They had split into two groups, but it seemed Matsumoto had encountered resistance right from the start.
It appeared that Kaien did indeed know something, but he simply refused to tell her. It was a very strange feeling. Perhaps if it were someone else, he would have been completely forthcoming, or perhaps not. Matsumoto could sense the conflict in Kaien's heart—a struggle over who to trust, and whether he should even trust himself.
If it was because of what had happened with Shiba Miyako back then, there was absolutely no need for him to agonize over it. Furthermore, as someone who had been personally involved, Matsumoto had participated in the investigation regarding Miyako back then. At the time, Kaien had said he trusted their judgment.
Therefore, his suspicion was directed at a specific person, but it was highly unlikely to be because of the Miyako incident.
'Is he worried that we won't believe his words?' As it happened, Matsumoto had been trapped in a similar dilemma, so she asked tentatively, "Is it because of my relationship with Gin... Ichimaru Gin?"
Kaien didn't answer, but a fleeting trace of reluctance flashed through his eyes, and Matsumoto managed to catch it perfectly.
'As expected, it's because of Gin, isn't it?'
"I have indeed known Gin for a very long time. Although I was still in the Shin'ō Academy when he joined the Gotei 13, we are technically from the same generation. So, if you think I would show favoritism toward him, I don't really have a good way to prove you wrong."
Matsumoto took a deep breath, her fists unconsciously clenching until her knuckles turned white. "I used to think I was the person who understood Gin the best. But I have to admit, I don't know when it started, but I can't quite see through him anymore. Or maybe... he's always been like this from the very beginning."
She remembered Gin once saying that Captain Aizen was an incredible person. Even after Gin became a captain himself, deep down, he still felt like he was Aizen's lieutenant.
But now, Captain Aizen was dead, and it was very likely connected to him.
She didn't know when it started, but Gin's smile no longer brought warmth. He smiled just as he always had, but it only made people feel cold—a bone-chilling cold...
"Therefore, I won't unconditionally trust him just because of our past! Nor can I ignore the pain others have suffered just because he's Gin—the pain they are suffering right now because of his selfishness!"
"If he really is in the wrong, he should pay the price for his actions! All I can do is catch him with my own hands and give him a good beating! But if he isn't wrong, then why should we be killing each other? Gin isn't the type to explain himself. I know him very well. He's a bastard who only uses results to explain things, and then laughs at you for it!"
"So, if you know something, please tell me. I won't do anything for his sake. I just want a result—a result that will thoroughly convince me." As Matsumoto spoke, she suddenly bowed deeply to Kaien. "I'm begging you, Lieutenant Shiba!"
Time ticked by. Matsumoto didn't know how long had passed, but she maintained her bowing posture. It wasn't just to show Kaien her resolve; it was because this *was* her resolve.
"I can't tell you that this matter is related to Ichimaru Gin, nor can I say it has nothing to do with him."
'Kaien is finally willing to trust me.' Just as Matsumoto felt a wave of relief, his next sentence plunged her into an inexplicable panic.
"Even Captain Hitsugaya, who you said would treat this matter fairly, might not be without issues. In fact, he might be the one most likely to have a problem..."
'The Captain? How is that possible!'
"Achoo!"
Over at Squad 5, Hitsugaya's sudden sneeze startled the squad member standing in front of him so badly that the man's legs gave out, and he dropped straight to his knees. "I-I'm sorry! It really was Lieutenant Hinamori who called out to me! The moment I turned around, my vision went white, and by the time I woke up, Lieutenant Hinamori was gone. Really, I absolutely don't mean to make excuses for myself! Please believe me!!"
'Am I really that terrifying?' Hitsugaya's eyes drooped as he looked at the frantically explaining squad member, not knowing what to say.
His nose had just suddenly tickled, causing him to sneeze. He hadn't said he was going to blame the guy.
Besides, when it came down to it, if someone had to be held responsible for this incident, the one who deserved the most blame was himself.
According to this man's account, Hinamori must have first used the Bakudō spell Hakufuku to knock him unconscious, and then immediately followed up with a Hadō spell to blast open the cell door and the wall, escaping directly.
It was the most straightforward prison break imaginable. As for why she knocked out the guard first, it was either to buy herself time or because she didn't want to hurt the guard in front of her. Given Hinamori's personality, it was highly likely the latter.
Hitsugaya knew that during her time at the Shin'ō Academy, Hinamori's Kidō grades had always been among the best. She hadn't slacked off after joining Squad 5 either, making her one of the top Kidō experts among all the lieutenants.
Someone like that should have had her Reiryoku sealed before being locked up. The only reason that hadn't been done was entirely due to Hitsugaya's own decision.
After all, whether it was Hinamori or Kira, neither had been formally convicted of a crime. Putting them in confinement was just to let them cool their heads. Anyone who had stayed in the Gotei 13 long enough had been thrown into confinement once or twice—for the meatheads in Squad 11, it was practically a daily routine.
Hitsugaya hadn't expected Hinamori to break out of prison, and he certainly hadn't expected her to use such an exaggerated method to do it. Since she had already knocked out the guard, there was really no need to take things to such an extreme.
It felt like she was venting her anger. But hadn't her fury over Aizen's murder already subsided? Why had it flared up again without any warning?
Was it because she found out that idiot Kira had been rescued? Or did Hinamori make a new discovery—new evidence confirming that Ichimaru Gin had murdered Aizen?
'Could it be that everything Aizen knew was in that suicide letter he left for Hinamori?!'
Things were exactly as Hitsugaya suspected. However, the truth hidden within that letter brought her more than just anger; it brought an indescribable heartache.
*Hinamori, I am truly sorry to be speaking to you in this manner. If you are reading this letter, then I must already be dead.*
*To burden you in my final moments... I am truly too selfish. You are the person I trust the most, so I will write down all the truths I know here and reveal them all to you...*
Hinamori gripped the final words Aizen had left for her. Even after spending the entire night, she still couldn't believe her eyes.
It wasn't until every single word on the page was carved into her mind that she was forced to admit that this was what Captain Aizen had said, and that these must be the truth.
At this thought, tears once again spilled from her eyes—once again, for Captain Aizen.
It wasn't just because Captain Aizen was dead, but because he had died in such an obscure, unjust way. With his final act of gentleness, he had uncovered a truth that even he hadn't anticipated.
These tears were also for herself. As the person Captain Aizen trusted the most, in the end, she was actually the one who had doomed him.
And this trust had transformed into a despair that could never fade...