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"All this… it's all… fake, right?"
"Captain… Aizen?"
Struggling, she turned toward the desk.
Momozono Hinamori's clear, shimmering eyes were filled with a swirl of emotions—but within them reflected the one figure she trusted above all else.
Black, heavy bangs. Signature rectangular glasses. Even now, his refined, cultured face wore that calm, gentle smile she had always known—though faintly strained, it still radiated warmth.
In the past…
Every time she looked at that familiar face, Hinamori felt as if she were returning to a safe harbor. Before him, she could lower every guard without hesitation, entrust him with everything—her trust absolute.
Captain Aizen…
I know… none of this is real.
You wouldn't… you couldn't betray the Gotei 13.
Would you???
Her gaze was complicated, trembling with urgency, but she refused to look away. Her eyes fixed on "Aizen's" face, desperate for confirmation—to calm the panic surging inside her, and to quell the anger sparked by the video that slandered "Captain Aizen of 910."
"Of course, Momoko! Just as you think, I've been falsely accused!" His voice was calm, steady, tinged with exasperation. "I'm nothing more than a mediocre captain of the Gotei 13. Whoever made that 'audit' video… they clearly overestimated me."
He rubbed his temple, wearing a helpless expression, a mix of innocence and restrained irritation—as if saying, I've been framed, yet I'll never lose my composure in front of you.
To Hinamori, he would always be this Aizen: the gentle, understanding captain she had admired for so long.
"I knew it! Captain Aizen, you've been framed!!!"
"You've been with me this whole time—from the first round of the audit until now—comforting me, encouraging me, giving me courage and confidence!"
"How could you ever be a traitor to the Gotei 13?"
With just a few words, "Aizen" easily reclaimed her trust. She not only believed him but also felt sympathy, a desire to defend him from the lies.
Once she had his affirmation, her eyes cleared like never before.
Yes. No matter what happened next, she would continue to trust Captain Aizen without hesitation.
Trust the man she had admired for years.
Meanwhile, in the 1st Division's office:
"What's happening?!"
"Aizen… actually… a traitor to the Gotei 13?!"
The old voice cracked, disbelief spilling out.
At the moment he saw the latest subtitles, Jakuhō Chōjirō's face went pale, then red, then pale again—his shock almost paralyzing him.
Because…
The summary on the screen was terrifying.
"An evil soul condemned for twenty thousand years?!"
Twenty thousand years…
He, already ancient at over two thousand, was one of the oldest Shinigami alive. In the current Gotei 13, only he, Unohana Retsu, and the Commander-in-Chief could claim such longevity.
For most Shinigami, living a few hundred years was already remarkable. Many fell in battle or by accident, dying well before their century mark.
So the number twenty thousand… was almost beyond comprehension. It was likely the Soul Society could collapse entirely, and the sentence still wouldn't be over.
At this moment, the atmosphere in the office had grown suffocating, tense with the exposure of Aizen's ranking and the horrifying news that followed.
Wood chips and paperwork lay scattered in ruins on the floor.
The Commander-in-Chief's piercing gaze locked onto the name "Aizen", like twin swords of judgment, unmoving, unwavering.
In that instant, he connected the dots.
All the questions, the anomalies that had never made sense… suddenly aligned.
For instance…
During Kisuke Urahara's round of the audit, he, Ichimaru Gin, and Yoruichi Shihoin had fought a mysterious enemy: a humanoid cocoon clad in white, bone-like armor.
The moment the cocoon appeared, the Commander had felt a jarring sense of recognition in its voice and reiatsu—but at the start of the audit, he'd dismissed it, thinking it a prank.
And then, during his own audit in the final battlefield of Kūzaemachi…
He remembered clearly, after releasing his city-consuming fire technique, telling his team, "All three of you have been sealed!"
Given his personality, he had even discussed with Jakuhō carefully, arriving at the same uneasy conclusion as the others: there might be a traitor in the Gotei 13.
And now…
Everything made sense.
Aizen Sōsuke was, unmistakably, the hidden traitor.
"Commander…"
"Should we issue an arrest order immediately? Lock down the 5th Division?" Jakuhō suggested cautiously, noticing the Commander's darkening expression.
Betrayal… such a shameful act had happened once before, a century ago.
Back then, the Gotei 13 had been forced into a long reconstruction, losing half their captain-class Shinigami. The Commander had unleashed his wrath, and for a long time, remained suspicious of new captains and newcomers.
And now… after a century of peace… the Gotei 13 faced an unprecedented betrayal again.
"Chōjirō, it's fine…"
"Stay calm. Watch a little longer. Until the truth is fully revealed, we must choose to trust… for now."
Jakuhō had not expected the Commander to restrain his anger, choosing not to issue immediate arrest orders.
"Is it because of Aizen's usual conduct?" Jakuhō frowned, thinking before letting out a heavy sigh.
Indeed…
Aizen's daily behavior, his contributions to the Gotei 13, everything about him had been flawless. Even now, as the subtitles blinked relentlessly on the audit video, Jakuhō still couldn't believe it—it felt like a nightmare.
Then—
"Flash!"
The video changed.
The screen flickered violently, then switched scenes.
"This… can't be happening!!!"
The first to appear was Hitsugaya Tōshirō, disbelief etched on his face, his voice trembling.
The camera shifted.
It focused on Tōshirō and Rangiku Matsumoto, giving close-ups of their shocked expressions.
"The Central 46th Chamber…"
"All the wise men and judges… they've…"
"Been completely slaughtered!!!"
At that moment, the video followed Tōshirō's gaze to the blood-soaked scene ahead.
The Central Court, normally off-limits and heavily guarded, was now a grisly tableau of red stains and scattered corpses—eerie and horrifying.
Watching this, the Gotei 13 members in the Soul Society couldn't suppress the thought that flashed through their minds:
"Who could have massacred the entire 46th Chamber?"
"Could it… really be Aizen?!"
"..."
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