Yan Si headed toward the Eighth Division.
The Shinigami who had been following Hirako earlier looked little different from someone who had been utterly broken.
If he went to the Fifth Division now, Aizen probably wouldn't be at the barracks.
If he wanted to muddy the waters, he had to give things a push from several directions at once.
The Eighth Division's barracks were different from those of the other divisions.
The outer walls were painted dark gray, and the windows were high and narrow. It was almost impossible to see inside from outside.
The training ground, however, was spacious, paved with neatly cut bluestone slabs without a single weed growing between them.
Several division members were practicing Flash Step at the edge of the grounds. Their footsteps landed softly, with almost no echo.
The whole place was excessively tidy. Rather than an intelligence division, it looked like somewhere that placed great importance on ceremony.
The division member guiding him stopped at the entrance to the training ground and bowed. "Please wait here."
He turned and left, his footsteps soon disappearing into the depths of the corridor.
Yan Si stood in the middle of the grounds and scanned his surroundings. High walls, level ground, and the tightly shut windows of the distant barracks.
The wind swept overhead without stirring up any dust.
Before long, footsteps approached from the side.
Yadomaru Lisa walked over carrying a stack of books.
The stack was tall. The top book lay cover-down, exposing gilded patterns along the edges of its pages.
She stopped in front of Yan Si and held out the books with both hands.
Yan Si glanced down.
Hardcover editions. The dark covers were made of some kind of leather, and the titles were embossed on the spines, their subtle relief visible in