Watching Grimmjow's departing back, Nnoitra let out a cold, disdainful snort. *Washing away their disgrace?* Please. He was just itching for a hunt. What a boring idiot.
"If you ever bring up such a meaningless request again, I won't let you off so easily, Abraham."
If Abraham hadn't dragged him over here, what would Grimmjow have done? Honestly, Nnoitra couldn't care less if the guy lived or died. But failing to stop him now meant this whole trip was a waste of time. Grimmjow was probably feeling pretty smug right about now. The mere thought of it made Nnoitra's irritation flare up again.
Beside him, Abraham shrank back, seemingly terrified of Nnoitra. "S-Sorry for the trouble, Nnoitra," he stammered, his voice trembling. "But Grimmjow was right. I can feel it..."
"I don't care what you can feel. The fact that you let Grimmjow convince you just proves you're a piece of trash too." Nnoitra cut Abraham off, his silhouette gradually fading into the depths of the palace. "This is the last time. Remember my words, Abraham."
"I understand," Abraham muttered to himself.
If everything went smoothly and Grimmjow eliminated that brat in time, this naturally *would* be the last time. But, if there were any unexpected variables...
At that thought, Abraham hurried toward the center of the palace. Both he and Grimmjow were born for Lord Aizen. Even if it meant death, they needed to secure Lord Aizen's approval.
Moonlight spilled through the windows onto the floor, looking as though it might be swallowed by the corridor's gloom at any moment. It was going to be a long night—both for Hueco Mundo and the World of the Living.
Ayasegawa Yumichika gazed up at the crescent moon. He didn't know that tonight's moon looked almost identical to the one in Hueco Mundo, but he did know one thing: no matter where you were, looking up at the moon like this meant you were homeless.
Kuchiki Rukia had naturally taken up residence at Ichigo's house, while Miss Rangiku had arranged to stay at Inoue's place for the duration of their time in the World of the Living.
Lieutenant Shiba, under Kōe's care, obviously didn't have to worry about finding a place to stay. Even Abarai had shamelessly forced his way into the Urahara Shop. As of right now, the only two without a roof over their heads were Yumichika and Ikkaku. It was a rather bleak situation.
"It's so weird. Really weird." Sitting on a high perch, Ikkaku didn't look the least bit bleak. His attention was entirely captivated by the rice ball in his hand. "To make a rice ball this exquisite and pack it in such a complicated wrapper... there's no way that convenience store clerk has this kind of skill. Isn't it weird, Yumichika?"
"What a coincidence. I was just thinking the exact same thing." Yumichika glanced at the sandwich in his own hand, deciding to pretend he actually cared about such trivial matters.
"Why didn't we just follow Renji to the Urahara Shop, Ikkaku?"
"Mr. Shihouin will definitely find an excuse to kick that idiot out. He'll probably say something about splitting up to protect Ichigo and the others," Ikkaku replied with absolute certainty. "Even if he stubbornly manages to stay, he'll have a miserable time. He probably won't even get a rice ball to eat. Poor guy."
Yumichika thought about it. Given Kōe's personality, that was actually highly probable.
"Yeah, how tragic..."
Not even getting a bite to eat? Tragic? If Renji could hear Ikkaku's deductions right now, his head would be full of question marks.
"You're not full yet, right? Here, have another bowl, Renji."
"T-Thanks." Renji took the rice bowl Kōe handed him, swallowed the food in his mouth, and immediately started scarfing down the new serving. He really did have a massive appetite.
Kōe might be an eccentric guy who did whatever he pleased, but Renji knew that when it came to serious business, he was incredibly reliable. He wasn't the type to intentionally target his subordinates. So, since they were currently on a mission, why would Kōe go out of his way to torture him?
"Eat up, Renji," Kōe said with a smile, before suddenly shifting his tone. "But don't just fill your stomach. Try putting something in your brain too, otherwise it's going to stay completely empty."
Surprisingly, Renji didn't get angry at all. "I know what you're getting at. If I insisted on staying at Ichigo's house, Rukia would just think I'm being childish, which would only make Ichigo—the guy you've got your eye on—look better by comparison. That's why you had me lead the team to negotiate with Ichigo in the first place, right? Truly sinister intentions, Mr. Shihouin."
*Truly sinister intentions,* Kōe sighed inwardly. He never expected his slightly lazy arrangement to hold such profound meaning...
"Also, the reason I'm not patrolling around Ichigo's house is because it's completely unnecessary," Renji said, swallowing his last bite of rice with a hint of pride. "If anything unexpected happens in Karakura Town, this place will be the first to react. Besides, I refuse to be kept in the dark anymore. As the second-in-command of the Shihouin Advance Special Task Force, I have the right to know your plan!"
Looking at the fiercely determined Renji, the rest of the room suddenly fell silent. Finally, Kōe spoke up to remind him, "Kaien is the second-in-command."
"Then I'm the third-in-command. Same difference."
Kōe let out a soft sigh, his right hand slowly massaging his temple. This guy seemed to have gotten a little smarter. While he was certainly more pleasing to the eye now, he was also much harder to fool.
"It looks like Mr. Abarai has had his fill."
Urahara smiled as he cleared the empty bowls from the table, shooting Kōe a subtle look. Kōe naturally understood the hint. He pointed at Renji and said, "Fine, consider yourself the third-in-command."
"What do you mean, 'consider myself'?" Renji muttered, though he quickly shut his mouth when he caught Kōe's unfriendly glare.
He knew very well that Kōe was about to explain some of his private plans. If he said one more word right now, Kōe's next sentence would absolutely be, "Since you're full, get the hell out!" Make no mistake, Kōe was fully capable of doing exactly that.
"Protecting the residents of Karakura Town and gathering intelligence are our two main objectives for this trip," Kōe said, holding up a third finger. "Aside from that, consolidating our combat power is the third objective—and honestly, it's the most important one."
"You mean Ichigo and his friends?"
Kōe nodded, confirming Renji's thought. In truth, the Seireitei's best option right now would be to launch a preemptive strike before Aizen's forces fully matured. A massive final battle was, frankly, completely unnecessary.
But launching a surprise attack meant facing two major problems: first, fighting deep within Hueco Mundo, and second, dealing with Aizen's Kyōka Suigetsu. Combined, these factors meant that any Shinigami venturing into Hueco Mundo would essentially be fighting alone.
Kurosaki Ichigo, Inoue Orihime, Sado Yasutora, and the Quincy, Ishida Uryū. Not only were they unaffected by Kyōka Suigetsu, but they also possessed a certain level of strength. These two traits were enough to make them a formidable surprise force—one capable of turning the tide of the war.
"In this upcoming war, they are the only ones I can truly trust. But that's assuming they have the qualifications to stand by my side."