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Welcome to a new thread of Advent Soul Quest!

>What is this?
A quest based on the setting of Bleach. Deviation from canon depends on the MC’s influence, and some other additions are to be expected as well.
>Who are we?
Nakashiri Koharu, a former 10th grade (high schooler) trap that has just freshly joined the ranks of the Gotei 13 in the 5th Division.
>When are we?
Currently it is the start of Autumn 1982, ~19 years prior to the events of canon.
>Dice? Challenge?
Prompted after deciding on an action. Usually 3d10, best of 3 (Bo3), against a set DC and sometimes a crit-DC. Write-ins may affect the DC as well. If a character stat (in the char sheet) is directly related to the action, it will substitute the lowest die in rolls if it is higher (will be always explained when prompted to roll).
>Updates?
So far it’s been 20 minutes per post at best. Generally I promise an update per hour at the very least. I post whenever I start writing, or if I’m held up for some reason. My timezone is UTC+2.
>I have questions!
Ask away and I’ll do my best to answer.
>What do?
Have fun, vote on what feels the best, roll some dice and chill.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/QmTrippy
Archive: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?searchall=advent+soul+quest
Char Sheets: https://pastebin.com/6FkNTn8E

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You notice right away that the others are either trying to schmooze up to you, or wary of you. In both cases, the fact that you’ve graduated in one year and got multiple recommendations gives you a reputation. It’s a pain, as it makes you the center of attention, but maybe you’ll be able to make use of it somehow.

The duties assigned to the new recruits are… dull to say the least. It’s mostly logistics and patrols around the division grounds. Who would try to infiltrate this place anyway? This place is just filled with random buildings, walls and it’s like a maze in itself.

However, only a day later you are summoned by the Captain himself to his office. The building is quite humble to your surprise, not something you’d expect a Captain of all people to use, considering the amount of dick measurement you’ve seen so far in the Seireitei.

You swallow hard before entering his office with a bow.

“You requested my presence, Aizen-taichō?” you ask.

“Please, come in, Koharu-san.”

Looking around, the place is incredibly humble, almost to a fault. Aizen himself is sitting on an average pillow, in front of a desk that is facing a wall, not the door. Even the teachers at your highschool weren’t this humble.

“Please, sit,” he gently requests, to which you oblige.

“I’ve read your letter,” he explains, holding it in front of him as he turns to face you now. “and I’d be happy to help you with your training, Koharu-san.”

“But tell me first, how do you feel about your zanpakutō right now?”

“How I feel?” you ask, a little confused.

>2/2

>”I feel confused, like I’m at a sort of dead end.”
>”I feel more confident than before, ready to push onwards.”
>Other?

>>4560760
>”I feel more confident than before, ready to push onwards.”

>>4560760
>>”I feel more confident than before, ready to push onwards.”

>>4560760
>”I feel more confident than before, ready to push onwards.”

>>4560769
>>4560770
>>4560776
>Writing

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You take a moment to think about it, with only the sound of an old western clock ticking nearby.

“I feel more confident than before,” you explain, “the camp really did help me move forwards, despite the disaster. Now I’m ready to push onwards even more.”

Aizen nods. “Well said, Koharu-san. Progress comes to those who strive for it.” He slowly raises himself up from the pillow, and urges you to do so as well. “Since we’re going to train, we ought to change the scenery. It’d be a shame to harm this place.”

“I guess so,” you respond with a light shrug. The moment you leave the office though, you notice something strange. Your tail, the person who has been constantly keeping you under surveillance, stays in the room. Weird, did he fall asleep for once or something?

It’s already evening outside as you go out. You wonder just where the captain is taking you, as you stroll through the maze-like division grounds. Then, you finally reach your destination.

It’s a building like any in the seireitei, completely bland. However, just barely, you sense that there’s barriers set up in this building. It’s very subtle, and could’ve fooled even you possibly.

“This is a good spot,” he casually remarks as you enter the building. The interior is quite nice actually, much more artsy than the exterior, still very much traditional in style. It’s a wide and tall room, with large pillars around to support the structure.

“Now then,” Aizen says as he removes his captain’s haori and hangs it on one of the wooden protrusions on the pillars. “There are two ways we can go about this, it simply depends which one you like. We can either sit down first and go through what you know and search for answers, or we could take it straight to the practice floor and exchange blows.”

“What do you think, Koharu-san?” Aizen gives you a comfortable smile.

>Talk it out
>Battle it out
>Other?

>>4560791
>Talk it out
clear goals are always nice to have.

>The moment you leave the office though, you notice something strange. Your tail, the person who has been constantly keeping you under surveillance, stays in the room. Weird, did he fall asleep for once or something?
KEIKAU'd

>>4560791
>Talk it out
We don't want to give Aizen an excuse to use his shinkai on us

>>4560791
>>Talk it out

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>>4560798
>>4560801
>>4560803
Looks like we're the opposite of the hothead shonen protag trope.
>Writing

>>4560816
>Looks like we're the opposite of the hothead shonen protag trope.
And that's a good thing, since most shonen protags are utter meatheads!

>>4560825
Correct
Koharu isn't one of those childish brutes
Future husband will be tho

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After weighing the options, you decide.

“Let’s sit down first, Aizen-taichō,” you say, “I think it’ll be better if we figure out a clear goal to go towards.”

Aizen seems to approve with his nodding, and he summons seemingly out of nowhere a pair of comfy sitting pillows. “And please, Aizen-san is fine.”

“R-Right,” you smile awkwardly, before silence overtakes the room again. “Where to begin,” you think out loud, before you take your zanpakutō out of the belt with its sheath, and put it on your lap.

“As you probably know, this is Naimen no Daiza, and it’s shikai is Mediate,” you explain. Given how you’ve been using it almost for half a year now, there’s no sense in trying to hide anything about it. But, regarding the secondary releases, it’s going to be trickier.

Aizen seems to be deep in thought himself, and ultimately he does point out the obvious. “It looks quite different from what I remember seeing the day you awakened it.”

“Y-Yeah, about that,” you smile awkwardly and glance away.

“It’s okay, Koharu-san. I’m here to help you. That’s my duty as your captain now, isn’t it?” he says and laughs slightly, brushing the back of his head just like you are doing right now.

You nod and sigh. “My zanpakutō… Naimen no Daiza is the shikai, like other zanpakutō. But, I also seem to have two secondary releases on top of that.”

“A secondary release that’s not a bankai?” Aizen puts his hand to his chin. “How extraordinary.”

“It feels incredibly odd,” you sigh. “I’ve kept them secret so far, I don’t want to be the odd one.”

“Rest assured that this isn’t the first nor the last time there’s an ‘odd’ zanpakutō in the history of Seireitei. I’m sure you’ve even heard of a few of them, two of which belong to great shinigami serving the Gotei 13 as captains as we speak,” Aizen gives you a comforting smile.

“And besides, your zanpakutō will only remain odd for as long as we don't understand it. So what should we do about it?”

“Learn about it?”

“Good, Koharu! That's right. Before we think about your secondary releases, what else can you tell me about your zanpakutō, or its spirit?”

You’ve already lied to him once about the spirit, which you could continue… but how well can he help you build up with a lie at the foundation?

>Tell him the truth: About the inanimate zanpakutō and the two separate entities in you.
>Continue with the lie, about the half-man-half-woman zanpakutō spirit.
>Other?

>>4560849
>Continue with the lie, about the half-man-half-woman zanpakutō spirit.
if Aizen wants to learn about Koharu's two co-pilots he's gonna have to work for that tidbit.

Assuming he isn't already aware of them. Hell, he coulda heard about Koharu's bloodline and the legend tied to it and thought "I wonder what happens if I use the
Hōgyoku on that."
...All this Keikaku business has me paranoid

>>4560849
>>Continue with the lie, about the half-man-half-woman zanpakutō spirit.
Aizen enjoys when they play hard to get

>>4560849
>Continue with the lie, about the half-man-half-woman zanpakutō spirit.

He will no doubt realize we're lying but the less info we give him the better

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>>4560863
>>4560869
>>4560875
>Writing

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>>4560798

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“The spirit is a wild one, definitely a split personality case,” you continue with the lie you’ve given before. “The male part calls himself Kaishigome, while the female counterpart calls herself Jorōgumo.”

“And how does Naimen no Daiza fit into this picture?” Aizen asks.

“I… I think it’s what they make up together, and what they need to function with me,” you explain thoughtfully. “Like ying and yang, they are at odds with each other, but together they form balance, and Naimen no Daiza is that balance.”

“Very good. Do I understand right then, that your secondary releases correspond to those two… personalities?”

“That’s right, Aizen-san,” you nod, a little uncomfortably even. While the core aspect of this is a lie, you’re still tip-toeing right beside the truth. On the other hand, this means that most of the help you’d get will be applicable.

“Do these secondary releases have their own release incantations as well?” Aizen asks, looking like he’s deep in thought.

“Yes, Aizen-san,” you respond, to which he nods.

“Every zanpakutō revolves around a single power in their released form,” Aizen cites the textbook explanation of zanpakutō. “Do you know your shikai’s power? And what about the secondary releases?”

>Tell about Naimen no Daiza’s power only.
>Explain your shikai and both of your nikai powers.
>Tell him you don’t know.
>Other?

>>4560907
>Tell about Naimen no Daiza’s power only.
>Tell him about the power of Kaishigome a little and tell him you don't know much about the other yet
He'd get suspicious if we didn't tell him about at least one. But telling him about the hollow manipulation is a big nono

>>4560907
Supporting >>4560909, though he will suspect we're hiding from something from him regardless

>>4560907

I'll back this>>4560909

Even if we weren't in the know about him not wanting it to get out about the hollow control is a sensible train of thought.

>>4560909
Supporting. Man it’s tricky to tell what to lie about considering we’re going to have to betray him

>>4560923
Unless we end up being traitors ourselves

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>>4560909
>>4560914
>>4560915
>>4560923
Loud and clear.
>Writing

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“My shikai is somewhat clear to me, though I do not know its extent,” you begin. “Naimen no Daiza ‘mediates’ things, it’s able to draw in the reiatsu of others and… affect them.”

“Affect them?” Aizen whistles. “That has… quite the implications, Koharu-san. Have you managed to see its effects?”

You shake your head. You could tell about the case with Asato-senpai, but given the issues related to hollow powers among that, you decide to refrain from that.

“I haven’t ‘used’ it on anything or anyone, but every time I’ve fought others and Naimen no Daiza has touched them, it has drawn their reiatsu into it.”

“You mentioned your shikai’s incantation is ‘mediate’... Now how would you interpret this? A zanpakutō’s power is related to the name and incantation.”

“It.. it fixes things?” you say like a suggestion.

“Most likely, but fixes what?”

You think about it for a moment, and your own metaphor with the ying and yang comes back to you. “It.. it fixes parts that are at odds with each other!” you realize.

Aizen gives you a smile that you’ve seen dads give their children in high school, a smile of pride and joy. “Good job, Koharu! Now that we have an idea about the power, we can also practice and develop it.”

“What about your secondary releases?”

“I.. I only know of one of them,” you sigh, feigning frustration. “Kaishigome, his incantation being ‘seek out your prey.’ Like in my shikai, it can draw in the reiatsu of others and remember it. I can thus find them through my reikaku. I haven’t used it once anywhere yet.”

“That sounds like quite the useful ability, Koharu. You should feel proud,” he smiles, to which you actually blush a little.

>1/2

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“Now, I think we have a good enough picture of your zanpakutō, even if we’re missing the other secondary release part of it,” he says and gets up.

“I think it’s time we move to proper practice.”

You nod as you rise up as well, your zanpakutō in your hand.

“Show me your shikai, Koharu!” Aizen says, almost as if cheering you on.

“Mediate, Naimen no Daiza!” you say as you unsheathe your zanpakutō and hold it like a cup. Like a soft sea breeze, the reiatsu release is calm and gentle. You ready yourself in a battle stance, but Aizen raises his hands.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves just yet, Koharu-san,” he says. “Your shikai power, I must say I don’t think we’ll be able to develop it right now. However! I think we can work on your first secondary release, Kaishigome.”

“H-How come?” you ask, a little confused.

“Would you rather mediate and fix an enemy in battle, or track its reiatsu?”

“Right,” you nod, and take a deep breath. Deep in your mind you urge Celaris, or rather his reiatsu that you feel to travel towards Naimen no Daiza, and together, you perform the secondary release:

“Seek Out Your Prey, Kaishigome!” you declare as your voice splits into two that still sound quite similar. Naimen no Daiza assumes the form of Kaishigome, a large stag antler resembling both a katana and a scimitar. Celaris’ reiatsu dominates, and instead of pure white, it is now emerald green.

Aizen claps his hand in astonishment. “Spectacular!”

“Now what?” you ask. Being in this form is surprisingly difficult, like it’s straining your body, causing fatigue much quicker than normally. Now that you think about it, it was the same with Jorōgumo, but the injuries and the stress of the situation overshadowed any fatigue you felt.

“Now you have to cut me with it,” Aizen smiles.

“O-Okay?” you respond.

>2/2

>Roll 3d10, Bo3, DC 15, crit 25, Offense (4) may replace lowest die
>fail/pass/crit determines how much you gain from this exercise

Rolled 4, 7, 5 = 16 (3d10)

>>4560962

Rolled 8, 4, 10 = 22 (3d10)

>>4560962

Rolled 2, 9, 4 = 15 (3d10)

>>4560962
pls crit

Rolled 1, 8, 4 = 13 (3d10)

>>4560962
ho ho, Aizen doesn't want us mediating him

>>4560964
>16
>>4560966
>22
>>4560967
>15(17)

>Writing

Dammit, didn't check the thread early enough to roll. Curse you, vidya!

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The two of you stand in place for a moment, with Aizen being perfectly calm, while you are trying to figure out how to go about this. Finally, you decide to open up with a shunpo. Much to your frustration, the captain is incredibly agile on his feet, flash stepping faster than you and avoids your first attempts at slicing him.

This game of cat and mouse continues for quite a while, with Aizen as calm as ever and gently encouraging you to do your best. You swear that a few times you miss just because of you getting flustered.

Although you don’t hit him, you notice something else: The more you use Kaishigome, the easier it becomes to stay in this state, and the more natural it feels to use the exotic weapon. Celaris seems to agree, as he somehow ‘guides’ your blade into correct form, giving you good swings that you can continue from despite your lack of skill in zanjutsu.

“Very good!” Aizen nods in satisfaction. Wait, was this his intent all along? As you process that thought, Kaishigome collides with something. You realize that Aizen has grabbed your sword with his hand, without injury.

“Now, let’s see what we can do next,” he says. You sense how his reiatsu is being drawn into Kaishigome, and just like that, you have him on your mental ‘radar.’

“A-Are you hurt?” you ask Aizen, despite seeing that he’s clearly not bleeding.

“Yes, I’m fine, Koharu-san. Anything different now?” he asks as he releases your sword and puts his hand to the side.

“Well… yeah, I can sense you much better than before.”

“Let’s put it to a test. Bakudō #26. Kyokkō,” he declares and looks like he wraps the air around him like a cloak, in which he disappears. You can’t see nor hear him, but you can clearly sense him still, as if you had Senzen active. Your eyes follow his movements even though you don’t see anything in itself, until Aizen finally reveals himself once more.

“Astounding. Even suppressing reiatsu doesn’t throw the link off,” he scratches his cheek. “Scary.”

>1/2

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“On the topic of kidō, how well versed in the arts are you?” Aizen asks.

“I got to the third level at the academy?” you answer with a worried expression.

“Not bad, but not that good either. But, you should know Byakurai, correct?” he asks, to which you simply nod. Of course you can’t be too good with a year of studying at the academy. Not even a full year, technically.

“Now, now, I didn’t intend to offend you, I just wanted to know where you’re art, Koharu,” he holds his hands up in defense.

“But, let’s consider the tools you have right now. Along with Byakurai, what do you have?”

“I have.. Kaishigome?” you ask.

“And?”

“And… your reiatsu?” you continue his thought.

“Considering these, what could you try to achieve?”

>2/2

>Write-in, if you get it right/close it’s an automatic pass, and a bonus for later.
>Roll for it (DC 18, Mental)

Rolled 10, 7, 5 = 22 (3d10)

>>4561002
...I don't suppose we could make the Byakurai "home in" on Aizen's location? Or otherwise give Kido blast "heat-seeking" properties?

Oh and uh. 3d10 as usual, yes?

Rolled 8, 3, 3 = 14 (3d10)

Reiatsu seeking kido?
Or kido attuned to only affect an individual and ignore others?

Rolled 3, 4, 8 = 15 (3d10)

>>4561002
I suppose we could fuel our kido by siphoning our opponents reiatsu?

>>4561002
Byakurai is a bolt of lightning, Kaishigome allows us to track things down. Add them together and you get a homing attack?

>>4561016
It's small but imagine if it's used on one of the bigger ones, like that kamehame looking thing.
Aimed straight at the balls

>>4561012
>>4561014
>>4561015
>>4561016
>>4561017
Correct, homing kido! It's a pass and a bonus to the next part!

>Writing

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>>4561012
And yes, 3d10 unless otherwise prompted, but I'll try to always give the proper prompt!

>>4561014
>Or kido attuned to only affect an individual and ignore others?
>>4561015
>I suppose we could fuel our kido by siphoning our opponents reiatsu?
These are options that you can keep in mind for the future, to try out and see if it works.

Rolled 8, 3, 1 = 12 (3d10)

>>4561027

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Your eyes go wide. “Target-seeking kidō!”

Aizen smiles. “Correct! Well done, Koharu! Now to figure out how to actually do that!”

“...That’s going to be hard, isn’t it?” you ask.

“Practice that pays off is always hard, Koharu-san, but I believe that you have what it takes to do it.”

“T-Thanks,” you say, with a blush, then start thinking about it. Kidō is reiryoku turned into some form of reishi, which is what delivers the reiryoku that does the damage… At least, that’s the mental image you have from that one class where Ise-sensei taught about the principles of hadō.

You also briefly remember Kisuke’s explanation of reishi, how it is in a sense, simply memory. Could you imprint a ‘memory’ of reiatsu-seeking onto the kidō in question?

There’s only one way to find out.

“I see you’ve figured something out,” Aizen says, and flash steps some distance away. “Good luck!”

>Roll 3d10, Bo4 (bonus from earlier), DC 20, crit 26, Mental (7) may replace lowest die.

Rolled 8, 5, 4 = 17 (3d10)

>>4561039

Rolled 4, 9, 5 = 18 (3d10)

>>4561039
Kaboom?

Rolled 6, 8, 3 = 17 (3d10)

>>4561039
Rollan

An errant thought on Naimen no Daiza.

Our Shikai draws in reiatsu, yes? It is also themed around a chalice/basin.
Now quite obviously, both of those things are containers - logically meaning that there is only so much you can pour into them.

Which makes me wonder if Naimen no Daiza has a maximum capacity on the reiatsu it can draw in. And if so, what will happen once said hypothetical capacity is reached.

Rolled 9, 3, 8 = 20 (3d10)

>>4561039

>>4561051
>th-the reiatsu is to much
>I-I'm overFLOWING
>KYAAAAA

>>4561051
Now I think we're both thinking about the same thing
However if true then that'd be big
If filling Naimen no Daiza with the energy of the spider or the stag forms our Nikai then we could potentially our sword could transform further with the help of others

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>>4561048
>17(20)
>>4561049
>18(21)
>>4561051
>17(21)
>>4561052
>20(24)

Wew lads. Two off a crit, but it's a solid pass on all fronts!
>Writing

>>4561051
>>4561056
These are good questions. They must have good answers somewhere too. : ^ )
But yes, you may be onto something significant here.

>>4561055
Anon, I...

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>>4561063
>>4561055
No need to think of anything distasteful
Koharu just having a Broly moment
Speaking of which, TRIPPY!
>When will Koharu transform from a trap to an ambush?

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>>4561055
AAAAaaand you made it dirty
it cost you nothing to NOT post that
Whyhaveyoudonethis
I do appreciate the humor though.

>>4561063
YOU TEASE

Another thought. We could potentially have Naimen no Daiza eat kido spells.
>Big spell coming Koharu's way
>"OooOoOhhh NNOOoOoO, whatever will I DOoOOooo-"
>*sword eats spell*
>"Lol sike, jk"
I also wondered if we could send the spell back to the sender, but I also remembered that's Ukitake's trick

>>4561063
>>4561072
>>4561074
It would have cost me my soul to not make that joke and really the subject of the quest kind of begs for it.

>Ukitake's trick
Also Nel's

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>>4561072
>ambush
>pic related

>>4561072
>When will Koharu transform from a trap to an ambush?
If possible it'll be when Koharu learns to Hollow Mask. Should be quite doable, really. But I suppose it'd be quite risky in Koharu's case, possibly even more so than it was for the Visored.

>>4561056
>inb4 we pull a spirit bomb style attack where a bunch of people give us their energy

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You consider the options. Byakurai is a low-level Hadō, ranked number four, so you are able to cast it without the incantation. However, there’s not enough time during it for you to try out what you want, so you decide to still use the incantation. As Ise-sensei always said, an incantation will always bring the ball-busting power a spell needs.

“Heavens converge! Darken the skies and show your wretched face! Hadō #4. Byakurai!”

The spell discharges from your hand, which you aim somewhat away from your captain. Much to your frustration, it doesn’t look like it curves towards Aizen at all. Instead, it hits the building instead, causing a small wreck. You wince, but you notice that the damage isn’t as bad as it seemed. It looks like the barriers set in the place are doing their job.

Despite the utter failure, you decide to continue. You’re no quitter.

The arc of lightning starts to slightly curve towards Aizen by the fourth shot, and keeps getting better until you notice that you’ve lost Aizen’s reiatsu from Kaishigome by the seventh shot. Does this technique eat up the stored reiatsu, or does it naturally dissipate? You’re not sure at all.

Captain Aizen is nice enough to let you take in his reiatsu once more, and you continue to work on curving Byakurai towards him. By the twentieth or so shot, you’ve actually managed to make the spell curve towards Aizen!

“Amazing, Koharu,” he says as he absorbs the spell with his hand. “For only a day’s worth of practice, you’ve outdone yourself.

While you can definitely arc the spell now towards the target reiatsu, there’s still much to perfect. For one, if you aim the spell bad enough, the spell won’t hit despite the homing effect. Secondly, you need time to apply the effect, which may limit the usefulness in battle as it is. Thirdly, you have no idea yet how to apply this to other spells yet.

“You should rest on this, Koharu,” Aizen says as he walks next to you and puts his hand on your shoulder. “You’ve earned it.”

You look away, trying to hide the slight embarrassment. As Kaishigome and Naimen no Daiza fade back to your unreleased zanpakutō, you feel the fatigue set in really fast, so much in fact that you almost collapse.

“Careful there, let’s not overexert too much!” he says as he helps you stay standing.

“Let’s go back to my office, Koharu. I’ve got some great tea there, I’m sure it’ll rejuvenate you.”

As you walk back though, your mind still floats around this new technique you’ve discovered, as well as how you should go about improving it.

ChOOSE ONE:
>Focus on increasing the effectiveness of the homing.
>Focus on applying the effect faster.
>Focus on using this technique with other spells.
>Try to improve with everything. (Harder DC)
>Other?

>>4561121
>>Focus on applying the effect faster.
Once again I’m late to the session

>>4561121
>>Focus on applying the effect faster.

>>4561121
>Focus on using this technique with other spells.
This does make me realize we haven’t really used Kido all that often, preferring to punch and slash things instead

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>>4561126
>>4561128
>>4561146
Fast trap is fast?
>Roll 3d10, Bo3, DC 16, crit 26, Mental (7) may replace lowest die.
>Writing

>>4561126
Welcome aboard anon.

Rolled 5, 1, 1 = 7 (3d10)

>>4561151

Rolled 5, 6, 1 = 12 (3d10)

>>4561151

Rolled 2, 6, 9 = 17 (3d10)

>>4561151

>>4561156
>7(13)
>>4561162
>12(18)
>>4561164
>17(22)
>Writing

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Your new life at the 5th Division grounds becomes more or less a rigid schedule, with mostly patrol and logistics works, combined with training under Captain Aizen. The tail that follows you everywhere always stays at Aizen’s office whenever you go to train with him, and you never go there without passing by his office. It’s clearly no coincidence anymore, and there’s only one person who could be behind it: Aizen.

Whether it’s him looking out for you or some other reason, you don’t know, nor do you dare to ask him about it, at least not yet.

Your skills and fast development earn you a position of the 12th Seated Officer. You aren’t given any executive work just yet of course, but you’ve been elevated on the grand scale of things. This means that half of the division begins to adore you and see you somewhat of a mascot of the division, while the other half are bitter that somebody so inexperienced has been given a seated position. There’s some talk of favoritism among the members, but such talk quickly dies out.

With the rank, you also get to better know the other seated officers along with the Lieutenant. Hinamori-chan is very gentle and nice, but you do catch glimpses of worry, maybe even envy in her from time to time, much to your confusion. The seated officers are all nice to you, following Aizen’s prime example of pleasantness and politeness. One of them however, 7th Seat Kamai Aiko is more detached from reality than others. There’s nothing really wrong from the perspective of duty, but there’s clearly something behind those vacant eyes of her.

Training-wise you improve in applying the technique you’ve yet to name. You make a mental note to meditate in jinzen and talk through with Celaris about this, to know his thoughts on how you should continue with it.

Then comes October, despite the all-year-around Summer of Soul Society, and Captain Aizen once again asks you to join him in his office.

>1/2

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“12th Seat Nakashiri, reporting in,” you announce yourself behind the sliding door to Aizen’s office. As much as Aizen keeps asking you to stop being so formal, you keep it up as your own little shield, at least for appearances. However, whenever there’s nobody around or eavesdropping, you do relax in his presence. It feels really nice to have an ever-present fatherly figure for once in your life. You know it’s a bad idea to form these sorts of attachments, but it’s hard to resist something you’ve been longing for eternity.

“Please enter, Koharu-san,” Aizen responds, and you enter the familiar room.

“You called for me, Aizen-san?”

“Yes, actually.. I have a troublesome situation on my hands,” he sighs, rubbing his neck, after which he turns towards you from his humble table.

“Troublesome how?” you ask.

“Troublesome, in that one of my subordinates is having a hard time, and neither I nor the 4th Division have been able to help her.”

Now that got your curiosity. “Why call for me, then?”

“Because… I believe you might be able to help. And, as much as I hate the thought, it could help you learn more about Naimen no Daiza’s powers.”

You let the thoughts sink in. Just what is ailing this person he wants you to help? And he thinks you could help her?

“This is no order of course, but a request. I fully understand if you do not want to.”

>2/2

>”If I can help, I’ll do my best to do so.”
>”I’ll try, but I can’t promise anything.”
>”No, I don’t trust myself enough to do this.”
>Other?

>>4561205
>>”I’ll try, but I can’t promise anything.”
Time for Koharu: Professional Zanpakto counselor to make their debut also
>you do catch glimpses of worry, maybe even envy in her from time to time
Yandere Momo is coming

>>4561205
>I’ll try, but I can’t promise anything.”

>>4561202
>but you do catch glimpses of worry, maybe even envy in her from time to time
Get cucked idiot
>>4561205
>>”If I can help, I’ll do my best to do so.”

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>>4561209
>>4561224
>>4561227
Introducing, Koharu, zanpakuto doctor.
>Writing

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“If you’re sure that I can be of help, I’ll try. But I won’t promise anything.”

“I don’t expect you to promise anything, Koharu,” Aizen closes his eyes with a worried expression. “Even considering to take this task is commendable on your part.”

You nod with unsure eyes.

You walk out of Aizen’s room in his tow into the night, while he explains the situation. “The subordinate is able and does her duty diligently, but come night, she is in shambles.”

You enter another small building where you find the 7th Seat, Kamai Aiko sitting in the corner of the room, her eyes sore and red.

“Aiko-san?” Aizen announces his presence. “I’ve come with Koharu-san, to help you.”

Kamai doesn’t answer, but does give a short nod despite being all curled up, her head resting against her legs.

“I will be near, Koharu,” Aizen says, putting a hand on your shoulder. “Rest assured, I will not allow anything bad to happen to either of you. I promise.”

“R-Right,” you say. Crap, did he have to say that with such seriousness? It’s all making you even more nervous now. You draw out your zanpakutō and release Naimen no Daiza.

“It’s going to be okay,” you say both to her and yourself, as you bring the flat edge of the blade towards her leg. Once contact is made, Naimen no Daiza begins to draw in Aiko’s reiatsu, and you feel a familiar sense of vertigo as you did when you locked blades with Asato-senpai.

Here it goes…

>Roll 3d10, Bo3, DC 21, crit 28, Mental (7) may replace lowest die

Rolled 6, 9, 3 = 18 (3d10)

>>4561253

Rolled 5, 5, 2 = 12 (3d10)

>>4561253

Rolled 9, 9, 9 = 27 (3d10)

>>4561253

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>>4561253
>18(22)
>>4561261
>12(17)
Looks like it's just barely a pa-

>>4561264
>27
Mein gott, I... It's not a crit, but I will add in a slight bonus because of based triple 9's.

>Writing

>>4561268
>>4561256
Me being an idiot at making sure I link the right posts again.

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>>4561268
We are the best mediator

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Pitch black, then blinding white.

You blink as you adjust your eyes to the place, and find a wooden, but white room. It’s… it’s actually quite peaceful here. Bright light is coming from the windows, although it’s just white, you can’t make out any sky. The curtains flow in a light breeze, which you also feel on your face. Across the room you find a table on which there’s a… photograph? In front of it there’s a black ribbon, the only thing that contrasts against all the whiteness, except for the photograph itself.

As you approach it, you find that it’s a photo of Aiko herself… just what is this? She isn’t dead, isn’t she? Then why this funeral-like setup?

“W-Who are you?” you hear a voice call from behind you.

“I’m here to help,” you say as you look at the woman, who by the looks of it is Aiko’s zanpakutō spirit.

“No.. you shouldn’t be here, it’s dangerous,” she whispers as she gets closer, while looking around in a paranoid way.

“What do you mean? You must be Aiko’s zanpakutō, what’s going on with her?”

“She’s.. mourning,” the spirit explains, “for her sister. Now please, you must go!”

The whole room shakes a little bit, as if an earthquake had just gone through. After you’re done looking around, you find that Aiko’s zanpakutō is nowhere to be found.

“T-This creeps me out,” you mumble, while trying to figure out what’s wrong with this place. With each passing second, you feel like you’re being watched, distant eyes just staring from just the corner of your vision. The signs are clear: the longer you are here, the more Aiko’s mind becomes aware of you, and… you’re not sure you want to know what that entails.

You’re still at a loss here. You know Naimen no Daiza is the key here to unraveling Aiko’s mind, but acting rashly might cause more harm than good, especially if you don’t know what it is you need to do.

However, the longer you stay here, the more you get a sense of dread that something unpleasant is going to happen.

>Continue investigating, you can handle this.
>It’s better that you are in charge of what changes. (Write-in for what to change)
>Other?

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>>4561297
I'm actually going to call it a night and leave the vote open till tomorrow, as I'm feeling the night dragging me to sleep, and it looks like anons are also going to sleep.

We'll continue tomorrow, same time, 15:00 UTC. See you tomorrow!

>>4561297
>>Continue investigating, you can handle this.
Missed the run, but it was fun catching up. Night trippy.

>>4561297
>Continue investigating, you can handle this.
Well let’s hope our first patient ever isn’t mindbroken after we’re done

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>Continue investigating, you can handle this.
>Stay on guard, steel yourself for a fight against whatever's here that's not Aiko or her zanpakuto.

>>4561297
Supporting >>4561348
>>4561317
Goodnight Trippy, thanks for the run

I feel like we could bring in Celaris to soothe our environment but not sure how dangerous that would be.

>>4561297
>Continue investigating, you can handle this.

Would have loved to participate earlier but my cellphone network has caught someone else's ban.

>>4561351
I’d wait to see what the problem is before we try bringing in Celaris or Zilya

>>4561297
>>Continue investigating, you can handle this.

Start is delayed by 30-60 min, I'm still in traffic. Shouldnt take longer though!

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>>4561936
I'm finally here, locked and loaded.

>>4561344
>>4561346
>>4561348
>>4561350
>>4561522
>>4561643
>Writing

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You don’t know yet much anything about this place. The details don’t make a clear picture yet, though you do suspect everything is revolving around her sister, who is presumably in the photograph on the table.

Changing things as they are right now would bear disaster you conclude, and as such more investigation is required. The white room in itself is featureless, so you approach the photo and the black ribbon, the only items of note in here.

You stare at the photograph that looks completely identical to Aiko. Is this really her sister? They were… twins? Identical ones?

“What exactly happened to you?” you quietly ask more to yourself than anyone.

“It happened.”

It takes you a second to realize that the photograph itself just spoke, now staring directly at you with sorrowful, but angry eyes. The room starts to shake once more, the windows violently close, and just like that, the once white room becomes bleak and dark, with only a faint red light permeating everything.

“W-What the-” you exclaim as you turn around, and find that you are now in some sort of dungeon or jail. There’s rocky walls, metallic bars and chains hanging from the ceiling. The walls are painted in strokes of black color, wild shapes, like one would expect in prehistoric caves.

That’s when you see in the cave paintings the silhouettes of a head with six lines coming out of it, everywhere. You can’t be sure, but some are staring at you, some are moving, some are laughing, and some have… something in their jaws. It’s… a corpse?

“NO, STOP!!” you hear a distant scream that you recognize belongs to Aiko.

>1/2

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You don’t run, but you do walk at a fast pace. One thing you’ve learned with your own inner world, is that you should not act hastily, especially when other entities may manipulate your surroundings.

Aiko’s cries, sobs and screams guide your way whenever you hear them. They alone would make you feel nervous as hell, but on top of those the cave painting monsters are creeping you out on a whole new level. Some are even moving along the walls, following you, with no expression whatsoever.

Everything shakes again as if an earthquake hits the place, and you hear faint voices, now new.

“It disappeared?” one distorted voice says.

“But that's…” another one fades in and out.

“IT'S ABOVE US!” is shouted.

“Hadō #31: Shakkahō!" the kidō spell is cast, and an explosion can be heard in the distance.

“YUKIKO!” now Aiko screams, much closer than before.

>2/2

>Continue and find Aiko, that’s who you have to help.
>(Mental) The paintings clearly tell the tragedy that befell her, maybe you can do something to them. (Change what?)
>Other?

>>4562008
>>(Mental) The paintings clearly tell the tragedy that befell her, maybe you can do something to them

>>4562008
>Continue and find Aiko, that’s who you have to help.

>>4562008
>>Continue and find Aiko, that’s who you have to help.

>>4562008
>Continue and find Aiko, that’s who you have to help.

>>4562017
>>4562018
>>4562021
>>4562025
Finding Aiko it is.
>Writing

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After two turns and a set of jail bars that you bust out of your way you finally find Aiko, who is crouched up against a wall, her face buried inwards. The walls around her have the same silhouettes of the beast that have been following and watching you so far. The difference is, near Aiko, they are much more ‘alive’ so to speak. They jump around, dance, and look like they make fun of her in every way possible.

“Now you see me, now you don’t!” you hear a hugely distorted, high-pitched chirpy voice.

“Thank you for the meal!” the voice speaks now from a different silhouette.

“Munch, munch, so much flesh!”

Aiko screams out in pain, and you rush to her.

“A-Aiko, Aiko-san! It’s me, hang in there!” you try to calm her down. Unfortunately she’s completely unresponsive, and instead is doing her best to shut off all of her senses.

“A-Aiko-san!” you urge her again.

“Easy prey, all astray,” the beast on the walls keeps singing. “Flesh and bones, fingers and toes!”

“Just shut up, will you?!” you shout at the walls, at which the silhouettes now suddenly switch their focus on you.

“New prey?”

“How will it taste?”

Uh-oh.

>Take Aiko and try to get the hell out of this place, away from these paintings.
>Stand by Aiko and ready yourself for whatever will be thrown at you.
>Time to mediate with Naimen no Daiza. (Write-in for what exactly to change)
>Other?

>Time to mediate with Naimen no Daiza
I got no idea what to write here but this is the only good choice.
There's nowhere she can run in here, this is her soul. And we shouldn't fight it. It's her demon so she should deal with it

Any ideas?

>>4562039
>>Stand by Aiko and ready yourself for whatever will be thrown at you.

>>4562042
We could try changing the environment, something a little less restrictive, maybe a forest with an overcast sky

Seems more relaxing to me.

>>4562045
Or a clear field? Maybe if there are no walls the shadows can't be cast on anything?

>>4562039
>Time to mediate with Naimen no Daiza. (Write-in for what exactly to change)

>>4562042
Perhaps Aizen's dojo? A comforting, familiar place for her where the fight can be framed in a different way(ie it's training, she's done this all before).

>>4562042
>>4562043
>>4562045
>>4562046
>>4562047
>>4562049
It's mediation time. I'll leave the discussion open for a bit though if you still want to come to a consensus on what exactly and how you'd like to change things. So far the ideas thrown out are:
>Change environment to forest with an overcast sky
>Change environment to a clear field
>Change environment to Aizen's dojo

>>4562056
>Change environment to Aizen's dojo

>>4562056
>>Change environment to Aizen's dojo

>>4562056
>Change environment to a clear field

>>4562063
>>4562074
>>4562077
Aizen's dojo wins.
>Writing

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This situation isn’t good at all. You can’t run with Aiko exactly: she isn’t in the right condition, nor will you be able to escape the beast haunting the walls in this maze, in its own turf. On the other hand, you can’t just stand here, you have no idea how to fight this thing, while the beast surely has the home field advantage.

As such you draw Naimen no Daiza, and release it. Right away you notice the difference.

While in this inner world, Naimen no Daiza is already fully attuned to this place, and everything ripples for just a moment during the release. You have control over this world, much stronger than expected. Perhaps the state of Aiko’s mind makes it easier, but this means you have to tread extremely carefully not to break her.

On the other hand, that means you could do anything with her mind.

You brush that thought aside for now, and start to channel your own vision through Naimen no Daiza. This cave, this dungeon, this jail… it has to go. A change in scenery will surely help, where both you and Aiko may escape the den of the beast.

And so the fabric of space around you ripples and distorts, and fades out. In its stead, the familiar wooden floor, pillars and oriental style walls form.

Just like the dojo in which you train with Aizen.

The voices and silhouettes are gone. Finally, you find a moment of peace, especially for Aiko.

She raises her head to look around in confusion. Seeing her face has you sickened however: there’s clear marks of her attempts to claw out her own eyes.

>1/2

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“Hey,” you say, doing your best to hold your own calm and sanity.

“K-Koharu-san?” Aiko whispers. “Where… this is… Seireitei?”

“A memory of it, yes,” you explain. “I’m here to help, Aiko-san. But for me to help you, I first need your help to understand what’s going on.”

“Can you do that?” you ask after a pause.

Aiko still looks disoriented, but at least she’s more composed now and actually answers your inquiries.

“I think so,” she responds as you help her up.

“Good. Now, what can you tell me about those… beasts on the walls?”

The question clearly disturbs Aiko, as the dojo starts to shake, but you keep it strong through Naimen no Daiza.

“It’s.. it’s that hollow, that hollow that took my sister away from me!” she shouts and starts crying. “Still tormenting me, after so many years…”

“Why is it still here?” you ask, and the dojo starts shaking again, a little stronger than before.

“It’s… I… Yukiko, I just… I can’t just forget her!” she cries out, almost like a banshee. "I can't leave her!"

The walls start to bend, as if a huge pressure is being applied from the outside, and you swear some shadows are moving outside.

>2/2

>”You have to fight back, Aiko. I will fight beside you, trust me.” (Battle)
>”You must let go, the beast is using your sister’s memory to torment you.” (Continue talking)
>Other?

>>4562115
>>”You must let go, the beast is using your sister’s memory to torment you.” (Continue talking)

>>4562115
>>”You must let go, the beast is using your sister’s memory to torment you.” (Continue talking)

>>4562115
>>”You must let go, the beast is using your sister’s memory to torment you.” (Continue talking)

>>4562115
>”You must let go, the beast is using your sister’s memory to torment you.” (Continue talking)
Anti-Shounen time again

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>>4562121
>>4562126
>>4562127
>>4562132
The way of therapy. Let's see how well you do, it's going to be a tough nut to crack.

>Roll 3d10, Bo3, DC 22, crit 27, Social (5) may replace lowest die.

Rolled 3, 1, 4 = 8 (3d10)

Rolled 10, 10, 5 = 25 (3d10)

>>4562133

Rolled 6, 6, 10 = 22 (3d10)

>>4562133

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>>4562134
>8(12)
>>4562136
>25
>>4562137
>22

>pic related
>Writing

>>4562136
>>4562137
Is this the first time that 10s have been rolled in this quest?

>>4562144
I think so
Dice gods know whats up, Koharu is the heart healer

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“Listen to me Aiko, you don’t have to forget about her!” you say as you grab her shoulder. “This fear, regret, hatred and suffering, is that how you want to remember your sister?”

“HOW ELSE WILL I FUEL MY REVENGE?!” she shouts as the structure around you starts to break in places. “HOW ELSE WILL I MAKE THAT HOLLOW KNOW MY PAIN?!”

You are taken aback by her response, but you press on.

“I had to leave my friends behind, okay?! I could either live day by day, hating and blaming myself, longing and yearning for what I lost. Or, I could live every day remembering and cherishing the happiness we shared, and be proud of it all.”

You take a deep breath. “Tell me, what would Yukiko want?”

“She…” Aiko whispers at the same time as you can hear beastly screams from outside the dojo, as the structure that you’ve built keeps failing bit by bit.

“She would… she wouldn’t want me to suffer,” she concludes, and the beastly screams intensify. Looks like this works… if the thing that’s causing problems is feeding off of her negative emotions, maybe you can kill it this way.

However, the whole room darkens suddenly, alarming you.

“But she would want me to AVENGE HER!” Aiko shouts out, and the whole building starts to crumble.

>1/2

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As the dust settles and you stop coughing, you find yourself in a dark forest, with the night sky above you. Rubble of mostly wood lies beneath your feet, and Aiko stands beside you with bloodshot eyes.

“Aiko?” you ask with a cough, “A-Are you alright?”

That’s when you notice the ghastly presence in the distance. A large lizard, a hole in its body, and a white mask with six stalks protruding from it, three on each side.

There’s no denying, that is a textbook example of a hollow. The question is, is it simply a memory, or something… separate.

The creature releases an ear-splitting howl as it stands on its hind legs.

“I’ll kill it! This time I’ll KILL IT FOR SURE!” Aiko shouts as soon as she recovers, and launches herself towards the beast.

“Aiko wait!” you try to stop her, but it’s no use.

>2/2

>Fight alongside Aiko, vanquish the monster together.
>Let Aiko fight, but support her from behind.
>There’s no use fighting, something else needs to be done. (What?)
>Other?

>>4562186
>There’s no use fighting, something else needs to be done.

>I'll kill it this time
Implying she goes through this every day or so. Fighting is pointless. Try to look for the picture of her sister to show it to her. That's probably still here somewhere. Maybe that can snap her out of it

>>4562186
>>There’s no use fighting, something else needs to be done. (What?)
Try and mediate the apparition.

>>4562194
Supporting

>>4562194
>>4562198
>>4562216
Gonna need a roll for that in that case.
>Roll 3d10, Bo3, DC 18, crit 25, Mental (7) may replace lowest die.

Rolled 3, 9, 10 = 22 (3d10)

>>4562217

Rolled 7, 9, 10 = 26 (3d10)

>>4562217

Rolled 5, 8, 1 = 14 (3d10)

>>4562217

>>4562218
>>4562220
does this technically count as dubs since the 7 replaces the 3? if those are even a thing here, either way still a crit

>>4562220
Is that a crit I see.

>>4562218
>>4562220
Excellent

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>>4562218
>22(26)
>>4562220
>26
>>4562221
>14(20)

Well, then. Koharu's gonna make that heart pure again. Or will he?
>Writing

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It’s no use fighting, you conclude. The hollow is most likely an apparition, the manifestation of her negative emotions taking the shape of the thing she hates the most: the hollow that killed her sister. So long as she focuses on it, it will only grow stronger, while she grows weaker.

But that means you just need to change that focus.

With Naimen no Daiza in your hand, you focus once more on it, and the effect this time is much smoother and much more gentle than when you changed the scenery. The night sky shifts towards dawn, and from the woods she emerges.

The manifestation of Aiko’s most treasured memories.

“Yukiko…?” Aiko freezes as she looks towards her sister. The hollow instantly begins to screech and wail, as if the coming light is burning it. It’s trying to throw some kind of projectiles at Yukiko, but with the power of your mediation, you make sure nothing disturbs the serenity of this family reunion.

“Aiko,” the image of her sister, a mirror of herself, speaks gently with open arms. Aiko of course rushes to her and embraces her as she’s reduced into a sobbing mess.

“It’s okay,” Yukiko consoles her. “It’s alright.”

The beast sizzles out of existence, though it doesn’t feel like it really disappeared. You sense that Aiko’s mindscape is stabilizing from the chaos and turmoil it was initially in, so at the very least things are better now. You do wonder however whether this is a proper solution.

“I am unsure, but my powers may stabilize her mind,” you hear Celaris speak as if he’s right beside you. “If it is calmness and stability she requires, those I may be able to provide.”

However, you also hear Zilya speak from the opposite side, despite not being there. “This is a ripe opportunity for you, Koharu. Her mind is sooo delicately in your hands, you could change things however you’d like,” she giggles. “Make her your slave, an obedient tool for you to use. I doubt she’s much use to anyone anyway, even herself.”

“...Why does this feel like I have a shoulder angel and devil?” you sigh in disbelief.

Both of them do raise interesting options though…

>You’ve tampered enough. Just leave her be.
>She’s suffered enough. Celaris, let’s give her proper peace.
>An obedient servant would be very useful…
>Other?

>>4562254
>She’s suffered enough. Celaris, let’s give her proper peace.
We are not mindbreaking someone we just met

>>4562254
>>You’ve tampered enough. Just leave her be.
Don't want to over-play our hand here.

>>4562254
>>She’s suffered enough. Celaris, let’s give her proper peace.

>>4562254
>>She’s suffered enough. Celaris, let’s give her proper peace.

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>>4562266
>>4562268
>>4562274
>>4562276
+1 Light Side points have been deposited to your account.
>Writing

>>4562254
>Make someone your slave
>Save their mind and potentially make them a willing friend that would do anything for you.

Same choice.

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“She’s suffered enough, and she’s not our enemy,” you say with a sigh. “Celaris, let’s give her the peace she deserves.”

You hold Naimen no Daiza in your hands like a cup once more, and start channeling your own as well as Celaris’ reiryoku through Aiko’s world. The mindscape brightens and starts to feel much more relaxing and less tense. The wooden rubble reforms and begins to build up into a house, raising you, Aiko, and Yukiko’s apparition upwards as the floor is raised.

The scene returns to that of a brightly lit house, however this time it isn’t all bleached white, and actually has colorful motifs and tapestry. Where once the table had Yukiko’s photograph, there’s now a nice tea set, and both Aiko and Yukiko are sitting at the table. Smiling, laughing, talking. Her eyes are vacant no more, and the skin around them has returned to normal.

With a smile, you conclude that the job is done, and sheathe Naimen no Daiza.

“Koharu, would you join us?” Aiko asks. You shake your head however.

“I am not meant to be here,” you smile. “Besides, I believe you two will have lots to talk about, and I’ll just be in the way.”

The identical twins nod, and you turn your back to them, walking away. You hear the voice of the zanpakutō spirit you met in the first place:

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” you whisper, and close your eyes, letting the darkness pull you out of the mindscape.

>1/2

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You open your eyes, and find Aiko leaning against the corner of the room, sleeping with a serene expression.

“You’re back,” you hear Aizen say behind you. You seal Naimen no Daiza and sheathe it.

“How long was I, you know, doing this?”

“It’s been only ten minutes, Koharu-san,” Aizen comes closer and puts a hand to your shoulder as you stand up. So time behaves like in dreams in the mindscapes, huh? Now that you think about it, it’s similar to what happened when you entered Asato’s inner world.

“I’m both really relieved and really impressed, Koharu,” Aizen praises you. “I sense Aiko-san is now much more at peace than she has ever been in my division. You have my utmost gratitude. Now, go rest, you’ve earned it. I will take care of Aiko-san.”

“Y-Yeah,” you say, feeling a little exhausted. “I’m glad I could help, Aizen-san,” you give him a warm smile. You leave the room behind, heading towards your own barracks.

Aizen keeps smiling, but his eyes switch from warm and empathetic, to cold and calculative.

“Magnificent…”

>2/2

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And that’s where we’ll end this session, thanks once again for participating. Questions, comments, and all, I’ll answer them if you got ‘em.

I forgot to mention, but I did the last thread char sheet and social links updates just before starting the session. There’s going to be new updates to them for this session too, since you learned some nice things. If you have any ideas for the name of your homing kido technique, I’m all open ears.

Next thread next weekend, though more details will be revealed in due time.

Good night anons!

>>4562327
Good night

I get the feeling this was all bullshit.
Also is that a axolotl we de alt with?

>>4562327
Thanks fir the run Trippy!

>>4562385
Aizen using us for some ulterior scheme? Perish the thought!
>>4562327
>any ideas for the name of your homing kido technique
Maybe something related to branches or just a natured related naming scheme for the Kaishigome related kido? Though this does make me wonder if Jorogumo can affect any of our other acquired skills

>>4562430
Well yes but I mean he may have set that whole thing up just to see what we could do. Aiko probably never even had a sister!

>>4562385
>axolotl
If the silhouettes are anythingto go by then yes
But how or why could something something so cute be so evil is beyond me

>>4562327
The important question is when will Lizzy and best pet axolotl meet?

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>>4562430
>branch/nature theme
That does sound quite fitting. I'll go with that unless other anons object.

>>4562385
>>4562707
Have cute axlotl fairies.

>>4563002
The fated meeting is yet to come... The captain is still to enter this world.

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>>4562582
She did have a sister, but the one who killed her was Aizen, who disguised himself as a hollow using Kyokasuigetsu.
Just as he made sure principal Kinji would become a malevolent hollow so he could present a challenge to Koharu later on.
And as he pulled the strings leading to Koharu's father meeting his mother.
And as he instigated the battle from 1300 years ago even though he wasn't even born in Soul Society at the time.

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We'll be continuing tomorrow (Saturday) at 16:00 UTC, so one hour later than what has been standard.

>>4560752
https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/may/11/johannesburgs-ponte-city-the-tallest-and-grandest-urban-slum-in-the-world-a-history-of-cities-in-50-buildings-day-33

>>4566001
The fuck?

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>>4566001
>>4566377
I... I don't know, anon.
In relevant news, character sheet and social links have been updated. See you tomorrow!

>>4566404
>Check new social links
>I'm sure my father will deal with her soon enough
PANIC

>>4566448
We may have to put the mind whammy on that bitch

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You are Nakashiri Koharu and you are currently wrapping your head around mind games.

Specifically, the board game called ‘Go.’

After using Naimen no Daiza to solve the mental problems of the 7th Seat Kamai Aiko, you required quite some rest. Some of it you managed to use to retreat into your inner world and speak to Celaris and Zilya about it, but neither of them could tell you much more than what you already knew. Zilya was of course disappointed you didn’t use the opportunity to your own advantage.

The sound of a stone being set on the board brings you back to the present. Aizen has decided to teach you some of these traditional board games that you’ve heard about when you were still alive, but never played them. Something about helping to strengthen your intellect.

The rules are simple, there being only two. Yet this game manages to make your head hurt. How the hell can this be so complex?

“Don’t worry about winning right now, Koharu,” Aizen softly speaks as he adjusts his glasses. “Focus on reading the moves. Where would I want to play, where would I not want to play? What moves do I want to stop you from doing?”

“I’m trying, Aizen-san,” you groan.

“The world won’t always give you adequate time.”

“I haven’t played this game before, okay? Just… give me some more time.”

Aizen simply chuckles and looks over the wooden ledge, watching the clear sky, with only some spots of clouds.

“What are you going to do with your zanpakutō?” he asks.

“W-What?” you ask him, startled.

“So far you’ve kept to your shikai, keeping your nikais secret, effectively limiting your power and choices in battle. So I ask, what are you going to do with your zanpakutō?”

>”I’m going to keep it secret. That way I’ll have a hidden advantage.”
>”I want to start using Kaishigome, but Jorōgumo… I’ll keep it secret still.”
>”You’re right, there’s no sense in limiting myself. It’s time I use the powers I have properly.”
>Other?

I'm going to do a quick shower/sauna trip in here, but it shouldn't take too long.

>>4567380
>”I’m going to keep it secret. That way I’ll have a hidden advantage.”

>>4567380
>”I want to start using Kaishigome, but Jorōgumo… I’ll keep it secret still.”
I kinda feel like we should focus on training one release for the time being, though. Koharu still doesn't truly have a grasp on using Naimen no Daiza.

>Opnely using Hollow-like powers
Hahahahahanope. Gotta work harder than that, Aizen. Koharu isn't that easy to bag.

besides, Kaishigome is easier to spin a tale for.

>>4567380
>>”I want to start using Kaishigome, but Jorōgumo… I’ll keep it secret still.”
Especially since we have someone watching us, using Joro is bound to get us auto executed

>>4567389
>>4567390
>>4567394
Stag is going to get used while the spider just watches. Wait, that didn't come out right...
>Writing

Also, going to be smarter and actually write in-between sauna!

>>4567410
>Stag is going to get used while the spider just watches
Oh, I'm sure Zilya gets her turn to be a toy sometime.

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“I’d like to start actually using them,” you begin, “so I will start using Kaishigome without reservations. The other one… I’ll keep it away from the public for now.”

You finally put a stone on the board, and Aizen nods.

“You will get a lot of questions,” he says.

“I’ll answer what I can be sure of,” you tell him, thinking about possible half-truths and lies that you can weave together into a sturdy net.

Aizen puts his own stone again.

“Just be careful what you tell and whom you tell, Koharu,” he takes a slightly more serious expression, but then gives you a warm smile. “You are in my division, Koharu, that means you are under my supervision and protection. The more you use your zanpakutō, the more others will react normally to its irregularities.”

You nod and place a stone.

For quite a long moment, both of you keep playing the game in silence, while you go over your own thoughts.

For one, you’ve started to miss your friends. Emika and Izumi you can still visit, but Akane and Chie? It’s been over a year since you’ve seen them, nor is there any real chance to visit them without an official passage through the Senkaimon.

The afterlife in general is still bugging you ever since your ‘court’ with the Central 46. The Rukongai, the Seireitei, this whole system, it feels more like a glorified plutocracy. Now that you are a shinigami, you are especially worried about them deciding to do something bad and unexpected.

You almost choke though as you feel Lizzy, your little pet lizard hollow shuffle in your sleeve, prompting you to quickly stretch so that it falls further up your sleeve. Fortunately, Aizen doesn’t pay it much attention.

Aizen has been quite understanding though ever since you’ve met him, even keeping his knowledge of your zanpakutō secret for your sake. Maybe he can help you unravel these thoughts?

>Ask whether you could get stationed in Osaka sometime.
>Ask what he thinks and feels about Soul Society.
>Ask about his hollow experience, and what he thinks of them.
>Other?

>>4567427
>Ask whether you could get stationed in Osaka sometime.
>Ask what he thinks and feels about Soul Society.
>Ask about his hollow experience, and what he thinks of them.

>>4567427
>>Ask about his hollow experience, and what he thinks of them.
Might as well start trying to get info from him

>>4567427
>Ask whether you could get stationed in Osaka sometime.

>>4567427
>Ask whether you could get stationed in Osaka sometime.
It’s been too long

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>>4567437
>>4567442
>>4567461
>>4567463
I'll see what I can do, the more votes an option got, the more it'll be emphasized.
>Writing
>Also finished sauna, back in full business

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“Um… Aizen-san?” you finally find the courage to ask.

“Yes, Koharu?”

“I was just wondering… how are shinigami stationed in the living realm? Like, location-wise,” you say as you scratch your cheek.

“Well, it’s a little complicated,” he sighs. “The Gotei 13 are in charge of a certain area of the globe, mostly Asia, the Pacific and the islands around and south of them.”

“Not the whole world?” you wonder, though you recall something said about this at the academy.

Aizen shakes his head. “The Valhallans govern Europe and Africa. How familiar are you with ancient history?”

“Somewhat?” you feign.

“It’s essentially the Mesopotamian and Mediterranean afterlife that spread west, as well as both south and north. Despite what Soul Society would like you to believe, they predate us by thousands of years.”

“No way, really?”

He nods. “There’s no true borders on where one afterlife’s domain starts and another’s ends. But for the most part, you don’t have to worry about it.”

“To get back to your question, our ‘domain’ is cut into zones. The 1st Division is in charge of assigning which division is responsible for which zone. From there, it’s up to us captains to determine the details.”

Aizen laughs. “Of course, it’s actually much more complicated than that, but that’s the gist of it, Koharu.”

“R-Right,” you answer as you try to wrap your head around it all.

“Soo… I was just wondering… Would it be possible for me to get stationed in Osaka, someday?” you ask.

Aizen raises his eyes from the board to look at you. “Why there in particular?”

You think through how much you’d like to tell, but you end up taking the middle approach.

“It’s where I’m from, before I died,” you tell him. “I’d be nice to see my former home.”

“Ah, you remember your old life? I see.” Aizen ponders for a moment, tapping his finger on his chin. “Currently the 13th Division is responsible for that area, I’m not sure if that’s going to change anytime soon.”

You sigh, disappointed. “I guess not, then.”

Aizen looks at you with pity. “We could ask Captain Ukitake together. He’s kind and very understanding, perhaps he can arrange something.”

“That.. that would really mean a lot to me, Aizen-san,” you say with genuine hope and happiness. It’d be so wonderful to see Akane and Chie again.

>1/2

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“If you remember your past life, that must mean you remember your death,” Aizen asks cautiously, to which you nod.

“A hollow tried to eat me, but failed. Then I was sent here by a shinigami,” you explain in short.

“The same one that attacked you during the camp?” Aizen asks.

“H-How did you know?”

“There must’ve been a reason why it shouted your name, Koharu. It’s not hard to piece the two together.”

“I guess… Do hollows normally obsess over their prey like that?” you ask.

“Sometimes,” he answers briefly. “There have been cases like that. Most of the time they use their prey to bait shinigami. It’s… quite horrible, and deadly.”

“What do you mean?”

“Regular plus, they are like what simple rice is to us. Shinigami however, we are like deep-fried tonkatsu with sake to them,” he explains with a metaphor that makes your stomach turn. “More times than not, we are the prize they covet.”

“They can be that cunning?” you ask.

“The most dangerous ones are, and they leave disasters in their wake. Kamai-san… her state was due to such a hollow.”

Aizen takes a moment to breathe in and look towards the sky again. “Hollows are disastrous beings, Koharu. All they see is pain and agony, the bindings that stopped them from passing onto the afterlife. Bindings that ate away their heart, which their hunger bids them to endlessly fill.”

You take a moment to think about this. He’s definitely right, but at the same time, feeling Lizzy shuffle lightly in your clothing, you can’t help but wonder if that’s all there is to it.

“This is a very old and ancient way of thinking, however,” Aizen continues with narrowed eyes. “Little research has been done in over a thousand years. No new pages filled.”

“Tell me Koharu, if you knew a piece of a puzzle is missing, yet you were ordered to accept it as the whole truth, how would you feel?”

You swallow hard. “I… I would feel uneasy,” you admit.

“That’s how I feel, Koharu. As a more fresh shinigami, how would you approach this stalemate?” he asks.

>2/2

>”Would it be possible to capture a hollow?”
>”Has anyone ever observed hollows on their own, without disturbing them?”
>”Well, actually…” (Show him Lizzy)
>Other?

>>4567549
>”Has anyone ever observed hollows on their own, without disturbing them?”

>>4567549
>”Has anyone ever observed hollows on their own, without disturbing them?”
"And here we see the Hollow in it's natural habitat"

>>4567549
>Other?
>This may be as good a time as any to mention that before coming to the academy Koharu found berries that had hollow reiatsu in the wailing forest which seemed to sate the hunger of a small hollow he found.
Wouldn’t show the lizard specifically but maybe we could ask Aizen if he could authorize an investigation.
It could kill a little time before asking Ukitake about switching jurisdictions.

>>4567570
What do other anons think of this? I can include it with the currently winning vote if you'd like.

>>4567570
I'll support it

>>4567556
>>4567560
>>4567570
>>4567619
I'll work with this then.
>Writing

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You carefully weigh your options. You know much more than you should for a shinigami. You have the same questions as Aizen, and as much as you hesitate to talk about hollow-related things, you realize he’s probably the only one who’d listen and talk about it in an intellectual way. You doubt any of your friends would even humor the possibility of a hollow being anything other than a vicious monster hellbent on destruction and misery.

As such, you take a leap of faith.

“Aizen-san, have you heard of the Wailing Forest?” you carefully ask, to which his eyes widen a little, and he nods.

“I have. It’s…” he begins, and then his eyes light up. “It’s quite close to the Nakashiri district in Western Rukongai.”

You nod. “Before I came to the academy, I… I explored it a little there.”

“It’s remarkable that you survived,” Aizen notes.

“Y-Yeah,” you avert your eyes, but continue on. “I found something, some berries there, that I saw a hollow eat.”

“Truly?” he says with a surprised expression. “Perhaps it’s something to be investigated then.”

You nod. “Aizen-san, has anyone ever observed hollows on their own, without disturbing them?”

Aizen stays silent as he looks at you, making you a tiny bit nervous. Did you go too far?

“Would you like to?” he finally asks.

“W-What?”

“Would you like to see them, without any disturbances?”

You swallow hard.

>”I.. I would.”
>”I don’t think I should.”
>Other?

>>4567682
>”I.. I would.”
What could possibly go wrong on our field trip with Captain Aizen?

>>4567682
>>”I.. I would.”

>>4567682
>”I.. I would.”
It's a bad idea but I can't see Koharu refusing

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>>4567684
>>4567696
>>4567706
>Writing

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“I…” you hesitate and lightly bite your lower lip. “I would.”

Aizen simply nods, and continues with the game. It feels maddening as many minutes roll by without Aizen saying a word, with only the game to occupy your mind.

His question raises so many other questions in your own head. Is he implying that he has already seen hollows like that, with a possibly different view on them than what the shinigami present? If so, was he simply testing the waters with you in the discussion before?

There’s no satisfying conclusion to it however as you are interrupted by Lieutenant Hinamori.

“Aizen-sama-” she enters the wooden terrace area where you play, quickly fumbling as she notices you and Aizen with serious expressions.

“Welcome, Hinamori-chan,” Aizen smiles towards her, which melts the girl’s worries like butter. She’s completely charmed by him, it’s ridiculous. Even more ridiculous is how she has begun to avoid you and seems frustrated whenever she sees you with Aizen.

“I’ve come to report!” she exclaims.

Aizen nods, waiting for her to speak, however her eyes linger on you. “Umm… but…”

“Yes?” Aizen says, still smiling.

In the end, she relents and begins her report of the division's status. Mostly boring stuff however, but you do piece together from it that the 5th division is slowly mobilizing for something.

In the end, Aizen has both you and Lieutenant Hinamori join him for some tea. A situation most awkward indeed.

>1/3

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It is only in two days that Aizen summons you to his office once more, from which you leave in the familiar manner, leaving the person tailing you stuck at his office for some reason. Aizen clearly knows you’re spied on and actively prevents it. It makes you wonder just how much he actually knows or suspects.

“Where are we going?” you ask.

“To the living realm.”

“W-Wait, what? Through the Senkaimon?”

“Through a Senkaimon,” Aizen corrects. “An unofficial one.”

“Isn’t that… illegal?”

“It is. It doesn’t stop from each of the Five Great Houses from having one in their own manors however.”

Your eyes widen, but narrow down. It’s a tale you’ve seen countless times in the books you’ve read at Kasuga-taisha. The ruling class outlawing something, yet secretly doing that very thing themselves.

”I recommend you take a look one day at all the passed laws of the Seireitei,” Aizen says. “The list of things forbidden is quite remarkable, but most interesting are the laws of how the investigation and prosecution of the Five Great Houses works.”

“It’s.. there’s a loophole, isn’t there?” you voice your suspicions.

“In order to investigate one of the houses, the house in question must give permission for it first,” he explains.

“And a guilty person won’t ever give permission,” you realize.

“That’s right, Koharu.”

>2/3

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The unofficial senkaimon is located beneath one of the indistinguishable buildings on the 5th Division grounds, though you are not sure how exactly you got to it, with all the turns and twists. Before going through it, Aizen gives you a black cloak, which you put on. As soon as Aizen dons his own, you find out that even your own reikaku can’t detect him anymore, even at this range.

“This way we won’t disturb any hollows,” Aizen explains. “It’s a reiatsu-concealing cloak.”

The way through the senkaimon is otherwise similar as when you made the journey to the fateful academy camp.

“Where are we?” you ask as both of you exit the dimensional passage. Around you are dull, worn-out looking buildings. The air feels heavy, as it is filled with dust and pollution, making it hard to see too far. Even the sky looks a yellow-brownish color.

“Gansu Province, Northwest China,” Aizen explains. “Along the Yellow River.”

The more you look around this place, the more you notice that it’s filled with industrial buildings, various factories, rough looking residential towers. While there’s clearly a living population here, a lot of them are very weak, and plusses regularly appear. A prime hotspot for hollows.

“Bakudō #26: Kyokkō,” Aizen declares his kidō, and with his hand draws the fabric of space around you like a curtain. A familiar spell, but incredibly hard to master. The fact that Aizen is using it without the incantation so well… it’s almost terrifying.

“Now we are completely invisible, Koharu. We should be free to observe without disturbing anything. Now, I’m sure you’ve already sensed them. Where would you like to go?”

>3/3

>One of the factories, observe a large group of hollows.
>One of the residential towers, find a smaller group of hollows.
>Other?

>>4567897
>>One of the residential towers, find a smaller group of hollows.

>>4567897
>>One of the factories, observe a large group of hollows.

>>4567897
>One of the factories, observe a large group of hollows.
MAXIMUM DANGER

>>4567897
>One of the factories, observe a large group of hollows.
This ought to give a clearer image of the general situation

>>4567907
>>4567924
>>4567935
>>4567958
Hollow gang incoming.
>Writing

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“That factory,” you say and point towards it. With the kidō veil around you, shunpo is out of the picture, so with reishi platforms, you descend towards the factory.

This one in particular is abandoned, with no humans around. As you slip through a window with Aizen, you get to experience a sight you’ve never seen before.

Society.

Barbaric and violent, but a society nonetheless. For the most part, the hollows have formed a ring, inside of which two hollows go at each other, fighting and battling. They don’t seem to go for the kill though, at least not on purpose.

In other corners, some hollows have made pieces out of bones, presumably either from masks or actual bones. They throw the pieces around, playing a game of sorts. At first glance it looks rather civil, but every time one loses, they accuse the other of cheating, resulting in a short brawl.

Some are clearly in the middle of eating pieces of a butchered plus that hasn’t decomposed into simple reishi yet. You find the most proper violence there, with some hollows being opportunistic and trying to steal.

Then, there’s just duos or trios sitting around and actually talking. You can’t make out what exactly, as you think they speak one of the Chinese languages.

This is quite enough for you however to prove the fact that hollow society can and does exist, despite what the academy has taught you.

“This.. you’ve known about this?” you whisper.

Aizen nods. “Seeing them as nothing but monsters to slay is easy and effective. Whenever hollows appear to shinigami, it’s when they are out to hunt, out to sate their infernal hunger that forces them. But what if that hunger is sated? What kind of hollow will you then find?”

You take a longer moment to keep observing, something about this feeling eerily familiar, but you can’t quite place your finger on it.

“What do you think?” Aizen asks.

>”I think... “ (write-in)
>”I.. I need time to digest this all.”

>>4567992
>>”I think... “ (write-in)
>They seem like children

>>4568004
That's a good one,

Like high schoolers

>>4568004
>>4568015
I'll take this then!
>Writing

>>4568004
supporting, but we got to remember than when these "children" misbehave, it's our job to discipline them

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“They… they’re like children,” you conclude. “As if they grew up without anyone to take care of them, or discipline them.”

“When a plus turns into a hollow, the process is excruciating, so much that a hollow loses their memory in the process. Most of these that you see, the only thing they’ve ever known is their hollow life, usually starting from the moment they’ve finished feasting on their first victim. Enough sustenance to stop their hunger from taking over.”

“Do any of them ever recall their past?” you ask, to which Aizen nods.

“Some do, but the consequences are dire. For when a hollow remembers their death and hollowfication, they relive the gruesome traumatic moments of it, which destroys them mentally.”

“H-How do you know all this, Aizen-san?”

He closes his eyes. “I’ve done my own research for quite a long time.”

“Is… is it possible for hollows to regain their humanity?” you ask. Aizen takes time to think, as the question clearly is something he’s thought about as well.

“I believe so,” he answers. “But beware, Koharu. This topic and its pursuit, is regarded as treason by the laws of Soul Society.”

“Right,” you swallow hard.

“Koharu,” Aizen speaks softly.

“Y-Yes?”

“Would you like to try Naimen no Daiza’s power on a hollow?”

>”If you think it’s a good idea, I may give it a shot.”
>”Hell no. There’s no telling what would happen.”
>Other?

>>4568162
>>”If you think it’s a good idea, I may give it a shot.”

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I think this is a good spot for me to hit the bed. It's almost 2 am, and I can leave the vote open for tomorrow to (hopefully) get more votes. We'll continue somewhere around 15-16 UTC, not sure yet on the exact time.

Good night anons!

>>4568244
Goodnight

>>4568162
>”If you think it’s a good idea, I may give it a shot.”

>>4568162
>”If you think it’s a good idea, I may give it a shot.”

>>4568162
>>”If you think it’s a good idea, I may give it a shot.”
>>4568244
Night Trippy

>>4568180
>>4568361
>>4568709
>>4568712
>Writing

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You hesitate, a lot this time. Your past experiences with the minds of hollows through Hanran have shown you that they are quite chaotic. If Naimen no Daiza’s mediating power pushes you to enter minds and their inner worlds, just what can you expect with a hollow? Can you avoid being dragged in even?

“If you think it’s a good idea, I may give it a shot,” you answer. “But I don’t think it’ll be safe.”

“It would be dangerous indeed. However, we can set the circumstances of our experiment. Subduing a regular hollow is easy for me, but I would assume your power is safer the more ‘stable’ the recipient is.”

“I… I think so. Aiko-san’s mind wasn’t easy to traverse and heal.”

“So what would our options be to make a hollow’s mind stable?” Aizen asks.

“Fill its hunger,” you figure.

“And how would you go about doing that?” he smiles.

You keep quiet, as the initial thought that you get is sickening. “We can’t just feed plusses to hollows…”

“Correct. That would be quite unethical, wouldn’t it? What other options are there?”

Then it clicks what Aizen is hinting at. “The berries!”

“Good. You see, Koharu, one discovery leads to new possibilities. Remember that well whenever you learn something new about the world around you.”

You blush a little. The whole situation is ridiculous, with the two of you in the midst of many hollows that you are sworn to eliminate, while having scientific discussions. Yet, it feels in a way nice, comforting.

>1/2

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You return back to Seireitei with Aizen shortly after, not to linger there for too long. This trip alone is enough for a week, to go over the ramifications of what you’ve just experienced. You ask Zilya about her knowledge and experiences on hollows, but she keeps being secretive about it, only confirming that the shinigami’s way of seeing hollows is but a fraction of the truth.

During one of your breaks from duty, you are visited by none other than Asato-senpai, who asks you to take a walk with him. The 5th Division garden area provides a great spot for just that, and enough privacy.

“What’s going on? Did something happen?” you ask right away.

“What? No, not at all. Well, yes, but-” he speaks, but that apparently confuses himself that he has to start all over.

“What I mean, is that I came to thank you, for what you did to Aiko-san. She’s.. important to me, and I’m very glad to see her much healthier now.”

“You two know each other?” you blink.

“Yes, we used to be in the same squad during the last war. Let’s just say that our ailments are the result of the same tragedy. So thank you, for helping her.”

“Y-You’re welcome,” you give him a light smile, as you continue the walk.

>2/2

>”So… um, what exactly happened?”
>”Are you and Aiko-san close?”
>Other?

>>4569184
>”So… um, what exactly happened?”
>”Are you and Aiko-san close?”

>”So… um, what exactly happened?”
>Are you saying a hollow gave you hollow reiatsu?

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>>4569194
>>4569195
>Writing

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“If you came to thank me for that, that must mean you and Aiko-san are close?”

Junichi sighs, much to your surprise. “Well, we used to be much closer, but with time we drifted apart.”

“How so?” you ask.

“I had to shoulder both my issues and hers for a long while before she was admitted to the hospital. Such a thing wears you down, Koharu, especially any feelings you may have towards such a person. But… even that pales in comparison to simply witnessing what the humans did.”

“W-What do you mean?”

Asato shakes his head. “It’s best left to the history books.”

“Can you at least tell me what exactly happened, to you and Aiko-san? I just want to understand, that’s all.”

Asato stops and looks over a small pond. “I suppose I owe it to you.”

“We were stationed in Poland, Auschwitz-Birkenau, a hotspot of hollows. That’s where we met him, the Fear Eater.”

>1/2

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“Fear Eater? Kiga no Kage? I thought that was just a legend?”

“All legends are bloated tales of something true,” Asato shoots that thought down. “A hollow that can hide its reiatsu, it’s a frightening thing, and we were unprepared for it. That hollow lured us, and we fell for its trap. That is how Aiko lost her sister.”

You cover your mouth with your hand.

“Aiko rushed on her own after it, and me after her. I don’t know why it spared us, but that day Aiko lost her sister, and I lost my zanpakutō, the hollow taking it.”

“The hollow… took your zanpakutō? How did you get it back?”

Asato looks pained and angry. “Through sheer luck, nothing else.”

Clearly there’s more behind that, but you let it slide. If he doesn’t want to tell, then you doubt you can make him.

“Is that how you got hol-” you continue, only to find Asato’s hand gripping your head by your mouth, muffling your voice.

“Not here,” he sternly says and releases your head.

“Rude,” you mumble.

“In any case, I only came here to give you my thanks. I shouldn’t deter you from your duties. If you need anything, I owe you one.”

>2/2

>”I’ll keep that in mind. Until next time, Asato-senpai.”
>”Actually, I’m in need of a training partner for something…” (Jorōgumo training)
>Other?

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>”Actually, I’m in need of a training partner for something…”
Show me yours I'll show you mine

>>4569280
>”Actually, I’m in need of a training partner for something…”

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>>4569288
>>4569308
This time two different anons
>Writing

>>4569280
>>”I’ll keep that in mind. Until next time, Asato-senpai.”

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“Actually, Asato-senpai,” you say, getting Asato to turn back towards you. “I’m in need of a training partner, for a certain thing.”

Asato looks confused at first, but understands after a moment of silence, remembering the key details. “R-Right, I can do that. Though we’ll need a proper place to practice,” he says, emphasizing on the word ‘place.’

Of course you realize this yourself, that Jorōgumo isn’t something you want others to detect. It doesn’t make it easy that you have a person tailing you at every point. You might have to ask Captain Aizen for a favor.

A week or so after your visit to the living realm with Aizen, you are on a new expedition, this time to the familiar Wailing Forest. The place where you found sustenance, Lizzy, hollows, and the berries that caused you to black out.

Along with causing the disaster that partially destroyed all the districts around it.

Seeing these fields and villages is quite nostalgic, and you remember the kids you took care of: Toru-kun, Tokiko-chan, Seiji-kun, Kimi-chan, Maki-chan and Junzo-kun. How are they doing? Are they alright? You don’t know, nor can you visit them, given that your and Aizen’s trip here is similarly off the records.

Going through the forest, you feel the similar dreadful feeling, as well as the massive, ambient hollow reiatsu that interferes with your sensing. Despite that, you find the berries.

“Here,” you point to the plant and the purple berries. “There are the ones.”

Aizen nods. “Good. I’ll start setting up the barriers so we won’t be disturbed. We still need a test subject, however. Would you like to lure one here, Koharu?”

“Um, sure,” you say, a little unsure, but regain your confidence. Afterall, it’s been over a year since you’ve been here, and back then you managed to navigate and survive this place. Surely this time it’ll be much easier?

Despite the interference, your senses clearly pick up a few hollow signals close by. There’s one that’s moving surprisingly fast, one with a strong presence, and one that’s just… not moving at all.

Weird.

>Go after the fast one
>Go after the strong one
>Go after the stationary one

>>4569372
>Go after the stationary one

>>4569372
>>Go after the stationary one

>>4569372
>Go after the stationary one
Sounds like a trap but it's the only way we won't have to attract a lot of attention

>>4569372
>Go after the stationary one