— — — — — —
To Ryo's surprise, everything went far more smoothly than expected.
When he answered Aizen's question, he was also trying to use his elevated spiritual sense to detect the presence of the Dimensional Forum.
Also, to figure out how to get here, Ryo posted a question on the forum:
〚"How can I travel to the world of the person asking the question?"〛
Smartly, he tagged the Dimensional Forum itself to answer the question.
And sure enough, the Forum gave him an official response:
""When the questioner invites the Dimensional Forum to answer face-to-face, a portal to the alternate world will open.""
Ryo wanted to meet Aizen, and there were several reasons for this.
First, he figured his five-digit level of power was more than enough to protect himself in the Bleach world.
Second, he was eager to travel to another world, to observe and study it—boosting his spiritual rank in the process.
Third, this was a perfect chance to test the rules for cross-world travel and build a strategy for future expeditions.
Only lastly did he admit: he was a little curious about Aizen Sōsuke, the infamous Big Bad of the Bleach universe.
Truthfully, after tossing aside any preconceived notions about the Bleach world, Ryo found himself surprisingly pleased with how well he and Aizen were getting along.
Compared to that useless little sister—Shinobu Kocho—Aizen was downright honest!
They had a simple exchange of attitudes, hit it off immediately, and even when Aizen clearly had ulterior motives, he played along with everything Ryo suggested like a proper partner.
In contrast, Shinobu was just a suspicious brat who kept trying to test him at every turn. Ryo couldn't help but think:
What a waste of a cheat ability! Look at Aizen—efficient, reliable, straight to the point.
At that moment, as the last traces of the dimensional portal faded, Aizen glanced sideways at Ryo and asked, "You seem quite... expressive."
"Well, I am human, aren't I?"
Ryo tipped his hat, grinning with that same animated expression on his face.
Aizen didn't seem bothered. Instead, he pulled over a nearby chair and gestured for Ryo to sit, while he casually leaned back against the lab table.
"So... there really are worlds beyond the Three Realms?"
"Oh?" Ryo raised an eyebrow—though he wasn't surprised Aizen had figured that out.
After all, this man was the final boss standing at the pinnacle of his universe. It wasn't a huge stretch. Still, the speed with which he connected the dots was impressive.
Ryo relaxed into his chair and began to explain.
"Of course there are worlds beyond Bleach World. Countless worlds, actually—so many that they can't be measured."
"And I happen to come from one of them. A man-made divine realm called—Little Garden."
"'Bleach world,' is it?" Aizen's lips curled into a faint smirk, clearly amused by the term.
But what really caught his attention was Little Garden being described as a god-created realm.
"Little Garden?"
He adjusted his glasses, and behind the reflected glare, Ryo could see it—the gleam of awakened interest, like a sleeping beast stirred from slumber.
With a snap of his fingers, Ryo conjured a palm-sized card into his hand.
When he ascended into his current realm, the core of Little Garden had granted him a storage-type Gift: the Gift Card.
This particular card stored information—specifically, it contained everything needed to understand the basics of Little Garden. A sort of educational tool, really. Mostly given to kids back there, but useful regardless.
"Rather than trying to explain everything and risk miscommunication, I figured you'd prefer raw data over pretty words."
He handed Aizen the card.
Aizen didn't hesitate. He took it and fell silent as he absorbed the information.
Three minutes later, his expression shifted into something unmistakable: delight.
"So, Little Garden… a stage crafted by gods, huh? And here I thought I was standing at the peak. Turns out I've just been a frog at the bottom of a well."
Aizen's smile was genuine—too genuine. It was almost unsettling.
But Ryo didn't care. He crossed one leg over the other and asked, casually:
"So? How's that for a greeting gift?"
Aizen adjusted his glasses again, lips curling.
"A very generous one."
Then, after a brief pause, he looked Ryo in the eye and asked: "How long can you stay here?"
Ryo raised a brow, quickly fired off another question to the Dimensional Forum, and answered with visible annoyance:
"One visit lasts 14 days max. I have to actually try answering a question—whether I succeed or not doesn't matter, as long as I make an attempt."
"Also, after a direct invite like yours, there's a two-month cooldown before you can invite me again. Other than that, there aren't many restrictions."
In other words, Aizen wouldn't be able to summon him again until two months after Ryo left this world.
So much for sticking around long-term and pushing his observation project forward. No wonder Ryo looked irritated.
Fourteen days wasn't nothing, but it wasn't nearly enough to influence the course of an era.
The Forum's limit clearly restricted his growth.
With a sigh, Ryo began considering a new approach—parallel multi-world operations.
If he couldn't dive deep into one world at a time, then maybe shallow dives across several could balance things out.
Slower, maybe, but at least he wouldn't lose momentum.
Aizen watched him think, then calmly pulled out a magnetic card and handed it over.
"This is a safe method for extracting the Hōgyoku from Rukia Kuchiki. Should help you out with whatever answer you plan to give."
"Thanks." Ryo didn't stand on ceremony and took the card.
After all, he and Aizen were now… partners. An unspoken agreement between two monsters.
"No need to thank me," Aizen said smoothly, flipping the info card between his fingers. "Compared to the intel you've given me, this is a minor contribution."
Then he looked up, eyes cool and calculating.
"So. How do I get to Little Garden?"
Ryo sighed.
"I figured you'd ask that."
Because of course it's Aizen.
Aizen Sōsuke was arrogant. He didn't just think he was a god—he believed it down to his core. A god disguised as a human.
This polite, gentle version of him? Just a façade.
He was a human pretending to be a monkey to better connect with all the other monkeys in his world.
That was Aizen's brand of arrogance.
Which was why Ryo had introduced himself the way he did: "I'm a human pretending to be a god."
That statement meant only one thing—He and Aizen? They were the same kind.
And it was that recognition that allowed them to form a fast and firm alliance.
Because gods—real or fake—always take an interest in one another. And a guy like Aizen? He wouldn't be content standing alongside gods. He'd want to rule them.
Compared to the Soul King of Bleach, the endless gods of Little Garden must've looked way more appealing.
There were layers to this, but with his enhanced divine intellect, Ryo had already mapped them out—and used them to design the perfect approach for Aizen.
So far? It was working beautifully.
Ryo stretched and said casually:
"You don't have to do anything. Just wait for the right upheaval, and when the time comes, you'll find the path to Little Garden open before you."
Aizen smiled. No change in expression, no surprise—just calm calculation.
"Don't worry," he said softly. "I have no intention of fighting you for this."
He clearly understood that bridging Bleach and Little Garden was a massive opportunity.
And if Ryo had gone out of his way to mention it… well, it was probably a warning.
Ryo chuckled and said, "Yeah, I don't believe that."
Aizen laughed too.
He liked that answer. Strong people shouldn't believe others so easily. Trusting blindly turns a powerhouse into a puppet.
And Ryo laughed too, saying:
"But if you try to take it from me, I'll kill you."
He meant it.
From the moment he laid eyes on Aizen, he knew—purely in terms of power, Aizen wasn't his equal.
Whether Kyōka Suigetsu could actually affect him? They'd have to fight to find out.
Aizen pushed up his glasses again—he seemed to really enjoy doing that now that he was "playing human."
As for Ryo's threat?
He didn't take offense.
Not because it wasn't dangerous—but because it was. Ryo could kill him.
The pressure Ryo gave off reminded him of Captain Yamamoto—an overwhelming presence.
But wasn't that more interesting?
Compared to that decaying old man clinging to tradition, Ryo—an otherworldly version of himself—felt far more… relatable.
"I'll support your plans however I can," Aizen said with a smile.
He'd already guessed what this so-called "upheaval" was.
If Ryo wanted to shake up the rotting Soul Society, there was really only one target: the Soul King. That so-called god of the Real World, Soul Society, and Hell.
And wouldn't it be poetic?
Before stepping into a god-made cosmos, sweeping away this crumbling fish pond was only proper.
When Ryo heard that, he didn't fully trust him—but still reached out his hand.
"Pleasure working with you~"
Aizen took his hand with a rare, genuine smile.
"Likewise. A pleasure indeed."
.
.
.