Some Things Had to Be Done

"But! Look—look at them!"

Shunsui Kyoraku's pointing finger was even trembling slightly.

On the battlefield, Aizen and Ross clashed head-on with Fake Jūshirō once again.

Their blades never stopped, and the ringing of their collisions filled the air.

Yet both men remained focused entirely on the fight, their expressions showing nothing unusual.

It was far too natural.

As though they really were fighting a traitor who had turned evil.

This wasn't merely unreasonable. It was absurd!

With minds as meticulous as Aizen's and Ross's, how could they possibly miss such a fundamental discrepancy?

And if those two were the masterminds...

With their intelligence, there was even less chance that they hadn't considered how Shunsui Kyoraku, watching from the sidelines, could see through this logical flaw.

If they had considered it, why leave such a glaring opening?

"So... was it deliberate?"

The color drained slowly from Shunsui Kyoraku's face, leaving it deathly pale and ashen.

There had been no oversight, no mistake.

This was blatant mockery, without even the pretense of making their lies hold together.

"There's no need to guess anymore, Jushiro. We can be certain now."

Shunsui Kyoraku's voice carried unprecedented despair, as though all his strength had been drained away.

"Both of them."

"They're both enemies of Soul Society!"

"And they don't even care that they've exposed themselves in front of us. It's as though they're telling us, 'So what if you figured it out? What can you do about it?'"

Knowing the truth was far more suffocating than being kept in the dark.

Shunsui Kyoraku felt cold all over.

One was a universally acknowledged good man, gentle and refined, a role model to every young Shinigami.

The other was the Acting Captain-General who had turned the tide in a crisis, commanding the respect and affection of all