“What… are you talking about?”
Ichigo subconsciously uttered his catchphrase.
Seeing his expression of utter shock, Aizen’s mischievous side seemed satisfied, and his smile deepened.
“For the record, I’m not joking.”
“Shinomiya-kun spends every day with you; with his observation and intellect, I’m sure he understands your situation. Furthermore, the teachers at the Spirit Arts Academy are not incompetent, yet they haven’t offered any useful advice. Clearly… in their eyes, your situation is unsolvable.”
“Kurosaki-kun, your spiritual pressure is too strong, so strong it’s uncontrollable. That’s why whenever you use Kidō, you can’t limit its power, leading to it exploding in your face.”
“Of course, I have a way to prevent that from happening, but that leads to another difficult problem.”
“What problem?”
Ichigo asked urgently.
“It’s still because the power is too great, right?”
Takashi reacted instantly, guessing the answer directly.
“Yes.”
Aizen adjusted his glasses, first confirming Takashi’s judgment before explaining leisurely:
“Even if you could successfully cast Kidō, the fact that your spiritual pressure is uncontrollably strong remains unchanged.”
“Think about it. When you intend to use Hadō #1: Shō to knock a sword out of an enemy’s hand, you instead end up shattering their sword, their arm, and even half their body.”
“…”
Ichigo seemed to imagine such a scene.
His originally frustrated expression became much heavier; it was clear he had a psychological aversion to uncontrollable violence.
If such tragic outcomes were inevitable, he would rather give up Kidō and fight only with the sword in his hand.
“However, if we change our perspective, Kaidō seems like a good choice.”
Aizen suddenly shifted the conversation.
“Eh? Kaidō?”
Ichigo’s brain almost failed to make the turn.
Takashi, on the other hand, followed Aizen’s train of thought easily.
“The teacher means that since the destructive power of your Kidō is uncontrollable, you might as well specialize in Kaidō.”
“For healing-based techniques, the stronger the performance, the better. Not only can you heal yourself during battle at any time, but you can also treat teammates in emergencies. It’s a fitting outlet for that powerful spiritual pressure of yours that has nowhere else to go.”
“What Shinomiya-kun said is exactly what I meant to express.”
“Though you’ve discarded Kidō, having a Zanpakutō, Zanjutsu, and even Hakuda is enough. Combined with Kaidō, which can be activated directly without incantations for healing, it’s a unique form of offense and defense in one.”
“Even if an opponent’s strength is far beyond yours, they would have to expend a great deal of effort to defeat you. It’s a rather troublesome combat style.”
No kidding.
Currently, in the Soul Society, there was only one Shinigami who could cut people down while healing herself like that.
Takashi couldn’t help but think.
“I understand the logic, but from what I know, Kaidō isn’t easy to learn…”
Ichigo hesitated.
The Spirit Arts Academy had Kaidō courses, but the difficulty was extremely high.
Combined with the fact that it was a healing technique, it was generally considered useless for combat, making it an unpopular elective.
“I understand your concern, but it’s unnecessary. You may not have noticed, but you are very talented in terms of spiritual energy control.”
“Normally, your spiritual pressure would be so out of control that it would have to be sealed away. The fact that you can still stand here proves your power is still within your grasp. With sufficient training, you can utilize your own strength much more finely.”
“If that weren’t the case, I wouldn’t be confident in helping you solve this problem, because in such a situation, any experience or technique would be a waste of effort.”
Aizen’s words gave Ichigo a huge boost in confidence.
“I understand! Kaidō, right? I will definitely master this technique!”
“Next, I will teach you some practical Kidō techniques. Combined with the Spiritual Power Restoration Chamber to increase efficiency, Kurosaki-kun’s problem will soon be solved.”
“Then, after mastering the basic Kaidō courses through the Spirit Arts Academy, I will recommend you to help out at the Fourth Division’s General Medical Relief Station to gain experience. As for Shinomiya-kun…”
Aizen looked at the seemingly inconspicuous Takashi with a kind smile and a sincere tone.
“As the freshman with the best grades in the history of the Spirit Arts Academy, I imagine nothing is too difficult for you.”
“But witnessing and helping a junior grow is also my mission as a Captain of the Gotei 13 and a lecturer at the Academy. So, whether it’s Kidō or anything else, you can ask me for guidance whenever you wish.”
“Really?”
Takashi was a bit surprised.
This attitude was a bit too good.
Did he want to take him under his wing and have him join the great cause of rebellion?
“Of course. I sincerely look forward to seeing how far you go on the path of a Shinigami.”
Aizen’s hearty speech left Takashi a bit unable to read him.
But he didn’t care about that.
Just as he had told Rindō before, thoughts aren’t important; what matters is what you do.
“Then… I look forward to your guidance from now on, Teacher.”
Takashi gave a solemn bow.
…
In the blink of an eye, night fell.
Aizen personally escorted the two out of the squad barracks, watching as the two young figures faded into the distance before returning to his room.
Outside on the porch, a tall, thin figure leaned against a pillar, keeping himself in the shadows where the moonlight couldn’t reach.
“Oh my, you actually spent the whole day training with those two kids. Is Captain Aizen planning to find some colleagues for me and Kaname? Though they’re smart kids, they don’t seem like they’ll be useful for a while.”
“Are you trying to say I’m wasting my efforts, Gin?”
“I didn’t say that~ Captain Aizen has his own reasons for doing what he does. It just feels a bit different from Captain Aizen’s usual style, so I was just curious.”
The person in the shadows spread his hands.
No emotion leaked from his seemingly flippant tone; he was like a snake or a fox, cold no matter how he moved, cunning no matter how he looked.
“My style, is it… It seems you observe very carefully, Gin.”
Aizen’s smile was playful.
“To be a good subordinate, you have to understand your superior’s preferences~”
“Then you should be more diligent.”
“…”
Gin was slightly taken aback.
“If you truly understood me, you would remember what I once said. Developments not within the plan can also be considered gains that exceed the expected plan.”
Aizen looked up, his indifferent gaze fixed on the moon in the sky.
The falling moonlight was blocked by his thin lenses, but the dark clouds were very much like the thoughts churning in his eyes.
“The deceased Kurosaki Ichigo, and the boy born without warning whose potential is no less than his… I feel a pull of gravity from fate.”
“But it cannot be denied that this joke is much more interesting than this disappointing world. It makes one excited and unable to resist doing something. If you say I’m acting differently than usual, that must be the reason.”
“…”
Gin frowned.
He didn’t understand Aizen’s words; even though he was a genius, he still couldn’t comprehend Aizen’s current mood.
This was inevitable.
A person who leaves their companions behind to carry everything alone is destined to be unable to empathize with someone who has been alone from the start.
He couldn’t understand the surprise the latter felt when encountering a similar kind.
He couldn’t understand the feeling of having obtained a companion who could walk alongside him due to his own unintentional actions, thereby avoiding the path of walking alone.