"Why... why didn't that witch this time..."
Just as Natsuki Subaru clutched at the clothes over his chest.
His young face was filled with stunned confusion.
Imu's indifferent voice reached his ears.
As though he were merely stating some trivial matter.
"Do not panic."
"It is merely the power of a little girl's curse."
"Naturally, it cannot penetrate the barriers of the universe and space-time to take effect within the Star Council I created."
"Here, you may speak freely without any reservations."
"Whew—"
"So that's how it is. That's great..." Natsuki Subaru immediately felt as if a great burden had been lifted.
"Finally, there's somewhere I can say it."
At that moment, he felt fortunate that the Star Council had appeared and grateful toward Imu, the Lord of Stars.
At the same time, Imu's lofty attitude—his utter disregard for beings as terrifying as witches—
Once again left Natsuki Subaru stunned by how unfathomable he was. He cautiously asked:
"Y-you know about witches?"
"Envy, Greed, Pride, Gluttony, Wrath, Lust, Sloth..."
"They are merely seven little girls with distinct traits, each wielding a different authority."
"And your 'Return by Death' comes from Satella, the Witch of Envy. She is considered the finest among the seven witches, but unfortunately..."
Imu stopped there.
Just as Natsuki Subaru was reeling from the revelation that there was more than one witch.
Aizen spoke again.
His tone remained as gentle and composed as ever.
"A witch... In other words, your 'Return by Death' is a 'contract' or 'curse' based on certain rules and affecting the essence of the soul."
"Subaru, you may not know exactly how this ability works."
"But after experiencing it multiple times, have you identified its trigger conditions?"
"To what extent are your memories retained?"
"And with each 'return,' does the world follow the