Before Anyone Knew It, Aizen Had Become Aizen

Soul Society was still the same Soul Society. Nothing had changed.

Aizen's warning came true. After confirming that Jun was mostly unharmed, Central 46 summoned him for a talk. The central question was how Jun had learned space Kidō.

So Jun gave the answer he had prepared long ago. Then Isuzu was punished, transferred out of the Twelfth Division and into the Thirteenth Division.

That was only because Jun was a hero of Soul Society. Otherwise, Isuzu would likely have been imprisoned for her offense, perhaps even thrown into the Second Division's secret prison, the Maggot's Nest.

Jun felt powerless, but he couldn't voice any objection. He even had to openly accept Central 46's punishment, because those were the rules of Soul Society.

Soul Society did not permit ordinary people to learn space Kidō. Every member of the Twelfth Division was responsible for preventing space Kidō from leaking out. If it did leak out, both the Twelfth Division member and the person who had learned it would be imprisoned, or even executed.

The same applied to Hundred Arts Kidō, and even Kaido. Take note! Only members of the Fourth Division were allowed to know Kaido; it wasn't permitted to be taught to outsiders either. Breaking that rule wasn't quite as serious, though. They could simply throw the offender into the Fourth Division.

So the title of hero of Soul Society really did come in handy. Isuzu had merely been sent to the Thirteenth Division, and Jun himself had only received a stern warning. If either of them passed space Kidō on again, they would be severely punished without exception.

"Sorry..."

"It's all right, Jun. This isn't your fault."

After the two returned home, the atmosphere was somewhat chilly. Not because Isuzu was upset, of course, but because Jun was now radiating a terrifying aura from the inside out.

Jun was trying to control it, but he was struggling. Isuzu held him in her arms and comforted him softly.

"Jun, it's all right. Don't be angry. Actually, I wasn't all that happy working in the Twelfth Division. After all these years, I've realized I don't have much talent for research."

"Really?"

"Mm, really. Things were better when Captain Hikifune was around, but now Captain Urahara has taken over, and the name's changed to the Research and Development Institute. It's really hard."

It was only after Kisuke Urahara joined the Twelfth Division that it became the first-generation Research and Development Institute. By Mayuri Kurotsuchi's time, it was the second generation. During Kirio Hikifune's tenure, the Twelfth Division was called the Soul Reaper Research and Development Institute. Comparing the names, they were really worlds apart. But there was something here that Jun, caught up in his anger, failed to notice.

"You really weren't happy?"

"Really, truly!"

"That still doesn't make it the same. The Twelfth Division was safe! You didn't have to worry about expeditions there, but now..."

Isuzu covered Jun's mouth with her hand, cutting him off. "All right, it's already happened. If it comes to it, when I go on an expedition, I'll just secretly open a Rending Space Realm and come back."

"You said it! You have to do it."

"Mm, I said it. When the time comes, we'll plan it out. The moment I run into even the slightest danger, I'll run back, and you'll come meet me."

"Okay."

Once Jun set his mind on something, nothing could change it. Could Isuzu really dispel the resentment in his heart? Of course not. They both knew it.

And did Isuzu herself harbor no resentment? No such luck. Fortunately, she had gone to the Thirteenth Division. Its captain, Jūshirō Ukitake, was also Jun's big brother, a family connection through Kyōraku. So Isuzu was very well looked after in the Thirteenth Division.

Jun rested for a few more days. Then, once he felt he wouldn't self-destruct for some inexplicable reason, he chose to return to work in the Tenth Division. Really! This time, Soul Society had genuinely made Jun angry!

Central 46, just you bastards wait! Jun swore to himself that if he got the chance someday, he would slaughter Central 46 himself, without waiting for Aizen to do it.

After returning to the Tenth Division, Jun didn't have much to do. It was the same old routine: patrol, teach within the division, patrol some more, teach some more, and go out for a drink when he had nothing else to do. A Soul Reaper's life was just that monotonous and dull.

Time passed, and a new year came around. In mid-March, Aizen accepted the Fifth Division's teaching assignment and went to Shin'ō Academy to serve as an instructor for three months.

"Remember to check how that kid's doing for me!"

"I remember. Tatara, right?"

"Right, Kōga Tatara!"

"All right. Wait for me to come out."

Jun watched Aizen enter the academy, then secretly laughed to himself. He had finally found a little amusement.

After entering Shin'ō Academy, Aizen first went to see his fellow instructors, then asked about the schedule for the open classes and set his own for five days later.

Aizen then collected the key to his dorm room and went there first. After getting settled, he went to the academic affairs office for a copy of the student records and found Kōga's detailed file.

"From the 52nd District? The most chaotic one, too. He enrolled with Spiritual Power, and his aptitude is excellent! This kid's interesting."

"Purple-black hair, an arrogant, ill-fated appearance. The little fellow didn't get a very good assessment. People from the 52nd District don't know their manners, so he must have offended an instructor. I'll go look for him. Jun said their group of four likes to practice in a corner of the training ground."

It was around ten in the morning. Generally speaking, students who were training would all be at the training grounds by now. It was also normal for an instructor to inspect the grounds, so Aizen first headed to the Hakuda training ground.

Aizen made a circuit of the grounds, offering some students pointers on their Hakuda techniques and correcting the sloppy ways some of them applied their strength. Then he came to the Zanjutsu Training Ground. As soon as he entered, he scanned the four corners and spotted his target.

A one-against-three practice match was rare enough. One person chasing three around and beating them was rarer still. Aizen naturally walked over and began observing the four as they fought.

Leaving the lone fighter aside for the moment, the trio showed a certain degree of coordination, and their advances and retreats were reasonably well ordered. But they were a little too rigid. That made it easy for the lone fighter to find openings and maneuver them into unnecessary cooperation, then exploit their desire to regain their rhythm to create new openings.

But Aizen knew better than anyone that the method itself was far from as simple as it sounded.

"A keen nose for openings and perfect control of the rhythm. Not just his own, but his enemies' too."

Then there was Kōga, the lone fighter. Faced with attacks from all three, he had complete control of the battle. Whenever he faced one or two of them, he suppressed them perfectly, and he never allowed himself to be surrounded by all three.

There was also the way he trained the trio. He was so at ease that he could teach while fighting three against one. In fact, throughout the fight, one person had been keeping three on the defensive, while also drawing out their fighting ability and helping them become more accustomed to working together.

"A responsible little fellow? What is that sense of responsibility based on? Affection? Arrogance? Duty?"

"No! I can't take too much interest in this kid! He's Jun's target. Come to think of it, I should also look for something I want to do, and a goal of my own."

Aizen pondered these things while continuing to watch the four fight. Kōga didn't much like having someone watch him, so he exerted himself and ended the fight, then asked:

"Instructor! Do you have any advice for us?"

Hehe, what a bad temper, Aizen thought, smiling gently. "No. Today is my first day on the job, and I came out to take a look around. I happened to see your interesting fight, so I watched a little longer. Sorry, did I interrupt your practice?"

That gentleness gave Kōga an overwhelming sense of déjà vu. The young fellow took two steps back and stammered:

"I-it's fine. You didn't interrupt."

Interesting. What an awkward personality, Aizen thought. His expression grew even gentler as he went over and patted Kōga on the shoulder. "Your skills are truly excellent! You're also very caring, willing to help your companions improve. I'm Sōsuke Aizen. Just call me Instructor Aizen. If you have any questions, come find me. I'm usually in the Tea Room or my office."

"Oh... uh, thanks."

"Mm, do come by."

With that, Aizen left. Daijin Hibiki, the eldest of the three youngsters, said excitedly, "Hey, don't you think Instructor Aizen is a lot like Instructor Shimizu?"

"Yeah, yeah! I think so too!" Shimokawa Tōichirō, the youngest, was particularly fond of Jun, and that feeling instantly made him take a great liking to Aizen as well.

"Are they really that alike?" Kōga frowned and looked at Matsutoshi Jūrō, the only one who hadn't spoken up, but he received a nod in response.

Kōga himself didn't see it that way, though. He always felt that Instructor Aizen's smile was especially fake. Although Instructor Shimizu's smile was also somewhat fake, the two were fake in different ways. Behind Instructor Shimizu's false smile was a warm feeling; behind Instructor Aizen's was a chill.

Kōga knew the others didn't share that feeling, and he had no way to explain it to the three youngsters. Under Jun's guidance, Kōga had indeed begun communicating with them much more. But the more they communicated, the more Kōga realized that some fundamental things couldn't be communicated. Those fundamental things didn't have much bearing on everyday life, though, so it wasn't a major problem.

Still, since the three youngsters liked Aizen, there was no harm in asking him for guidance. Over the past half year or more, Kōga had discovered more problems that communication alone couldn't answer. Not everyone was a researcher, so all he could do was ask an instructor.

And so three months passed in a flash. Kōga had an excellent learning experience, and the three youngsters even more so. Aizen also managed to while away many hours of boredom. Everyone was happy.

"How was it?"

"How was what?"

"Kōga! Kōga! That kid! How was he?"

Aizen thought for a moment, rubbing his chin. "Mm, just as you said, he has excellent talent and a very strong ability to learn. All his attributes are excellent too. He's a prospect very, very much worth nurturing."

"Haha, I knew it. He really is well suited to being trained."

"But his personality is a major problem, and he isn't steady enough."

"That is a problem, but he needs time to mature."

"Some things are unlikely to change unless he goes through something major."

"You're right." Jun clinked his cup against Aizen's, because Jun himself had changed his mind about something. He had originally thought Central 46 wasn't all that wicked, but now things were different.

Aizen didn't drink. Instead, he looked at Jun. "Is he part of your plan?"

"Hm? What do you mean?" Jun was baffled by the question.

"Are you playing dumb, or are you really dumb? If he isn't a cog in your plans, why are you training him?"

Jun realized how different he and Aizen were. Without anyone noticing, Aizen had already embarked on his path. The Aizen who regarded everything as a chess piece had appeared. But when had it happened? Why hadn't Jun noticed? He coughed to conceal his thoughts.

"Haha, you saw right through me."

"I helped you train your chess piece. When I find one of my own, you have to help me too."

"No problem, no problem. I'll definitely train the strongest one for you."

"Hmph. It's a deal."

"It's a deal."

Jun held a moment of silence in his heart for the future Gin Ichimaru. You're dead, kid! It's not my fault!