Aizen had been gone for quite a while, yet Yinsen still sat in the corridor, lost in thought.
So... he took me for a kindred spirit?
Aizen had stirred up so much trouble because, at heart, he wanted to cut down the Soul King. Naturally, someone with such a dream would hold no reverence for the Soul King.
Yinsen, meanwhile, had never cared about the Soul King in the first place. Of course, there had not been the slightest hint of respect in his words. It was precisely that attitude that made Aizen realize Yinsen might be someone he could recruit—just like Kaname Tōsen, who had joined him out of dissatisfaction with the Soul Reapers!
"This is getting interesting."
Yinsen gave a bitter smile. If Aizen came to recruit him, should he refuse cleanly and decisively? Or refuse cleanly and decisively while throwing in a few insults?
"What are you thinking about?"
There were not many people who could approach Yinsen without a sound, though there were still several such people in Seireitei. But someone who would sneak up beside him in the middle of the night just to scare him? There was only one in all of Soul Society.
"When did you get here?"
There was no cliché of recognizing someone by the fragrant breeze they brought with them. She was the Legion Commander of the Onmitsukidō, after all, and her work involved stealth and assassination. If she carried such an obvious scent, what kind of stealth would that be?
"I've been here for a while, but you kept spacing out. Aren't you usually pretty alert?" Yoruichi glanced at the teacup beside Yinsen, then noticed the one still in his hand. It seemed he had just received a guest. "Oh? Who left you in this state?"
"A very formidable