Hesitation

"Alright."

Byakuya Kuchiki nodded lightly, said no more, and stepped into the lounge reeking of blood.

The moment he entered, the thick stench of blood hit him head-on.

Byakuya Kuchiki's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, but instead of approaching the corpse immediately, he first surveyed the room's layout.

The windows were tightly shut, the door lock was intact, and there were no signs of forced entry.

His gaze shifted several times between the corpse, the bed, and the doors and windows, a trace of confusion flashing through his eyes.

"Captain Ichigo, did you move the corpse?"

"No." Ichigo shook his head. "She was already there when I woke up. I only took a haori and covered her with it. I didn't dare touch anything else."

"Is that so?"

Byakuya pondered for a moment, then pointed at the room's layout and analyzed it calmly.

"Captain Ichigo, look. Your bed is positioned in the center of the room. In this barracks, all the windows and doors face the outer corridor. Yet the corpse was placed on the inner side of your bed, near the corner."

Kurosaki Ichigo froze for a moment and followed his finger.

That was indeed the case.

If someone had entered from outside, whether through the door or the window, they would have had to pass by his bed—or at least go around him—to place the corpse in that blind spot.

"With your current Spiritual Pressure perception, Captain Ichigo, which surpasses that of an ordinary Captain, even if the other party's Flash Step was flawless and their movements were nearly silent, the airflow from opening the door or even the disturbance of their breathing would have been enough to wake you from your sleep."

Byakuya Kuchiki turned around, stared directly into Ichigo's eyes, and raised his first point of doubt.