"I want it all!"
Masatsuki Aozaki leaned in close to Kisuke Urahara, raising a hand into a claw-like shape with a crisp "click-click" sound, perfectly mimicking the Leopard Head from Justice, My Foot!.
"That's too much. Sure, the game was your idea, but I'm the one actually making it," Urahara pouted. "How about this—40-60, with me taking 40?"
Masatsuki narrowed his eyes and stared at him, shaking his head slightly without a word.
Urahara pulled a bitter face. "Thirty-seventy, that's my bottom line. I really can't go any lower!"
"Ten-ninety."
"Twenty-eighty."
"Deal," Masatsuki said flatly.
"You damn swindler! No wonder Kūkaku called you one!" Urahara finally realized what had just happened and looked at him with a face full of indignation. "Is this how you did business in Rukongai?"
"Of course not. In Rukongai, it's all about fists." Masatsuki shrugged. "Talking won't get you anywhere in a place like that—you'll just get beaten up."
"You should be grateful this isn't Rukongai, or I'd be negotiating with my fists right now." Masatsuki shook his head, sounding genuinely regretful.
"So I should be thankful that you're even willing to argue with me?"
Urahara's eyes widened. He had never met someone this shameless before!
If only he could actually win in a fight, he would've taught this guy a lesson right now. There was no way he could just let this slide!
"Once the game is released, the yearly financial records need to be submitted to my Lieutenant, Gin Ichimaru, for review. Don't even think about pulling any tricks."
With a single offhand remark, Masatsuki had dumped a massive burden onto Gin.
"Why do you need the records?" Urahara asked, a slight sweat forming on his forehead.
"To make sure you don't try anything sneaky. You're too clever for your own good—I don't trust you," Masatsuki said, narrowing his eyes sharply.
Urahara looked a little embarrassed.
"Honestly, I'm actually quite dumb. The entire 12th Division considers me mentally ill—I even have a certificate!"
"Sure, the recent maintenance costs for the barracks may have been a little exaggerated, but that was all Mayuri Kurotsuchi's doing. I had nothing to do with it! I don't even know how to falsify accounts—you have to believe me!"
"You actually dared to fake records?" Masatsuki looked at him, utterly heartbroken. "How do you think Master will feel when he finds out?"
"Everything is negotiable, Captain Masatsuki!" Urahara hurriedly tried to smooth things over.
"Kisuke, you know I'm a flawless, perfect person, right?" Masatsuki asked.
"Perfect? You?" Urahara was momentarily stunned before quickly correcting himself. "Of course. You are."
"Then the game's protagonist can't ruin my image, right?" Masatsuki smiled. "You do know what to do, don't you?"
Urahara couldn't help but sigh internally. Masatsuki Aozaki is absolutely shameless—I have no words.
Still, he patted his chest with a grin. "I understand! Just wait for the good news!"
"Hmm…" Masatsuki nodded in satisfaction.
Urahara didn't know how to respond. He just wanted to get out of there as fast as possible and away from this shameless man.
"How's my senpai doing?" Masatsuki suddenly asked.
"He's stable. We examined him—his condition can be treated, but it'll take time," Urahara replied.
"That's good." Masatsuki nodded.
Jūshirō Ukitake might have had a bit of a scheming side, but overall, he was a genuinely good person. He had always treated Masatsuki well.
Honestly, the old man had great judgment—none of his disciples, himself included, were bad. Not even one.
Masatsuki couldn't help but feel a little proud of that.
…
In the early hours before dawn, the secret laboratory beneath the 11th Division captain's quarters was silent.
Masatsuki Aozaki sat shirtless on a sofa, holding a familiar blue-black gemstone in his hands. His gaze was fixed intently on the mysterious gem, as if trying to decipher the secrets hidden within.
At the same time, he focused on the fully-formed Hōgyoku embedded in his chest, causing it to gradually emerge onto the surface of his skin.
Having successfully fused with it once before, Masatsuki was already familiar with the process.
He pressed the gemstone against his chest, attempting to establish a connection with the Hōgyoku, trying to merge them together.
Though this semi-finished Hōgyoku was nowhere near the level of the Soul King's organs, it still possessed some of the Hōgyoku's unique properties, making the experiment worth attempting.
However, when he applied pressure, he felt nothing—no resonance, no reaction.
"As expected, it won't be that easy."
Disappointment flickered across Masatsuki's face as his initial hope gradually faded.
"Not even a little interest in this thing? You sure are picky. So only the Soul King's organs will do?"
He muttered, glancing at the unresponsive gemstone in his hand.
With a resigned sigh, he set it aside and stared at his chest, lost in thought.
If the fusion failed, then his interest in this half-finished Hōgyoku naturally waned.
"So what now? Should I return it?" Masatsuki exhaled.
"Seems unnecessary. Aizen's vanished to who-knows-where, so it's probably safer with me for now."
He looked at the incomplete Hōgyoku resting on the table and sank into contemplation.
It wasn't like he lacked fragments of the Soul King—he had gathered quite a few during the invasion of the Tsunayashiro Clan—but even that stockpile was proving insufficient.
Soul King fragments were a resource that, once used, were gone forever. Every piece was invaluable, a true rarity that couldn't simply be replaced.
"If only Aura Michibane were here," Masatsuki sighed.
In the original story, this woman had been one of Tsunayashiro Tokinada's subordinates, and her soul contained the power of the Soul King's Saketsu.
Her accomplishments were nothing short of extraordinary—In just a few years after Kūgo Ginjō's death, she expanded the Executive Militia into an organization of 700,000 followers.
She collaborated with Tokinada Tsunayashiro a to create an artificial Soul King. She even manufactured Hōgyoku-infused Espada using remnants of the original Espada's existence.
Simply put, she was at least on the same level as Mayuri Kurotsuchi—a super genius in her own right.
After all, Mayuri had spent an immense amount of effort just to create artificial souls, let alone something as unfathomable as an artificial Soul King.
But what intrigued Masatsuki the most was her ability to create Hōgyoku-infused Espada.
Sure, Kisuke Urahara had managed to create an artificial Soul King on his own. That feat alone was impressive.
But when it came to mass-producing Hōgyoku-powered beings, only Aura Michibane had pulled it off.
Maybe Urahara had simply never wanted to make such things, but even so, her talent was undeniable.
Especially now—Urahara wanted nothing to do with the Hōgyoku anymore, and Mayuri, being as dangerous as he was, couldn't be trusted with it even if he did want to experiment on it.
That made Aura's abilities all the more valuable.
Unfortunately, Masatsuki had no way of knowing whether she even existed in this world yet.