In the end, the Moyaodō Reika was taken away by Kumoi Gyoukaku, with Higashino Shuuichi following him back to the Kasumiooji estate.
On the way, at Higashino's request, Kumoi didn't take him through the main gate, but instead chose a concealed side path.
Inside the head's study, Higashino met the patriarch of the Kasumiooji family, Kasumiooji Masasuke.
Yet, even when faced with a Shinigami of captain-level strength defecting to his side, Kasumiooji showed no excitement. In fact, to Higashino, his attitude could even be described as somewhat indifferent.
Higashino didn't mind. All he needed was the Kasumiooji family's recognition. With them—second only to the Five Great Noble Houses—as his backing, countless future endeavors would become much easier.
That was also why Aizen, who had been secretly observing nearby, hadn't stopped Higashino from unleashing his captain-level reiatsu in front of Kumoi.
But Higashino's other two requests were temporarily denied, each with different excuses.
For his request to observe the forging process of the Moyaodō, Kumoi claimed that the current batch was still undergoing testing, and no new production was scheduled yet. As for gaining entry into the Great Spirit Book Gallery, Kumoi said it required time to arrange.
The reasons sounded reasonable enough, and Higashino had no grounds to argue. After all, in a sense, he was now half a vassal of the Kasumiooji family.
Not a bond of loyalty, but one of mutual exploitation.
That night, Higashino returned alone to his residence in West Rukongai's Second District.
It wasn't that he didn't want to live in Seireitei—it was just that the prices there were absurdly high. With his salary, years of saving would only buy him a cramped 100-square-meter apartment at best. For Higashino, it was far better to live farther out in Rukongai, where he could afford a three-story detached "villa" over 300 square meters in size, complete with a nearly 50-square-meter front garden.
"Aizen-dono!"
As soon as he stepped in, removed his shoes, and went upstairs, Higashino found a man seated casually, sipping tea and admiring the moonlight.
"They didn't let you observe, did they?" Aizen asked without turning his head, taking a quiet sip.
"No. I'd say Kumoi needs time to prepare before letting me in. He has no intention of letting me notice the slightest clue." Higashino shook his head.
"That's only natural, nothing unexpected. But be careful when working for the Kasumiooji. A grudge taken in blood can't be erased with mere words."
Aizen didn't linger on the matter. To him, as long as Higashino had infiltrated the Kasumiooji, their defenses were as good as gone. The secret of the so-called Moyaodō blades was only a matter of time.
Instead, he turned to another concern. "Tell me, what do you think of your Fourth Division captain, Unohana Retsu?"
Higashino looked at Aizen's back. He knew Aizen must have caught something unusual from the way Shihouin Yoruichi had spoken of her days earlier.
"Captain Unohana is always gentle with others. She enjoys flower arranging—harmless on the surface. But just as you once analyzed, Aizen-dono, I feel her gentle exterior hides a very precise mind.
"And ever since I joined the Gotei 13, I've never seen her draw her blade. Yet she's held her post unshaken, without challenge, all this time."
Higashino paused, organizing his thoughts before continuing.
"That means either she has a deep noble lineage, like Captain Kyouraku Shunsui of the 8th, Captain Yoruichi of the 2nd, Captain Kuchiki Ginrei of the 6th, or Captain Ukitake Jūshirō of the 13th…
"Or else, like Head Captain Yamamoto, she holds an irreplaceable, absolute power. The kind that would snuff out any thought of challenging her before it could form."
Aizen turned, a faint smile at his lips. "From what I know, your Captain Unohana has no great noble background."
Higashino lowered his head in silence.
The meaning was clear—Unohana must possess unfathomable strength. Otherwise, she could never have remained in command of the Fourth Division for so long, far beyond the tenure of most captains.
Whether or not the division's medical role spared it from frequent combat hardly mattered.
"If that's true, Aizen-dono, then I suspect Captain Unohana has already grown suspicious of me. The quiet retreat two years ago may have been nothing more than a delaying tactic." Higashino frowned.
"Not suspicion. Certainty." Aizen cut him off.
This piqued Higashino's curiosity. Both Kumoi and Aizen—why were they so sure Unohana had doubts about him?
"I don't understand, Aizen-dono." Higashino asked sincerely.
"When you dealt with the Kasumiooji assassins in Hueco Mundo, Unohana went to the 13th Division barracks and asked after your whereabouts."
Aizen spoke evenly, without haste.
To Higashino, it first sounded like thunder splitting the sky. Yet soon, seeing Aizen's calm face, he realized what lay beneath.
"If she truly suspected me, Captain Unohana wouldn't have asked so openly. She could have discreetly consulted Captain Ukitake. But instead she voiced it directly to Captain Yoruichi…"
Contradiction. Far too contradictory.
For a fleeting moment, Higashino wondered if he was simply paranoid, imagining suspicion where none existed.
"Perhaps this too stems from the advice you once gave me. If I'm right, Unohana's current contradiction is because of that."
Aizen's voice brimmed with quiet confidence.
Ever since Higashino had warned him two years ago that Unohana might suspect him, Aizen had feigned indifference, saying only that Higashino should act carefully. But from that moment, he too had begun to observe her.
That included her recent, discreet meetings with Captain Hikifune Kirio of the 12th.
Though Aizen hadn't cast Kyōka Suigetsu upon them and thus couldn't know their exact words, the timing alone was telling. From it, he could infer much.
There's a saying in the living world: when coincidences pile up, they stop being coincidences.
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