Unfortunately, Hasegawa had been extremely cautious and left no useful information behind.
Once Ren finished his explanation, a brief silence fell over the meeting room.
Hirako Shinji's golden bangs hung down, obscuring most of his expression as he spoke in a low voice.
"Hasegawa used his Zanpakuto to open a Senkaimon and escape. I pursued him into the Dangai and found him at the edge of the restrictive current, heavily wounded by the Soul Reapers chasing him."
He paused, as if recalling an unpleasant memory.
"He told me he was resentful of the nobility's hold on high positions and bitter about his own circumstances. In his despondency, he was manipulated by an Adjuchas from Hueco Mundo into leaking intelligence to harm Soul Reapers."
"Upon realizing I was investigating the matter, he attempted to attack the students in the World of the Living to create chaos for his escape. In the end, he refused to surrender and took his own life with his blade, his body falling into the void of the Dangai's currents."
Shinji looked up, his gaze shifting from Ren to the others. His tone carried a hint of subtle exhaustion mixed with biting anger.
"Your description matches the traces found at the scene. And certain matters I asked Captain Shihoin to investigate privately also point to him. With his death, the trail has gone cold."
The words were heavy with meaning. The sharp-minded individuals in the room understood he wasn't just talking about Hasegawa's defection.
There were many other issues entangled behind this.
Kyoraku Shunsui adjusted his straw hat. His usually squinted eyes now held a sharp glint as they settled on Ren.
"I see... However, Student Hasumi."
"The strength you've displayed far exceeds what a fifth-year student should possess. Is there a particular reason for keeping such a low profile?"
"With your abilities, you should be more than capable of applying for early graduation and joining the Gotei 13."
Shunsui's lazy gaze now carried a weight that felt like it could see right through a person.
Ren's expression remained unchanged; he had long anticipated this.
"Captain Kyoraku is very perceptive. My strength only increased significantly quite recently."
"Shiba Kaien, a freshman at the Academy, can vouch for me. We are on good terms and have been training privately for some time, which is why I was barely able to withstand the attack from the sixth seat, Hasegawa."
"If the other Soul Reaper instructors hadn't arrived in time, I doubt I would be standing here in one piece."
Using Shiba Kaien as a shield was a safe bet.
"That Kaien kid? I suppose that makes sense then."
Yoruichi's eyes flashed with interest at those words.
When the Shiba family was still in the Seireitei, she had visited often and was well-acquainted with both Kaien and Kukaku.
However, she hadn't seen them for a long time since the family moved out of the Seireitei.
She had followed the news for a while when she heard Kaien decided to enroll in the Academy to become a Soul Reaper.
Shinji and Shunsui exchanged a brief look.
They were well aware of the genius freshman from the former Great Noble House.
They hadn't expected Ren to have such a connection.
While this explained part of the situation, the underlying motive for hiding his strength wasn't fully addressed.
Ren caught the lingering doubt in Shunsui's eyes.
He fell silent for a moment, as if making a final decision. He looked up to meet their gazes and slowly uttered a name.
"Tsunayashiro Tokiying."
"He... has been trying to recruit me."
The name was like a stone thrown into a deep pond, sending ripples through the captains' hearts.
Tsunayashiro—one of the current Four Great Noble Houses, the pinnacle of the Seireitei's elite.
Ren's voice was calm, yet it carried an obvious hint of helplessness.
"He offered very generous terms, hoping I would become his retainer, but I have no intention of getting involved in noble disputes."
"If I showed power beyond that of a student, it would only drag me into a whirlpool I wish to avoid much sooner."
"The Seireitei has enough trouble as it is. I just want to graduate peacefully and join the Gotei 13 quietly through my own merit. That is all."
The reason he gave was perfectly logical.
A noble's recruitment was both an honor and a shackle.
It made total sense for a student without a background to hide his brilliance to avoid becoming a pawn on a noble's chessboard before graduation.
Shinji's eyes lowered, and Shunsui's playful smile vanished.
Since it involved a private recruitment by one of the Four Great Noble Houses, the matter became delicate.
They could question a student's words, but they couldn't ignore the weight of the name Tsunayashiro.
If what Ren said was true, his reasons for keeping a low profile were more than sufficient.
Noble affairs were indeed difficult to interfere with, let alone comment on publicly.
"So that's the connection."
Shunsui's eyes shifted as he temporarily accepted the explanation.
Beside him, Yoruichi didn't care much for these convoluted political considerations. Instead, she was becoming more interested in Ren himself.
"Fine, fine, we can deal with that noble nonsense later."
She waved her hand, breaking the heavy atmosphere. She leaned forward, staring at Ren with keen interest.
"Regardless of the reason, your strength is the real deal. I actually quite like that... Interested in joining me?"
"If you join the Stealth Force, I'll make an exception and put you in the Punishment Force. You'd be my direct subordinate, and that Tsunayashiro brat wouldn't dare touch you."
Her blunt attempt to poach him made Soi Fon's eyes widen in shock.
"Uh, well..."
Ren hadn't expected an invitation from Yoruichi.
Seeing this, a sharp light flickered in Shunsui's eyes beneath his straw hat.
Shunsui's purpose for coming to the Second Division, besides his concern over the defection of a Fifth Division officer...
His deeper objective was to personally scrutinize Hasumi Ren.
The reason was none other than one of the members of Ren's field trip group: Ise Nanao.
The only daughter of his late older brother—his niece.
However, except for a few insiders, he had never mentioned this relationship to anyone.
Even Nanao herself didn't know she had such a high-ranking uncle.
This was Shunsui's way of protecting her.
He planned to transfer her to the Eighth Division once she graduated so she could grow safely under his protection.
He hadn't expected such a massive blunder to occur during this field training in the World of the Living.
When he heard that Nanao's team had been attacked by a Menos, his heart skipped a beat.
Fortunately, Nanao was unharmed.
After receiving a detailed report of the incident, his attention naturally fell on Hasumi Ren.
After a day of investigation, he learned that Nanao and this boy were surprisingly close.
Nanao had even made a special trip to the Fourth Division yesterday to visit him.
He had watched from the shadows through a window as the two interacted intimately. His eyes had nearly popped out.
It felt like an old father returning from years of work, only to find the cabbage he'd been raising was being snatched away by an outsider.
But more importantly, it was the mist surrounding Ren that he couldn't see through.
Someone who possessed the strength of a high-seated officer while still in the Academy and had ties to both the Shiba and Tsunayashiro families.
Hiding his strength, blending into the crowd, yet entangled with Great Noble Houses.
If this incident hadn't forced him out, no one would have known such a person was hiding in the Seireitei.
'This kid is deep...'
Currently, in Shunsui's eyes, Ren had been labeled a dangerous individual.
However, the fact that he had stepped in to slay the Hollow and save Nanao during the exercise made Shunsui's evaluation of him slightly more positive.
Perhaps getting this kid to graduate quickly and join another squad to keep him away from Nanao wouldn't be such a bad choice after all...