Rangiku Matsumoto looked at Ichimaru Gin and remained silent for a long moment.
From the bottom of her heart, she did not want Ichimaru Gin to die like this.
But she knew him too well.
Looking into those blue eyes that had finally opened, yet held no attachment to life, she understood exactly what he wanted.
Perhaps following his desire for atonement and personally giving him a funeral without regrets would be the best conclusion to their bond that had lasted a hundred years.
Perhaps if Ichimaru Gin died by her blade, it would become the redemption his heart, soaked in darkness for a century, had always longed for.
After all, if she personally cut off this twisted bond, it would prove to Ichimaru Gin that the crybaby who once starved in Rukongai had truly grown into a strong Soul Reaper.
It would allow him to close his eyes completely at ease, believing that no matter what storms she faced in the future, she would keep going.
Believing that in Rosse's new world, she could build a secure place for herself upon his remains.
But Rangiku Matsumoto simply did not want to follow that self-moving script.
She had never been the kind of cold-hearted person who would do anything for survival or ambition.
Nor did she want to prove her growth and ruthlessness to Ichimaru Gin by drawing her blade.
After working hard in the Gotei Thirteen for over a hundred years, serving this decaying world day after day, she had finally reached a tomorrow without pressure.
Her thoughts were actually very simple.
She just wanted to drink a little alcohol every day and spend the rest of her life comfortably and freely.
She never bothered thinking about all those complicated things.
[T/N: That's a life worth admiring.]
Clearly, Ichimaru Gin's heavy way of carrying everything on his shoulders was completely different from her carefree approach to life.
But none of that mattered anymore.
She, Rangiku Matsumoto, had her own way of living.
She had no obligation to cooperate with Ichimaru Gin's self-sacrificing tragedy, nor did she need to concern herself with his desire to find release through death.
"You already understand everything in your heart, don't you, Rangiku?"
Seeing the sadness and clarity mixed in Rangiku Matsumoto's expression, Ichimaru Gin slowly lowered the hand holding his sword.
The loneliness on his face gradually faded, returning to that gentle fox-like smile.
Being able to see with his own eyes that Rangiku Matsumoto now had the ability to face this harsh world on her own and take care of herself was enough to finally put his heart at ease after a hundred years.
He was an extremely intelligent person, so he could naturally see that Rosse was not a mindless tyrant who killed for the sake of killing.
Everyone present today had personally witnessed Rosse's extreme protectiveness and generosity toward his own people.
Since Rangiku Matsumoto had already been accepted by Rosse, as long as she stayed by someone like him, her future would not be bad. At the very least, she would live out her days without worrying about food or clothing.
That was enough.
Unlike Rangiku Matsumoto, he, Ichimaru Gin, was not so fortunate.
His life had begun in the shadows of Rukongai, where he had killed over half a steamed bun like a stray dog.
That beginning had already determined that he would spend his life living in the shadows.
Now that the assassination had failed, this stray dog could only wither away alone on this scorched land in the most miserable way a stray dog could.
"I do know what you're hoping for right now, but I won't do it. I don't want to give you what you want."
Rangiku Matsumoto took a deep breath and forced back the tears gathering in her eyes.
She turned around without hesitation and did not spare Ichimaru Gin another lingering glance.
Stepping across the ruins covering the ground, she moved her long legs and walked straight toward the gate filled with vast starlight.
"You can leave the rest of that mess behind in the old world and deal with it yourselves."
Her voice, deliberately slow and carrying a trace of laziness, drifted into Ichimaru Gin's ears along with the wind crossing the ruins.
"Gin, I hope that someday in the future, we'll meet again."
In the end, Rangiku Matsumoto chose to follow her heart and be her true self.
She did not want to interfere in the ending of this grudge that had lasted a hundred years. Whether Gin lived or died today, she chose to accept whatever fate arranged.
She did not cry and beg him to stay alive like some saint.
But she also refused to become the one who drew a blade and severed their bond.
All causes and consequences would be left for Aizen to judge.
Or for Ichimaru Gin himself to decide his own life and death.
From the moment she turned around, these partings and farewells no longer had anything to do with her.
Her choice was as simple as it could be, to leave these heavy chains behind and become an ordinary woman in the new world, someone who could laugh happily every day and live without worries.
Nothing more.
Watching Rangiku Matsumoto's beautiful figure gradually move farther away within the golden light, still carrying a trace of laziness and freedom, a smile appeared on Ichimaru Gin's pale face.
It was the most relaxed smile of his life, and the most genuine one.
However, before even half of Rangiku Matsumoto's body had completely entered the gate of light...
Slash!
A dull sound of a blade piercing flesh suddenly came from the empty space behind her.
The step she was taking toward another world froze for half a second.
But she bit down hard on her trembling lips and still did not turn around to witness that cruel scene.
She only quickened her pace and walked straight into the gate of starlight that blocked out all sound.
The moment her figure completely disappeared, Ichimaru Gin's broken body, with Shinso driven through his own heart, fell heavily onto the cold ground like a dead piece of wood.
Hot blood poured from his chest and quickly dyed the scorched earth beneath him red.
That bright red spread continuously beneath the glow of the setting sun.
Like that snowy night in Rukongai over a hundred years ago, when corpses of the starving lay everywhere.
Like the long night when the thin boy who had met her for the first time gave everything he had to protect the blonde girl who was on the verge of starving to death.
In the end, all of those bonds were fixed within this pool of blood as the world's final trace.
"Goodbye... Rangiku."
Ichimaru Gin still wore that familiar smile. In a faint voice that only he could hear, he whispered his final words in satisfaction.
As a sigh lighter than a feather faded into the wind, the serpent who had hidden himself for a hundred years finally lost all signs of life.
Not far away, Aizen stood with his hands in his pockets, silently watching the end of this tragedy like a statue without emotions.
From beginning to end, he made no move and spoke no words of mockery.
He simply watched with complete indifference as Ichimaru Gin's body gradually grew cold, lying alone on this abandoned battlefield.
"The show is over. Let's go, Kaname."
Aizen slowly withdrew his gaze, turned around, and continued walking toward the gate of starlight with the same calm and elegant pace.
"Yes, Lord Aizen."
The blind Soul Reaper Kaname Tosen silently returned his sword to its sheath and followed behind Aizen like the most loyal shadow.
As he passed Ichimaru Gin's body, he did not look at his former comrade even once.
Once a person made a choice at a crossroads in life, then regardless of life or death, they had to use their life itself as the price and bear the merciless consequences that came with that choice.
The cruel Soul Society had always been like this.
But fortunately, the cycle of tragic fate finally came to an end today.
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