Higashino Shuuichi escaped—along with the members of the Katana-gari-shū. Kisaragi Shūsuke, Matsumoto Rangiku, Nagasawa Satomi, and the others all vanished as well.
When the Fifth Division's taichō, Aizen Sōsuke, dragged his heavily wounded body before the other taichō of the Gotei 13, Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni immediately sensed something was wrong.
But it was already too late.
Soifon couldn't understand it. Higashino Shuuichi had sworn to her—right in front of the current head of the Shihōin family, Shihōin Yūshirō Sakimune—that he wasn't the mastermind behind everything.
So why did Higashino Shuuichi run?
Wouldn't that completely confirm his guilt?
Especially now—Higashino Shuuichi had practically wrecked the entire Maggot's Nest and beaten Aizen Sōsuke into a critical state. Even if it was later proven that Higashino Shuuichi wasn't the true culprit behind the Zanpakutō materialization incident, he would still be facing serious charges.
But those weren't problems Soifon needed to worry about.
The burden on her shoulders now was to purge every trace Higashino Shuuichi and the Katana-gari-shū had left behind in Soul Society.
In the best-case scenario, the Katana-gari-shū would simply be erased by time—reduced to a secret that could never be spoken of.
As for hunting down Higashino Shuuichi…
The orders were issued, sure, but almost every Shinigami shared the same unspoken consensus:
Forget it.
What kind of monster was Higashino Shuuichi?
Send one or two average taichō after him and it would just be feeding him. Even the truly powerful taichō—every last one of them—couldn't muster any enthusiasm for capturing Higashino Shuuichi.
Unless Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni personally took action—which was impossible.
And besides, anyone with eyes could tell the Tsunayashiro family was leaning toward Higashino Shuuichi. In fact, once the taichō really thought it through, they could faintly sense that Tsunayashiro Kamihara's "outburst" that night had very likely been deliberate—covering for Higashino Shuuichi's escape.
That meant Higashino Shuuichi definitely still had private ties to Tsunayashiro Kamihara, which also meant any official pursuit inside Soul Society would be heavily constrained.
Just trying to evade both Higashino Shuuichi's eyes and the Tsunayashiro family's eyes at the same time was already an absurdly difficult problem.
So, in the end, Higashino Shuuichi leading a group of Katana-gari-shū Shinigami into defection—while not really any less severe in nature than Urahara Kisuke and the others defecting back then—was handled with far more restraint this time around.
So much so that many ordinary Shinigami didn't even know Higashino Shuuichi and his people had become traitors.
And Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni choosing that kind of approach was, in truth, exactly what Higashino Shuuichi had expected.
The basis for that expectation, however, was Tsunayashiro Kamihara's uncompromising stance.
Higashino Shuuichi was certain that the aged Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni would not forcibly clash with Tsunayashiro Kamihara over an issue that didn't touch "principles."
After all, looking over the entire incident—whether it was Kuchiki Kōga's initial spontaneous actions, or the situation Higashino Shuuichi later intentionally controlled—every effort had been made to avoid innocent casualties.
That took away a crucial justification Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni would have needed to truly convince himself.
Because for a Shinigami like Higashino Shuuichi—someone already "notorious"—this level of causing trouble wasn't actually that excessive.
So most Shinigami in Soul Society would never guess that, that night, a Senkaimon (Interdimensional Gate) really had been used, and Matsumoto Rangiku really had left traces of going to steal the Senkaimon—
But the truth was: Higashino Shuuichi's group didn't leave Soul Society at all.
Instead, they simply picked one of the "special device installation sites" Tsunayashiro Kamihara had once prepared for Higashino Shuuichi, and laid low there for the time being.
On paper, these places were Tsunayashiro family assets, so normally no non-Tsunayashiro nobles or Shinigami would enter.
All Higashino Shuuichi and the others had to do was eliminate the Tsunayashiro family's captive Shinigami assigned to guard the place.
For people like them, that wasn't difficult.
"Has anything unusual happened lately?"
"Reporting to you, my lord—no. Everything is normal!"
"Mm, good. Sasuke, and Zenji—I'm counting on you. When this mission is over, I'll treat you both to a proper meal!"
"Thank you very much, my lord!"
"Safe travels, my lord!"
Within the South Rukongai's 37th District, inside the private territory of a certain noble under the Tsunayashiro family, two gate-guarding Shinigami saw off the Shinigami who had come to inspect the site, then shut the gates.
"That Fifth Division taichō's Zanpakutō ability… it's terrifying."
One of them spoke with lingering awe.
To everyone nearby, his name was "Kurata Sasuke."
But in reality, he was Kisaragi Shūsuke wearing that identity.
"Kyōka Suigetsu… what a beautiful name. If Shuuichi-sama hadn't noticed it, all of Soul Society would've fallen under his control.
Even so… even with Shuuichi-sama's ability, there was no way to escape Kyōka Suigetsu's influence."
The other "guard" spoke too, still shaken. Of course, her real name wasn't the "Zenji" everyone believed it was—
She was Matsumoto Rangiku.
Originally, this job should've been handled by Yushima Ōko, but since Yushima Ōko still hadn't exposed his true allegiance in front of the Gotei 13, Higashino Shuuichi ignored the guy's pitiful puppy-dog eyes and sent him straight back to Kurotsuchi Mayuri.
Because Higashino Shuuichi didn't want his next moves to be known by Tsunayashiro Kamihara, he made a deal with Aizen.
He laid out his real plan to Aizen in full, and Aizen would use Kyōka Suigetsu to provide cover.
Between the two of them—given what their relationship used to be—this would've been unthinkable.
But everything changed after that night, after Higashino Shuuichi's overwhelming victory over Aizen.
As his own strength rose, and as the massive, uncontrollable, unforeseeable plot changes caused by his "butterfly effect" continued to pile up, Higashino Shuuichi could no longer be satisfied with passively accepting how things unfolded.
Especially in this incident—he had been completely set up by Aizen. It thoroughly disrupted his prior arrangements and forced him into this response.
From Aizen's perspective, it was nothing outrageous. Higashino Shuuichi was merely a subordinate—Aizen, as the "boss," had no obligation to notify him before acting.
But from Higashino Shuuichi's perspective, it was a completely different matter.
And so Higashino Shuuichi realized something crucial:
His relationship with Aizen had to change.
Otherwise, if things continued as they were—Aizen's ambitions expanding, Higashino Shuuichi's strength and influence continuing to grow—the points of conflict between them would only multiply.
Normally, if their interests didn't fundamentally clash, both sides could compromise, and the problem would be easy to resolve.
But the issue was that Higashino Shuuichi and Aizen's relationship had never been normal.
The superior–subordinate structure locked away any possibility of equal communication.
Back when Higashino Shuuichi had been poor and powerless, that hadn't been a big problem.
But for the Higashino Shuuichi of today—it was unacceptable.
So he understood: it was time to transform what he and Aizen had been—from a superior–subordinate relationship into a cooperative partnership.
Only… for someone as proud as Aizen, taking that step was both simple—and difficult.
Fortunately, that night, Higashino Shuuichi leveraged the combined strength of three people, plus the information gap Yushima Ōko created against Aizen, to achieve a crushing victory that left Aizen utterly convinced by the result.
And that made everything afterward flow naturally.
"Yeah, Rangiku. If it weren't like this, Shuuichi-sama wouldn't have needed to swallow his pride under that Aizen for hundreds of years. Only now has Shuuichi-sama finally found a way to crack it.
But—chikushō… why didn't my Bakkōtō ability work?! And of all people, that brat Yushima Ōko gets to steal the spotlight!"
After learning part of the truth—and Higashino Shuuichi's plan going forward—Kisaragi Shūsuke wasn't worried about their situation at all.
Because they were the ones enduring humiliation and bearing burdens—the absolute "justice" fighting for Soul Society's future!
So Kisaragi Shūsuke's mood was relaxed.
Still, every time he remembered Yushima Ōko bragging in his face about that night's "achievement," it annoyed him.
That guy only won because of an information gap—what was there to be smug about?!
Didn't Shuuichi-sama say it himself? That method for dealing with Aizen wouldn't work a second time!
"But I still don't get it."
Matsumoto Rangiku frowned.
"If that Aizen Sōsuke really has been secretly accumulating power, even reaching into Hueco Mundo… then why didn't Shuuichi-sama kill him that night?
That was an incredibly good opportunity!"
She actually wanted to ask Higashino Shuuichi directly.
But she didn't really dare—because she also firmly believed Shuuichi-sama must have had his reasons.
Just because she couldn't think of them didn't mean they didn't exist.
And if she asked… wouldn't that basically be admitting she was stupid?
That would be terrible for her image in Shuuichi-sama's eyes!
"I asked that too, and so did Yushima Ōko that night. Shuuichi-sama said there were two reasons.
First: Aizen Sōsuke has never shown his true strength in front of other Shinigami. Those hidden abilities—start to finish—Shuuichi-sama is the only one who's seen them a few times. There's no proof.
If Shuuichi-sama killed Aizen that night, then everything Shuuichi-sama did in the past—including us, who are already bound to Shuuichi-sama—would never be able to wash the 'sins' off. We'd have no choice but to truly walk the Tsunayashiro family's path to the end.
Second: based on Shuuichi-sama's understanding of history, he believes the Soul King's will is still influencing our entire world through the form of the Zero Division.
Aizen Sōsuke's existence has both its own reasons… and reasons tied to the Soul King deliberately allowing it. Before figuring out why the Soul King would do that, killing Aizen rashly could bring consequences too massive to measure."
Matsumoto Rangiku hadn't expected that Kisaragi Shūsuke and Yushima Ōko—the two "boneheads"—would actually go and ask so bluntly.
And they got an answer like that.
Shuuichi-sama really was too gentle.
Even at this point, he was still considering their future, their prospects…
As for that so-called Soul King—
Rangiku felt like she'd heard of it before, but only vaguely.
Still, if Shuuichi-sama said it, then it had to be true.
So… were they doing something that could shape Soul Society's entire future?
In that instant, the gloom in Rangiku's heart—built up lately because she hadn't been able to drink—was briefly filled with a simple, easy happiness.
And at this very moment, inside a bedroom within the territory they were guarding, Higashino Shuuichi lay on a bed, gently sliding his fingers along the cheek of the beauty beside him.
"Shuuichi… isn't this too risky?"
Her eyes shimmering like rippling water, Kabuma Sayako reached up to hold Higashino Shuuichi's hand, speaking with worry.
Once he'd decided to lay things bare, Higashino Shuuichi naturally didn't only tell Kisaragi Shūsuke and Yushima Ōko.
To Kabuma Sayako—who had unconditionally, selflessly, and tirelessly helped him for years simply because he asked—Higashino Shuuichi revealed even more.
And as for the bitter choices he described from the past, Kabuma Sayako showed pain for him… but little else.
Born into the Kabuma clan, tasked with guarding Hell and ensuring it would never affect Soul Society, she had never truly had any concept of Soul Society's affairs before meeting Higashino Shuuichi.
In fact, Kabuma Sayako believed that without Higashino Shuuichi, she would likely have already ended up like the rest of her clan—reduced to a pile of bones.
So in her heart, Higashino Shuuichi's safety came first.
And the plan Higashino Shuuichi mentioned next was unquestionably dangerous—moreover, in Kabuma Sayako's eyes, it wasn't something only Higashino Shuuichi could do.
"Couldn't you just leave it to that Aizen Sōsuke instead?
After all… that was his original goal."
Kabuma Sayako said anxiously.
"It's different, Sayako."
Higashino Shuuichi smiled, continuing to rub her smooth cheek gently as he spoke softly.
"What I want… isn't what Aizen wants. And what I need—someone as proud as Aizen wouldn't even look at it.
Besides, it's not like I didn't tell him. What I got in exchange—you've already seen it.
Aizen isn't stupid. He can tell I'm determined to get what I want, no matter what… so he has no reason to spend his own effort anymore."
"But…"
"There's no 'but,' Sayako. You should trust me.
After all, up until now… I've never disappointed you, have I?"
"Mm… mm? Shuuichi-kun—your hand… be gentler…"
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