Chapter 115: The Ghost Shows Up Tonight, Very Urgent
He had been waiting a long time. The answer turned out to be right there.
Soifon was sharp-tongued, but her administrative ability was not something to underestimate. She went on to run Squad 2 capably, and while the Omaeda family's support and the Shihoin household's backing were factors, her personal ability wasn't something that could be set aside.
And now she was willing to join the squad and help rebuild Squad 11.
Adding a tiger's wings.
"Welcome, welcome! Please sit down... What would the vice-captain like to drink? I'll pour it."
"Hmph. Now that's more like it."
Watching the two of them fall naturally into their respective roles, Kishinoshin showed a quiet smile.
Whether this dynamic was entirely healthy was a separate question.
At minimum, having those two together meant the administrative side of things was not going to be a problem.
"In that case, I'll leave you to it. If anything comes up going forward, feel free to reach out. Matsushita-kun, see you around."
Matsushita Yusuke stood and saw him off, then came back once Kishinoshin had gone.
In the meantime, Soifon had already worked through most of the documents and organized them into categories.
"What's the current problem?"
She didn't look up.
"Base location and recruitment. Documents are here."
The two of them got to work naturally. Three hours later, they had a rough framework in place.
Soifon took a small sip of lukewarm tea and confirmed the final arrangement.
"So... you're certain you want to put the new base in this area?"
Yusuke leaned over, nearly face-to-face with her over the map.
"Yes, right there. Something wrong with it?"
"Don't get that close to me. Obviously something is wrong with it. That's right next to Squad 4. You don't find that strange?"
"I don't. I want it there specifically."
Not that he was going to say his actual reason out loud: if Unohana wants a fight, I might as well go to her and block the entrance myself.
He had a practical argument ready instead.
"Squad 11's core work is still combat. After we get rebuilt, I'm planning to emphasize training. Which means there will be injuries. Having a medical unit next door would be very convenient."
He paused, then smiled:
"And Squad 4 already handles maintenance work around the Seireitei on top of healing duties. Safe to say the people who joined that squad probably didn't sign up to unclog drains. They'd probably appreciate some goodwill from the neighbors."
In the Thousand Year Blood War arc, Hanataro led everyone through the sewer system and clearly knew his way around. That said quite a bit.
This gave Soifon a long pause. Then a quiet exhale.
"Fine. I don't have any objections."
Settled.
Yusuke glanced at the clock. Late.
"Get some rest? This can wait until tomorrow."
He thought through the timeline while saying it.
"Once the new location is finalized, break ground, start recruiting. Two months at minimum before Squad 11 reopens under new management. Most of the paperwork just needs to be done by then."
He left that hanging without spelling it out directly. The implication was clear enough.
Soifon made a quiet sound of acknowledgment, stacked the documents, categorized them, and stood with a small sigh.
"Hey. Is there something you want to say to me?"
Hearing her, Yusuke turned.
She was standing with her arms folded, looking at him with a very particular expression. Entirely self-satisfied.
"What do you mean?"
"I resigned from both my Onmitsukido duties and my Squad 2 position to come work for you as a laborer. Doesn't that merit some kind of response?"
"I like you."
"Nobody asked you to say that! Though I... wouldn't exactly have minded hearing it... but that's not what I was looking for right now?!"
Yusuke watched her completely fail to keep a handle on herself and felt the situation was going perfectly. He corrected course:
"Thank you, Soifon. Genuinely. I don't know what I'd do without you."
"...."
The familiar pattern. The outside sharp, the inside soft, the whole thing working in that particular way that was entirely itself.
"See you tomorrow."
"Congratulations..."
"Hm?"
"Congratulations. On becoming captain."
She tossed something behind her without turning around.
He caught it. A small pouch, gold and green, roughly half the size of his palm, sealed with gold thread, with two small bell-shaped ornaments attached. Very fine work.
He didn't even need to hold it close.
The scent reached him on its own. Clean and quiet.
"A gift. Congratulations on becoming captain, it's a sachet. Men's style. The pine resin inside just needs replacing every two or three years. You can use it to scent clothing. It holds for a long time."
Soifon was visibly uncomfortable describing any of this. Her voice dropped with every additional word.
"I also... like this scent quite a bit."
He understood.
"I'll accept it. Thank you."
Then:
"Please continue to take care of me."
"...."
No clear declaration exchanged. But dealing with her particular variety of personality called for patience, and Matsushita Yusuke was not in any hurry.
He washed up in the Squad 2 rental quarters and went to sleep.
With school withdrawn from, his schedule was now technically free. No class times. Ideal conditions in theory.
In practice:
"Wake up! How can a captain sleep in? Training! Strengthen yourself!"
"This code of conduct must be memorized fully! As Squad 11 captain, you cannot follow the path Kijishi left behind! I will personally supervise you!"
"Proper posture when eating! Picky eating? I'll give you something to pick at!"
So.
"That's the situation. These past two days have been extremely tough."
Complaining to Aizen Sosuke, who had come to visit, Matsushita Yusuke looked exhausted.
As for Aizen:
Laughing at this has nothing to do with me. It's already very gracious of me not to laugh too loudly.
"Cough, cough. Let's leave the comedy there for now. Matsushita-kun, you asked me to come over for something?"
Back to business.
Yusuke made a quiet sound and rubbed his temple. He looked toward the sun settling in the distance.
In a murmur, like someone half-asleep:
"Aizen-sensei. Hypothetically: if you had to face Captain Unohana as an enemy, what would you do?"
The ghost shows up tonight. Very urgent. Need a strategy.
A short pause, and then he added quietly:
"Kyoka Suigetsu doesn't count."