In Japan, calling someone by their given name without their surname is a sign of deep intimacy. Generally, only family members, elders, or close friends address each other this way.
And Aizen... had just called Kai by his first name.
He extended his hand toward Kai, his expression sincere.
"Captain Aizen, I refuse."
Facing Aizen, Kai gave his answer.
"Oh? You're refusing again? That makes the third time, doesn't it?"
Aizen didn't seem angry in the slightest. He simply lowered his hand with a smile.
"I'm just a dead-last student. I can't be of any help to you, Captain."
"But a 'dead-last' student who can achieve Shikai while still in the Academy... that is a talent seen once in a century."
Looking at Kai, who had fallen into silence, Aizen pushed up his glasses, the corners of his mouth curving upward.
"A few months ago, late at night in the Academy dojo... I saw you practicing with your Zanpakutō. You won't deny that, will you? It looked like you were already beginning to touch upon Bankai."
"Actually... that was Renji Abarai."
Kai's expression was unreadable.
You want me to admit it?
Not in a million years!
Kai was certain of one thing: Aizen definitely hadn't seen his face clearly that night.
Aizen: "..."
"Kai-kun, a man like you cannot stay hidden for long. Sooner or later, you will shine your own light and illuminate this world."
With a knowing smile, Aizen shook his head and finally left.
"But my dream is to be a rich, useless noble layabout who just eats, sleeps, and waits to die," Kai muttered, lying back down with zero motivation, looking like a salted fish.
Eventually, Aizen helplessly walked away.
...
Staring at the ceiling with dead-fish eyes, Kai fell into deep thought.
My name is Kai. I'm not some comedy protagonist like Wang Dachui. I'm not Bai Xiaofei surviving a zombie apocalypse. And I'm definitely not Baldy Strong fighting two bears in the woods every day.
But...
There is a man named Sōsuke Aizen near me, and every now and then, he extends his hand to me: Come, Kai-kun, let's do great things together!
This...
This really makes my blood boil with excitement... NOT!
That's Aizen we're talking about! The man who can toy with the entire Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, and the World of the Living in the palm of his hand just by using his intellect! A monster whose IQ is always online!
As for his combat power, that goes without saying.
And him?
Kai's only dream was to safely turtle... no, to safely live until the series finale.
This world is way too dangerous.
Seated Officers have all sorts of weird, unpredictable abilities.
Captain-class Soul Reapers can destroy a city as easily as eating or drinking.
Not to mention the Vasto Lorde-class Menos currently out there—monsters who eat souls for breakfast and can bat Captains around like balls.
After that?
There's Aizen, who transcends both Soul Reapers and Hollows!
And even further down the line?
There's Yhwach, who wants to destroy the world and rebuild it from scratch.
Dammit! Why is this world so dangerous?!
Fortunately, his background wasn't bad.
As the biological younger brother of Captain Byakuya, head of the Four Great Noble Houses, Kai was practically guaranteed the position of the next head of the family.
But that... wasn't enough.
The Captain of the Sixth Division was almost always the head of the Noble House.
So, when Byakuya eventually retired or died in battle, the position of Captain would basically fall into Kai's lap.
Thus, to survive safely until the finale, Kai chose to be a dead-last student.
Don't fake his strength?
Show off his full talent?
That would guarantee his involvement in the final battle against Aizen in Karakura Town, or the Thousand-Year Blood War against the Quincies.
So, being a slacker was the safest option.
As long as I stay quietly in the family estate, none of you will notice me.
But Kai never expected that Aizen would actually single him out from a crowd of students.
"Maybe at this point in the timeline, joining the Fifth Division actually would be a good choice, but..."
Kai's expression shifted uncertainly.
Just like with a certain snake-sanin in another universe, if he could get Aizen's guidance, his strength would skyrocket. Plus, he'd have access to all sorts of black technology.
As long as he didn't act too outrageously, he might even be able to quickly master Bankai and Hollowfication with Aizen's help.
But...
"Why the hell is the Hōgyoku with me?!"
Kai's face darkened as he lifted his shirt.
On his chest...
A gem that seemed to distort vision and space itself was quietly embedded there. It looked as if it had completely grown into him, continuously injecting power into his body to elevate his existence to a higher dimension.
And right now...
Kai was about to enter the first stage of that evolution—the first stage of fusion with the Hōgyoku.
When that happened, Aizen would definitely notice!
Then...
Oh, look at that. You have a Hōgyoku too.
Result: Kai dies.
Next year, Rukia can light incense for him.
That is definitely NOT the ending I want!
So, finding a way to survive this crisis was the top priority. He needed a way to mask the energy fluctuation of the Hōgyoku's fusion so Aizen wouldn't detect it.
"Kyaa! You pervert! Why aren't you wearing clothes?!"
Suddenly, a girl's scream filled the room. Rukia stood with her back to Kai, her face burning red as she shouted.
"It's just my chest. Why are you getting so excited?"
Kai twitched his lips. He had already pulled his shirt down before Rukia fully entered.
"But you should at least act like a proper brother in front of your sister!"
Rukia stomped her foot in embarrassment.
"So... you're finally admitting I'm your brother?"
Rukia: "..."
"Don't you have something you want to say to me?"
Rukia's eyes darted away. She wrung her hands together and lowered her head slightly.
This guy definitely cares about me. A girl's intuition was always accurate, which was why she had stubbornly refused to call Kai "brother" before.
But in this atmosphere, with no one around to disturb them... it was the perfect time to make things clear.
"Say what?"
Kai raised an eyebrow blankly, his hand instinctively reaching out to ruffle her hair.
Mmm... feels great as always.
"Just... that thing. We're already like this, so stop hiding it."
Rukia's face turned even redder. She leaned her face slightly closer, her eyes squeezing shut in nervous anticipation.
"Oh. I get it. You're talking about that, right?"
Then, she heard the answer she wanted. The guy in front of her really did understand her hint.
Next...
Next would come the words Rukia wanted to hear.
"Rukia, I l—"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The door was pounded violently.
A man with red hair tied in a pineapple ponytail and tribal tattoos covering his forehead stuck his head into the rest area, shouting loudly:
"Hey, Kai! I heard you fainted! Your constitution is way too weak! Want to come practice Zanjutsu with me tonight?"
Kai: "???"
You, the TRUE dead-last student, have the nerve to say that to me?
Rukia: "???"
The words I wanted to hear were just about to come out of his mouth! Would it have killed you to show up a few seconds later?!
As this thought crossed her mind, Rukia's expression gradually turned dangerous. Her petite body seemed to radiate a terrifying dark aura.
"Go to hell, you idiot Renji!"