Chapter 118: Don't Interrupt My Stardew Valley
"The Kenpachi succession is a rule I established. So no matter how much I disliked it, no matter how much I couldn't stand watching it, I would not move to remove Kijishi on my own initiative."
Said plainly.
"For someone of that useless caliber to inherit the Kenpachi name: my honest position was that I was opposed to it."
Unohana Retsu's tone was completely flat, as if she were not discussing a person's life but describing an unremarkable stretch of scenery, her voice carrying a quiet distaste.
"But a rule is a rule."
If you don't follow it, if you don't uphold it...
"It loses all meaning. And the order we spent years building along with it. Nobody willingly puts shackles on themselves, but if it earns the agreement of others and holds the structure together, then that is the necessary price."
Say what you want about the old guard. When one of them opened their mouth without warning, the sheer weight behind it was never in question.
The sudden expression of thanks had been completely baffling. But with the explanation that followed, Matsushita Yusuke more or less understood.
Unohana had disliked someone like Kijishi for a long time. But bound by the responsibility of having created the rule herself, she had no way to move against him. No grounds to remove him from the Gotei 13 on her own authority.
If the original timeline had played out as written, a few years from now Zaraki would have come out of Rukongai and cut Kijishi down, taking over Squad 11 the legitimate way.
But that hadn't happened.
Because Matsushita Yusuke had appeared.
Kijishi's end had come earlier than it was supposed to, and the one who took over wasn't the Zaraki she had been waiting for.
Put all of that together, and Unohana's apparent indifference toward him started to make perfect sense.
So what was he supposed to say?
Matsushita Yusuke scratched his head, gave a careful bow, and said:
"You're too kind..."
"..."
The air between them sat slightly awkward.
Neither of them turned out to be particularly talkative.
After a few seconds, Unohana turned, and as she did she let out a quiet, unhurried sigh.
"Spare me a little of your time. Walk with me."
Unohana extending the invitation was mildly unexpected, but Yusuke had no reason to refuse.
Opportunities to spend time with someone at her level weren't exactly plentiful. A moment like this was worth something.
"Please, lead the way."
Unohana's expression didn't change. She turned in silence and started back the way she'd come.
Yusuke didn't dare close the gap. He kept roughly five meters between them and followed carefully.
"Young man. How much do you actually know about the Squad 11 succession and the Kenpachi name?"
Is this an entry exam? Like a founding member reviewing the incoming CEO...
Matsushita Yusuke gave a straightforward account of what he understood about Squad 11 and its history.
"Hm. So you already have a clear picture."
"Uh... I suppose, more or less."
"Then I'll keep it short. What this squad is entrusted with is something exceptional, and for most people it would be a genuine burden in the most literal sense. To be honest, I didn't think you'd take it on."
The two of them drifted away from the nearby area and ended up somewhere close to the outer edges of the Seireitei. Still technically within its bounds, but near enough to the Rukongai boundary that almost nobody came here. In a sense, undeveloped territory.
Unohana walked ahead at an even pace. Her voice carried no fluctuation. No detectable emotion.
"Young man, defeating Kijishi was a demonstration of your ability. But what exactly was your reason for wanting the Squad 11 captaincy in the first place?"
Yusuke rubbed the back of his head.
For the quest reward? Please, don't interrupt my Stardew Valley run.
"Roughly... just to get stronger, I suppose?"
Close enough to true.
Unohana glanced back at him, expression unchanged, but something in it registered mild surprise.
"Your idea of strength: is it fame? Reputation?"
She'd misread it. Based on Yusuke's phrasing, that interpretation wasn't unreasonable. He could see exactly how she'd landed there.
But that wasn't it at all. Please just trust me on this one.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"I just think that training behind closed doors only gets you so far. If I become a captain, I have more opportunities to actually exchange with Soul Society's strongest. That matters to me."
Producing even that much out of thin air took everything he had.
He glanced over with mild apprehension and caught only Unohana's expressionless profile.
No reading whether that landed well or poorly.
But she did stay quiet for a considerable stretch.
"It seems the young people of today really are very different from our era..."
He wouldn't say that far, exactly. His reason was just a bit unusual.
Before he could clarify anything, Unohana continued on her own.
"The path was a little different, but the outcome is a good one. I was too quick to judge. And since you've already done what you've done, I can only acknowledge your nerve and your resolve. Young man: I was wrong about you."
What he actually thought: I didn't want to take on this disaster either. The state of that squad was genuinely offensive.
"Today is a rare occasion. If not for my responsibilities, I'd have suggested sharing a drink and hearing the new Kenpachi's thinking firsthand."
What he actually thought: Why does everyone from that generation go straight for sake? Could we not just do sparkling water?
"But thinking it over, that kind of gesture would feel too contrived. It runs against my approach to things, and it isn't really what Squad 11 should look like."
What he actually thought: So we're not drinking. All right then.
Unohana stopped without warning, half turned, and looked back at him.
Her hand drew lightly at the blade on her hip.
"Honest exchange between fighters happens through the sword. Nothing else qualifies."
So we're doing this after all.
Matsushita Yusuke looked around at the completely bare stretch of ground and let out a quiet sigh.
So bringing me out here had a purpose too. Being on a completely different wavelength from this woman is its own kind of trouble.
"Does it have to be a fight, Captain Unohana?"
We could just talk, couldn't we?
She gave a soft sound of acknowledgment, and the corners of her mouth rose in a faint, distinctly unsettling curve.
"Don't worry, young man. I have no issue with anything you've said. I simply want to see how you carry yourself. Think of it as the feeling you get when a hunter spots something worth chasing. Surely you understand?"
No. I don't. Not even slightly. Don't put me in the same category as you.
Yusuke's internal response was considerably louder than what showed on his face. His hands were already moving, settling into a defensive position.
"Now that's more like it."
Unohana's smile widened in a way that wasn't exactly comforting.
"After all, isn't plain conversation a little too... tame?"
And at those words, a familiar notification materialized in front of Matsushita Yusuke's eyes. He raised an eyebrow, something stirring in his chest.
Even this triggered one. So this fight really does have something out of the ordinary to it?
Let's see.
[Fight with Unohana Retsu]
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