Chapter 132: An Imperfect Disguise
The table next to them had just been discussing Aizen, and now those same people were being earmarked as test subjects.
The warm, talkative captain was about to become very useful data.
It was hard to argue there was no personal element involved here.
The boss holds grudges. You talk behind his back, you suffer for it.
Even Matsushita Yusuke wiped the sweat from his forehead at that.
Just how much had Hirako Shinji managed to get on Aizen's nerves over the years to push things this far?
But regardless.
The plot was finally moving.
Compared to Tosen, who was quietly radiating unease beside him, Matsushita Yusuke was running considerably warmer. He couldn't wait. Another historic event to witness firsthand, another entry in the collection. Let's go.
"Is there a specific plan in place, Aizen-sama?"
In response to Tosen's follow-up, Aizen Sosuke pushed his glasses up in a measured motion and spoke in the same even tone he used for everything.
"Tosen. Do you remember the data we collected from the earlier transformation experiments? The conclusions we reached?"
"Of course."
Yusuke had standing here too.
"Are you referring to the soul body conversion tests, Aizen-sensei?"
He'd been present for several of those sessions directly. Participated hands-on.
"That's right. Do you both recall what we concluded?"
The two of them exchanged a glance. Yusuke was the one who answered.
"The test subjects' strength wasn't high enough. Their total reiatsu couldn't sustain the expenditure the transformation required to break through..."
"Correct."
Aizen set down his soup bowl. His expression was entirely composed, the kind of calm that belonged to someone describing an unremarkable fact about the weather.
"The Hogyoku's active power can drive the mutual transformation process between Shinigami and Hollow. But there have been no successful cases to date. The reason is straightforward."
Limited strength in the test subjects.
Tosen had been sitting quietly for a stretch, working through something. He spoke now.
"Based on rough calculations and our projections: the minimum reiatsu level required to complete the transformation would be around the fourth-seat tier."
That didn't sound like a particularly high bar on its face.
But run a search through all of Soul Society and the people who cleared that threshold were in the hundreds at most. Scarce resources by any reasonable definition.
"Was a third-seat result your last confirmed successful case?"
"No. That's just an estimate. A projected lower bound, nothing more."
"Which is precisely why further experiments are needed to reverse-engineer the exact threshold from the data. The time to move is now."
"Once the test subjects are confirmed, what does the actual process look like? Going after captain-level targets isn't going to be straightforward."
"That will require careful planning on our part. For the present stage, establishing alignment among ourselves is the primary objective."
The three of them went back and forth, entirely absorbed in their own conversation. To anyone watching from the outside it would have looked like three people discussing the food.
Then, close by: a clear, bright clink.
Matsushita Yusuke turned his head.
Kuna Mashiro had crouched down to retrieve something, shuffling sideways toward their table in the process, voice going at a steady mutter.
"I keep saying don't play around during meals... now the spoon's on the floor!"
Matsushita Yusuke leaned over, picked it up, and held it out to her.
Mashiro blinked. Then her face broke into a wide, genuine smile and she nodded with considerable enthusiasm.
"Thanks! Are you a new Squad 11 member? I've never seen you before!"
Full initiative mode. She lifted her right hand, pointed to her own cheek, eyes bright.
"I'm Kuna Mashiro! And you?"
Matsushita Yusuke opened his mouth.
Before he got a word out, a hand reached in from behind, grabbed Mashiro by the collar, and hauled her backward in one smooth motion.
Muguruma Kensei had her suspended by the scruff like she weighed nothing. He exhaled.
"Sorry about that. Once she locks onto something she completely loses track of everything else."
He gave Matsushita Yusuke a once-over.
"Especially your type. Right in her wheelhouse."
"If you know that, stop getting in the way!"
"Read the room! Idiot!!!"
The two of them went at it for a moment. Matsushita Yusuke laughed a little awkwardly, not quite sure what to add.
Hirako Shinji edged over, wearing his usual easy smile.
"Sorry about that. Our bunch is always like this. Hope we didn't put you off."
At that point there wasn't anything to be bothered about. Matsushita Yusuke started to wave it off.
Aizen Sosuke spoke first.
"Not at all. My squad member is made of sterner stuff."
He rose smoothly from his seat, picked up his tray, and smiled.
"On that note, we'll excuse ourselves."
"Ah, actually, sorry. Could I ask you to wait just a moment?"
All three paused.
Aizen and Matsushita Yusuke held their expressions without difficulty. Tosen had gone into cold-sweat territory.
Aizen turned, still smiling.
"Of course. What is it?"
Hirako rubbed his chin slowly, looking at the three of them sideways with something complicated moving across his face.
"This is probably rude of me to say, but. I feel like I've seen you somewhere before..."
"Haha. Probably just one of those things?"
"...Yeah! You're right. Sorry for the trouble."
Once they were clear of the room, Matsushita Yusuke let out a very quiet breath.
Stand users really do attract each other, huh.
But hold on. Did Hirako actually have some kind of resistance to the illusion? That didn't track. In canon, the Visored's arrival in the main storyline hadn't stopped Aizen from running through the entire Gotei 13 like it was nothing. Hirako had shown no particular resistance to anything.
So something about this specific moment was off.
Yusuke turned it over, and an answer started to form.
Reiatsu.
Right now, Aizen had reached the ceiling of what a Shinigami could achieve through normal means. But he hadn't broken through it yet. The gap between him and Hirako at this exact point in time wasn't as wide as it would eventually become. And in that window, Kyoka Suigetsu occasionally had moments of instability.
Without quite realizing it, Matsushita Yusuke had just found a reason why the future version of Aizen had needed to keep pushing further.
Living with that kind of uncertainty hanging over you. Who would want that?
"Let's go, you two."
Matsushita Yusuke answered and fell into step.
He didn't look back.