Aizen’s Doubts
Moments later, Harribel and her three followers walked towards a particular room in Las Noches, and while Harribel wore a neutral expression, the other three couldn't help but look uncertain about the current situation.
After a few minutes, the little group reached their destination, and Harribel knocked on the door, followed by a female voice behind the door, giving permission to enter.
Harribel and her three followers entered, but as soon as they did get a whiff of the smell in the room, they paused their steps.
'This smell... Did they...'
Harribel briefly allowed her gaze to wander over Yuna and Hinata, who were sitting next to each other on a couch, and she immediately noticed their somewhat disheveled hair and clothes, making her come to a conclusion rather quickly.
"Well, did I disturb you? I don't mind coming back later."
While Yuna chuckled in amusement due to Harribel's question, Hinata couldn't help but blush as she averted her gaze.
"Nah, it's fine. We were just taking a break anyway, and we're going to continue later."
While Harribel simply nodded her head and approached Yuna, a pout appeared on Hinata's face as her blush intensified while pinching Yuna's waist.
However, Yuna showed no reaction and motioned Harribel and her three followers towards the couch opposite the one Yuna and Hinata were resting on.
"Please have a seat. Although I can make a good guess why you came here, let's talk."
Harribel yet again nodded her head as she sat down in front of Yuna, but Emilou, Franceska, and Cyan didn't take her offer and stood behind the seated Harribel instead.
'Interesting. Although I expected those three to be Harribels followers, it seems like there is more to that.'
[What makes you say that?]
'I can feel that Harribel wouldn't have minded the trio sitting down next to her.'
[Mhh, my bullshit sensor is telling me that there is something else.]
'...'
[...]
'Fine, my pervert sensor was ringing. Those four definitely have something going.'
[Despite that making less sense, I believe you.]
[Gahaha~ Harem merging.]
'You are getting smarter and smarter, Chaos. I'm really proud of you.'
[*Sigh* it just can not stop growing, can it?]
[Gahaha~]
While the three people were talking within Yuna's mindscape, Harribel nodded her head due to Yuna's words and started introducing the three people behind her.
"These are Emilou, Franceska, and Cyan. They have been following me loyally for a long time now, and I want you to unlock their Zanpakuto just like you did for me. Just like me, they'll follow you in case Aizen... sama betrays me."
As soon as Emilou, Franceska, and Cyan heard Harribel's over, they had ugly expressions on their faces. Obviously, they talked about the offer with Harribel first, and this seemed to be the best they could come up with for now, but that still didn't mean they liked it.
The one they wanted to follow was Harribel and not Yuna. Although Harribel would be present as well, things certainly would be different. However, Yuna's next words surprised the trio.
"Rejected."
Naturally, Harribel was surprised that Yuna actually rejected the offer. It was pretty much the same deal she had offered her, but for some reason, Yuna didn't accept it this time.
"Why did you reject the offer this time? Isn't it the same that we made?"
Yuna could only shake her head after Harribel answered her question. After all, the situation was completely different.
"Not at all. I made that offer to you because I want you to follow me. Obviously, I wouldn't mind more followers, but why would I bother making a deal for three people I'll get anyway.
The moment Aizen betrays you, you'll come to be, and these three will obviously follow you. Why would I bother investing more resources into them when I'm going to get them anyway."
While Harribel was dumbfounded due to Yuna's words, Emilou, Franceska, and Cyan couldn't help but be happy. After all, if that were to happen, it would pretty much be the same constellation as it was now.
Neither of them gave a shit about Aizen, and they were only here because Harribel was. WWhetherHarribel followed Aizen or Yuna didn't matter at all to them. In fact, they even preferred Yuna, as she at least wasn't talking down to Harribel and was facing her equally.
The difference might even be something as simple as the height of their seats being different, but that alone was already a big deal for those truly loyal to an individual.
"T-That... Well, I can see your point. In that case, what do you want?"
Hearing Harribel's question, a predatory smile appeared on Yuna's face as her gaze wandered over Emilou, Franceska, and Cyan, causing all three of them to straighten their back for some reason they didn't even know themselves.
"Hehe, spend a night with me, Harribel~"
As soon as those words left Yuna's mouth, Harribel's eyebrows raised as the trio behind her did their best to suppress their anger. Instead of getting angry, Harribel decided to ask further questions.
"Aren't you together with the one besides you? What's that all about?"
Hearing a question directed at her, Hinata's gaze landed on Harribel as her eyes wandered from Harribel's toes all the way to her head.
Awkward silence reigned the room for a few seconds before Hinata nodded her head in approval as she gave Harribel a thumbs up.
"Alright, I'll join in as well."
While Harribel had to suppress face palming due to Hinata answering in an unexpected way, her followers finally had enough and started glamouring.
"Who do you think you are!? You can't have Harribel-same, no matter what!"
"That's right, stay away from Harribel-sama."
"Pah, as if Harribel-sama would sell her body like that!"
Since the situation was getting loud, Yuna raised her hand as she lightly flared her Spiritual Pressure, silencing the trio instantly as their eyes widened in shock due to the intensity.
"Now, now, let's not get loud. First of all, I won't force Harribel to do anything, and if she forces herself to do it, I won't. I don't like it if I have to force the other party."
"You forced Karin a lot of times."
"Well, yeah, but she is into that."
While neither of the people in front of Yuna could comprehend how someone would like to get forced to do something, Yuna's words at least managed to calm Harribel's followers down to some decree.
Using the moment of silence she had just brought to the room, Yuna opened her mouth and continued talking.
"Besides that, you are free to join in as well~ It's been a while since I did it with that many people~ If I can bring the rest of my girls here, we would already have quite the decently sized group."
Seeing a smile filled with nothing but degeneracy on Yuna's face, the four Arrancar in front of her couldn't help but shiver a little before quickly averting their gazes. Neither of them had ever seen anything like that so they couldn't help but recoil.
Moments later, Harribel sighed deeply as Yuna's offer coursed through her mind. She pondered it for a few seconds longer and finally shook her head.
"I can't decide something like that so quickly. I need more time to think."
"""HARRIBEL-SAMA!?"""
Naturally, her three followers were shocked by that answer. After all, they expected Harribel to outright reject Yuna's offer. However, before they could say anything else, Harribel resumed talking.
"Calm down for now. These desires are very new to all of us, so I can't even tell what I'm okay with and with what I am not.
I need to sort my thoughts and all the things that happened in the last few weeks to get to a proper answer that will satisfy me, and I advise that you three should do the same."
All three nodded after Harribel finished speaking before they tilted their heads in confusion, not knowing why Harribel wanted them to think about the situation as well. However, they quickly realized that she was talking about Yuna's offer to let the trio participate as well, causing them to flush a little.
Seeing the current mood, Yuna nodded her head in approval as she stood up and motioned toward the door.
"You heard my offer, and it seems you'll need some time to think it through. Before you force yourself to do it, I'll like to let you know that I can probably come up with an alternative deal, but for now, think about it. I guarantee you a good time~"
Harribel couldn't help but blush a little when she saw Yuna winking at her as she got up from her seat and walked toward the exit of the room.
"Very well, I'll need some time, but I'll give you my answer soon."
She was just about to exit the room when Yuna stopped her, causing question marks to pop up above Harribel's head.
"Here, I have a little something to sway this in my favor~"
Obviously, Harribel was confused by Yuna's words, but as soon as she turned around, she noticed something flying at her, which she caught easily. She looked down at the object she had just caught and instantly noticed that it appeared to be a book.
"What is this?"
"It's porn~"
Hearing the unfamiliar words, not only Harribel but Emilou, Franceska, and Cyan all tilted their heads in confusion, causing Yuna's eyes to sparkle with a hint of mischief.
'Hehe, I knew it. There is no porn industry in Hueco Mundo. Time to conquer this market~'
[Poor Aizen. The loyalty of his troops will be corroded by porn... pff HAHAHA!!!]
[GAHAHA!!!]
"Porn?"
"Yup, porn~ Just open it up and take a look. Oh, and I also would like you to realize that humanity has been creating stuff like that for well over a thousand years and that I have done stuff you can't even imagine, so you can look forward to having some fun in case you agree to my offer~"
At first, Harribel wasn't certain what Yuna was talking about, so she casually opened the book and took a look at a random page within the book.
*Snap*
The moment she realized exactly what kind of picture she had just looked at, she snapped the book shut so fast, it almost caused a small shockwave. She wasn't entirely certain why, but she didn't want her followers to see her looking at stuff like this.
Obviously, Emilou, Franceska, and Cyan couldn't help but be curious due to how weirdly their mistress reacted to the book.
Although Harribel saw the curious gazes of her followers, she stowed away the book at lightning speed and walked away, clearly not intending to show them the contents of the book she had just gotten.
'To think humans would produce stuff like that. I really underestimated them. Shit, what are you even thinking about, Harribel? It's just a picture of three women... A-Anyway, there is nothing special about it... J-Just in case, I should probably look through the whole thing... You know, just in case there are any hidden messages.'
[If you ditch Aizen, I'm sure Yuna can get you more stuff like that~]
'R-Really!? I-In that case, I sh... NO! You can't tempt me with something like that! I'm not that easily manipulated!'
[Tsk.]
'Did you just click your tongue!?'
[Must have been your imagination.]
'Seriously, are Zanpakuto Spirit supposed to be this sassy?'
[I have no idea what you are talking about.]
A few days later, Aizen initiated yet another meeting with his Espada, and frankly, he couldn't help but feel uncomfortable.
Since he had come to reside in Hueco Mundo permanently, things have gotten... weird.
More and more of the Arrancar he had created grew more and more jittery and paranoid the more time passed. They would frequently look around as if someone was stalking them and would never turn a corner without checking first.
They would silently discuss something, and as soon as one of them noticed Aizen getting closer, they would hastily stow away something they were showing to each other before dispersing.
Although Aizen wasn't entirely sure what they were showing each other, but from what he could tell, it was a book. As far as he knew, Hueco Mundo had no books, so he couldn't help but get a little curious about what all of this was about.
He half suspected that some kind of weird religion was starting within Las Noches. So, one day, he used his Zanpakuto's ability to control the five senses of one of his Arrancar to take a look at the book, just to be utterly dumbfounded.
'What the hell is algebra, and what do these signs mean?'
Unfortunately for him, he had used his Zanpakuto on Yuna, so it was possible for her to figure out how to create illusions that would only affect Aizen himself.
Basically, it was reverse engineering of the method his Zanpakuto used to prevent Aizen himself from seeing the illusions he had created. So, while everyone was reading naughty books, Aizen had no idea what was going on at all, which undoubtedly would bother him greatly.
Anyway, back to the meeting. Yet again, Aizen could only frown again and again as he felt his Espada acting weirdly. This time, Yuna wasn't even present, but he could feel a few of his Espada actually being sad that she wasn't here.
'What in the world has she done since she came here? All of this is just a game for me, but I really would like to know how she managed to sway a few Espada here to see her favorably. Not only did she clearly manage to sway them, she even did so without me getting any reports about it. How truly fascinating.
Guess I should initiate a one-on-one meeting with her to fish for more information about all the things she has been doing since she came here. After all, no matter how I look at it, she is the one responsible for all the weird changes, even if I have no proof of that being the case.'
Satisfied with what he had thought of, Aizen allowed his gaze to wander the room, immediately causing him to frown.
'Something is off. The feeling I get from them is... fear?'
It was not like Aizen could perfectly read the emotions of everyone present, but no matter how he looked at it, a few of the gathered Espade were currently looking at something with clear fear in their eyes.
So, Aizen decided to follow their gazes, and as soon as he realized what everyone was looking at, he became utterly dumbfounded.
'Why is there a cake just sitting on the table!? Where did that even come from!?'
Obviously, the was no cake within Hueco Mundo, so the only people who could have brought it here were Yuna and Hinata. However, those three weren't even present at this meeting, and Aizen was certain that that cake wasn't there when he entered the room.
'What is even going on!? Who brought it here!? When did it appear here!? WHO PLACED IT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TABLE!?'
Aizen's fierce glare landed on the cake, but no matter how much he glared at it, the cake wouldn't tell him any secrets, so he could only sigh deeply while calming himself down.
'Okay, calm down. Everything is still going according to plan. Whether someone beamed a cake in here or not doesn't matter. It doesn't matter at all. Everything is going according to plan. That's right; a single cake isn't going to change anything. Everything is going according to plan.
...
FUCK!!! How is this going according to plan!? I don't know how she did it, but this is unacceptable! I need to find out how she does stuff like that. Otherwise, it will be impossible to come up with countermeasures.
As soon as I have fully fused with the Hogyoku, I should be invincible, but this worries me.
I neither fear Zanjutso, nor Hakuda, nor Hoho, nor Kido, but whatever Yuna is doing appears to be something else. I can't feel any Spiritual Power in the tricks she had used in Las Noches, so there must be something else to her abilities. Something outside the scope of Spiritual Power.
I need to find out about this. Otherwise, I can't be certain that she doesn't have some kind of method that allows her to seal me away even after fusing with the Hogyoku.
An unknown power that is not based on Spiritual Power. No matter how I look at it, as a researcher, I can't help but look forward to finding out more about it.'