toru and Tanaka Kohei.

The two of them nodded. Tanimoto said, "Yoshio-kun is not wrong. I witnessed it with my own eyes. There's no mistake."

Shuhei grew anxious at once. "No, I have to go inform the others!"

 Yoshio nodded. "It's best to keep as many people together as possible. Don't act alone."

Shuhei grunted in agreement, but then suddenly said, "Actually, it doesn't seem that scary now. We've already figured out the truth of the incident and can report back to the Seireitei."

 "That's what we were thinking too," Tanimoto said. "We came just to inform you. Plus, with more people… it feels safer."

 "So you're thinking the same." Ichimaru Gin walked over at this point. "In that case, let's head back together."

 Yoshio and the others nodded, and then…

Yoshio watched as the group dispersed on their own.

No, strictly speaking, openly they were still walking along with him, but in Yoshio's mind, a radar-like screen appeared.

On that screen, the light dots representing these people drifted away from one another.

When only two light dots remained, Yoshio sighed.

 "Captain Aizen, can you stop playing such nasty little games?"

"Tanimoto Toru" halted, and upon hearing Yoshio, a smile appeared.

 "So you did…"

He turned around, looking at Yoshio with interest. "How amusing."

 Yoshio glanced at the blatant ["Apotheosis"] soul ability above this Tanimoto Toru and said helplessly, "If I hadn't called it out, where were you planning to take me?"

Tanimoto drew his Zanpakutō. In an instant, the world around them seemed to shatter like a mirror, revealing its true form.

Before his eyes, "Tanimoto Toru" instantly became Aizen Sōsuke!

Aizen, wearing glasses, didn't seem flustered despite his Kyōka Suigetsu being seen through—only curious.

 "Kyōka Suigetsu's hypnosis is all but perfect. Even if you know you're under it, you can't resist. So I'm very curious—how did you discover me?"

 "Well…" Yoshio stopped before Aizen, raised a finger to his lips, and whispered,

 "That's a secret."

 "...Heh." Aizen smiled. The lenses caught the light, and he said, "As I thought… you're no ordinary Shinigami."

 "You asked where I intended to take you? You'll know soon."

Aizen turned again, then pulled his hand through space as if sliding a door, tearing open a vast darkness.

 "Come."

With that, he stepped inside.

 Yoshio watched his vanishing back and could only sigh and follow.

In a flash, the world around them changed.

Where they had been was wasteland, but at least there were trees and traces of life.

Now, he stood in a white desert—a boundless world of pallid reishi sand under a waning moon straining to emit feeble light.

Merely breathing this world's air filled one with a sense of nothingness, of decay—a world steeped in despair that stirred an involuntary pity within.

A pity for the life that dwelled here.

"Hueco Mundo…"

 Yoshio muttered, "Captain Aizen isn't planning to feed me to some Hollow, is he?"

 "How could I?" Aizen stood before Yoshio.

 "You're my loyal subordinate. That would be far too cruel."

Cruel?

You've done plenty of things far crueler.

 Yoshio didn't believe a single punctuation mark of Aizen's words, so he changed the subject outright.

 "If I'd chosen to expose the identities of those two parasitized Shinigami, what would you have done?"

 "Then you wouldn't be seeing me." Aizen's tone was flat.

This game should have left Yoshio isolated and helpless—but he did nothing.

I'd rather do nothing than make a mistake.

"What about the others?" Yoshio asked evenly.

 "I'm afraid… their fates wouldn't be pleasant."

 "Including the reinforcements the Seireitei will send later—they'll all die in the Rukongai." Aizen turned then, his indifferent eyes on Yoshio.

 Yoshio sighed again; he knew Aizen would say that.

 "Then may I ask Captain Aizen to show mercy? At least spare Tanaka and Hisagi."

 "Reason?"

 "No reason," Yoshio said, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. "It's simply my amusement."

Aizen gave him a thoughtful look. "I thought you'd choose Tanimoto-kun."

By relationships, Yoshio was clearly closer to Tanimoto Toru.

But Yoshio only said blandly, "To me, Tanimoto-kun has already become a boring person."

 "Captain Aizen, would you still pay much attention to someone you already find boring?"

Chapter 21: Yoshio-kun, You Know Too Much

People aren't plants—how could they be without feeling?

Though Yoshio was actively farming others' goodwill, time together inevitably accumulates real feelings.

He certainly had some goodwill toward Tanimoto Toru. While not as high as the 80 favor he had toward himself, by his system's measure it should be around 60.

However, when facing Aizen, he had to take this stance!

This stemmed from his understanding of Aizen, and from his gamer instinct choosing the optimal target.

He had to maintain a detached attitude toward others—only then was there a chance someone would live.

If he begged Aizen to spare everyone, Aizen might kill them all instead!

So he'd rather feign indifference toward Tanimoto Toru's life or death, using that indifference to save the other two instead, with reasons no deeper than "my amusement" and "no interest."

It was a punchable answer—but just Aizen's flavor.

Sure enough, after hearing Yoshio's response, Aizen said nothing more.

He walked Hueco Mundo with Yoshio. In such a world, even the sense of time faded.

The scenery was monotonous. They walked for a long time, yet it also felt like standing still.

As they walked, Yoshio knew he couldn't keep wandering aimlessly. This was Aizen's test. If he failed, his end might not be pretty.

Even if he didn't die, Aizen could pin the blame for this incident entirely on him.

If he passed, he could join Aizen's little circle!

He had already seen Aizen's favor toward him change.

It had been zero—like a god's indifference to a man—but now it was rising, and by no small margin: from zero to ten!

Still low, but a big breakthrough compared to zero.

He needed to strike while the iron was hot.

"Captain Aizen, this may sound impertinent, but personally I feel… if you want to subdue the king of Hueco Mundo, you alone are enough."

 Yoshio mimicked Ichimaru Gin, narrowing his eyes with a smile. "If possible, let me return to the Seireitei. I won't say a word."

Aizen didn't stop, still walking ahead. "What else do you know?"

 "Plenty…"

 Yoshio replied nonchalantly, "For example, that you want the Hōgyoku."

 "Or perhaps, that you're dissatisfied with the Soul King's rule?"

Aizen's step briefly slowed, then he chuckled softly.

 "Yoshio-kun,"

Aizen said coolly, "you know too much."

"Knowing or not… doesn't matter." Yoshio turned his head slightly, not looking at Aizen, but at the endless sea of reishi sand.

He even crouched, scooping a handful of white sand.

It flowed quickly through his palm, and soon only a single grain remained.

 "Like these reishi sands, I only care about what interests me. Even if other grains look the same, to me they're entirely different."

 "What I'm about to say may sound harsh, but… your plan, Captain Aizen, is in my 'not interested' category—no different from 'defending the Seireitei' or 'loyalty to the Soul King.'"

 "So I won't sabotage your plan. In that case, what difference does it make whether I know or don't?"

Yoshio carefully stored that single grain, then stared vacantly ahead.

 "You want to use this purge to clear the path for Lieutenant Ichimaru's promotion, don't you?"

 "And the students about to graduate from the Shin'ō Academy—without such a purge, it would be hard for them to rise quickly within the ossified Gotei 13."

 "Let me guess—the captain you want to lure out is the Third Division's captain, right?"

Aizen turned to look at Yoshio again. This time, the amused expression was gone; his face was expressionless.

 Yoshio's guesses matched his plan perfectly.

He truly was interested in Yoshio.

From the night Yoshio began tutoring Renji, he had taken notice of this small Shinigami in his own squad.

A mere ordinary trooper, yet he was surprisingly adept in tutoring Renji, Kira, and Hinamori. Aizen admitted that even if he taught the trio himself, their progress would be about the same.

So Aizen sent Metastacia to test Yoshio—and that test confirmed Yoshio Kamado's abnormality.

Metastacia was a failed product of his experiments, but still possessed great power. Even a Lieutenant would struggle.

Its ability was designed to counter Shinigami!

Yet when faced with Metastacia's assault, Yoshio merely fired a Kido-like blast and killed it!

Such composure and ease made Aizen focus on Yoshio completely.

He promoted Yoshio to a seated officer, leading to his appearance today.

Of course, even without Yoshio, Aizen had planned an incident to cripple the Gotei 13.

Otherwise, the people he valued couldn't obtain higher positions.

For example, Ichimaru Gin—he had stayed under Aizen for too long; it was time for him to move to another squad as a captain.

And Hinamori and the others—after graduating, they would join his Fifth Division, so there had to be room for their promotions.

Because of Yoshio's existence, Aizen made slight adjustments to his long-laid plan.

As Yoshio suspected, if he failed to notice Metastacia, he didn't deserve Aizen's continued attention—and would die.

If he did notice the parasitism, there were two paths:

One was "concern for comrades," exposing Metastacia and then being set up, step by step falling into isolation and doubt.

The other was "indifference," in which case…

Aizen would appear!

PS: I believe in equivalent exchange. If I see that this book receives more power stones, I will release more chapters.. xD