Time passed quickly, and before long, the holiday had quietly come to an end.
Masatsuki Aozaki stood fully dressed, gazing at the three identical girls playing and splashing in the hot spring before him. Banshō Senran hung carefully at his waist.
Why were there three women who looked exactly alike? The answer lay with the Banshō Senran sisters.
At this moment, among the three, aside from Rangiku Matsumoto, the other two could both be called Yuhime. Not only did they share the same face and figure, but even their hair color was identical.
"Now that I've mastered Rangiku's Bankai, what's next?"
Masatsuki tilted his head slightly, the corners of his mouth curling up as he recalled the carefully planned schedule he had mapped out for himself.
...
At the entrance of the 12th Division, Masatsuki Aozaki looked at Mayuri Kurotsuchi standing across from him and asked with a grin, "Everything ready?"
Mayuri smirked, his lips curling with disdain as he lazily responded, "There's nothing to prepare. There was never anything of value to gain in that damned prison, nor anything worth bringing out."
"Besides, you lot have been keeping an eye on me the whole time. What else was I supposed to do except amuse myself with those crude devices?"
Masatsuki shrugged and spread his hands in a gesture of helplessness. "Come on now, Kirio and Senjumaru both think you're incredibly dangerous."
At the mention of those two names, Mayuri clicked his tongue in irritation, his face twisting with disgust.
"Those two women are nothing but trouble," he spat, his tone growing sharper, as though recalling something particularly unpleasant.
"So, you're just letting me walk free now?"
A trace of mockery laced his voice.
They had promised to release him long ago, yet he had been left waiting for over a decade.
"Of course."
Masatsuki seemed to see right through Mayuri's thoughts and offered a knowing smile.
After all, waiting with hope was the most agonizing thing—enough to make time feel like an eternity.
Without another word, he reached out and lightly patted Mayuri on the shoulder.
"What is this...?" Mayuri's eyes narrowed in confusion.
A surge of overwhelming force erupted from Masatsuki like a tidal wave, instantly engulfing the entire area.
The sheer intensity of his Reiatsu was suffocating, as if it could tear the very fabric of space apart.
Faced with such terrifying pressure, Mayuri's body trembled involuntarily.
He felt like a lone boat caught in a raging storm, ready to be swallowed by the waves at any moment.
Even as fear and doubt lingered in his mind, he gritted his teeth and forced himself to endure. "So, is this your trump card?"
Masatsuki chuckled softly—like a gentle breeze brushing across the ocean's surface.
In an instant, the overwhelming Reiatsu vanished without a trace.
Tilting his head slightly, he cast a deep, unreadable gaze at Mayuri. A faint smirk played on his lips, tinged with an almost imperceptible amusement.
"Sorry, but this is all I've got for now. Does that disappoint you?"
The crushing weight that had been bearing down on Mayuri suddenly disappeared, and the tension in his body gradually eased.
Yet, he didn't respond. Instead, he let out a cold snort, his dissatisfaction evident.
He knew full well that Masatsuki had just unleashed that terrifying display of power as a warning—to make sure he understood his place.
And it worked.
A talent of this magnitude was unheard of in all of Soul Society's history. If nothing unexpected happened, he would be forced to live under Masatsuki's shadow for the rest of his life.
Mayuri let out a long sigh of resignation.
Seeing this, Masatsuki's grin widened, though he remained silent.
Because he knew that the brilliant man standing before him had already understood his message loud and clear.
After entering the room, Masatsuki Aozaki finally stopped walking and slowly turned around to face Mayuri Kurotsuchi.
"From now on, you will serve as the 3rd Seated Officer of the 12th Division and concurrently as the Deputy Director of the Shinigami Research and Development Institute."
"And this place—" Masatsuki gestured to the laboratory around them, "—has been specially prepared for you."
Mayuri raised an eyebrow and asked, "Then who is the Director?"
His tone carried both reluctance and skepticism.
"Naturally, it's Kisuke," Masatsuki replied casually, a flicker of appreciation flashing in his eyes.
"Kisuke Urahara? Hah, so it really is him." Mayuri sneered.
He didn't have much fondness for that man, but there was no denying his brilliance. If anyone had to be in charge, at least it was someone competent. That was something he could begrudgingly accept.
At the very least, he wouldn't have to take orders from some worthless buffoons.
Masatsuki smirked faintly and said, "Kisuke made it clear that, within these walls, your authority ranks just below his and mine. Not bad, huh?"
Mayuri's brows furrowed deeply, his face twisting in disbelief. He looked as if his intelligence had just been personally insulted.
"Why is someone like you ranked above me?" he demanded.
To him, Masatsuki was undoubtedly clever, but if they were talking pure intellect, there was no way he should be placed ahead of him.
Something shady was going on here.
Could it be that Kirio Hikifune had taken a liking to this pretty-faced man and pulled some strings for him?
Masatsuki chuckled, as if he had already anticipated Mayuri's reaction.
"The reason is simple—I'm one of this department's founders."
His voice carried both pride and amusement, as if he enjoyed seeing Mayuri struggle to accept it.
Mayuri clicked his tongue in disdain but, after weighing Masatsuki's strength and status, he had no choice but to accept the arrangement.
Masatsuki's grin widened slightly. "Alright, no need to look so bitter. I actually have some good news for you—interested?"
Hearing this, Mayuri lifted his head, his sharp gaze locking onto Masatsuki's as if trying to decipher his intentions.
Masatsuki met his eyes with a knowing smile. "I know all about your so-called 'mad science.' The artificial soul—quite an ambitious concept. So... wouldn't you like to see that grand experiment through to the end?"
Mayuri's frown deepened. "I don't need you to tell me that. I intend to continue my work no matter what."
Those very experiments had landed him in confinement.
But for that reason alone, the artificial soul project had become an obsession—one he would never abandon.
Masatsuki suddenly changed the subject. "Oh? In that case, I suppose I can rest easy. But then again, based on my understanding of your research… Kirio's Gikon should be of great use to you, no?"
The moment those words left his lips, Mayuri's eyes widened in sheer disbelief.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / PinkSnake