“Aizen…
Sōsuke Aizen.”
Back at his dilapidated estate after his first day of work, Haru lay spread-eagle on the tatami mats, staring blankly at the peeling ceiling.
He kept muttering the name under his breath.
He never would have imagined that the ultimate mastermind of the Bleach universe was currently sitting in his classroom.
So, what role did that leave him?
The white-bearded mentor figure destined to be tragically betrayed?
“The boy who’s destined to become an evil overlord just fell right into my lap,” Haru mused out loud.
“Should I just wring his neck right now and bring eternal peace to the world?”
A tiny remnant of his past life’s insanity flared up, whispering that this was an excellent idea.
Quick, clean, and a permanent solution to a massive future headache.
He grabbed his Zanpakutō and was halfway out the door when his elderly servant, Yuriko, practically tackled him.
“Y-Young Master!” she cried, trembling as she blocked his path.
“Are you skipping dinner again?!”
“I’m a little busy.
Gotta go murder someone.
Eat without me,” Haru said, waving her off casually.
Yuriko immediately dropped to her knees, wrapped her arms around his leg, and burst into tears.
“Young Master!
Oh, Young Master!
You can’t give up on yourself!
Please don’t throw your life away in a fit of despair!”
“I…
fine, never mind.”
Stopped in his tracks by Yuriko’s wailing, Haru cooled down.
He retreated to his room and started seriously contemplating Sōsuke Aizen’s life.
The problem was, he had been a mental patient in his past life.
It wasn’t like he had enjoyed a perfectly normal existence with endless free time to meticulously analyze anime.
His memory of Bleach’s overarching plot was hazy at best.
To be completely honest, most of his brain capacity had been dedicated to remembering the beautiful women of the series.
But he did remember that Aizen was an incredibly charismatic and terrifyingly effective villain.
Back when he was just a lieutenant, he was already orchestrating the downfall of multiple captains.
Once he became a captain himself, he was swatting aside his peers like they were toddlers.
Could a character like that—even as a kid—truly be underestimated?
If Haru marched over there playing the righteous hero and tried to kill him right now, there was a very real chance he’d get embarrassed—or worse, killed.
‘I should observe him for a while,’ Haru decided.
‘Or…
wait.
What if I just groom him from a young age and mold him into my shape?’
He bolted upright, suddenly convinced this was the greatest idea he had ever had.
“Now that’s a goal worthy of my time!
That’s what a real man would do!”
Years from now, even if Aizen still betrayed the Soul Society, everyone would look at Haru Shimizu and give him a thumbs-up.
They’d sing his praises, saying, “Good lord!
That’s the madman who taught the demon Aizen!”
He just hoped that Aizen would remember all the years of nurturing…
molding…
teaching…
and go a little easy on his old sensei when the inevitable betrayal happened.
Meanwhile, at the Shihōin Estate.
A dark-skinned girl with vibrant purple hair sat upon an elevated dais, adorned in a magnificent, multi-layered jūnihitoe kimono.
Her expression was solemn and majestic as she spoke.
“I understand.
You are dismissed.
Begin preparations for the Captain inauguration ceremony.”
The clan elders, arranged in two neat columns below, bowed deeply in unison before shuffling out of the grand hall.
“Omaeda, stay behind,” the girl commanded.
Despite her youthful appearance, her voice carried absolute authority.
Marenoshin Omaeda grimaced, keeping his head bowed as he awaited his judgment.
The moment the heavy sliding doors closed behind the last elder, the girl visibly deflated.
The regal, upright posture vanished in an instant.
She kicked one leg out to the side, letting a small, white-socked foot peek out from beneath the luxurious silk.
She pulled her other knee up, rested her elbow on it, and propped her chin in her hand.
Tilting her head to glare down at the still-bowing Marenoshin, a flash of annoyance crossed Yoruichi’s eyes.
Reaching into the folds of her kimono, she retrieved an apple, took a loud, crunchy bite, and shouted, “Omaeda, prepare to die!”
The half-eaten apple tore through the air with a sharp whistle, flying toward Marenoshin’s head like a drawn blade.
With a casual swipe of his massive hand, Marenoshin caught the projectile effortlessly.
He let out a silent breath of relief.
If Lady Yoruichi was throwing things at him, it meant the worst of her anger had passed.
“Hmph!” Yoruichi snorted.
She stood up, brushing off her robes.
“Follow me.”
She led Marenoshin through the winding corridors until they reached her personal living quarters.
Tugging uncomfortably at the heavy, ornate collar of her kimono, she began to yell in irritation.
“Kana!
Kana!”
“Coming!”
A young girl slid the door open and rushed to her side.
“Yes, My Lady?
What is it?”
Yoruichi’s tone dripped with sarcasm.
“Why haven’t you served tea for Lord Omaeda yet?
What kind of hospitality is this?”
Marenoshin stiffened, offering an awkward, apologetic smile.
“Please, in your presence, Lady Yoruichi, how could I dare accept such a thing?”
“Oh?
Is that so?” Yoruichi clicked her tongue, still trying to loosen her collar.
“You clearly think highly enough of yourself to arrange my marriage behind my back.
What wouldn’t you dare to accept?
Stay out here and reflect on your actions!
Kana, come help me change.”
“Eh?
Yes!” Kana’s face erupted into a bright crimson blush.
Whatever she was imagining, it made her stumble awkwardly as she followed Yoruichi into the inner chamber.
A few minutes later, Yoruichi emerged, completely revitalized and dressed in a short, comfortable yellow yukata.
Kana trailed behind her, her face still flushed a deep red, her steps unsteady.
“I’m alive again!
I hate wearing those stuffy antiques!”
Yoruichi threw herself onto a padded lounge chair, swinging a white-socked foot idly in the air.
Seeing Marenoshin still standing respectfully off to the side, she pouted.
“I’ll let you off the hook this time, but watch yourself.
Seriously, why are you suddenly acting like those old fossils and interfering in my private life?”
Marenoshin wiped a fresh bead of sweat from his forehead.
“You misunderstand, Lady Yoruichi!
Everything I do is out of pure loyalty!
I was only thinking of your best interests!”
“Oh?” Yoruichi sat up, her interest piqued.
She was ready to hear how he planned to talk his way out of this one.
She accepted a fresh cup of tea from Kana’s trembling hands, downing it in one gulp.
As she placed the cup back on the tray, she playfully stroked the back of Kana’s hand.
“Go on, then.
Explain exactly how this was for my best interests.”
“Because of your…
unique lifestyle,” Marenoshin chose his words carefully, “the elders decided they needed to find a husband to force you to settle down and bear the responsibility of continuing the bloodline.
They nearly tore each other apart arguing over the candidate, because every faction wanted to push their own pawn onto you.”
Yoruichi frowned, her delicate brows knitting together.
She knew exactly what he meant; she had no good way to deal with those stubborn old men either.
“So you decided to push your pawn instead?”
“Of course not, Lady Yoruichi!
I swear my loyalty!” Marenoshin cried out, feeling incredibly wronged.
“The boy I suggested has a perfectly clean background.
He’s from a minor noble house loyal to the main branch, he’s an orphan, and he comes with his own estate!
He’s handsome, incredibly talented, and completely unaffiliated with any of the elders’ factions!
Tell me that isn’t the perfect candidate!”
Yoruichi found herself intrigued.
Annoyingly, Marenoshin’s logic was actually quite sound.
‘I suppose I could string him along for a while,’ she thought.
‘If I really can’t get those old men off my back, I might just have to settle for this kid.
I’ll keep him as a backup plan.’
“But Kana told me something interesting,” Yoruichi drawled, her eyes narrowing slightly.
“She heard that when the boy found out I rejected the arrangement…
he was actually thrilled?”
Marenoshin winced.
‘Curse these pillow talks!’ he groaned internally.
‘This is how empires fall!’
He slapped his chest firmly, adopting a tone of absolute certainty.
“That boy—that foolish boy simply hasn’t laid eyes on your peerless beauty, Lady Yoruichi!
I guarantee, the moment he meets you, he will instantly fall to his knees and worship at your feet!”
Nobody disliked being praised, and Yoruichi, despite her tough exterior, was still a young woman.
Yet, deep down…
she still felt an undeniable prickle of irritation.
Who did this nobody think he was, daring to be happy about her rejecting him?
“I also heard,” Yoruichi continued, her voice dropping a fraction of an octave, “that he’s been quite entangled with that little girl from the Fong family.”
Marenoshin inhaled sharply.
Lady Yoruichi always acted like she couldn’t care less about clan affairs, but her grip on the intelligence network was truly terrifying!
“L-Lady Yoruichi…
about that…” Marenoshin scrambled his brain, desperately trying to think of a way to spin this in Haru’s favor, but Yoruichi waved him off.
“Now this is getting interesting,” she purred, a dangerous smirk playing on her lips.
“Bring the Fong girl to see me.
I want to see exactly what kind of person she is…
heh.”