'Where did Captain Kurotsuchi go? Why isn't he overseeing the management?'
Nichika had originally worried about being interrogated and had even prepared herself to deal with the guards.
As it turned out, she was completely overthinking it.
In the midst of this chaos, no one even spared her a second glance.
"Um... I'm from the Fourth Division, here to deliver..." Nichika tried to stop a passing researcher.
"File trivial things like that yourself! Can't you see we're busy?!"
The researcher with explosive hair didn't even look back. He shoved Nichika aside and sprinted down the corridor, clutching a pile of smoking components.
He was still screaming at the top of his lungs, "It collapsed again over there! My observation data!!!"
Nichika stood frozen in place, blinking.
Although she didn't know exactly what had happened, this chaotic situation was an absolute godsend.
She pricked up her ears, picking out useful information from the messy shouts around her.
"...Abnormal Spiritual Pressure field fluctuations... Could it be a Spiritual Disaster of that magnitude again..."
"Damn it, why do the Ryoka have to cause trouble at a time like this..."
"Forget it, ignore those intruders. As long as they don't attack this place, don't waste our computing resources on them!"
'I see.'
Listening closely, it seemed they were truly overwhelmed with work.
Some were running calculations for a potential Spiritual Disaster, while others focused on detecting the abnormal Spiritual Pressure fields.
Still others had their eyes glued to waveform charts that looked completely identical to Nichika, seemingly trying to find some hidden clues.
Nichika understood the situation perfectly.
To this group of mad scientists, a sudden set of abnormal data was far more important than the boring manual labor of guarding the Seireitei.
"The eccentric director sure has it rough, being this busy every day," Nichika muttered.
"Since everyone is so busy..."
The corners of her mouth curled up slightly, revealing a slyness that did not match her youthful appearance.
Pretending to deliver documents, she followed the flow of people and slipped into the inner sector.
Then, at an unnoticed corner, she silently slipped into a passageway leading deep underground.
That was an absolute restricted area accessible only to senior researchers and Captains. It was a labyrinth where one could easily get lost.
But Aizen had given her a map of this place long ago.
Eighteen years ago, at a place called Funbari Hill, Kisuke Urahara and Mayuri Kurotsuchi had conducted a secret transaction.
Mayuri Kurotsuchi wanted to create a perfect lifeform with infinite evolutionary potential, one that could even surpass the limits of a Soul Reaper.
And the core data on soul enhancement and Gigai technology provided by Kisuke Urahara completed Mayuri's final puzzle piece.
He threw himself into the experiments without rest, but still encountered a fatal bottleneck: the paradox between the stability of the Spirit Core and the limitless growth of Spiritual Pressure.
At that time, the arrogant Mayuri Kurotsuchi made an unexpected move.
Not only did he ignore Kisuke Urahara's warnings, but provoked by his words, he actually sought out Aizen on his own initiative.
That night, Mayuri slammed a thick stack of data onto Aizen's desk.
He didn't ask, nor did he negotiate. He simply commanded in that matter-of-fact, madness-filled tone, "Aizen, I've read your paper on Reishi construction from the Shin'o Academy."
"Although it's full of amateurish naivety, it still has some reference value... Assist me in completing the Spiritual Pressure circuit design for this body!"
He didn't explain why, nor did he promise any reward, as if being able to participate in his experiment was a supreme honor in itself.
Aizen maintained his usual Mr. Nice Guy facade, pretending to be troubled as he accepted Mayuri's invitation.
Over the course of several years, Aizen deeply participated in the construction of Nemuri Hachigo as an assistant, occasionally offering leading suggestions to help Mayuri advance the experiment to its current stage.
Everything was for today.
The light in the passageway grew dimmer, and the air turned colder.
The surrounding walls were covered with thick pipes carrying glowing liquids that emitted gurgling sounds.
Finally, Nichika stopped in front of a massive metal door.
There was no keyhole on the door, only a row of complex Reishi locks.
Normally, without the access passcode, cracking such a lock would require a massive amount of time and an extremely high level of Kido mastery.
But today, Lady Luck seemed to be on her side.
Perhaps because the internal experiments had reached a critical juncture, or perhaps because the external disturbances had caused an unstable energy supply...
Or maybe it was just the oversight of a careless researcher...
The large door was actually not completely closed, left slightly ajar with a narrow gap.
Nichika held her breath and squeezed sideways through the gap.
Before her was a massive circular laboratory, surrounded by various precision instruments she couldn't understand.
In the very center of the lab stood a giant cylindrical incubation tank.
Pale green nutrient fluid flowed slowly within the tank, with countless tubes plugged into it.
Suspended within the embrace of the nutrient fluid was a curled-up figure.
It was a little girl who looked to be only six or seven years old.
She had short black hair, pale skin, and her eyes were tightly shut like a sleeping doll.
There was not a trace of vitality on her body, yet she exuded a terrifyingly pure Spiritual Pressure.
This was... Nemuri Hachigo.
Gathering his life's learning, combining Kisuke Urahara's technology and Aizen's 'flash of inspiration' suggestions...
The artificial Soul Reaper created based on Nemuri Nanago, Nemu Kurotsuchi...
At this moment, the laboratory was completely empty.
All the researchers seemed to have been urgently summoned to process other data, leaving this unfinished masterpiece quietly suspended in the silence.
Nichika took a deep breath, suppressing her wildly beating heart, and quickly walked up to the incubation tank.
She pulled out the crystal Aizen had given her from her clothes.
The crystal emitted a faint blue glow in the dim light, as if resonating with the life inside the tank.
"Teacher Aizen... I just need to put this inside..."
Nichika's hand trembled slightly.
She didn't know what this crystal actually was, nor did she know exactly what effect it would have on this sleeping girl.
But she wasn't stupid; she could vaguely guess a few things from her teacher's stance of making an enemy out of the Seireitei...
"For the new world."
Nichika gritted her teeth, her eyes turning resolute.
She reached out, gathering Reiryoku at her fingertips, and gently pressed the control panel of the incubation tank.
With a faint hum, a delivery port on the side of the tank slowly opened.
Nichika placed the crystal inside. It slid down the tube and dropped into the pale green nutrient fluid.
Through the thick, specialized glass, Nichika watched as the crystal slowly floated up in the liquid, eventually hovering right over Nemuri Hachigo's chest.
In that instant, countless images flashed through her mind.
Lady Shinobu's gentle yet constantly worried gaze; her father and mother's desire for a peaceful life while being forced to live cautiously;
and Brother Gyomei's silent chanting in the courtyard every night.
She also remembered that night at the Ubuyashiki Estate many years ago.
In order to fight the terrifying Progenitor of Demons, their family had nearly plunged into hell...
The intense agony of being engulfed in flames, the helpless despair... even thinking about it now felt as fresh as if it were yesterday.
Now, even though the Seireitei had taken their family in, and the Fourth Division had given her and Hinaki a place to belong...
But Teacher Aizen was right.
They were anomalies from another world.
Perhaps one day, because of a single document from Central 46, her family would also end up lying here, left to be experimented on by others...
After all, those nobles didn't treat the residents of the Rukongai as living beings...
Those people were entities even more terrifying than the Progenitor of Demons.
"I must change this kind of world..."
Nichika stared at Nemuri Hachigo's form and tightly clenched her fists.