Hidden Secret

Facing Liu Chuan's question, Amagai Shūsuke's hand holding the Bakuyō Blade trembled almost imperceptibly.

He lowered his head to look at this wicked blade, both the "key" to his vengeance and the "poison" corroding his life. Extremely complicated, turbulent emotions churned in his eyes—

Pain, struggle, hatred, resolve, and a nearly instinctive defense triggered by the deepest secret being touched—along with the relief of finally being able to speak it.

He remained silent for a long time. At last, he slowly raised his head, his gaze no longer evasive, as though he had made some decision.

Since he had already used this blade, since his injuries and the corrosion had been noticed, and since the other party was a member of Zero Division, perhaps—

It was time to lay bare the secret he had kept buried in his heart.

"Lord Liu Chuan—"

"As for this blade's origins, and why I secretly researched it, even going so far as to use it—

"Behind this lies a past deliberately buried away, a truth I have pursued for countless years, and—a blood debt I must repay."

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the pain stirred up by his agitation, and began recounting that sealed-away past in the steadiest tone he could manage. "Many years ago, my father, Kisaragi Shin, had been secretly investigating certain hidden matters that Soul Society's upper echelons had deliberately obscured. Among them—the Bakuyō Blade."

"My father died very suddenly. The scene was disguised as an accidental Spirit Particle incident, but the traces left behind, along with the encrypted research notes he had kept during his life—

"Both pointed to one fact: his death was no accident. He had inadvertently touched upon some core secret concerning the Bakuyō Blade, and that had brought about his murder."

Amagai Shūsuke's voice