"Don't thank me yet. There's something else I need to tell you."
Aoto sounded cheerful, but what he said caught Shiba Kaien completely off guard.
"You can forget about going back to the Soul Society. You'll have to stay in the World of the Living from now on!"
"Huh?" That was all Kaien could manage.
"What do you mean, 'huh'?" Aoto glared at him. "This is the price you have to pay for surviving. Can't you feel the Hollow power still inside you? If you go back to the Soul Society now, you're as good as dead!"
Kaien sensed his body and realized that a considerable amount of Hollow power remained within him.
What's more, it was completely fused with his soul. The only way to get rid of it would be to chop his soul to pieces.
And if his soul were chopped to pieces, would he still be alive?
Once he understood that, Kaien could only hang his head in dejection.
"I've already told Captain Ukitake about your situation. He'll help confirm that you died in the line of duty!" Aoto drew his Zanpakuto. "You'd better start thinking about what you'll do in the World of the Living!"
"But what about you, Aoto?" Kaien wasn't thinking about himself just then. "Won't that make you the one who killed me?"
"Oh, so you do know!" Aoto teased him. "Then why'd you run into Rukia's sword? Do you think that little girl could shoulder the responsibility for killing you?"
Kaien scratched his head, unable to reply.
"Don't worry about me. I can handle it!" Aoto continued. "In a dozen years or so, I'll tell Kūkaku that you're still alive. Until then, if she wants to beat me up, I'll just let her! Maybe having you around will give her the push she needs to rediscover her neglected potential in Kidō."
At the mention of Kūkaku, Kaien finally remembered what he'd be giving up if he left the Soul Society... It was too much. Everything he had was there.
But even if he had the chance to choose again, he would still have gone out to fight for Miyako.
Otherwise, he might as well have died.
But even though he'd avenged her, Miyako wasn't coming back.
Seeing Kaien lower his head in despair, Aoto tried to cheer him up. "I'll make you a Gigai now. You can spend the time after that thinking about what you want to do in the World of the Living!"
"No need, no need. I've got a Gigai right here!" Urahara Kisuke pushed in a little cart, looking every bit like a street vendor. "I've already prepared everything Mr. Shiba will need to live in the World of the Living. I guarantee it'll meet all his needs!"
Aoto looked at the cartful of stuff and frowned. "I don't have the money to buy all that!"
"No need, no need." Urahara Kisuke's little fan fluttered rapidly. "It's all included in the treatment fee Mr. Hyakume paid earlier."
Aoto had paid far too much, and Urahara Kisuke's grin was far too obvious. Even Yoruichi couldn't stand it, so Urahara Kisuke had thrown in these freebies to avoid getting clawed by her again.
Thank goodness for Big Sis Yoruichi!
Even after accepting Urahara Kisuke's supplies, though, Aoto started making a Gigai of his own.
And not just any Gigai—he made a Reiatsu-blocking Gigai, the kind only Urahara Kisuke could make.
For Kaien, a Gigai was essential.
He'd be safe enough in Urahara Kisuke's shop, where a barrier kept his Reiatsu from leaking out. But once he left, that wouldn't be the case.
An ordinary Gigai could be seen by regular humans, but it was still made of Reishi. So even if a Soul Reaper wore one, the Soul Society could still track them.
Only Urahara Kisuke's Reiatsu-blocking Gigai could keep Kaien out of the Soul Society's reach.
As for why Aoto knew how to make one... Obviously, he'd met Hiyori and the others so many times, and the thing wasn't complicated. If he still couldn't learn it, he'd have disgraced his former service in the Twelfth Division.
Still, seeing Aoto make something he'd picked up by spying right in front of the original inventor... Urahara Kisuke suddenly felt that Aoto's skin was just as thick as his own.
"It's not that I don't trust you," Aoto said, glancing at Urahara Kisuke. "It's just that you have too many tricks, and I can't figure them all out. The Gigai is the most important thing for Kaien, so I can't leave it in someone else's hands. I hope you understand."
Aoto had put it so reasonably that Urahara Kisuke had nothing to say.
After all, even Yoruichi knew that Aoto and Urahara Kisuke didn't get along. It was only natural that he'd do this.
But Urahara Kisuke had known for a while that Aoto could make Reiatsu-blocking Gigai.
Last time, Aoto had gone to see Hiyori and the others wearing one. Urahara Kisuke had seen it with his own eyes.
Before long, Kaien's Gigai was finished.
The only problem was that it wasn't wearing any clothes, and Kaien immediately lunged at Aoto.
Kaien knew Yoruichi, so naturally he was embarrassed.
Yoruichi, on the other hand, wasn't embarrassed in the slightest. She flashed a grin and said in a lecherous old man's voice, "Nice build!"
Kaien's face turned bright red. He came to his senses and glared viciously at Aoto.
Aoto ignored him. "Kaien, check it over yourself. It's the body you'll be using from now on, so we can still adjust the size."
Kaien sneaked a glance and declared solemnly, "It's too small! Double it!"
"What are you, an elephant? Double it?" Aoto replied just as solemnly. "Let's be realistic. If we doubled it, it'd reach your throat!"
"Cough, cough, cough..." Kaien felt like Aoto was about to make his internal injuries flare up.
After a few final adjustments, they lengthened it by half to meet Kaien's standards.
Once he had his clothes on, Kaien climbed inside.
"As expected of Mr. Hyakume. You've got quite a touch!" Urahara Kisuke praised him. "I wonder if you'd take commissions from my shop?"
Aoto ignored him... Did he think Aoto was going to work for him?
They'd left in a hurry this time, and Aoto hadn't brought along the Gigai he'd made earlier, so he made one for himself on the spot.
But when Kaien tried to watch, he noticed that Aoto was making a Gigai with clothes on.
Aoto could obviously make one with clothes, yet he'd made Kaien's without any.
He'd done it on purpose after all.
So the two of them started fighting.
"Oh my, you're so close! Just like classmates should be!" Urahara Kisuke laughed.
Yoruichi nodded. But she couldn't relate to their feelings.
After all, she'd been born the future head of the Shihoin Clan, so she'd never attended Shino Academy.
The same went for Byakuya Kuchiki.
As for Shiba Kaien, the fact that he'd attended could only mean that the Shiba Clan was different from the other noble families.
Even among the lesser noble families, members being groomed to become heads of their families almost never attended Shino Academy.
Whether other members of the family attended Shino Academy was up to each noble family.