Women, Women, Women

Women, Women, Women

The question was so abrupt that Arima Shizuya wore a distinctly troubled expression.

He had no idea what Aizen was thinking. So what did this mean? Was he testing whether I knew his true nature?

Then how was he supposed to answer?

As he hesitated, Arima Shizuya saw Aizen suddenly relax. He then reached out and lightly patted his shoulder.

"Hehe, it seems this question has put you in quite a difficult spot."

"Then think it over as much as you like. Let it trouble you... Shizuya-kun, don't trust people too easily. Even me."

"After all, no one knows what shape a person's true nature takes beneath their skin and flesh."

The sudden shift left Arima Shizuya stunned.

Holy shit, is this guy actually joking with me? That's rare...

It took him a while to barely process all that before he could not help saying,

"Teacher Aizen, have you run into some kind of trouble?"

The other man's expression stiffened for an instant.

"Why would Shizuya-kun think that?"

After pondering for a moment, Arima Shizuya tilted his head, looking thoroughly puzzled.

"It's just... I feel like the usual Teacher Aizen wouldn't say something like that to me."

People became sensitive and unusual when they struggled to adapt or encountered unexpected events.

That theory applied to anyone...

Thinking back to his conversation with Kisuke Urahara, it was not difficult for Arima Shizuya to make a guess.

The research into the Hōgyoku had probably made some progress, only to run into something like a bottleneck.

Even the Prison Master had things that troubled him. That was not hard to imagine.

It might have worked better if he offered some more straightforward comfort.

But he could not. Arima Shizuya was still out of the loop, so naturally, he could not act overly familiar.

Otherwise, how would he explain his behavior later? With those thoughts circling through his mind, Arima Shizuya raised his right hand and tried his best to imitate Aizen's usual tone.

"After all, if Teacher Aizen were acting normally, wouldn't he say something like, 'Trusting others too easily is indeed a bad habit, but on the other hand, people with that trait are often good at getting along with others'?"

Good and bad alike, reasonable and well-supported.

The usual Aizen was exactly that kind of multifaceted figure, equally capable of attack and defense, enough to give anyone a headache!

After hearing those words,

Aizen's gaze upon Arima Shizuya changed somewhat.

His lips moved for a moment. Then, after a pause of two breaths, he finally revealed a long-lost smile.

It was not his usual smile that never reached his eyes.

The corners of Aizen's mouth curled upward, and his body trembled as though he could barely restrain himself, letting out a light snort...

Then the laughter he could no longer contain came flooding out like water through an opened floodgate.

Aizen was laughing with rather little regard for his image.

"Ha, haha... Shizuya-kun, you really are interesting."

The party involved was covered in black lines.

No, what exactly are you laughing at? You're making it sound like I did something outrageous...

"Um, Teacher Aizen, what exactly was so funny?"

Taking the chance to adjust his glasses, Aizen's demeanor returned to its usual calm, unruffled state.

"Hehe, one must slowly explore questions for oneself in order to gain anything from them, Shizuya-kun."

Well, it looked like he really had returned to normal...

Still, being laughed at for no reason was pretty irritating! "Shizuya-kun, it's getting late... How about I treat you to dinner outside before we return to the Academy?"

...Hm?

Arima Shizuya perked up considerably.

I take that back. Long live the Prison Master! "Thank you, Teacher Aizen!"

"Heh, the only thing that can get you this energized is food."

"The stuff in the Twelfth Division isn't fit for human consumption, so I get hungry quickly."

"Shall I relay those words to Captain Urahara next time?"

"Ghk... Please, anything but that..."

The teacher and student traded jabs as they disappeared into the lingering glow of the sunset.

As mentioned before,

The Seireitei was enormous, and its layout also accounted for residential districts, Division Barracks, and other such areas...

Generally speaking, only the areas near the central district and around a very small number of divisions had relatively bustling commercial districts.

The establishment Aizen brought Arima Shizuya to looked quite old.

There was nothing remarkable about it from the outside, but the interior was unexpectedly lively.

Quite a few people wearing Shinigami Uniforms could be seen inside, drinking and boasting...

The smell of alcohol mingled with the scent of fried food, carrying the greasy odor of aged wood. It made Arima Shizuya frown.

It was a little too smoky.

At the same time, it was easy to see that the place seemed rather well regarded by Shinigami.

After all, quite a few Squad Members were coming and going within.

"Shizuya-kun may find it a little hard to adjust, perhaps? It's a very famous old establishment... The Captain-Commander himself used to frequent this place in his younger days."

Ah, that made it easier to understand.

It truly had an old-fashioned Japanese style. Even the tables, chairs, and benches looked thoroughly authentic.

He might not have liked it much, but what could he say when someone else was treating him?

Just dig in! Aizen ordered several things with practiced ease, then glanced at Arima Shizuya and asked,

"Do you drink, Shizuya-kun?"

"It's fine if I only have a little."

Understood.

Aizen smiled and nodded, then said to the kimono-clad server nearby,

"Please bring him a glass of grape juice."

Good grief, this guy doesn't even listen to people anymore, does he?

Too drained to complain, Arima Shizuya merely pursed his lips and pretended not to hear... About ten minutes later, a neatly dressed server approached them with a tray.

"Sorry to keep you waiting~ Here are the skewers and sashimi. Please enjoy."

The small, exquisite grilled dishes were all tender, with the various chicken cuts cooked without becoming dry.

The sashimi platter, piled atop crushed ice, was also quite interesting.

It had to be said, anything certified by Head Captain Yamamoto truly had substance... To replenish his energy, Arima Shizuya added several large bowls of beef rice.

While he ate with gusto, Aizen merely sampled a few skewers before setting down his chopsticks.

He calmly looked around the establishment, occasionally glancing over at Arima Shizuya.

That made the party involved feel a little embarrassed.

Setting down his third empty bowl, Arima Shizuya wiped his mouth and quietly said,

"Teacher Aizen, aren't you going to eat some?"

"It's fine. I wasn't very hungry to begin with."

"Is that so..."

He could tell the other man was being perfunctory, but this was not the time to press the matter. Arima Shizuya could only lower his head and keep eating.

Delicious! Eat more! During that time, Aizen stood and said he was going to the restroom. Arima Shizuya nodded in understanding and watched him disappear down the end of the corridor.

As he shoveled rice into his mouth, Arima Shizuya thought,

The Prison Master looked pretty stressed. Would telling him more jokes over the next few days help him relax a little?

Just then,

A commotion arose from the second floor.

It sounded as though some kind of dispute had broken out. Something crashed onto the floor with a sharp ring.

Someone was scolding, someone was cursing...

Mixed in was a woman's distinctive shrill scream, making everyone present look up.

The upper floor consisted of private rooms that could not be used without a reservation.

Had some conflict broken out?

Though he was a little curious, it was better to avoid unnecessary trouble right now.

He should hurry and keep eating...

Before the thought could settle, Arima Shizuya saw a dark figure tumble directly down from the second floor.

When he looked closely, his pupils constricted sharply.

That figure was not unfamiliar.

It was the server who had just brought them their food.

More than half of her kimono had been torn away, and her two long braids had come undone and sprawled across the floor, leaving her looking utterly disheveled.

Yet compared to that, the injury on her face was what drew the most attention.

The entire left side of her face was swollen.

It was the distinctive miserable sight caused when skin and flesh suffered a powerful blow, rupturing blood vessels and causing blood and tissue fluid to seep out.

In other words,

She had been viciously slapped across the face.

Seeing her collapse at his feet, Arima Shizuya could no longer stand by and watch.

He immediately rose and helped her up.

"Are you all right?"

"Wuu, wuuuuu... Save me, save me!"

Whether from the shock or because she was already dazed, she could not form a complete sentence.

And at that moment,

Several mocking voices came from the staircase nearby.

"Hey, hey, hey, why are you running?"

"It's your good fortune that our guys have taken a liking to you."

"It'd be a shame to ruin such a pretty face... Well, whatever. If we take you from behind, we won't have to look at your face anyway."

The crude words made everyone present frown.

At the same time, such brazen remarks made their identities clear.

They were the perpetrators.

How could they be so arrogant?

Arima Shizuya turned his head and saw several heavily drunk men coming down from upstairs.

Their appearances were unmemorable, and the spiritual pressure emanating from them carried no sense of oppression.

They were Shinigami too.

And the kind with official positions... Squad Members?

It could only be said that situations like this were not particularly rare.

The Gotei 13 had been blood-soaked a thousand years ago, and even now, it existed only to maintain stability. Naturally, it was not particularly concerned with something like justice.

Besides, the original story had also hinted at this.

During the arc where the Ryoka invaded, Orihime Inoue and Uryū Ishida had both disguised themselves as Shinigami and infiltrated the Seireitei.

Orihime had encountered harassment of this nature.

Only because she was the heroine, and because Uryū Ishida helped her, was she able to avoid such harm.

Putting himself in the shoes of an ordinary female Squad Member who had just joined and encountered harassment to this extent, what could she possibly do to protect herself?

It was a deeply heavy question, and dwelling on it would only bring a sense of helplessness.

Fortunately, Arima Shizuya had never held any illusions about such things, so he was able to remain calm.

But once everyone clearly saw the badges wrapped around those men's arms, most of their expressions changed dramatically.

"Eleventh Division..."

"Go, hurry up... If they set their sights on you, you're finished!"

"Eek! Don't ever get involved with those lunatics..."

Arima Shizuya froze.

...Huh?

Weren't the Eleventh Division all battle maniacs? Since when did they have these scum who thought with their lower halves?

Wouldn't Kenpachi teach them a lesson... No, wait.

Arima Shizuya suddenly realized.

A hundred years ago,

The captain of the Eleventh Division was probably not Kenpachi Zaraki.

Then who was the captain of that division now?

Just as the thought settled,

An extremely deep, lazy voice came from behind the group.

"What... So slow."

A pair of massive feet entered his view.

Behind them came a broad, intimidating body.

The swollen flesh stretched the Shinigami Uniform taut. After taking only a few steps, the thick sound of breathing had already filled the entire tavern.

"Women, women, women..."

"Just bring me a woman."

"You can't even handle something this simple? Huh? Useless trash!"

He raised his leg and kicked the grinning figure in front of him.

The man howled as he went flying, smashing through three sets of tables and chairs in succession before collapsing on the floor, drenched in blood and barely clinging to life...

Arima Shizuya stared blankly at the man, then turned around.

His eyes met those of the newcomer.