"Heh, Student Yūki, I feel you have some misunderstanding about me. I'm not a bad person, so why are you on guard against me?"
Looking at the sincere Aizen, Jie Chengxian felt like Louis XVI getting a haircut—he couldn't wrap his head around it. Kubo didn't draw when Aizen started being a traitor; he was already as dark as could be from his first appearance.
Is this Aizen still good right now? Sigh, Kubo, oh Kubo, you've really caused me a lot of trouble.
"You're right. I think I should trust you just as much as I trust that the Captain Commander won't lose an arm."
What kind of metaphor is that?
Glancing oddly at Jie Chengxian, Aizen suspected there might be some deep meaning hidden in his words, but he couldn't grasp it yet.
"So, Sōusuke, let's find a place and have a fight!"
Eh?!
What kind of mental gymnastics could lead to such a sudden sentence? Aizen only felt mentally exhausted at this moment. Honestly, even scheming against those Captains was much easier than scheming against Jie Chengxian. Although the Captains were currently stronger than him, they were at least logical, normal people. But not only was Jie Chengxian stronger than him, his thought process was basically devoid of any logic.
"Is Student Jie Chengxian, with his Fourth Seat Spirit Power Level, trying to bully the weak? You're bringing shame to the Captain of the 4th Division's face."
Aizen tried to appeal to reason and emotion, but unfortunately, Jie Chengxian wasn't buying it at all.
"Just the two of us. If you don't say anything and I don't say anything, who will know? If someone finds out, it must have been you who leaked it, so I'll just beat you up again, right?"
Aizen's breath hitched. If he weren't currently unable to beat Jie Chengxian, he would definitely teach this guy a lesson.
"Why doesn't Student Jie Chengxian go find someone else?"
Taking a deep breath to calm his heart, Aizen tried to shift Jie Chengxian's attention. Jie Chengxian, resting his head on his hands, recalled the fearful looks his classmates gave him and shook his head.
"When there's only a river between two people, they'll find every way to get closer. But if there's a chasm between them, then they can only go their separate ways."
"Where did you copy that from?"
Aizen plainly exposed Jie Chengxian, who was acting profound. Who would believe his brain could produce such words?
"It's purely original, okay!"
"Heh."
"Sōusuke, this isn't the way back to the dormitory, is it?"
The streets they were walking on were similar to the ones they took at noon, but there were still differences. Aizen finally explained to Jie Chengxian when they stopped at an open space wrapped in a barrier.
"This is Training Ground No. 5. It's covered by a barrier that can block most people's prying eyes."
"There's a place like this? By the way, how do you know so much?"
"There are descriptions on the flyers handed out before registration. It would be strange not to know, wouldn't it?"
Watching Aizen pull out an asauchi from somewhere as well, Jie Chengxian wondered if everyone in the Soul Society carried several swords. From a talent perspective, Aizen was among the top in the Soul Society. In the future, he would be proficient in Zan, Kaku, Ho, Gi, but for now, they only knew Zanjutsu and could only hack at each other with blades. Even their use of Spiritual Pressure was very crude.
"Fifth-Class Spiritual Might. Sōusuke, you really are low-key."
If not for Jie Chengxian, Aizen would still be quietly developing at the Shino Academy until Hirako Shinji noticed something later. Aizen had always been proud, even conceited. Someone with Fifth-Class Spiritual Might upon entering the school was truly unprecedented. His Spiritual Pressure was still growing at a steady pace, filling him with a pride that made him feel he wasn't even the same species as Shinigamis.
Jie Chengxian's appearance caused a crack in his pride. He wasn't the only anomaly; there was an even more exaggerated existence. Although this guy's brain wasn't quite normal, he was indeed the only one Aizen could acknowledge right now.
Aizen quickly learned Jie Chengxian's techniques, improved them, and used them to attack back, only for Jie Chengxian to learn them in turn. The two talented monsters continued attacking until they reached their current limits. The once-level ground was now pitted and scarred. It was hard to believe this was caused by two people who had just stepped onto the path of a Shinigami.
"It's time to end this, Sōusuke."
Aizen's Spiritual Pressure density was ultimately inferior to Jie Chengxian's, and he felt exhausted first. Hearing Jie Chengxian's words, he quickly retreated to create distance to deal with the next attack.
"Distance only has meaning when two sides of equal strength fight."
Aizen's pupils contracted as he instantly understood the meaning. While Jie Chengxian vanished from his sight, a hand had already landed on his chest, and he could even feel Jie Chengxian's breath by his ear.
"If it were like this, I could touch your heart in an instant."
Aizen knew Jie Chengxian was telling the truth. If it were a battle of life and death, he would probably have dissipated into spirit particles by now. But feeling the warmth from Jie Chengxian's hand on his chest, Aizen's expression darkened, and his Spiritual Pressure surged uncontrollably.
This makes no sense. How did he break through to Fourth Seat Spirit Power Level now? Is Aizen the protagonist? Jie Chengxian, blown back by the Spiritual Pressure current, looked at Aizen in disbelief, unable to tell who was the one with the cheat.
Watching Aizen gradually calm down, Jie Chengxian recalled the strange sensation when he touched Aizen's chest and gave a kind reminder.
"Sōusuke, you didn't train your pectorals well. Do you have gynecomastia?"
"What did you say?"
The Spiritual Pressure that had calmed down surged again. The exhausted Jie Chengxian was naturally no match for the upgraded and refreshed Aizen and could only be ravaged.
"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west. Sōusuke, you just wait."
Looking at the stubborn Jie Chengxian beneath him, Aizen felt tired after venting his anger and simply lay on the ground next to him. Jie Chengxian stopped howling; he was just putting on an act, and Aizen hadn't actually been heavy-handed.
"I just said your pectorals weren't well-trained. At worst, I'll train with you later. I'm a fitness expert."
"Shut up."
Enjoying a moment of peace, Aizen Sōsuke temporarily forgot his plans and suddenly asked a strange question.
"Xian, what's our relationship now?"
"Don't talk, keep eating."
Aizen was stunned, not understanding what eating had to do with his question, but instinct told him Jie Chengxian's words had a bad connotation.
"I'm serious."
"For now, we're probably friends. At least you don't act in front of me the way you do at the academy."
"For now..."
"After all, it's not impossible that we'll become father and son in the future."
Completely speechless, Aizen stood up, constantly comforting himself that this was just training for his mindset. Thinking about living in the same dormitory as Jie Chengxian, Aizen felt another headache, feeling that Jie Chengxian was sent by the heavens to torture him.