Bleach: From the moment I was invited by Squad Zero

Led by a sage whose face was still pale, Yanagawa and Shiba Isshin passed through several heavy stone gates sealed by complex demonic barriers.

They finally arrived at a "confinement room" deep underground in the Central 46th Chamber.

The walls here are made of a smooth, cold, special stone that is almost opaque. Only a few pale blue spiritual lamps embedded in the walls provide a dim light source, and the air is filled with a sense of oppression and loneliness.

At the door of one of the cells, the guard stepped back, and the door slid open silently, revealing a small and simple interior space.

A short, stocky boy sat on the edge of the bed, hugging his knees, looking down at the cold ground. It was Toshiro Hitsugaya.

Hearing the door open, he didn't react at all, as if he had lost all awareness of the outside world, his whole being shrouded in a layer of despair and confusion.

Until a familiar, loud voice rang out, filled with undisguised concern:

"This isn't the Toshiro Hitsugaya I know!"

Hitsugaya Toshiro was startled and looked up.

When he saw Shiba Isshin appear at the door with a cheerful yet worried smile on his face, his eyes instantly lit up with disbelief, which quickly dimmed again, but the deathly silence of his dejection was broken.

He opened his mouth, his voice hoarse: "Shiba... Captain? What's wrong...?"

His gaze then fell on the calm-faced young man in a white haori standing next to Shiba Isshin.

Hitsugaya Toshiro has a good memory; he recognized the face. It was someone related to Hinamori Momo. He seemed to have seen her a few times before, and her name seemed to be... Yanagawa?

"Yanagawa...senpai?" Hitsugaya Toshiro murmured uncertainly.

"You still remember me, Hitsugaya-kun." Yanagawa's calm voice broke Hitsugaya's surprise and doubt. He didn't explain much, but simply showed his willpower, Isshin.

Shiba Isshin strode into the cell, completely ignoring the oppressive atmosphere, and plopped down on the bed board next to Hitsugaya Toshiro, the bed board creaking under the weight.

He vigorously ruffled Hitsugaya's soft white hair, grinning, "How's it going, kid? Is the food alright? Anyone bullying you? Tell me, and I'll beat them up for you!"

This completely inappropriate greeting left Toshiro Hitsugaya somewhat bewildered, but a faint warmth seemed to seep into the frozen corner of his heart by this rude concern.

He shook his head and whispered, "No...it's just..."

"What do you mean 'just'! Cheer up!"

Shiba slapped him hard on the back.

"I have good news for you! I've prepared your application to join the squad! I'm just waiting for you to graduate. I've reserved a spot for you in the 10th Division, one of the three seats! Don't be so dejected!"

"Alright, Captain Isshin, don't scare him." Yanagawa spoke up at the right moment, interrupting Isshin Shiba's overly "enthusiastic" encouragement.

He walked to the small table, leaned back gently, and looked calmly at Hitsugaya Toshiro. "Hitsugaya-kun, we can talk later. We are here to investigate the matter of 'Twin Hyōrinmaru'. There are some questions that require your truthful answers."

His tone was calm yet carried a convincing power, causing Hitsugaya Toshiro to involuntarily sit up straight and nod.

"First," Yanagawa looked him in the eye, "what is the relationship between you two, Kusakabe Sojiro?"

Upon hearing this name, Toshiro Hitsugaya's body trembled almost imperceptibly, and the pain and confusion in his eyes deepened.

He paused for a moment before speaking slowly in a somewhat hoarse voice:

"Kusaka is my best friend at the True Spiritual Academy."

He paused, as if recalling something, or perhaps calming himself, before continuing, speaking slowly, but each word carrying a clear weight:

"We've known each other since almost the beginning of the semester. Unlike many others, he didn't distance himself from me or deliberately try to get closer to me because of my hair color or talent."

"We naturally came together, attending classes together, training together, and discussing Kido and Slayer techniques..."

"Training?" Shiba Ichishin interjected, his tone becoming more serious. "Do you guys spar together often?"

"Yes." Toshiro Hitsugaya nodded. "We spar often. He's the person I trust most at the Shinigami Academy."

"So, before your Zanpakuto first awakened and Hyōrinmaru called out to you, did you sense any special connection or anomaly between yourselves or with your Zanpakuto?"

Liu Chuan pressed further, delving deeper into the issues.

Hitsugaya Toshiro frowned, recalling carefully.

"Speaking of connection, we awakened our Zanpakuto at the same time."

Yanagawa listened quietly, his mind rapidly analyzing the information Hitsugaya had provided: a close friend, long-term training together, and Zanpakuto awakened at the same time...

These factors, perhaps under some extremely rare conditions, have unexpectedly combined with the deep rules governing the awakening of Zanpakuto?

"Next, go see Kusakabe Sojiro," Yanagawa said to the sage waiting outside, his tone leaving no room for argument.

He was a tall young man with long black hair neatly tied into a bun at the back of his head, and a few long strands of bangs falling unruly down his right cheek.

He was wearing the white academic gown of the True Central Academy of Spiritual Arts, which was slightly wrinkled at the moment, but his posture was still deliberately upright.

In the dim light of the spiritual light, his violet eyes displayed complex and unfathomable emotions: wariness, confusion, and a hint of barely perceptible stubbornness.

There was even a faint trace of resentment or grievance.

Yanagawa and Shiba Isshin asked similar questions, but the answers they received were basically the same as those from Hitsugaya.

At this moment, Liu Chuan already had a vague guess in his mind, but he needed more information to support it.