"Awake now, Matsumoto?" Tōshirō Hitsugaya called from behind his desk. His short legs dangled off the chair, lightly swaying where Rangiku Matsumoto couldn't see.
"Captain…" Rangiku Matsumoto blinked. "Why are you in my room?"
"Idiot. What do you mean your room? This is the office." Tōshirō Hitsugaya waved the documents in his hand irritably. "Since you're up, get back to work. I'm exhausted."
Rangiku Matsumoto climbed off the sofa, adjusted her overburdened collar and peach-colored shawl, and walked up the steps.
"Well, who told you to take on all the 5th Division's work, Captain?"
Tōshirō Hitsugaya's desk sat on a slightly raised platform. He was on the shorter side, and sitting behind a normal desk had once made him look small and lacking authority, so the platform had been specially built.
"Less talk." He shoved the documents into her hands. "Take these and go back to your desk."
"…Hmm?" Rangiku Matsumoto casually flipped through the papers, looking surprised.
"That's it? Shouldn't there be a lot more…?"
She clearly remembered the towering stacks on the desk before she'd fallen asleep.
"You're such a pain!" Tōshirō Hitsugaya picked up his teacup and urged her impatiently.
"Just take them already!"
"So…" Rangiku Matsumoto came back to herself. "I really did sleep for a long time…"
"It's fine." Tōshirō Hitsugaya noticed the faint gloom on her face. "With everything that's happened to your peers and juniors, you're probably feeling unsettled too."
"My peers…?" The image of that silver-haired boy surfaced in Rangiku Matsumoto's mind, gradually overlapping with the current Captain of the Third Division. "Captain, do you really think Gin…" She paused. "I mean… Captain Ichimaru…"
"E-Excuse me!"
A voice rang out from outside the door.
"This is Kōkichirō Takezoe, 7th Seat of the 10th Division! Are Captain Hitsugaya and Lieutenant Matsumoto inside?"
Hearing the urgency in his tone, Tōshirō Hitsugaya felt a chill of foreboding.
"What is it? Get in!"
"Yes! Excuse me!"
Kōkichirō Takezoe pushed the door open.
"Report! An emergency notice has just been issued to all detention units—Lieutenant Hinamori and Lieutenant Kira have both escaped!"
Tōshirō Hitsugaya and Rangiku Matsumoto immediately rushed to confirm the situation.
The 5th Division guard responsible for watching the cell was kneeling before Tōshirō Hitsugaya.
"I—I'm terribly sorry…"
His voice was thick with guilt.
"Lieutenant Hinamori called out to me. When I turned around, everything went blank. By the time I regained consciousness, it was already like this. I have no intention of making excuses. I only hope the Captain will give me a chance to atone…"
"It's [Hakufuku]." Rangiku Matsumoto glanced at the damaged iron bars.
Hakufuku was a special form of Kidō, categorized as a combination of Hadō and Bakudō. It blurred the target's consciousness, plunging them into a state of sleep while temporarily erasing their Reiatsu.
It rendered the opponent unable to fight, yet left no obvious trace—making the fallen target difficult to detect.
Whether for infiltration or escape, Hakufuku was extremely useful.
And correspondingly, extremely difficult to cast.
"Hinamori was always skilled at Kidō. Her Reiatsu should have been sealed. The only reason it wasn't…" Tōshirō Hitsugaya's brows knitted tightly. "No one expected her to try breaking out."
"It's not like she was going to be punished during this special period," Rangiku Matsumoto said, unable to understand. "Why would she…"
Temporary detention was one thing. Escaping from prison was something else entirely.
"In that case, there's only one reason."
Gin Ichimaru's ever-smiling face flashed through Tōshirō Hitsugaya's mind.
"Matsumoto, head back first. I'll go bring Hinamori back."
…
At the Third Division barracks, Izuru Kira followed behind Gin Ichimaru.
What is Captain planning to do…
And what am I supposed to do…
An order… If there were an order…
Then at least I'd know what to do.
How is Momo Hinamori now?
Is she still angry at me…
Ah… There's still so much unfinished work.
The Ryoka are still running loose in Seireitei.
What exactly am I doing…
What should I be doing?
Izuru Kira's already melancholy expression grew even more desolate.
Then suddenly, a cold voice rang out.
"So you two really are together…" Tōshirō Hitsugaya folded his arms, his gaze even colder than his voice. "Looks like I guessed right. Kira's cell was opened from the outside. Trying to slip away quietly? That's a little too obvious, isn't it, Ichimaru?"
"Oh my… what a strange thing to say." Gin Ichimaru wore his usual smile. "What I did… was quite deliberate."
Behind his back, Tōshirō Hitsugaya gripped the hilt of his Zanpakutō.
"Good thing I got here before Hinamori."
There was only one reason Momo Hinamori would break out of prison—to avenge Sōsuke Aizen.
Aizen's letter to her must have named his killer.
But Hinamori's strength was limited. Against a powerful enemy, she wouldn't be able to take revenge. She'd only end up dead.
An icy surge of Reiatsu poured from Tōshirō Hitsugaya's body, his captain's haori snapping in the wind.
"Before she gets here… I'll kill you first!"
If Gin Ichimaru wasn't the one who killed Sōsuke Aizen, then who was? Him?
A figure suddenly stepped between the two captains.
Tōshirō Hitsugaya instinctively loosened his grip.
"Hinamori!"
"I finally… found you…" Momo Hinamori's face was expressionless. "So this is where you were…"
"Don't go any closer!" Tōshirō Hitsugaya called out urgently. "Hinamori! You're no match for him! Leave it to me—get back!"
Momo Hinamori drew her Zanpakutō, then suddenly turned and pressed the blade against Tōshirō Hitsugaya's neck.
"You… the enemy who killed Captain Aizen."
In Sōsuke Aizen's letter, it had been written:
That terrifying person is named—
Tōshirō Hitsugaya.
Tonight, I will summon him to the Eastern Great Wall.
No matter what, I must stop him.
If he refuses to turn back, I am prepared to fight him to the death.
If I die,
Hinamori, I ask that you carry on my will and avenge me.
"This is my… final request… Not as the captain of the 5th Division…" Tears streamed down Momo Hinamori's face as she repeated the words in a trembling voice. "But as a person… I beg you…"
"Ahhh!"
With a broken cry, she raised her Zanpakutō.
Tōshirō Hitsugaya flashed backward to avoid the strike.
"You idiot, Hinamori! Think about it! Do you really believe Aizen would say something like that? The Aizen I knew— even if he lost his mind and charged into a battle he couldn't win—he'd never ask his subordinates to clean up after him. He's not that kind of coward!"
"But… he wrote it that way! I couldn't have seen it wrong!" Momo Hinamori slashed at him again. "It was Captain Aizen's handwriting! There's no mistake! I don't want to believe it either, but Captain Aizen… I… I…"
She clenched her Zanpakutō tightly.
"I don't… know what I'm supposed to do anymore… Shiro-chan…"
Tōshirō Hitsugaya leapt aside again, evading her clumsy attack.
Hinamori was completely overwhelmed. She couldn't make a rational judgment anymore.
She had just held her blade to Tōshirō Hitsugaya's throat—yet now she swung it at him without hesitation.
Izuru Kira stared blankly at the frenzied Momo Hinamori.
He understood her.
Not knowing what to do. Not knowing what choice to make. Yet feeling like he had to do something.
His gaze shifted slightly—and he noticed the faint smile at the corner of Gin Ichimaru's lips.
Could it be…
He wasn't the only one who had seen that smile.
Hovering in the air, Tōshirō Hitsugaya fixed his eyes on Gin Ichimaru.
Aizen would never write a letter like that.
And yet the handwriting was unmistakably Aizen's.
So who could imitate it?
As Sōsuke Aizen's Lieutenant, Momo Hinamori could.
And there was one other person who had once served as Sōsuke Aizen's Lieutenant as well.
That person was…
Tōshirō Hitsugaya roared, "Gin Ichimaru!"
He moved to attack, but Momo Hinamori charged again.
Tōshirō Hitsugaya couldn't keep dodging in midair forever. With nowhere left to retreat, he gritted his teeth and struck, knocking Momo Hinamori to the ground.
"Oh my, how cruel of you, Captain of the 10th Division." Gin Ichimaru's voice was light, almost amused. "A girl's out of her mind from grief, and you hit her that hard?"
"Ichimaru…" Tōshirō Hitsugaya's gaze dropped to Momo Hinamori's hands—bloody, shredded, yet still locked around her Zanpakutō. "I warned you."
"If anything happens to Hinamori…"
Tōshirō Hitsugaya tightened his grip on his Zanpakutō. Reiatsu erupted, shredding the scabbard on his back. The pressure surged skyward, then crashed down like a weight, forcing the ground to sink.
"I'll kill you."
"That won't do, Captain of the 10th Division." Gin Ichimaru rested a hand on the Zanpakutō at his waist. "If you're going to draw yours here, then I suppose I'll have to stop you."
Captain-class Reiatsu collided overhead, grinding against each other like invisible blades. Izuru Kira's breathing turned ragged.
"C-Captain Ichimaru…"
"Step back, Izuru," Gin Ichimaru said calmly. "You don't want to die yet, do you?"
"Don't be stupid. You think stepping back is enough?" Tōshirō Hitsugaya raised his Zanpakutō. "Get out of here, Kira. Far enough that I can't see you. If you're not far enough…"
His other hand tightened as well.
"I can't guarantee you won't get caught up in it and die."
He shot upward and spoke in a low command.
"Sit Upon the Frozen Heavens—Hyōrinmaru!!!"
Chains clinked as an iron chain unfurled from the end of the hilt, its far end shaped like a crescent blade, glinting with cold, razor light.
As the Zanpakutō transformed, Reiatsu poured from the blade like surging water. Then, in the biting chill, it condensed into an ice dragon that coiled around Tōshirō Hitsugaya.
Dark clouds rolled in, swallowing the moon. The invisible pressure of his Reiatsu twisted the very weather, as if winter had arrived early. The wind howled, and the cold seeped into bone.
Celestial phenomena descended.
The strongest ice-type Zanpakutō—Hyōrinmaru.
Just releasing it was enough to change the sky.
It was as though the heavens themselves were responding to its power.
With a single swing, Tōshirō Hitsugaya sent the ice dragon crashing down, water spray exploding in its wake.
Izuru Kira tried to dodge—
Too late. His arm was already sealed in ice.
So… fast.
Gin Ichimaru slipped aside, but the ice dragon pursued like a shadow.
His arm flicked. A flash of steel, and the dragon was cut cleanly in two.
Ice and water whipped past him, but Gin Ichimaru's arm went numb with cold.
Hyōrinmaru's chain had wrapped around him.
Using the surge of water as cover, Tōshirō Hitsugaya slipped in close. He seized the chain and yanked hard, freezing Gin Ichimaru's left arm solid.
Gin Ichimaru's eyes opened a fraction, revealing pale sky-blue irises.
"Shoot to kill… Shinsō."
The blade tip shot out from beneath the haori and speared toward Tōshirō Hitsugaya's eye.
At the last instant, Tōshirō Hitsugaya raised his sword and knocked it off line, barely avoiding the strike.
No… that's not right.
Something clicked.
Tōshirō Hitsugaya snapped his head around—and saw Shinsō's tip flying straight for Momo Hinamori's unconscious body.
"Hinamori!"
Clang!
Rangiku Matsumoto slashed up to block Shinsō's tip, bracing her forearm against the blade to barely hold it back.
Tōshirō Hitsugaya exhaled shakily. "Matsumoto…"
"I'm really sorry," Rangiku Matsumoto said, eyes locked on Gin Ichimaru. "You told me to go back, but I felt Hyōrinmaru's Reiatsu and turned around."
Her voice hardened.
"Please withdraw your blade, Captain Ichimaru. If you won't stop… then I'll fight you."
Gin Ichimaru smiled faintly. With a flick of his arm, he tore free of Hyōrinmaru's chain and retracted Shinsō.
Then he turned away.
"Let's go, Izuru."
Tōshirō Hitsugaya's voice snapped with frustration. "Don't you dare walk away!"
"Instead of chasing me," Gin Ichimaru said lightly, "you might want to treat the 5th Division's Lieutenant first. Under your celestial phenomena… she'll die."
The cold deepened under Hyōrinmaru's influence.
Even an ordinary Shinigami would struggle to endure it—let alone Momo Hinamori, already battered in body and mind.
Tōshirō Hitsugaya hesitated for only an instant.
Gin Ichimaru was gone.
A Jigokuchō fluttered close, wings beating as it delivered a message:
[All Captains and Lieutenants, an announcement.]
[Regarding the execution date for the prisoner Rukia Kuchiki, the final change has been made.]
[The final execution will take place twenty hours from now.]
[End.]
...