The next morning, Rangiku Matsumoto awoke in bed and, upon realizing she was neatly tucked in, instantly understood—everything from the night before hadn't been a dream.
When she walked into the living room, a warm breakfast had already been prepared by Higashi Shuuichi.
"Shuuichi-sama…"
Her face bloomed with a quiet, grateful smile.
But as for Shuuichi himself, he wasn't at the 4th Division barracks.
Instead, he was seated at a small ramen shop tucked away in Seireitei—one he hadn't visited in a long time.
Back in the day, it was here that he had his first clandestine meeting with Aizen Sōsuke.
Today, surprisingly, Aizen had chosen the same location for their rendezvous.
Aizen's gaze fell on the Zanpakutō placed before him, now tightly wrapped in sealing bands.
He frowned.
"So… Yoruichi Shihōin sealed your Zanpakutō's release?"
People bustled around the ramen shop, but not one reacted to the open, irreverent tone Aizen used. Everyone here had already fallen under the illusion of Kyōka Suigetsu.
"Yes, Lord Aizen. That's why I wanted to ask—is there a way to undo the seal without alerting Yoruichi?"
Shuuichi's expression wasn't good—truthfully, it was terrible. But in front of Aizen, he didn't have to hide it.
"That cloth… It's one of the Shihōin Clan's inherited artifacts. I've seen it mentioned before in the Great Spirit Book Archive."
Aizen's gaze met Shuuichi's, seeing the faint hope behind his eyes—but he shook his head.
"Unfortunately, just like Seymibasa, while it may not possess a Zanpakutō's intricacy, it can detect whether it's been tampered with."
"So not even you, Lord Aizen…?"
Shuuichi had half-expected the answer, but the confirmation still left him deeply disappointed.
"You misunderstand. It's not simply a matter of alerting Yoruichi. In your Zanpakutō's current state, unless she voluntarily removes the seal herself, no force can destroy it externally."
"Otherwise, it wouldn't be worthy of being called an artifact."
Aizen's tone was calm but final.
And with that, Shuuichi understood.
There was only one path left open to him.
The one he'd agonized over all night—the only solution.
"Then, Lord Aizen… In the five years I was away in Hell, did you complete the final phase of that plan?"
Aizen's eyes gleamed faintly. He understood immediately what Shuuichi was suggesting.
He had served Aizen long enough to be known.
If Shuuichi was asking this now, it meant he had found a method—one dangerous enough that he hadn't dared speak it aloud until now.
And it didn't take much for Aizen to piece it together.
"You want to join them, don't you?"
"I don't have another choice, Lord Aizen… Do I?"
Shuuichi gave a bitter smile.
If even Aizen couldn't remove the seal, then the only way left was to make Yoruichi remove it herself.
But how would she, someone who stood firmly in the same camp as Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, ever do something that blatantly defied his will?
Last night, Shuuichi had thought over every angle. Ultimately, there were only two real options.
The first was to have Aizen assassinate Yoruichi.
The seal was tied to its wielder. If she died, the artifact would go dormant until passed to the next heir, giving Shuuichi time to break free.
But this wasn't practical.
After witnessing firsthand how cold-blooded Squad Zero could be, Aizen had grown disillusioned with pointless death. He had already stopped bothering with such short-sighted moves.
Killing Yoruichi, to help Shuuichi? That wouldn't serve any purpose from Aizen's perspective.
And even if they succeeded, whoever inherited the Shihōin legacy would almost certainly maintain the seal per Yamamoto's orders.
So unless Shuuichi wiped out the entire Shihōin Clan—which was nigh impossible—the first option was a dead end.
The second path: drive a wedge between Yoruichi and Yamamoto.
To do that, Shuuichi would have to side with Yoruichi's faction.
Only then, in the interest of strengthening her camp, would she even consider removing the seal on his Zanpakutō.
This option seemed more viable.
Shuuichi knew Aizen's Captain Hollowfication Experiment was well underway. It just needed a trigger.
And just like in the original timeline, the candidates hadn't changed much.
But for this plan to work, Shuuichi needed to win the trust of both Yoruichi and Urahara Kisuke.
And therein lay the difficulty.
He had never gotten along with either of them.
Only his relationship with Soi Fon could be called "favorable."
Which meant there was only one way to gain their trust: the same way Hachigen, Love, and the others had done it—get Hollowfied, lose, and wait for Urahara to rescue him.
A dangerous gambit.
If Urahara arrived too late—or worse, didn't come—Shuuichi would be doomed.
Without the Hōgyoku, resisting Hollowfication through sheer will alone was a fantasy.
That was why he hadn't wanted to mention it to Aizen in the first place.
But now?
He had no choice.
Not unless he wanted to remain leashed forever.
Besides, even if he didn't go through with this plan, Aizen would still target Urahara eventually.
And once that happened, Yoruichi would inevitably side with Urahara.
If Shuuichi remained aligned with Aizen, then unless Yoruichi died, he could kiss his Zanpakutō goodbye.
"The plan's been ready for some time," Aizen said coolly. "Just waiting for the right moment."
"And as for your idea, Shuuichi—I find it sound. If the plan fails and Urahara manages to escape, you are perhaps the only one I could place by his side."
"Tōsen's too idealistic. And Gin… well, his eyes see only me."
Aizen spoke with faint amusement—but also approval.
Yes, it would mean losing Shuuichi from the frontlines in Seireitei.
But used wisely, Shuuichi could become a powerful card in the long game.
And Aizen didn't doubt Shuuichi's mind—he had proven himself time and again.
Whether Shuuichi could survive the Hollowfication ordeal, however?
That… wasn't Aizen's concern.