Hearing that warm voice, gentle as a spring breeze, Konan blankly lifted her little head and looked up at the tall figure who had appeared silently before her.
When she saw that familiar, gentle face, the dejected look in her eyes suddenly gave way to a bright, sparkling light. She exclaimed in delight,
"Big Brother Aizen!"
Seeing the excitement on her little face, Sosuke smiled faintly and gently ruffled her soft, pale blue hair again. In a warm voice, he asked,
"What's wrong, Konan? Are you tired from training?"
At Sosuke's words, the happy expression on Konan's face suddenly turned dejected. She lowered her head shyly and murmured,
"N-no, it's because..."
She murmured, but in the end, she still couldn't bring herself to say it. With her head bowed, she fidgeted with her hands like a child who had done something wrong.
Sosuke took it all in, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly as he said softly,
"I saw it, you know. You got hurt during training earlier, Konan. Is that what's wrong?"
As he spoke, he bent down and gently placed his hand on Konan's injured knee. He released only a tiny fraction of the vast chakra within him. A faint green light flashed, and her injury healed.
Konan's little face reddened slightly. Though she was surprised by Sosuke's healing technique, she gently shook her head.
She bit her lower lip and hesitated for a long while before finally whispering,
"Big Brother Aizen... Konan is so useless..."
"Even... even though Konan tries so hard, she still can't compare to Big Brother Yahiko and Nagato. I can't... I can't help you, Big Brother Aizen."
She spoke with her little head lowered, her timid voice full of self-reproach.
Hearing her words, Sosuke smiled faintly and gently ruffled her hair. In