Seireitei, Fifth Division.
On the veranda, a bespectacled man in a coat took a small sip of hot tea.
"Goodness, Captain Aizen. One of the Espada you were so proud of has died, hasn't he?"
A voice brimming with delight rang out. With it, a figure appeared out of thin air and came to stand beside the bespectacled man.
He was a tall, slender young man with short, pale-purple hair and an odd smile. He watched the bespectacled man through narrowed eyes and said with a grin, "The tool you worked so hard to create was killed just like that. I wonder if Captain Aizen feels a pang of loss?"
"You said it yourself. It was a tool."
Aizen smiled faintly and replied in a gentle voice, "A tool exists to be used. The effort that went into creating it and its worth are not the same thing. To me, a tool's greatest value lies not in how it is used or consumed, but in the process of creating it."
"My, my... That appraisal is chilling, to say the least."
The young man teased him with exaggerated dismay. "So what now? How do you intend to deal with the person who consumed your tool? From the memories that were sent back, it seems your tool didn't reveal your identity before it was consumed."
"More than the tool that was consumed, I'm curious about how he made his way to Hueco Mundo."
Aizen picked up the teapot, filled both cups, and said softly, "In everyone's eyes, he was training with the Shiba Clan. Until I received Aaroniero's synchronized memories, even I hadn't noticed that he'd left Soul Society. In fact, no one realized he was in Hueco Mundo until Aaroniero died."
The only way to reach Hueco Mundo was through a