"Me grass or trees; who be without emotion?"

  Although Haruki was actively trying to increase others' favorability towards him, it was iable that some genuine feelings would develop over time spent together.

  For Tanimoto Tetsu, Haruki certainly had some goodwill. While it wasn't as high as the 80 points Tanimoto had for him, acc to his system's evaluation, it robably around 60.

  However, when fag Aizen, he had to maintain a certain attitude!

  This was based on his uanding of Aizen and the instincts of a seasoned gamer that guided Haruki's choices.

  He had to remain indifferent towards others to possibly eheir survival.

  If he were to beg Aizen not to kill a might instead provoke Aizen to kill everyone!

  Thus, by adopting this nont attitude, he might even make Aizen feel a bit bored.

  Especially when dealing with Tanimoto Tetsu, if Haruki showed a stroion, Aizen would sider him 'just another ordinary person', lose i, and Tanimoto's life would still be at risk.

  It was better to remain pletely indifferent to Tanimoto's fate, using this indiffereo save the lives of two others, with the only reasons being 'my amusement' and 'ck of i'.

  Such a response was quite provocative, but Aizen probably liked this approach.

  Indeed, after hearing Haruki's reply, Aizen said nothing more.

  He led Haruki on a stroll through Hueundo, a pce where even the passage of time felt absent.

  The monotonous sery made it feel as though they were walking in po matter how long they walked.

  As they walked, Haruki realized he couldn't tinue aimlessly; this was a test from Aizen. Failing it could lead to dire sequences.

  Even if he didn't die, Aizen might pin all the bme for this i on him.

  If he passed, he could successfully join Aizen's inner circle!

  He had already noticed a ge in Aizen's favorability towards him.

  Previously, it was zero, akin to a god's indiffereowards humans, but now it had risen from zero to ten!

  Though still low, it was a signifit breakthrough pared to zero.

  So, he o strike while the iron was hot.

  "Captain Aizen, although it might not be appropriate to say, I personally believe that you alone are suffit to quer the King of Hueundo."

  Haruki mimicked Gin Ichimaru by narrowing his eyes and smiling, "If possible, I'd like to return to the Seireitei. I won't say a word."

  Aizen didn't stop, tinuing to walk ahead of Haruki, "What else do you know?"

  "Quite a bit..."

  Haruki replied with the same nonce, "For example, your desire to obtain the 'Hogyoku'."

  "Or perhaps, your dissatisfa with the Soul King's rule?"

  At this, Aizen's steps slowed for a moment, a out a light chuckle.

  "Haruki-kun."

  Aizen said calmly, "You know too much."

  "Knowing or not... it doesn't matter." Haruki turned his head, not looking at Aizen, but gazing at the endless sands of spiritual particles.

  He even crouched down, scooping up a handful of white sand.

  The sand quickly slipped through his fingers, leaving only a single grain in his hand.

  "Just like these spiritual particles, I only care about what is me. Even if other things seem no different, to me, they are entirely distinct."

  "Although my words may not be pleasant, Captain Aizen, your pns are indeed 'uing' to me, no different from 'guarding the Seireitei' or 'loyalty to the Soul King'."

  "So, I won't interfere with your pns. What difference does it make whether I know or not?"

  Haruki carefully pocketed that single grain of sand, then looked forward with ay gaze.

  "You io use this purge to create space for Vice-Captain Ichimaru's promotion, don't you?"

  "Also, for the students about to graduate from the Shin'ō Academy, without such a purge, it would be hard for them to grow quickly within the rigid hierarchy of the Gotei 13."

  "Let me guess, the captain you're trying to lure out is the captain of the Third Divisiht?"

  Aizen turo look at Haruki again, this time his face devoid of the previously amused expression, now pletely emotionless.

  Haruki's speatched his pns almost exactly.

  He was indeed very ied in Haruki.

  From the moment Haruki began teag Renji at night, Aizen had noticed this young Shinigami in his division.

  Just a small, ordinary squad member, yet quite adept at teag Renji, Kira, and Hinamori. Aizen admitted that even he might not have achieved better results in teag the three.

  Thus, Aize Metastacia to test Haruki, and this test firmed Haruki's unusual abilities.

  Although Metastacia was a failed experiment, it still possessed formidable powers, challenging even for a Vice-Captain level Shinigami to defeat.

  Because its abilities were specifically desigo ter Shinigami!

  Yet, faced with Metastacia's attack, Haruki merely shot a Kidō-like bst and killed it!

  Suposure and ease thhly intrigued Aizen.

  Therefore, he promoted Haruki to a seated officer, leading to this enter.

  Of course, even without Haruki, Aizen would have orchestrated ao shake the Gotei 13.

  Without such measures, those he valued couldn't attain higher positions.

  For instance, Gin Ichimaru had been under his and for too long; it was time for him to bee a captain in another division.

  Simirly, after graduation, Hinamori and others would join his Fifth Division, ating space for their promotions within his ranks.

  However, Haruki's presence led Aizen to slightly modify his loablished pns.

  As Haruki had surmised, in Aizen's pn, if Haruki failed to detect Metastacia, he wasn't worthy of further attention and could be left to die.

  If he could detect Metastacia's parasitism, two paths y before him.

  One was to expose Metastacia's identity out of ' for rades', leading to being framed and gradually isoted by all.

  The other path was 'indifference', in which case...

  Aizen would appear!