Bleach: Me and Aizen

As Aizen observed the Adjuchas repairing the walls, he made a new discovery.

Alongside the group of Adjuchas, there was a number of haughty looking Shinigamis issuing commands to these Menos Grande.

"Hurry up, that side needs to be repaired too. Make sure everything is perfectly seamless and merges flawlessly with the previous structure."

"You followers of Baraggan, don't think you can slack off. It's only thanks to Lord Sanshō's mercy that you're allowed to regain your freedom after restoring Las Noches. If you can't even manage this, how can you justify Lord Sanshō's magnanimity?"

Upon witnessing this scene and then looking at Las Noches, a question mark slowly rose in Aizen's mind.

Shinigamis acting as overseers?

Has Las Noches been overtaken by Shinigamis?

The damaged walls and their conversation corroborated that the previous battle was against Baraggan.

Which means, at least until recently, Baraggan was still alive.

The is most likely from the era when Baraggan ruled Rukongai, which was more than a hundred years ago.

Based on the fragments of conversation from these Shinigamis, Baraggan seems to have been defeated by someone named Yu Mikami.

Yu Mikami, a name I've never heard before.

In other words, this isn't the past of my own world but another parallel dimension?

These Shinigamis aren't wearing 13th Division Uniforms; their sleeves have the Tsunayashiro Clan Emblem, one of the Five Great Noble Clans.

The surname Sanshō is not among the five great families; is it an Agent appointed by the nobles?

Aizen speculated this in his mind, frowning inwardly.

What is the version of myself in this world doing to allow the nobles to extend their influence into Hueco Mundo?

Or perhaps, like Kisuke Urahara, has this world's version of myself fallen into degradation, colluding with those nobles who reek of decay?

Just from the scene at the outer walls of Las Noches, many theories formed in Aizen's mind.

He decided to investigate personally, turning his gaze towards Las Noches.

Since the Hōgyoku opened the Senkaimon here, it suggests that the answers I seek lie within.

Without hesitation, he quickly made his way into Las Noches.

As soon as he entered, he was taken aback.

Wait, is this Las Noches?

In disbelief, he stepped back a few paces and confirmed once more by looking at the unchanged exterior of Las Noches and its outer walls.

Taking a deep breath, he prepared himself mentally to step into Las Noches once again.

"…"

Despite being prepared, the sight before him left him deep in thought.

Who did this?!

Las Noches, my Las Noches! How did it end up like this?

Before him, the originally solemn and spacious interior of Las Noches was covered with strange slogans:

"Quality First for a Century's Plan"

"Alertness Ensures Safety, Complacency Causes Accidents"

"Hard Work Brings Safety and a Good Life"

One any better and think Las Noches had been contracted out to a Human World construction team!

Not only that, but on both sides of the walls, many areas that hadn't been repaired were plastered with advertisements for video games.

What is "LSP2"…? What is that?

The most outrageous sight was the busy Menos Grande inside Las Noches.

These Adjuchas, although not yet Arrancar, were all humanoid females, and without exception, they had attractive figures, showing great potential after they became Arrancar.

They wore extremely short skirts or shorts and were busily renovating Las Noches.

It was clear that Las Noches had recently changed hands, and they were in the process of updating its style.

"Yu Mikami..."

Aizen couldn't help but utter this name, feeling his blood pressure rise.

After taking several deep breaths, he managed to calm himself down, suppressing his discomfort as he entered Las Noches and moved deeper inside.

He was as familiar with Las Noches as if he were returning home.

As he walked, he silently observed the changes while listening to those busy female Hollows conversing in low voices.

From their conversations, Aizen learned a lot.

As he suspected, Baraggan was the previous owner of Las Noches, defeated not long ago by a Shinigami named Yu Mikami.

Las Noches had consequently fallen into Yu Mikami's hands, which explained this major renovation.

Moreover, from their words, Aizen noticed that Yu Mikami had a good reputation; none of the Adjuchas spoke ill of him during their private discussions.

Not only that, but there was a subtle tone of respect in their voices as they repeatedly compared their current treatment to how things were under Baraggan.

Aizen briefly questioned if he had heard incorrectly.

A Shinigami? Earning the respect of Hollows in their stronghold? 

Could such a thing really happen?

"Wait a minute, if this Yu Mikami is an Agent of the nobles, how could those nobles allow him to do this in Hueco Mundo?"

Aizen frowned slightly, realizing a flaw in his reasoning.

As someone who had successfully entered Muken Hell in that world, he was incredibly familiar with the style of those insect-like nobles.

If he were to gather all the nobles of Soul Society at the Hill of Duality and execute them, there would surely be wrongful deaths, and if they executed them one by one, many would inevitably slip through the cracks.

Following this line of thought, Aizen suddenly acknowledged that he might have guessed wrong before.

If Las Noches was indeed occupied by the nobles of the Soul Society, they would never allow these Adjuchas to continue existing.

Perhaps out of consideration for the balance among the Three Realms, they wouldn't be as extreme as the Quincies.

However, driving all Menos Grande into the Menos Grande Forest, killing all those who posed a threat while leaving only the Hollows that maintained the spiritual balance— they could certainly accomplish that.

And if this were Yu Mikami's personal act, that also wouldn't stand. Those noble lords would not simply watch a Shinigami take the Menos Grande of Las Noches as subordinates; they would have long found an excuse to throw him into the Central Prison.

When it came to cruelty, they had always been exceptionally gifted.

"This is getting interesting." Aizen's lips curled upwards, feeling a long-lost sense of novelty.

It was a curiosity for the unknown, something he hadn't felt in a long time.

He suddenly found himself looking forward to meeting this Shinigami named Yu Mikami.

With this thought in mind, he continued deeper into Las Noches. The decoration style hadn't yet changed, still retaining the previous openness and silence, which secretly relieved him.

However, judging by the progress of those female Hollows, this sanctuary might not remain for long.

He silently sighed for Las Noches.

Boom!

Suddenly, a loud noise erupted from a nearby room, where a violent explosion occurred.

The shockwave spread along with smoke and dust, accompanied by continuous apologies and loud reprimands.

"I'm terribly sorry, Lord Szayel Aporro! I really didn't know that thing couldn't be touched. Please forgive me!"

At the doorway shrouded in smoke, an Adjuchas knelt on the ground, fearfully apologizing.

"Oh?" Aizen became interested and hurried over, just in time to see a grim-faced Szayel Aporro glaring at the apologetic Adjuchas.

"Szayel Aporro?"

As the former master of Las Noches, Aizen instantly recognized the identity of the figure.

He also immediately understood what had happened; this Adjuchas must have touched something in Szayel Aporro's lab, causing the explosion.

And this was precisely the kind of thing Szayel Aporro despised the most.

Aizen watched the scene with great interest, having no intention of intervening.

He understood Szayel Aporro's character well; he was a standard researcher—fanatical, obsessive, cruel, and perverse.

Unsurprisingly, this Adjuchas was doomed, likely to be torn apart and consumed or used as material for experiments.

Either way, it would be a miserable fate.

As expected, Szayel Aporro, with a dark expression, suddenly grabbed her by the neck and lifted her up.

Applying pressure, the Adjuchas struggled, her breathing becoming increasingly labored.

Aizen, chin in hand, observed with an expression of amusement, expecting Szayel Aporro to squeeze the life out of her. However, unexpectedly, Szayel Aporro suddenly let go of her.

"Get lost! If you come near my lab again, I'll kill you!" Szayel Aporro said with a scowl.

The Adjuchas, as if granted amnesty, coughed violently while expressing her gratitude and hurriedly turned to leave.

Aizen was somewhat surprised.

He let her go?

At that moment, a voice he was all too familiar with came from inside the lab:

"Szayel Aporro, come look at this data set. We may have found the key point."

Aizen's left eye widened instinctively as he looked toward the source of the voice.

Inside the lab, a bespectacled Shinigami was intently staring at the screen before him.

Just as Aizen caught sight of him, the Shinigami seemed to sense his gaze and looked back in his direction…