Thanks to Jomon, Hell began to rebuild itself without me having to lift a finger, and there was nothing left for me to manage in the Seireitei or the Soul Society.
With Yamamoto as the Captain-Commander and the former members of Squad 0 around, there was no need for me to step forward personally.
The big things were over. The major tasks, at least.
All that remained were the trivial matters.
Of course, trivial doesn't necessarily mean easy or simple.
That's especially true when it involves relationships between people.
After all, the affairs of men are often tangled and complex.
So, now is not the time to rest.
"I'm going to the World of the Living for a bit."
"Again, without even a moment's rest...? What will I do if you overwork yourself?"
"Thanks for worrying. But you know. This is nothing for me."
I gave the worried Unohana a firm embrace before heading out to the World of the Living.
My destination was already decided, so I didn't stop anywhere else and went straight there.
Saongjima. Fortune and misfortune are two sides of the same coin.
The path of even a single person's life is impossible to measure, so how complex must it become when two lives intertwine?
And what if it's not a normal connection, but one forged through an ill-fated history?
"Haaa..."
Staring at the building... no, the warehouse in front of me, I let out a deep sigh and scratched my head.
Who could it be that makes me say this? Well, how many people in Bleach live in a warehouse like this?
As I waited for a moment in front of the warehouse with my arms crossed, the tightly closed door slowly creaked open.
The one who emerged was Sarugaki Hiyori, the girl who was always bickering with Hirako.
As soon as our eyes met, Hiyori's expression twisted into a scowl as if she'd seen something repulsive, and she clenched her fists tightly.
"You... What nerve do ya have showin' your face here?! Huh!?"
Her reaction was more violent than I expected, but it didn't bother me particularly.
It was only natural for Hiyori to react that way.
They had been betrayed by someone they trusted, betrayed by the Gotei 13 they served faithfully, and left abandoned without anyone's concern.
How much must the emotions inside them have festered? How thick must the layer of their resentment be?
"If ya got a mouth, then speak!! Don't just stand there with your trap shut!! It's pissin' me off!!"
"Hiyori!"
The one who stopped Hiyori as she drew her Zanpakuto was none other than Shinji Hirako.
"Fucking let go of me!! Aren't ya even angry!? Eh!? What did we ever do to end up in this state—!!"
"That's enough. Go inside. Don't lose your cool."
"Grah... Fuck... Fuuuccckkk!!"
After letting out a roar and glaring at Hirako for a long time, Hiyori stomped her feet and stormed back into the warehouse.
"That goddamn stupid-ass bastard of a Hollow... Fuck, if ya even try to talk about forgiveness or some shit, I'll risk my life to bash your head in..."
Listening to her mumble profanities that were hard to even repeat, I could only manage a bitter smile.
That explosive reaction represented just how black their hearts had been burned.
After Hiyori disappeared, Hirako, who was left alone, let out a deep sigh and closed the warehouse door.
Hirako only turned toward me after wrapping several layers of orange barriers around the entire warehouse.
"So, what brings ya here?"
"I have a message for you. Looking at the atmosphere, I'm starting to think someone else should have come instead of me."
"Haha. If it was anyone else, they'd be dead by now. We're only leavin' ya alone because it's you, Mr. Director."
"I suppose so."
I scratched my head, giving a wry smile at his bloodthirsty response.
Things were so twisted that I didn't even know where to begin unraveling it all.
But I couldn't just leave it as it was. I had to try something.
"Let's talk for a moment. It won't take long, so please just listen."
"Depends on what ya say."
Taking comfort in the fact that he was willing to talk at all, I sat down on a decently sized crate lying nearby and contemplated where to start.
But truthfully, it felt like no matter where I started, the result would be the same.
For these people right now, nothing I said would sound particularly good.
So, I just told them everything exactly as it was.
If I tried to be considerate and left things out, it would only make it more complicated.
"...So. Are ya tellin' me ya came all this way just to tell us we can return to the Seireitei now? Is that it?"
I sighed inwardly as I watched Hirako let out a hollow laugh of disbelief while wiping his face with his hand.
'Right, this is the normal reaction.'
It's maddening enough that the man who turned you into a monster is walking around free, but the Gotei 13—the organization you served your whole life—didn't believe you, treated you like a monster, and threw you away in the World of the Living to die and disappear.
And now? We made a mistake, so you can come back?
How many saints could hear that and say, "Ah, I see, I'm so glad we can return"?
Unless you're Jesus or Buddha, you'd shout "Don't make me laugh" and try to rip the mouth off whoever said it.
Honestly, even that would be being polite. If a truly mad person suffered such things, they would have tried to burn the Gotei 13 and everything else to the ground in revenge.
The only reason it ended here was because it was me, and the one listening was Hirako. Otherwise, this place would have become a sea of blood long ago.
"I know how unfair and bitter it must feel."
"Ya don't know shit!!"
Hirako roared and then ran his hands through his hair irritably, letting out a heavy sigh.
"What the hell could ya possibly know..."
"Betrayal is painful. And I know that even if you saw that betrayal coming, it doesn't make it hurt any less."
Thinking about it, I haven't exactly lived a smooth life either.
Jomon and the Monk in the past... regardless of how things ended, they were people who betrayed me.
"So, what, ya understand our pain? Ya empathize? Is that what ya wanna say? Hah, don't make me laugh. Bein' betrayed, bein' abandoned... it's all fucked up. But ya know what makes me the most pissed off?"
Continuing to speak with his head hung low, Hirako slowly looked up and glared at me.
A terrible hatred was swirling in his deeply sunken brown eyes.
It only looked calm on the surface, like the eye of a typhoon; what was inside could only be described as rotted and decayed.
"Knowing all about it and doin' nothin', keepin' your trap shut until everything was over, and now showin' up as if ya doin' us a favor by tellin' us to come back... That's what pisses me off the most about you."
"I—"
"Ya didn't know? Ya found Urahara's hideout easily enough even when he was hidin' like a ghost in the World of the Livin', so ya tryin' to tell me ya didn't know what Aizen was doin' to us inside the Soul Society? Don't give me that bullshit. It doesn't make any damn sense. It'd be better if ya just said ya turned a blind eye to it, but don't ya dare say ya didn't know."
"I'm sorry. I have no excuse for my actions."
"Do ya think 'I'm sorry' is somethin' ya can just spit out? Huh? When me, Hiyori, and the rest of our kids were pukin' blood and turnin' into Hollows, ya didn't do a damn thing and kept your mouth shut, and now what? You're sorry?"
Hirako snorted, gritting his teeth so hard it was audible. He placed his hand on the hilt of his Zanpakuto, his body trembling.
Was it his last shred of reason holding him back, or simply the overwhelming difference in power preventing him from drawing his blade?
Either way, it was a situation that could only end in sighs.
As I sighed openly and rubbed my brow, Hirako collapsed into a nearby chair, glaring at me with sharp eyes.
"Ya knew while we were being attacked, while we were dying, while we were becoming this trash, didn't ya? Of course ya did. It's impossible ya didn't. There's no way the Nether King, who was fighting with all that spiritual pressure burstin' everywhere, would have missed it. Am I right?"
"Yes. I knew. I knew what was being done to you, and what Aizen was doing."
The hatred stuck to the bottom of his heart tightened around my neck like boiling tar.
It couldn't actually harm me, but those raw emotions were transmitted to me directly, trying to choke the life out of me.
"As you say, I knew you were suffering and I remained silent."
But I laid it all out and admitted my sin.
"What...?"
"I could have stepped forward much sooner. I could have caught Aizen before any of this happened to you. But I didn't. At that time, I was viewing the world from the perspective of a god, not a human, and I didn't want to interfere with the great flow."
"Flow? Right. Are ya tryin' to say us turnin' into this mess was just fate? Then what about Captain Unohana? Ya married her and even had a kid, so why!! Why did ya just leave us be!! What did we do that was so wrong!!"
His drawn Zanpakuto touched my neck.
It was a given, but despite him putting enough strength into his grip to make the veins pop on his forearm, not a single scratch appeared on my skin.
"Nothing."
"...."
Tears of blood flowed from Hirako's eyes as he stared me down.
After a long standoff, Hirako let his Zanpakuto fall from his hand, his body shaking wordlessly.
"I'm sorry."
There was nothing else to say.
It was a very late apology, but I had to set things right now.
With that thought, I waited quietly for Hirako to calm down.