"Therefore, whether due to objective conditions or as an active probe against me, Aizen was bound to make a move on the Shiba clan. The only difference was a matter of time."
"Rather than defending passively, it was better to go with the flow and make it clear to them that there was an issue with the Shiba couple, turning the passive into the active! By making them doubt themselves and act cautiously, they would voluntarily abandon their murderous intent toward Miyako and Kaien."
To be able to spin a strategic compromise as the opponent's fear... Yoruichi held her head as she earnestly listened to Kōe's explanation. Though equally skilled in scheming, this was the biggest difference between the dead-eyed boy and Urahara. He would appear much more confident, or rather, much more stubborn...
After hearing it all, the story was fundamentally true. Even if she maintained the suspicions she had toward Kōe when she first entered the Seireitei, Yoruichi believed he wasn't deceiving her now.
After all, unless Aizen back then was so bored that he specifically cooperated with Kōe to put on an act just to soothe Kaien's potential hatred for Kōe some fifty years later, there was no possibility of Kōe fabricating his words. Because Shiba Miyako had truly walked the edge of death and returned.
"So, leaving Kaien hanging right now is actually a good thing. Once he knows what really happened back then, he might actually calm down a bit." Yoruichi shifted her sitting posture, crossing her arms over her chest as she continued to tease, "I'll let you off the hook for this one, but aren't you going to explain why you teamed up with Urahara to trick me? When I beat people up, I'm much fiercer than that brat Kaien."
*Kōe's heart skipped a beat.* Usually, when Yoruichi asked for an explanation, it meant there was no explaining it. Perhaps she didn't act like a woman in some aspects, but in others, she was very much a woman...
At this point, there was really no need to say more; the more he spoke, the more mistakes he would make. But just this once, Kōe felt he could still salvage the situation.
"That guy Urahara sure has a lot of nerve, actually daring to deceive you."
"And you had no part in this? You two coordinated flawlessly despite being in two different places. Don't tell me you're actually an illegitimate child of the Urahara family who wandered into the Rukongai."
"Do you think I had any means of contacting him under the dual surveillance of Aizen and Central 46?" Kōe spread his hands and asked in return. "Even if I did, do you think he and I would communicate about something that required such strict secrecy?"
It was an overly standard opening for a lie. Yoruichi furrowed her brows, but the dead-eyed boy didn't give off the feeling that he was lying.
"So, you didn't know Urahara told me that you were also someone trying to seize the Hōgyoku?"
"I didn't know, but I could guess." Kōe smiled faintly. Seeing him like this, Yoruichi suddenly had a bad premonition, and in the next moment, that premonition came true. "If he didn't deceive you like that to distract you, the biggest flaw in his plan might not have stayed hidden."
Would contacting Kōe instead trigger a conflict with the Seireitei? If he had just said that directly, Yoruichi could have calmly handled matters within the Seireitei. She was the former Captain of Squad 2, after all; she possessed that level of self-control.
Then why did Urahara do something so unnecessary? Even if he truly suspected Kōe, he could have just told Yoruichi both possibilities. Was he worried Kōe would use their past relationship to exploit her? But regardless of whether his stance had changed, it was absolutely impossible for him to initiate contact with Yoruichi in the Seireitei, let alone exploit her.
"Destroying the Sōkyoku, forcing Aizen to reveal himself, and uniting with Old Man Yama and the others to completely settle this matter—that should have been your ultimate goal for coming here, right? Choosing the Seireitei as the battlefield was undoubtedly the best option, but there is a fatal flaw here."
Kōe sat in front of Yoruichi, pointing to the ground, then to his own eyes. "Since you intended to have the final battle here, do you have a way to deal with Kyōka Suigetsu's illusionary abilities? I imagine Urahara never mentioned this to you, did he?"
Even if she was a bit reluctant, Yoruichi nodded. Some mysteries remained unsolved simply because they lacked the most crucial point. The moment Kōe mentioned a flaw in Urahara's plan, she had an inkling, let alone now that he had directly pointed out the crux of the issue.
A century ago, it was precisely because of this Complete Hypnosis ability that Urahara, despite knowing the truth, was forced out of the Seireitei by Aizen.
Since they were going to have a decisive battle, without solving this problem first, how could he ensure that this time would be any different from the last, and that masters like Old Man Yama would stand on their side?
The conditions had actually never changed. Urahara was not the type of person to admit defeat twice on the same issue without even trying, nor would he pin his hopes on luck or simply rely on someone else, such as an existence like Kōe.
Even if he thought Kōe had a way to counter it, securing a double insurance was his style. Either Urahara was completely out of options and nearing despair, or...
"He wanted to let Aizen go. And you did too." This was the only possibility. Yoruichi gritted her teeth and asked, "Why?"
"This is a battle in the dark. Urahara and I have our own methods, and Aizen has his as well. Even if we got serious, whether or not we could make him stay is unknown. Of course, by doing almost nothing, we completely reduced that possibility to zero. Fundamentally, both Urahara and I wanted to let him go."
"So, I'm asking you *why*!" Yoruichi suddenly swung a fist at Kōe. "Do you two even know what you're doing?!"
Letting a man who could casually trample on lives for his own sake walk away—not to mention that such a man now held something as dangerous as the Hōgyoku in his hands.
Just how many more horrifying things Aizen Sōsuke would do next, Yoruichi didn't even want to think about right now. Just as Kōe had said, this was already the best battlefield. Trying your hardest and still failing was a completely different concept from simply accepting defeat.
Not to mention, the mindset of these two men was even more terrifying; they were the ones pushing this unknown, dreadful tide to its peak! What possible reason could there be to do this? No, there was no reason that could justify them making such a choice!
In the past, whether it was Urahara or Kōe, they had both been relatively permissive of Yoruichi beating them up. Especially Kōe—from childhood to adulthood, the times he had been left with a bruised face and a swollen nose were countless. Although he complained verbally, he never felt the slightest bit of annoyance in his heart.
But this time, he made a move. He grabbed Yoruichi's wrist, stopping that fist right in front of his face, preventing it from advancing even a single step further.
"If we really kept Aizen here, have you thought about the consequences for yourself? Unlike me, you wouldn't have a single chance to clear your name!"
"That doesn't matter! I've long since prepared myself to stay here forever!" Yoruichi retorted angrily, posturing to use her other fist to properly knock some sense into the man before her.
"It *is* important! Listen to me carefully!!"
Her fist had barely been raised when Kōe shouted it down. It sounded like a command. Yoruichi could swear this was the first time she had ever listened to Kōe so obediently.
"If Kaien died, I would avenge him. The same goes for Urahara. Although it would be hard to accept, to us, it absolutely wouldn't be unbearable! But you are the sole exception. I cannot allow even the slightest accident to happen to you!"
*But you are the sole exception.* In a moment of distraction, Yoruichi suddenly lost her balance and was pulled into Kōe's embrace.
"You, who love me unconditionally, are the one thing I have absolutely no reason to give up."