Staring at those two conflicting pieces of video evidence, Tsunayashiro Sōsuke's face looked calm — but inside, his hatred burned so deep it felt like his veins were weeping blood.
That night, after plotting with his clan elder, he'd decided to get rid of Tsunayashiro Kojirō himself.Just to be safe — in case Asano Kiyoshi might go see Kojirō — he'd even deployed people to tail Kiyoshi's movements.Those spies had come back reporting that Kiyoshi was indeed resting at the First Division barracks.
When everything was ready, he took up the Enra Kyōten — that family-secret mirror blade — and in his clan's secret chamber, he even rehearsed mimicking Kiyoshi's Shikai once.
But that brat's Zanpakutō was bizarre. Enra Kyōten could only imitate its outward form!No matter how he manipulated the domain structure, he just couldn't recreate Kiyoshi's Mountain of Blades or Sword Prison.
That alone made Tsunayashiro Sōsuke dread Kiyoshi all the more.After all, in all the Soul Society's thousands of years, there had never been a Zanpakutō that Enra Kyōten couldn't fully replicate!Even the oldest and most powerful fire-type Zanpakutō — Ryūjin Jakka — could be mirrored by it.But this kid's blade? Nothing but contradictions.
Damn it! Whatever!
He'd used the Tsunayashiro clan's secret Kidō to physically transform himself to look exactly like Kiyoshi, then slipped out under cover of night and went to Kojirō's home.
To be fair, he'd hesitated — should he really kill Kojirō?But after thinking it through, he decided it was the only way.The clan's intelligence said that in a year, the Ōin (King's Seal) in the Grand Library Corridor would be relocated — where to, only the royal family knew.And the Seal never stayed in the same place twice. So if they missed this chance, the Tsunayashiro clan could kiss it goodbye.
Kojirō's Zanpakutō could unlock the Seal, but without the Seal itself, what good was he?Besides, to keep him under control, they'd been the ones who'd made his mother sick in the first place. The "treatment" was just a way to keep her in a terminal state, tightening the noose of guilt and desperation around Kojirō's neck — so they could puppet him as they pleased.
But once he outlived his usefulness, there'd always be the risk that he'd learn the truth — that he'd betray them and give the Seal's key to someone else.So in the end, killing him was the simplest solution.
Even better: by killing Kojirō using Kiyoshi's Shikai, he could pin the crime on that upstart and block him from accessing the Grand Library Corridor — the last place the Head Captain wanted a noble-hating boy snooping for dirt.If Kiyoshi got in, Yamamoto would dig up mountains of dirty secrets — enough to rip huge chunks of flesh off the old guard.
Someone has to die.So why not you?
Truth be told, the most delicious part had been telling Kojirō and his mother everything to their faces — peeling off their last illusions and watching that despair twist their eyes into black holes of hate. It had been intoxicating.
But now…
Who the hell can tell me — why did the time of death turn out to be the day AFTER the fireworks festival ended?! Where did that blank window go?!
Damn it, damn it!
The clan elders claimed he'd been locked up in the secret chamber for a day and a half!
Impossible! I was only in there for half a day! Where did the rest of the time go?!
Am I losing my mind? Am I like that old bastard elder — senile already?!
And in that footage — why aren't there fireworks?! I remember there WERE fireworks that night!
Is my memory broken?! How much of that night was real? How much was fake?
Did I ever even leave the house? Did I really kill Kojirō? Or am I still dreaming?!
As Tsunayashiro Sōsuke stood frozen in silence, Aizen watched him from the side — that refined, elegant smile barely hiding a glint of disdain.
"The hardest lies to see through… always hold a few threads of truth. Confuse a timeline, warp a memory — and look how you panic. Tsunayashiro Sōsuke… you're so dull."
But as the head of one of the Five Great Noble Houses, Sōsuke quickly regained his composure.He knew the Central 46's style, their bias. He knew all he had to do was cling to that suspicious silhouette and Shikai — and he'd stay untouchable.
Even if Yamamoto and Unohana knew about Enra Kyōten, what of it?They had no proof he'd used it!So long as he shamelessly stuck to his story, they'd never bring him down.
So he looked right at Kiyoshi and said:
"Asano Kiyoshi — if what you say is true, then how do you explain that figure? Your Zanpakutō is strange; what if you really do have some hidden spatial ability? Just this inconsistent video alone can't clear you of suspicion!"
"However — out of personal regard for your kindness in treating Kojirō's mother, I'm willing to believe you. But my faith alone means nothing. If the public isn't convinced, they'll never be at peace!"
"So — whether you killed Kojirō or not, I ask you to prove your innocence by joining an expeditionary force into Hueco Mundo. Only a warrior who drives out evil Hollows could prove he's not a cowardly classmate-killer!"
Hearing this, Yamamoto's brow creased — about to cut in — but Kiyoshi turned slightly, lips moving in a tiny gesture only the old man could read.
T/N: For up to 30 chapters ahead on my translations, become a p@tron at [email protected]/LordHipposApostle