Another Day

Kotetsu Isane felt all the strength drain from her body at those words of congratulations, and she slumped straight to the floor. Tsukikage, with one person between her and him, was no better. He sat completely motionless, staring blankly at Hongjiang.

Hongjiang said nothing more to the two of them. He seized Azashiro Kozo by the hair and yanked him up in front of him. Without a word, he stared coldly at the other man's sweat-soaked, deathly pale face.

"N-no, it wasn't me." Kozo's eyes were wide as he stammered, "I didn't hold back just now. I really wanted to prove my innocence!"

"You didn't hold back, all right. But just a moment ago, you were sure of your innocence, and now you really want to prove it? I never said that fighting meant you were innocent!"

He'd been exposed! Azashiro Kozo's face changed dramatically. His right hand reached for the hilt at his chest—not to fight back, but to take his own life!

But Hongjiang was faster. He yanked the Zanpakuto out of Kozo's body. A pained howl burst from Kozo's throat and echoed through the hall.

"Quiet down. You're too loud!" Hongjiang first struck the howling Kozo with the hilt, knocking him out. Then he turned to Kotetsu Isane and shot her a look. When she didn't react, he raised his voice in exasperation. "Wake up! Stop the bleeding and treat him! If he dies, I'll hold you responsible!"

Poor Kotetsu Isane had been reduced to a mere tool. At Hongjiang's commands, her body obeyed instinctively, without her brain even getting involved. This young Soul Reaper, so much younger than her, was simply terrifying.

It wasn't just her, either. Even the heads of the Five Great Noble Families, who had seen their share of storms, felt a little uneasy looking at Hongjiang now.

Hongjiang's plan could be summed up in one sentence: the people most eager to prove their innocence were often the ones with something to hide. It sounded simple, but putting it into practice was no easy matter.

First, the list of suspects couldn't include hotheads like Kamisawa and Yamagata. Neither of them cared about their own lives. They might really choose death to prove their innocence. If they'd been involved, Hongjiang probably wouldn't even have needed to suggest it; they'd have been clamoring to die rather than live under suspicion.

Clearly, Azashiro Kozo and the others weren't like that. If they hesitated even to save someone, how much could they really care about honor?

Second, the accusers absolutely couldn't know what had happened over the past one hundred and forty-three years. On that point, Hongjiang had been lucky, too. He'd sealed the seven people's life forces, so their memories still stopped at one hundred and forty-three years ago.

Finally, he'd had Old Man Yama and the others play along, making the three who had awakened believe that only half a month had passed. They knew nothing about how Yamamoto had been completely sidelined, or how the most important positions in Seireitei had been extensively reshuffled.

As the one who'd framed them, Azashiro Kozo had misjudged how seriously everyone present took the matter.

By now, this could no longer be dismissed as a petty squabble or a clash of tempers. Either they caught the true mastermind, or they let no one go. These people weren't important enough to escape suspicion by taking their own lives!

Poor Kozo had no idea. Even as he congratulated himself on making the right bet, Yamamoto and the others were already looking at him like a dead man. His decisiveness was a strength, but it was also what had exposed him. Choosing death rather than living under suspicion simply wasn't his style.

"Everyone, I hope I didn't disappoint you!"

The six of them didn't respond to Hongjiang's boast. Hongjiang was baffled. What was this? Were they going to kill the donkey after it had finished grinding? Yamamoto couldn't take it anymore, so he deliberately coughed and pointed behind Hongjiang with the hand covering his mouth.

Hongjiang turned around and came face-to-face with Tsukikage's bewildered expression. Right, he'd gotten a little carried away. First, he'd knocked Tsukikage unconscious with a quick strike of the hilt, and then Kotetsu Isane, who'd finished treating the others, had met the same fate. With the place cleared, they could finally continue their conversation!

"You brat, you won't be shortchanged. Don't worry." Shinji-no-Miya teased Hongjiang, his voice turning ethereal again. "Now that this matter is settled, Daisuke and I will be leaving. Yamamoto, I'll leave what comes next to you."

"And this boy, too. It wouldn't hurt to listen to his opinion sometimes. But we'll need to discuss the Azashiro Clan's situation among ourselves. For now, keep them under control." After Tsunayashiro Daisuke finished speaking, he and Shinji-no-Miya departed together.

"That girl Yoruichi talks about you every day. If you don't bring her a present, she probably won't let you off easy. Hahaha!" Shihoin Dozo laughed heartily, then continued, "Let's go, too. We'll leave him to chatter with Yamamoto."

The remaining two didn't tease Hongjiang again. They nodded to Yamamoto, then disappeared from the room along with Dozo, leaving only Yamamoto and Hongjiang behind.

"You've worked hard all these years. You did well. You didn't let me down."

"Not bad!" Hongjiang said with a smug grin, scratching his head. "I only worked a tiny bit harder than you, teacher!"

"Not an ounce of shame!" Yamamoto said with a laugh. Hongjiang had been subtle, but Yamamoto could tell he was indirectly complaining. After all, Hongjiang believed the Five Great Noble Families trusted him and had always been on his side.

But that trust hadn't come without a reason. Kuchiki Ginrei had spent the past century or so "recovering" at the Yamamoto estate. So being sidelined was a fact, and being watched was a fact, too. Their trust in the end had simply followed naturally.

Yamamoto didn't intend to explain. Instead, he asked seriously, "The Sternritter Fortress. Are you confident you can breach it?"

"Just breaching it won't be difficult. But achieving your objective will be very hard!" Hongjiang shook his head and gave Yamamoto a full account of everything he knew.

Time passed minute by minute. Yamamoto listened, stroking his beard as though deep in thought. When Hongjiang finished, he stopped moving his hand. At some point, his brow had furrowed into a knot.

"I'd planned to deal with those traitors first, but now it looks like we'll have to act on both fronts at once." Yamamoto raised his head and looked at Hongjiang. "How many days do you need to make a plan for the Sternritter Fortress?"

"What are the conditions?"

"No more than six captains, excluding the captains of the Eleventh and Twelfth Divisions, and no more than one thousand squad members."

Hongjiang considered it briefly, then held up five fingers. "Five days. I need at least five days to put together a complete plan!"

"At dusk five days from now, return to Seireitei with them under Ao's identity. Go straight to the Kuchiki Clan. I'll be waiting there." As Yamamoto spoke, he took apart his cane and pulled out the black-sheathed Zanpakuto with the silver hilt inside, handing it to Hongjiang.

On the surface, Ao was one of Yamamoto's friends who lived in seclusion in Rukongai. In reality, he was another identity Yamamoto had prepared for Hongjiang. And the Zanpakuto Yamamoto had just taken out was, of course, Hongjiang's other Zanpakuto.

"I'm leaving first. Remember, don't release this blade unless you have no other choice!"

After giving that warning, Yamamoto turned to leave, but Hongjiang stopped him. It seemed there was something else he wanted to say.

"Um, teacher..." Hongjiang lowered his head and stammered, "You still need to settle my bill..."

"Your bill?"

Hongjiang glanced aside and pointed at the floor. Renting the whole place had to cost money, didn't it? Yamamoto could only laugh helplessly. He hadn't brought any money, so how was he supposed to pay?

"You're not a kid anymore. If you come to a place like this again, I'll break your legs!"

"No, teacher, believe me!" Hongjiang waved his hands and hurried to explain. "I didn't do anything. I just needed somewhere to hide!"

"Then find somewhere else to hide!"

Yamamoto left with Flash Step, leaving Hongjiang standing there at a loss. He'd rented the place with a Zanpakuto, but even if it belonged to someone else, he couldn't just leave it behind, could he?

Now Old Man Yama had run off, so Hongjiang had no choice but to do the same and skip the bill. He stuffed the seven people on the floor back into his pocket, then left Huaixiang Pavilion before dawn.

At first light, the people at Huaixiang Pavilion woke to find that the scar-faced man from the day before had vanished. The Zanpakuto the owner treasured above all else had disappeared with him.

They had no idea how many important figures had passed through this place. They also had no idea how many people's lives had once been decided here.

"Just past the hour of the Rabbit. A new day replaces the old moon. Another day!"