Chapter 200: Greed
Harribel crossed her arms and leaned against the cold, dark wall of the cave. Deep within the lower levels of Hueco Mundo, the Forest of Menos was so vast and shadowed that even the moon was nowhere to be seen. Yet, in those emerald-green eyes of hers, everything remained crystal clear.
The massive cave had been modified into an intricate labyrinth, its passages stretching in all directions. A faint breeze drifted in from outside, carrying away the stale, cold air from within, leaving behind a refreshing chill.
Harribel was beginning to regret coming out to talk with Masatsuki Aozaki.
She was usually the quiet one among her peers, yet today, she had spoken far too much in front of him—words that didn't feel like her own.
Still, she had been fortunate. Every time she had said something she shouldn't have, she received the response she had wanted. It made her heart flutter in a way she wasn't used to. By all logic, this conversation should have ended by now.
And yet...
As she gazed into Masatsuki Aozaki's bright, unwavering eyes, an unfamiliar feeling stirred within her.
Something unspoken, lingering in the depths of her heart.
Her last bit of rationality told her that this was enough. She should leave it at that—for now.
Her mind drifted to the image of him standing before her, shielding her. That had been the closest she had ever come to death.
As if... he had been destined to be there.