Crossover Anime: Starting with Bankai from Demon Slayer

Chapter 379 The Rebuilt Squad (Part 2)

Compared to the phoenix-like rebirth of the Ninth Division and the gentle healing of the Third Division.

The Fifth Division, which Hirako Shinji took over, was an ultimate battleground that drove him to the brink of madness...

If Gin Ichimaru's betrayal was a devastating blow to the Third Division...

Aizen Sousuke's betrayal was a mental massacre for the Fifth Division, especially for the lieutenant Hinamori Momo.

Fifth Division, Captain's Office.

This room, which Aizen had once meticulously maintained, exuding elegance and tidiness, was now a mess, resembling a garbage dump that had just been ransacked by thugs.

Various documents and files were scattered on the ground, and there was even an overturned ink bottle, which had stained a large, ugly area.

Shinji Hirako didn't even bother to change out of his Shinigami uniform. He wore the Captain's Haori over his shirt in the human world and slumped on the Captain's large office chair like a lump of mud.

He had his feet propped up on the desk, twirling a calligraphy brush in his hand.

Looking at the scene before him, he let out a long, desperate sigh.

"I said... Little Peach...."

1

Hirako Shinji tapped the table with his calligraphy brush, trying to get the attention of the girl who was standing in front of the bookshelf in a daze.

"This is the fourth time today that you've mixed up the expeditionary force's supply list with the Fourth Division's medical supplies request form..."

'

"Furthermore, when you stamped the document just now, you stamped the Fifth Division's official seal on the back..."

"

"If you continue to be so distracted, our Fifth Division will be sued in the 46th Chamber of Justice tomorrow."

After saying that, he curled his lip and said, "Haha, I forgot, there's no Room 46 anymore."

However, his quirky jokes didn't have much of an effect.

Standing in front of the bookshelf, Hinamori Momo still swayed like a soulless puppet.

Upon hearing Shinji Hirako's words, Momo Hinamori mechanically turned her head. Her once bright and lively eyes were now empty and lifeless, with frighteningly deep dark circles around them.

"I'm sorry... Captain Hirako... I'll fix it right away..."

'

Hinamori Momo's voice was light and lifeless.

She walked to the desk, squatted down and began to pick up the scattered documents on the floor, but several times the files she had just picked up fell down again.

Hirako Shinji covered his face in anguish.

Since he took over as captain of the Fifth Division a few days ago, he has tried various methods to cheer up the girl.

He tried to cheer her up with jokes in his Kansai dialect, and he tried to reprimand her with the authority of a captain, attempting to numb her senses with work...

He even tried to get Captain Unohana of the Fourth Division to prescribe some calming medicine and secretly mix it into her tea.

But it was all in vain.

Hinamori Momo's body was still in the Fifth Division, but her mind had already drifted away with Aizen when he left.

Hirako knew that subconsciously, this little girl was probably still hoping that Captain Aizen, who always had a gentle smile, would suddenly push open the door, walk in, and say something to her:

Good morning, Hinamori-kun. Please take care of today's documents as well.

"Ugh! This is so annoying! That damned Aizen, what kind of spell did he cast on this girl?!"

"Captain Hirako...please...please don't speak ill of Captain Aizen..." Hearing Hirako's complaint, Hinamori Momo reacted and responded quietly.

This made Hirako Shinji even more irritated; he ruffled his blond hair and jumped up from his chair...

Later that evening, after dinner, Hirako Shinko noticed Hinamori Momo sitting alone on the veranda, lost in thought.

And there were still traces of tears on her cheeks.

After thinking for a long time... he turned and went into the room, took out a bottle of sake and two cups, and sat down next to Hinamori Momo.

"Have you eaten, Little Peach?"

Shinji Hirako poured two cups of sake and pushed one of them towards Momo Hinamori.

Hinamori Momo didn't speak, nor did she touch the glass of wine.

She just looked at Hirako Shinji with a blank expression, as if this person in front of her was just like everyone else, a bad guy who wanted to destroy the last bit of faith in her heart.

"I know you don't like me, and you complain that I took Aizen's place." Hirako Shinji ignored her gaze and took a sip of his sake.

The spicy liquor flowed down his throat, making him squint his eyes in comfort.

"But little peach... there's something you might be mistaken about."

Hirako Shinji put down his wine cup, his gaze becoming deep and distant, as if piercing through the mists of time and returning to that night a hundred years ago.

"A hundred years ago, when I was the captain of the Fifth Division, that man named Aizen Sousuke was my vice-captain."

Do you think that the gentle, perfect man who always smiles at you is all there is to him?

""

These words stopped Hinamori Momo from sobbing.

She looked up, belatedly realizing what was happening, and stared at Hirako Shinji in disbelief.

Yes... it's recorded in the team's history...

The previous captain was Shinji Hirako... How could I have forgotten about that...?

"Looks like you've remembered?" Hirako Shinji looked at her expression and gave a mischievous smile. "Back then, he was exactly the same as the one you've seen all these years."

"He was so kind and polite to everyone, and he handled his work perfectly. Even old man Yamamoto praised him highly..."

"In everyone's eyes, he is an impeccable and perfect vice-captain."

Shinji Hirako looked at the clouds floating in the sky outside, his eyes filled with complex emotions: "But I'm different from you. From the first moment I saw him, I knew he wasn't normal."

"His perfection was too deliberate, like a mannequin wearing a mask... His eyes may have a smile, but there was only a cold emptiness in them."

You can never guess what he's thinking, and you can never truly touch his heart.

Hirako Shinji turned around and looked directly into Hinamori Momo's eyes: "To guard against him, I deliberately chose him as my vice-captain."

"I thought that as long as I kept him under my nose and watched his every move, I could see through his true colors and stop the damage he might cause."

"But I was wrong, terribly wrong."

Hirako Shinji's hands unconsciously clenched into fists, and the pain brought on by the Hollowfication incident a hundred years ago surged in his heart once again.

"He took advantage of my guard up and the distance I deliberately maintained between us... He carried out his heinous experiment without my knowledge."

He walked up to Hinamori Momo, bent down, and looked at the girl who was trembling because of his words.

"So, Little Peach, do you know what I'm going to tell you?"

"Although I hate Aizen, we share the same misery."

"We don't understand him at all."

These words struck Hinamori Momo's heart like a heavy hammer.

"You've always admired him, and I've always been wary of him... Therefore, there's always been a veil of mystery between the two of us and Aizen; we've never really figured out what this man is up to..."

'

"You're troubled by why Aizen betrayed you, but I think the root cause is that you don't understand him."

"Longing is the emotion furthest from understanding."

Shinji Hirako straightened up and looked at Momo Hinamori, who was standing there in a daze: "The one you fell in love with was just a perfect reflection of yourself."

Try to understand him.

"To understand the real Aizen Sousuke, who has stripped away his mask of hypocrisy, is ruthless and cold-blooded, and attempts to destroy the three realms."

"Find out what he really wants to do, find out why he's become the way he is today."

"Only when you truly understand this person can you know where to wield your sword."

"If you still insist on following him then... well, I'll turn a blind eye and let you escape Seireitei. You'll never regret it."

After saying this, Hirako Shinji ignored Hinamori Momo's reaction.

He walked to his desk, picked up the soiled file, rolled it up casually, and strode out of the office.

"I've gone to argue with the Fourth Division. You'll have to clean up this mess yourself..."

"

Hirako Shinji walked away, leaving behind only the sake cup that was not yet empty.

Hinamori Momo stood there, stunned, her mind replaying Hirako Shinji's words.

Yes, do I really understand him?

Even today... I still don't know what kind of world Captain Aizen really wanted.

As the sun gradually set, lights came on in each team's barracks.

When Shinji Hirako staggered back from outside, reeking of alcohol, he was surprised to find that the Fifth Division's office had been restored to its former cleanliness.

All the documents were neatly stacked on the table, and even the ink stains on the carpet were cleaned up.

At her desk, Hinamori Momo sat upright, diligently reviewing the last official document.

"Captain Hirako, you're back."

Her face was still pale, and her eyes were still red and swollen.

But in those once empty eyes, there was now a reassuring resilience.

"All the documents for today have been processed without a single error."

"Thank you for your guidance... I will try to find my own answer."

Looking at the girl in front of him, who was still somewhat gloomy but had improved a bit, Hirako Mako was stunned for a moment.

Then, a warm smile, genuine and heartfelt, appeared on his face, which always carried a hint of wickedness.

He stepped forward and ruffled Hinamori Momo's hair without any politeness.

"Hey, that's more like it, Little Peach."

"Let's go! To celebrate the official return of the Fifth Division's lieutenant, I'm treating you to takoyaki in Rukongai today!"