Finally… after days of avoiding it, I tell Grimmjow how to turn back to his original male form.
Simple. Stupid simple. All he had to do was walk one kilometer away from me and my passive skill's effect would fade like mist in the morning.
Of course, soon as the words leave my mouth, I don't even get to finish blinking before Grimmjow's fist slams straight into my face.
And no — it's not because I'm weaker than him. Hell no. If I fought back, he wouldn't stand a chance. But you know how it is… when you know you're in the wrong, when you've messed around a little too hard, sometimes you just gotta take the beating.
So I let him. No blocking, no dodging. Took a solid five minutes of fists, kicks, and probably some swearing about my ancestors, but it's fine. I deserved it.
The important part? Grimmjow's back to normal. Male form. Panther grin. Full of bluster and attitude like always.
And my loyal dog Aizen?
He completely loses interest.
I swear, watching his dumb face go from starry-eyed tail-wagging (not literal, but you get it) to deadpan disinterest is maybe the funniest thing I've seen in weeks. Poor Idiot Aizen. He never even realized Female Grimmjow and Male Grimmjow were the same person.
Which makes me extra happy.
My idiot dog is no longer a weirdo chasing after another dude in a panther body. Good. Now he's back to his old dumb, obedient self, and that's how I like him.
After that disaster's cleaned up, I call a full Bone Circle meeting.
One by one, the squad drags themselves in. Shawlong still rubbing his bruises from earlier, Yammy bringing snacks he probably stole from someone, Edrad already arguing with Di Roy about arm-wrestling records. Nakeem is… being Nakeem. And Grimmjow? Sitting at the far side, glaring at me like he's imagining twenty new ways to murder me in my sleep.
"Alright, shut up and listen!" I slam my fist on the stone table.
The room quiets.
"We need to talk about Glasses Aizen."
Everyone stares.
I grin. "Yeah, that's what we'll call him from now on. 'Cause we already got one Aizen — Idiot Aizen, my loyal mutt. Can't have two. So the new guy's 'Glasses Aizen.' Understood?"
Nods all around. Even Idiot Aizen barks in approval.
"Now, you know he offered us power — make us Arrancar, upgrade our strength. Problem is, I don't like being anyone's pawn. And neither should you."
Grimmjow cracks his knuckles. "Tch. I'll kill him myself."
"Good enthusiasm," I say. "But not yet. The guy's too strong for now. Even if we teamed up, he's Captain-level with crazy tricks. And his two asslickers aren't weak either."
Shawlong speaks up, bruised but sharp. "Then what's the plan, Boss?"
I smirk.
"We play along. Go back to Las Noches, let Glasses Aizen upgrade us. We take his power, learn what we can, pretend to follow orders. Meanwhile… we figure out a way to dethrone him."
"Like a coup?" Edrad grins.
"Exactly."
Di Roy pipes up. "What if he catches on?"
"We don't do anything stupid yet. Keep it quiet. Keep it clean. We'll make our move when we're strong enough. The key is patience."
Everyone nods.
"And when the time comes," I continue, "I'll give the signal. Then we tear him down, take Las Noches for ourselves, and run this desert like it should've been from the start — under Bone Circle rule."
A beat of silence.
Then Yammy roars, "HELL YEAH!"
The room erupts into cheers, fist bumps, and Grimmjow grinning with sharp teeth. Even Idiot Aizen barks and does a little excited spin.
I grin too.
It's perfect.
We take his power, bide our time, and when Glasses Aizen least expects it… Bone Circle rises.
This, I swear.