Aizen's voice remained as magnetic as ever, like a spring breeze brushing across one's face, carrying a hint of drowsiness and laziness that made people instinctively feel fond of him.
Asano Kiyoshi looked at Aizen before him. His body tensed instinctively, then his muscles relaxed again. He stood and said to Aizen,
"Captain Aizen, I'm truly sorry. There was simply too much work here. I had originally planned to come find you as soon as I finished."
Hearing Asano Kiyoshi's words, Aizen merely smiled before speaking gently.
"It's all right, Kiyoshi. Please allow me to call you that. The Kidō Corps had many flaws under Yoshida Tomoya's administration, so your workload must have been immense. And at a time like this, I still came to trouble you. The one who should feel guilty ought to be me."
As he spoke, Aizen even bowed slightly, his eyes filled with utterly sincere guilt and apology.
If Asano Kiyoshi had not known Aizen's true face, that gesture alone might have raised his favorability toward Aizen once more.
Unfortunately, Asano Kiyoshi understood Aizen better than anyone. In fact, at this point in time, he understood Aizen even better than Aizen understood himself. There was no way he could be deceived by such methods.
However, in order to appear like a normal person, Asano Kiyoshi did his best to show Aizen an expression of closeness and goodwill.
"No, no, Captain Aizen, you give me too much credit. As the Soul Society's Chief Kido Master, I am naturally your junior. It is only right that I assist you in completing your mission. How could there be any question of whether you are troubling me? Of course you may call me that, so long as you do not find my name awkward to pronounce."
Seeing the warmth