Help! I am bound to Aizen!

Chapter 233

Hearing Tōsen’s answer, Kaelith’s lips curved into a grin.

He turned toward Kyōraku and Ukitake in the distance. The two of them tensed slightly as his gaze fell on them.

“Relax. I’m not going to kill Tokinada Tsunayashiro now,” Kaelith said, raising his hand and pointing at Tōsen by his side.

“Kyōraku, Ukitake—watch carefully! This man, Tōsen Kaname…I, Kaelith, will train him into a true warrior. One day, he’ll be strong enough to take Tokinada’s head himself and avenge his friend!”

Kyōraku and Ukitake did not reply. Yet the look they shared revealed a mutual sense of unease. If anyone else had just declared such a thing, it might’ve been dismissed as empty rage. After all, Tokinada was powerful—unquestionably Captain-class—and he’d only continue to grow stronger in time, sharpening both his reiatsu and swordsmanship. By any conventional logic, there was no way a commoner like Tōsen could ever surpass him.

But coming from Kaelith, those words felt all too real, as if foretelling Tokinada’s inevitable doom. The two Captains exchanged glances, then both looked down at the scorched, barely alive Tokinada. Confirming the severity of his condition, they paid Kaelith’s threat no further heed and rushed him away for treatment at the Shin’ō Medical Institute.

Kaelith turned away. “Come with me.”

Without thinking, Tōsen nodded, then quickly asked, “I’m sorry to bring this up now, but I really want to know…why did you help me?”

From what had just transpired, Tōsen sensed that this man had offended the very highest echelons of the Soul Society on his behalf. That savage style of combat and the near world-rending spiritual pressure were branded into his memory. Why would someone so dazzling—so terrifying—side with a blind nobody from Rukongai to such extremes?

Kaelith glanced over.

“Help you? Don’t get the wrong idea, Tōsen.”

He spoke flatly:

“You helped yourself. I just can’t stand Tokinada, so I wanted him to suffer the fate he’d hate the most. You happened to be the perfect candidate to carry that out. If you had chosen not to seek revenge, I’d have left you right there. Whether you got beaten to death by his guards or starved to death somewhere…wouldn’t matter to me.”

His piece said, Kaelith strode off.

Tōsen stood silently, lingering for a moment. Something about Kaelith’s cold, unsympathetic words actually filled him with an unexpected sense of calm. Following this man, it felt like there would be no confusion—only a road forward. A rare feeling of belonging welled up inside him. Squaring his shoulders, he hurried after Kaelith.

Oh, right—Tōsen suddenly remembered the cloth in his hands. From its warmth, it must have been the garment Kaelith wore just moments ago. The fabric felt high-quality, possibly worth a month’s meals for an ordinary soul. I should train as hard as I can, Tōsen thought, so I can someday pay him back for this…

…

Kaelith led Tōsen all the way back to the 11th Division barracks. He didn’t bother seeking out Aizen. With so many people around earlier, Aizen had no doubt slipped away. All Kaelith wanted was a bath and some sleep. The old man—Yamamoto—would definitely summon him tomorrow for a scolding, and being well-rested would help him handle all that standing around.

But no sooner had he stepped inside the barracks than he was greeted by a bizarre sight under the moonlit sky. A tall, lanky man with long hair—Kenpachi—was in the training ground, practicing.

That in itself wasn’t so strange, but he’d planted his sword in the ground a short distance away and was pummeling the air with his fists.

Kaelith watched for a few seconds, perplexed, then approached.

“Hey, Kenpachi.”

Kenpachi paused, turned his head, and bared his teeth in a fierce grin. “Aniki!”

…Being called “big bro” by this bloodthirsty beast was still unsettling. Kaelith had tried more than once to get him to just say “Kaelith” or “Captain,” but Kenpachi either forgot or just didn’t care, slipping back to “aniki” right away. Eventually, Kaelith gave up and grew used to it.

He glanced at the sword stuck in the dirt. “What’re you doing?”

Kenpachi simply blinked, uncertain what Kaelith was asking. Not far away, a small pink-haired girl yawned and raised a hand.

“Kaelith! I know, I know!” said Yachiru. “Ken-chan’s been convinced ever since you knocked him flat with a single punch that fists are stronger than swords. He’s been flailing around at empty air for days now!”

Kaelith fell silent. Was Kenpachi just that quick to absorb new lessons, or was this some kind of twisted logic? With a sigh, he launched into a serious talk about fighting styles. In the end, he forbid Kenpachi from forsaking his blade. All of Kenpachi’s power came from swordsmanship; switching to fists now would be a colossal waste. After Kaelith promised to train with him personally twice this month, Kenpachi brightened up again.

While Kaelith and Kenpachi were talking, Yachiru bounced over to Tōsen, noticing the white haori in his arms.

“Kaelith’s haori? Huh…there’s writing on it.”

Hearing her voice, Tōsen nodded politely. Though he couldn’t see her face, she sounded young. If she was Kaelith’s acquaintance, she was probably a senior of some kind. He briefly explained how he’d received this “inked treasure” from Kaelith and planned to save money so he could replace it someday.

Yachiru tilted her head. “Save up for a haori? Hmm…but I heard from Lisa that a Captain’s haori is a symbol of authority—pretty valuable, you know. If you had to put a price on it…huh, let me think…maybe about the cost of a shop near Seireitei?”

Tōsen froze. Clutching the haori in his hands, he felt his mind reel.

…No wonder it felt expensive.