The plot had reached its critical juncture. Although the novel didn't explicitly use terms like Shinigami, Hollow, or Quincy, anyone with a brain could see the power system was a direct mirror of their world.
Right now, the character Aikawa had reached the absolute peak of a Shinigami's power. If Mirai followed the logical progression of the story, he would have to write about Aikawa researching "Hollowfication" or "Shinigami-fication" to break his bottleneck.
But could he actually write that?
If he put that on paper, he'd be hauled off by the Maggots' Nest or the Central 46 for "tea and interrogation" within minutes. Even if he could use "artistic creativity" as an excuse for now, what happens in a few decades or a century when Aizen actually starts playing with the Hogyoku? Mirai would definitely be the one left holding the blame for "inspiring" him.
Now that the man himself had come knocking, Mirai had to find a way to bullshit his way out of this.
Mirai set down his cup, let out a soft sigh, and looked up at the moonlit sky. "How high do you think that sky really is?"
Hearing this, Aizen also looked up. Staring into the pitch-black void of the night, he whispered, "Perhaps not as high as one might imagine."
Mirai's eyelid twitched. As expected of Aizen, that ambition is something else.
He steadied his nerves and continued, "But beneath that sky, there are too many shackles. If Aikawa wants to stand 'above the heavens,' he cannot afford to be reckless."
"Stand above the heavens?" Aizen turned back to Mirai, his eyes flashing with a sudden, intense light. After a moment, the corners of his mouth curled into a slight smile. "Indeed. Too many shackles. One must move slowly; a detailed plan is required."
At the very least, he needed to find the direction to break his bottleneck and determine how to deal with the restrictions of the Soul Society. None of this could be rushed, or it would all end in failure.
Aizen spoke with genuine admiration: "Aikawa's choice is the correct one."
"..." Mirai didn't know how to respond to that, so he simply offered a polite, mysterious smile.
The two sat in silence for a moment before clinking their cups once more.
_________
Yandera Mirai stood at the entrance to a street in Junrinan, a flawless smile on his face as he waved energetically. He didn't stop until the gentle, brown-haired silhouette completely disappeared around the corner.
He let out a long, heavy breath.
"Phew... dealing with a future Final Boss is going to take years off my life..."
He rubbed his aching cheeks. To be honest, when he first crossed over into this world, he had tried to be a "copycat author," bringing over classic tropes like Sovereign of the Spirit Realm or Mysteries of the Soul Society. The result? A total disaster. Even his perpetually spacey Vice-Captain, Mashiro Kuna, had managed to stay focused for thirty seconds just to tell him she "didn't get it, but was deeply shocked."
Beaten down by reality and desperate for cash, he had turned to the "source material" standing right in front of him. Following the spirit of "better you than me," he had used Aizen as a blueprint and heavily modified his life into The Loneliness and Arrogance of the Genius Boy.
He'd thought this "artsy" internal monologue style would be too niche and only earn him enough for some cheap snacks. Who could have guessed it would become an overnight sensation? The reception was terrifyingly good. Apparently, his readers were all "geniuses" in their own heads, resonating perfectly with Aizen's experiences.
Burp~
Mirai shook his slightly dizzy head and began walking unsteadily along the riverbank toward the 9th Division barracks. It wasn't a long walk—about thirty minutes following the moonlit water.
"I can't write any more of Aizen's story. If I keep going, I'm going to get 'censored' by the universe..."
He massaged his temples, his mind racing. "I need to start a new project immediately. Otherwise, when next month's pay comes, it'll all go into the tavern's hole and I'll be back to eating dirt."
Two backup plans quickly surfaced in his mind:
The Killer of the Rukongai: Starring the First Kenpachi, Yachiru Unohana.
The Godfather of Death: Depicting Captain-Commander Yamamoto's bloody years founding the Gotei 13.
The legendary lives of those two powerhouses would surely fetch a lot of sake money, right?
THUD!
Lost in his brainstorming session, Mirai walked straight into a lean but exceptionally solid "object." He stumbled back and looked up, his professional smile instantly snapping into place.
"Captain Hirako! My apologies! I was thinking about a new plot point and wasn't watching the road."
Shinji Hirako, the 5th Division Captain with his signature dazzling blonde hair and a face that always looked a mix of lazy and mocking, stood there tilting his head. He wasn't angry; instead, he stepped forward and naturally draped an arm over Mirai's shoulder, gripping him with surprising strength.
"Brat," Shinji drawled, his "dead-fish eyes" glinting with mischief. "Drinking without calling me? Do you look down on your Captain that much?"
He sniffed the air aggressively, catching the lingering scent of the high-grade Reisui on Mirai's breath. A vein instantly popped on his forehead.
"It's actually Reisui! You've hit the jackpot, haven't you? How ungrateful. Have you forgotten who spoke up for you in front of Kensei Muguruma to make sure your manuscript got approved?"
Shinji bared his teeth in a "nuclear-friendly" grin.
Mirai's heart skipped a beat. It was true. When he had first handed the draft of Genius Boy to his own Captain, Kensei Muguruma, the hot-blooded Captain hadn't cared for the "whiny, artsy" tone. It just so happened that Shinji, who was visiting, took a look and said, "This is interesting, let him try," which allowed the serial to begin in the Seireitei Bulletin. In a sense, Shinji was his "patron."
"Captain Hirako, don't say that! I wouldn't dare!" Mirai cried out in mock defense. "You have no idea—lately, my Vice-Captain Mashiro has been cornering me everywhere, demanding I continue that flop Hell Girl. I've been running for my life! I didn't dare show my face in the tavern. I was drinking by the river just to hide!"
"One thing has nothing to do with the other," Shinji ignored the excuse, poking a finger firmly into Mirai's chest. "You can take Aizen to the river to drink, but you can't find me? Is it that I, Shinji Hirako, am not worthy of your sake... or is it that you look down on me?"
The last few words dropped in pitch, carrying a sudden weight of pressure.
Mirai cursed the old fox's sharp intuition but kept his laughter light. "Captain, you've got me all wrong! Aizen found me at the tavern and insisted on paying. I couldn't just ignore a fan—I mean, a soulmate—who was offering free top-shelf booze, could I?"
"Oh? He came looking for you specifically, did he...?" Shinji let go of him and put his hands on his hips, his tone becoming playful. "Tomorrow is the day the Academy graduates choose their divisions. Will you be the one representing the 9th Division for recruitment?"
"Don't tease me, Captain," Mirai scratched his head with a wry smile. "Even if Vice-Captain Kuna doesn't go, Captain Muguruma will be there personally. A lowly 5th Seat like me wouldn't be allowed to show his face."
In the Soul Society, strength was everything. Next to the radiant Captains and Vice-Captains, a 5th Seat had no capital to attract elite graduates.
Shinji tilted his head back, the moonlight illuminating half his face, his eyes deep and knowing. "I wouldn't be so sure. Perhaps... if you go, that Sosuke Aizen might just choose to join the 9th Division."
He stuck a pinky in his ear and cleaned it casually. "Don't be fooled by that kid's school records—just because he was number one in Kido doesn't mean that's all he is. If you're not careful... he might be even more dangerous than your 'Aikawa'."
Mirai's heart turned to ice. Shinji's intuition is terrifying! At this point in time, there probably wasn't a second person in the entire Seireitei who could see through Aizen's facade. Mirai only knew because he had the "script" of the future.
He forced down his panic and asked with a smile, "Then... is there a graduate Captain Hirako is hoping to recruit?"
"Who knows?" Shinji blew imaginary dust off his finger, his dead-fish eyes returning. "Maybe I've got my eye on that Aizen kid. I'm thinking of bringing him into the 5th Division."
He shifted the topic back, locking eyes with Mirai again. "Anyway, brat, don't change the subject. In that book of yours, how exactly does Aikawa plan to break his limit? Don't tell me you're really stuck."
Alarm bells screamed in Mirai's head! The concept of "Hollowfication" was a total taboo. Even an allusion to it was untouchable. Even if Shinji seemed friendly now, the moment Mirai "spoiled" anything that looked like a threat to the Soul Society, this "easy-going" Captain would be the first to throw him into the deepest level of the underground prison.
"Haha, Captain, that's exactly where I'm stuck! I have no idea what to do!" Mirai spread his hands, his expression the picture of sincerity. "Do you have any suggestions? I've actually decided to put the book on 'hiatus' for a while and start a new story to clear my head. Maybe inspiration will strike one day?"
"Aikawa's story ends here for now."
He maintained his flawless smile, meeting Shinji's gaze. Time seemed to freeze until Mirai felt his facial muscles starting to stiffen. Shinji's soul-piercing gaze lingered on his face for a long time before the Captain finally turned around, waving a hand dismissively over his shoulder.
"Fine. But... if Aikawa ever gets a new chapter, make sure I'm the first to know."
With those words, Shinji's silhouette seemed to melt into the water's reflection, vanishing silently into the shadows of the street.
Mirai finally collapsed in relief, his back drenched in a cold sweat. He exhaled a massive breath and continued toward the barracks. Aizen leaves, and then Shinji "happens" to show up? There was no such thing as a coincidence! Shinji must have been watching Aizen closely for a long time, and Mirai's contact with him hadn't escaped his notice.
"Stopping the story here really was the smartest move..." Mirai felt a wave of post-encounter dread. "If I kept writing, I'd be on Shinji's watchlist for life."
He just wanted to earn some sake money and live a comfortable life—how did he end up playing mind games with these deep-sea-level geniuses? It was exhausting!
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
"I'm innocent! I've been framed!"
The heavy sound of an iron gate being struck and a shrill cry echoed from the next corner, breaking Mirai's self-pity. Hearing the familiar racket, Mirai actually felt like he was back in his comfort zone. His steps lightened.
He rounded the corner to the source of the noise: the side gate of the 9th Division Prison.
The two Shinigami guarding the gate immediately straightened their backs and saluted. "5th Seat Yandera!"
Mirai nodded, adopting a business-like tone. "How many did we pick up today?"
"Reporting! Ten Shinigami were arrested for disciplinary violations today!" the guard shouted.
"Oh? Only ten?" Mirai was surprised. "The battle-maniacs from the 11th Division didn't pick any fights today?"
The 9th Division was primarily responsible for the imprisonment and preliminary interrogation of Shinigami and citizens who violated Seireitei laws. Only the most heinous criminals were moved to the true "Central Underground Great Prison" after sentencing. This place was more like a specialized detention center.
"No! Today we just caught a few 'dine-and-dashers'."
The phrase "dine-and-dash" made Mirai's brow jump. Not long ago, he had almost become a "grab-the-Reisui-and-run" suspect himself.
"Ahem! Good work!" He cleared his throat to hide his guilt. "Remember to stick strictly to the three-shift rotation. Keep your energy up. We cannot afford to be lax!"
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