Rolling out of bed, Satoru walked over to Aizen's side.
Frowning slightly, he studied the boy lying there.
His instincts told him sothing was off about the figure on the bed.
Glancing around to confirm their other two roommates were still asleep, he reached out and lightly touched the person.
Sure enough, with a ripple of spiritual particles, his fingers passed right through "Aizen."
It was a dummy crafted from Kidō.
An ordinary Shinigami, even one stronger than the current Aizen, might not have noticed anything amiss.
But Satoru knew Aizen too well—the slightest irregularity in his spiritual pressure was enough to set off alarms.
After confirming that Aizen wasn't lying on the bed, Satoru went out for a walk, trying to sense Aizen's spiritual pressure.
To his surprise, there was no trace of the latter anywhere in the entire Shin'ō Academy.
"Sōsuke… what's he doing leaving the academy at this hour?"
Satoru furrowed his brows in confusion.
Recalling the original plot of Bleach, an uneasy premonition crept into his mind.
Returning to bed, Satoru didn't fall asleep imdiately. Instead, he half-closed his eyes, ntally reviewing what he had learned from Yamamoto.
Just before dawn, a familiar spiritual pressure suddenly flickered within his perception.
Aizen's spiritual pressure had been deliberately concealed. Had Satoru not been fully focused, he might have missed that faint, almost imperceptible trace.
Slowly, he closed his eyes.
Monts later, soft footsteps entered the room.
Aizen stood at the doorway, confirming that all three of his roommates were still asleep before returning to his own bed and replacing the Kidō clone lying there.
Now, Satoru was absolutely certain.
Last night, when he had returned from the 1st Division, Aizen had co back dressed in civilian clothes—just like tonight—having stayed out for unknown reasons.
What had he been up to?
Frowning, Satoru drifted into sleep.
...
...
The next day, Aizen acted as if nothing had happened, attending classes with Satoru as usual.
Satoru, too, behaved no differently, maintaining his usual lazy deanor.
Seinosuke was engrossed in a thick Kaidō textbook, so absorbed that even during lunch, he ate while reading, as if nothing—not even the apocalypse—could tear his eyes away.
But among them, the one who had changed the most was Sōjun.
The usually gentle man, who always wore a faint smile, now frequently furrowed his brows, lost in thought.
At lunch, he nearly sared food on his face while distracted.
For soone raised with noble etiquette like Sōjun, such uncharacteristic behavior was nothing short of alarming.
Finally, when he nearly dipped his chopsticks into his teacup for the second ti, Satoru couldn't hold back any longer.
"Hey, hey, hey—Young Master Kuchiki, what's going on with you? Did you et so girl in Rukongai and your family won't let you marry her?"
At this, Sōjun blinked in surprise.
He stared at Satoru for a few seconds before processing the question.
With a wry smile, he replied, "Of course not. As the heir of the Kuchiki family, my marriage will naturally be decided by my father… The Kuchiki would never tolerate a man who prioritizes personal feelings over the clan's interests."
Really?
Satoru remained skeptical.
Under his gaze, Sōjun fell silent for a mont before speaking slowly.
"Satoru… I might not be able to wait until the end of the sester."
"I'll be applying for a special graduation exam soon to conclude my studies."
Hearing this, not only Satoru but even the usually composed Aizen and the studious Seinosuke looked up in surprise.
"What's wrong? Did sothing happen in your family?"
Seinosuke frowned.
Sōjun nodded.
He raised a hand, and a soundproof barrier made of spiritual particles enveloped their table.
"The rebel forces have grown stronger again."
"Originally, under the suppression from my father and brother-in-law, the rebel forces were retreating step by step, nearly losing their foothold in the Seireitei."
"But... several families who had been hiding in the shadows all along suddenly unveiled new tactics."
"Many powerful Shinigami privately raised by noble families appeared on the battlefield one after another. Though my brother-in-law is formidable, he couldn't be everywhere at once."
"Moreover, several high-ranking officers of the Gotei 13 who had remained neutral began deliberately aiding the rebels."
"Now, the pressure facing my father and brother-in-law is gradually increasing."
"If this continues, the Captain-Commander who has been overseeing from behind the scenes might have to intervene personally."
"If it cos to that, the scale of this civil unrest won't remain confined to small battlefields as it is now—it will spread throughout the entire Seireitei, even affecting the Soul Society."
At this point, Sōjun took a deep breath.
"As the eldest son of the Kuchiki family, I can't just watch my elders fight bloody battles while hiding safely at the academy."
"I must do sothing!"
Hearing Sōjun's words, Satoru and the others exchanged glances.
When Satoru first crossed over and heard about the civil unrest in the Soul Society, he found it rather amusing.
With a super powerhouse like Yamamoto overseeing things, who could possibly stir up trouble?
Just find the rebel leader and have Yamamoto cut him down—wouldn't that end the war?
But as ti passed, Satoru gradually ca to understand the complexities of this conflict.
The masterminds behind these rebels were most likely from one of the Four Great Noble Families.
Though Yamamoto was imnsely powerful, ultimately, he was just the leader of the warrior class.
Facing the nobility, no matter how strong he was, he couldn't act recklessly.
Unless the other side completely tore off all pretenses, threatening to destroy the Seireitei and endanger what he truly sought to protect, Yamamoto could only watch and wait when it ca to conflicts between noble families.
At the war's outset, the Kuchiki family allied with the Shihōin family, attempting to halt the conflict through noble voting.
But to Ginrei Kuchiki's surprise, the Noble Assembly rejected his proposal with over half the votes.
This made him realize the situation was far more complicated than he'd imagined.
Most of what Satoru knew ca from hearsay and speculation.
If he asked Sōjun directly, the latter would likely tell him everything he knew.
But doing so would drag Satoru into this whirlpool.
Satoru didn't want to get involved, and Sōjun didn't want that for him either.
Seeing Satoru's solemn expression, Sōjun smiled reassuringly.
"Don't worry, Satoru. I can take care of myself."
"No need to be concerned. I promise I'll resolve this conflict as quickly as possible and restore peace to the Soul Society!"
Watching Sōjun's confident declaration, Satoru remained silent for a long ti.
Then, as if making up his mind, he looked at Sōjun.
"Young Master Kuchiki, protect yourself."
"If you die, I'll avenge you."
Sōjun: "..."
How... comforting.
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