HBWnovel Chapter 295
Chapter 295
Chapter 295
2-in-1 chapter:
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Hearing that a new captain was to be chosen, many people subconsciously looked at Kaelith.
A hundred years ago, most of the Soul Society’s talent came from the Shin’ō Spiritual Arts Academy, but now, Eleventh Division was the undisputed champion in producing extraordinary figures. Kaelith’s seated officers alone were strong enough to secure Captain positions. Rumor had it that quite a few current Captains had redoubled their training, feeling the heat.
In any case, the overall strength of Seireitei had improved notably.
Under everyone’s gaze, Kaelith scratched his head.
“I recommend…”
His first reflex was to say “Kisuke Urahara.” After all, in the original timeline, Urahara had indeed succeeded Kirio Hikifune as Twelfth Division Captain. But just as the words rose to his lips, he hesitated.
Would Urahara actually to be a Captain?
Some people enjoy the authority of being in a high position and happily shoulder the responsibilities that come with it—like most normal Captains in the Soul Society. Others savor the perks of rank but dread the obligations (Kaelith, Kyōraku Shunsui…).
And then there are those who simply have no interest in power, yet, if they’re forced to take responsibility, they’ll grit their teeth and accept it anyway. Kisuke Urahara clearly fell into that category.
Being the Captain of Twelfth Division was less of a promotion for him and more like another job that would eat into his free time. As Kaelith recalled how many tasks Urahara had to juggle, he decided not to saddle him with another burden.
After a moment of thought, Kaelith spoke up again:
“I recommend the former Twelfth Division Seventh Seat, currently serving under me in the Eleventh Division… Mayuri Kurotsuchi!”
Mayuri Kurotsuchi? Hearing that name, the Captains looked puzzled.
How had he ended up in Eleventh Division?
Yamamoto narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, then said, “If I recall correctly, that name was on the list of rebels affiliated with the Tsunayashiro clan.”
“That’s right,” Kaelith replied. “He worked for them as a technical advisor, but only because they funded his re
He grinned. Lately, life had been smooth. For some reason, his Lieutenant Aizen Sōsuke was acting extra thoughtful—handling tasks he’d once refused unless Shinji practically begged. He even gave Shinji the courtesy of first pick at meals in the dining hall, and sometimes, Shinji could order Aizen to bring food straight to his room.
This, Shinji decided, was authority—the satisfaction of being Captain at last.
Still, behind his facade of ease, Shinji was on guard. After all, a villain who plans something nefarious often sugarcoats it with polite behavior first. Obviously, that was the game Aizen was playing. Shinji just had to keep his eyes peeled, ready to catch him in the act.
Buoyed by a sense of anticipation, Shinji shuffled in his sandals toward the mess hall. After a few steps, he froze and darted behind a nearby wall, peeking around cautiously.
There stood Aizen, calm as ever—except it was breakfast time, and Aizen never missed meals, infected as he was by Kaelith’s appetite.
Why was he heading out now, of all times? Clearly up to something suspicious. Shinji quickly straightened his collar and followed him in secret. He’d recently mastered a technique to alter his facial features and hair color by manipulating spiritual pressure—a convenient little trick he’d found scribbled on a scrap of paper left outside a library.
Though he’d first dismissed it as nonsense, testing proved otherwise. Now it served him well.
Once he’d disguised himself, Shinji trailed Aizen all the way out of the Fifth Division, observing as Aizen avoided leaving footprints in the snow by creating reishi platforms beneath his feet. Every sign reeked of stealth.
Shinji suppressed a grin at his “victory,” continuing to pursue the suspicious Lieutenant until they left Seireitei entirely, arriving at a mountain forest.
There, Aizen halted. Shinji swiftly tucked himself out of sight, erecting a bending light Kidō. In his view, Aizen stood quietly, seemingly waiting for someone.
Shinji mused. Just then, Aizen spoke:
“You’ve followed me all this way. I imagine you’re tired.”
Shinji froze. The hair on his neck bristled—had he been found out? But Aizen continued:
“I’ve noticed you lurking around for a while. You must be among the remnants of that Tsunayashiro rebellion, plotting revenge on Captain Kaelith. Unfortunately, you’ve chosen the wrong man to stalk.
Today, you’ll pay for your mistakes!”
He drew his Zanpakutō with a flourish. Shinji blinked in confusion.
And yet…Aizen was staring straight in Shinji’s direction, charging forward. Panicking, Shinji tried to reveal himself, to say “Wait, you’ve made a mistake!” But before he could make a sound, a fierce pain struck the back of his head.
In the final instant before blacking out, he turned to see Kaelith wielding a club, eyes bright with excitement.
“Got him, boss! Should we finish him here?”
“No. We only have one dose of Mayuri’s new drug. He’ll do nicely for that test…”
Shinji struggled in vain. Darkness swallowed him up.
…
He had no idea how much time passed before consciousness returned. Slowly, he sat upright, pressing a hand to the back of his skull.
“My head…still here…?” he muttered, relieved to find it attached, though tender and bruised. Vague memories of Kaelith and Aizen drifted in. But hold on—he’d been in disguise.
So they must not have known it was him, only that they thought they were dealing with some rebel scum. As for the drug Mayuri gave him…maybe it malfunctioned, sparing his life.
Shinji shivered, realizing he’d been lying in the snow for who knew how long. Soaked and freezing, he sneezed loudly. Golden strands of hair floated in front of him— hair.
Alarmed, he touched his head and realized huge clumps of hair were coming away in handfuls.
“???” Shinji created a Kidō mirror and leaned in. One look at his reflection and he gasped. His once-lustrous hair was gone, replaced by a smooth, shiny scalp.
“Kaelith!!! Aizen Sōsuke!!!”
He roared, voice echoing through the sky. Storming back to the Fifth Division, he searched everywhere until he found Kaelith and Aizen in the mess hall, casually eating breakfast.
“You bastards!” Shinji slammed the table. “How could you do this to me?! My lovely hair! Why?! We’ve no real feud—why stoop to this?!”
Aizen calmly set down his chopsticks, slowly chewing and swallowing. “Captain, I don’t know what nonsense you’re on about. Kaelith and I only left to clean up some remaining rebels, then came back to eat.
We never touched you.”
Kaelith tilted his head, looking equally mystified. “Brother Shinji, you might’ve slept poorly. Don’t blame me if bad rest causes hair troubles.” Gazing at Shinji’s gleaming bald dome, Kaelith’s eyes brightened in genuine curiosity.
“Whoa, look at that shine. You really must’ve had a rough nap!”
Shinji bristled, about to retaliate, when Aizen’s soft, chilling voice reached his ears: “Captain, you’ve been keeping a watchful eye on me lately, haven’t you? Let me hazard a guess… Could it be you’ve reported something about me to certain authorities?
“But those ‘authorities’ couldn’t care about a small fry like me unless someone pointed them in my direction. So…you must have mentioned something.”
Shinji’s pupils shrank as he stared at Aizen, who casually lifted his tea, taking a measured sip before narrowing his eyes. “From now on, whenever you decide to do anything…adventurous, you’d best be cautious. This time, you only lost your hair.
Next time, who knows?”
That said, he stood and left. Shinji’s blood pressure soared, fury pounding in his veins.
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