Chapter 9: Teacher and Student, the Gravity of Fate
"What... are you saying?"
Ichigo instinctively uttered his catchphrase.
Seeing his utterly shocked expression, Aizen's mischievous side seemed satisfied as his smile deepened.
"Let me make this clear—I'm not joking."
"Shirogane has been with you day and night. Given his observational skills and intelligence, he must have some understanding of your situation. Plus, the instructors at Shin'ō Academy aren't incompetent, yet they haven't offered any useful advice. Clearly... they consider your condition unsolvable."
"Kurosaki, your Reiatsu is too powerful—so powerful that it's uncontrollable. That's why when you use Kidō, you can't limit its power and end up causing self-detonation."
"Of course, I have a way to prevent this situation, but that would lead to another problem."
"What problem?"
Ichigo hurriedly pressed for answers.
"It's still because the power is too strong, right?"
Sōma reacted quickly, directly guessing the answer.
"Correct."
Aizen adjusted his glasses, first confirming Sōma's judgment before leisurely explaining:
"Even if you could successfully perform Kidō, the issue of your uncontrollably powerful Reiatsu remains unaddressed."
"Imagine this scene: you intend to use 'Hadō #1: Shō' to knock the sword from your enemy's hand, but instead shatter their sword, arm, and even half their body."
"..."
Ichigo seemed to visualize that scenario. His somewhat resentful expression grew much heavier, clearly showing his aversion to such uncontrolled violence.
If such brutal outcomes were inevitable, he'd rather abandon Kidō entirely and fight only with his sword.
"However, looking at it from another perspective, 'Kaidō' might not be a bad alternative."
Aizen suddenly changed the subject.
"Huh? Kaidō?"
Ichigo's brain almost failed to keep up.
Sōma, on the other hand, could easily follow Aizen's train of thought.
"Sensei means that since the destructive power of Kidō is uncontrollable, you might as well specialize in Kaidō."
"Healing-oriented techniques naturally benefit from being as powerful as possible. Not only can you heal yourself during battle, but you can also save teammates in emergencies. This would give your overwhelming Reiatsu a proper outlet."
"Exactly what I wanted to express."
Aizen nodded approvingly.
"Although you'd be giving up offensive Kidō, with your Zanpakutō and swordsmanship, plus hand-to-hand combat, supplemented by Kaidō that can be activated without incantations for recovery, it creates an unconventional form of offense-defense integration."
"Even if your opponent's strength far surpasses yours, it would take considerable effort to defeat you—quite a troublesome combat style."
No kidding.
Currently, there's only one Shinigami in Soul Society who can cut people while simultaneously healing themselves like that.
Sōma couldn't help but think.
"I understand the logic, but from what I know, Kaidō isn't easy to learn..."
Ichigo hesitated.
Shin'ō Academy offered Kaidō courses, but they were extremely difficult. Plus, being healing techniques, they were generally considered useless for combat, making them unpopular electives.
"I understand your concern, but it's unnecessary. You might not have noticed, but you have exceptional talent in Reiryoku control."
"Otherwise, normally speaking, your Reiatsu would have gone so out of control that it would need to be sealed. Yet you're still standing here, which means your power remains under your control. With proper training, you could utilize your power with much finer control."
"If this weren't the case, I wouldn't be confident in helping you solve this problem, because under those circumstances, any experience or technique would be useless."
Aizen's words gave Ichigo great confidence.
"I understand! Kaidō, right? I'll definitely master this technique!"
"Next, I'll teach you some practical Kidō techniques. Combined with the Reiryoku Recovery Room to improve efficiency, Kurosaki's problem should be quickly resolved."
"Then, through Shin'ō Academy, master the basic Kaidō curriculum. After you've grasped the fundamentals, I'll recommend you to help at the Fourth Division's Comprehensive Treatment Center to gain experience. As for Shirogane..."
Aizen looked at the seemingly unremarkable Sōma with a kind smile and sincere tone.
"As the highest-achieving freshman in Shin'ō Academy history, I doubt anything could trouble you."
"But witnessing and helping juniors grow is also my mission as both a Captain of the Gotei 13 and an instructor at Shin'ō Academy. So whether it's Kidō or anything else, if you're willing, you can always seek my guidance."
"Really?"
Sōma was somewhat surprised. This attitude seemed almost too good—was he trying to recruit him into his grand rebellion scheme?
"Of course. I sincerely look forward to seeing you progress further on the path of a Shinigami."
Aizen's cheerful statement left Sōma somewhat puzzled.
But he didn't care about that.
Just as he'd told Rindō before—intentions don't matter, what matters is actions.
"Then... I'll be in your care from now on, Sensei."
Sōma bowed formally.
Seeing this, Ichigo remembered how much he too had been helped by Aizen, and quickly straightened his posture to bow as well.
...
Before they knew it, night had fallen.
Aizen personally saw the two out of the squad barracks, watching their young figures gradually disappear into the distance before returning to his room.
Outside the door, in the corridor, a slender, thin figure leaned against a pillar, positioning himself in shadows untouched by moonlight.
"My, my, spending the whole day training with those two children. Is Captain Aizen planning to get me and Yoruichi some colleagues? They're clever kids, but they don't seem like they'll be useful anytime soon."
"Are you saying I'm wasting my time? Gin."
"I never said that~ Captain Aizen must have his reasons for doing this. It just feels different from your usual style, so I'm a bit curious, that's all."
The figure in the shadows spread his hands. His seemingly flippant tone carried no emotion, like a snake or fox—cold in every movement, cunning in every glance.
"My style... It seems you observe very carefully, Gin."
Aizen smiled meaningfully.
"Understanding your superior's preferences is how you become a good subordinate~"
"Then you should be more attentive."
"..."
Gin Ichimaru froze slightly.
"If you truly understood me well enough, you should remember what I once said—developments outside the plan can also be called gains that exceed expectations."
Aizen raised his head, his indifferent gaze fixed on the moon in the sky. The falling moonlight was blocked by his thin lenses, while the dark clouds resembled the thoughts swirling in his eyes.
"The deceased Kurosaki Ichigo, and the unexpectedly born youth with potential no less than his... I feel a gravitational pull from fate."
"But undeniable, this joke is much more interesting than this disappointing world. It makes one so enthusiastic, unable to resist wanting to do something. If you say I'm different from my usual self, this must be the reason."
"..."
Gin frowned. He couldn't understand Aizen's words. Even as a genius himself, he still couldn't comprehend Aizen's current feelings.
This was inevitable.
Someone who abandons companions to bear everything alone can never empathize with someone who has been alone from the beginning.
Cannot understand the surprise the latter feels when encountering similar kindred spirits.
Cannot understand the feeling of, through one's own unintended actions, enabling them to gain companions who can walk alongside them, thus avoiding walking alone.