It started raining.
At the edge of the woods, Yan Si and the other three stood in the shadows of the interwoven branches, silently watching the figures retreat through the distant curtain of rain.
Lisa held her notebook, her fingers tightening unconsciously until the edges of the pages crumpled slightly.
"Lieutenant Kaien..." she murmured, her voice heavy with surprise.
"He actually learned Bankai, and... he's so strong."
She had witnessed every detail of the battle.
That Hollow, Aaroniero's enormous body, the countless souls mixed within it, his sickeningly thick Reiatsu, and Shiba Kaien's final strike that pierced the sky.
She turned to look at Yan Si beside her.
Rain slipped through the shadows of the trees and landed on his shoulders, but he didn't seem to notice.
"Why did Lieutenant Kaien hide the fact that he knew Bankai? If he'd used it earlier, maybe his squad members wouldn't have..."
"Not everyone wants to be a captain," Yan Si interrupted softly.
His gaze remained on Shiba Kaien in the distance, his voice clear amid the rain. "Kaien isn't even particularly interested in being a lieutenant. He just thinks someone has to do those things."
Lisa opened her mouth, but ultimately said nothing.
She lowered her head and quickly wrote a few lines in her notebook.
"That Hollow's been dealt with." Yan Si turned around. "Let's continue our patrol."
Without explaining further or lingering, he headed off in another direction through the woods.
Gin and Rangiku immediately followed. Lisa hesitated, then put away her notebook and hurried after them.
Rain filtered through the branches, striking their shoulders and hair.
Yan Si walked at the front, his pace unhurried but steady.
That Hollow had called himself Aaroniero Arruruerie.
If he remembered correctly, he was supposed to become one of the Espada.
His ability