"What do you think of Captain Ailin?"
At Momo's question, Izuuru Kira's body stiffened for a moment.
"Momo, you know that when I first joined the Gotei 13, I entered the Fourth Division."
"I may know even less about Captain Ailin than you do."
For some reason, Izuuru Kira concealed from Momo the matter of Captain Ailin seeking him out that night.
Izuuru Kira did not know what position Captain Ailin held in Captain Aizen's defection to Hueco Mundo.
Judging from Captain Ailin's previous actions, there was no doubt that he stood on Seireitei's side.
Before this, Izuuru Kira had believed the same.
But after being taught by Captain Ailin that night, Izuuru Kira realized that he had perhaps never understood Captain Aizen's defection at all.
No one doubted Captain Aizen's strength once his Zanpakuto's ability had been exposed.
But was there truly no one in Seireitei who could stop him?
Whether it was Captain-Commander Yamamoto or Captain Ailin, if they had wanted to, defeating—or even killing—Captain Aizen would not have been impossible.
Then why had they both allowed Captain Aizen to leave Seireitei?
And Captain Gin...
Captain Gin was Captain Ailin's disciple.
Was he following Captain Aizen because of Captain Ailin's orders, or did he have some other plan?
Lord Ailin had told him that day that, barring any surprises, Captain Gin would return to Seireitei in half a year.
What made Captain Ailin so certain?
The maneuvering of these great figures turned Izuuru Kira into a curious child.
Yet no matter how hard he tried, he could not make sense of what lay behind these events.
Izuuru Kira knew it was because he was not yet strong enough to learn Seireitei's true secrets.
Captain-Commander Yamamoto, Captain Ailin, and Captain Aizen must all have known things he did not,