Chapter 218: This Time I'm Hiding Under the Bed
"First get the candidate positions filled and push them up. Then once the internal situation is stable, trim personnel as appropriate..." Shiba Isshin nodded continuously and drank his cup. "I see, so this approach also saves on squad budget, doesn't it? As expected of Captain Matsushita, truly impressive!"
For someone in the captain position, his inexperience was obvious — taking in as much advice as possible was genuinely important to building his own judgment.
But the way he said it made Matsushita Yusuke break into a bit of a sweat.
"What do you mean 'trim personnel as appropriate' and 'save on squad budget'? That has nothing to do with me. I didn't teach you that. Don't go around saying things like that!"
"Heh heh... don't sweat the small stuff."
"Who said it was small stuff?!!"
In between the bickering, Shiba Isshin tried: "So, do you think there are any suitable candidates for our side?"
Right after saying it, he seemed to catch himself, and put on an apologetic expression.
"Ah, right... I forgot that Squad 11 is a special case. Captain Matsushita's experience probably doesn't translate to other squads."
It needed a moment's explanation.
Because Squad 11 had always had such a strong individual character — and as previously mentioned, Matsushita Yusuke had transformed it from the ground up — the current Squad 11 bore essentially no resemblance to what it had been before.
Squad 10, by contrast, hadn't had a captain for some time but had maintained its basic structure throughout. It kept operating during those leaderless years. The nature and intensity of the work had shifted, but the squad had held together.
The situations were genuinely different. Isshin had clocked that and was accordingly apologetic.
Except...
The person he was apologizing to didn't seem particularly bothered.
"Actually the difference isn't as significant as you might think. I've done quite a bit of rebuilding myself. The current Squad 11 also has its own character to it — it just hasn't fully normalized yet."
"Is normalizing Squad 11 Captain Matsushita's actual goal?"
Matsushita Yusuke tilted his head and didn't answer right away.
"...This might sound a little out of place given who I am and what I do, but yes, that really is what I'm hoping for."
Because that way you could recruit more people.
From a results standpoint, the years of effort had made a real difference. But if he'd had a normal squad as the starting point, Matsushita Yusuke figured the cumulative "harvest" would have been considerably larger.
Having a reputation cut both ways.
After this reflection, he scratched the corner of his mouth and steered things back to the original question.
"Speaking of suitable candidates... I actually have a few people in mind. If you're interested, I can make some recommendations."
After a brief pause: "Matsumoto Rangiku. Do you know the name?"
Isshin thought for a moment, then nodded. "I've heard it. Apparently quite well-liked in her squad... particularly skilled at the work?"
"The chest espe— ah, no. Yes, right. Very capable."
Almost let that slip out.
Matsushita Yusuke tapped his own mouth and produced a somewhat sheepish smile.
There was a reason for this particular recommendation. In the original story, Squad 10's vice-captain was Matsumoto Rangiku.
Her work capability was beyond any reasonable question. After Isshin's accident and departure, she hadn't been promoted or transferred to another squad — she had stayed and dutifully helped Hitsugaya get established. An heirloom figure for Squad 10, by any measure. Putting the work in her hands was completely safe.
And in terms of character and personality, there was simply nothing to criticize. The broad-shouldered, big-hearted type of older-sister figure — who wouldn't like someone like that?
Personally, very much a fan. No apologies.
Matsushita Yusuke ran through all of this internally, while the words that came out of his mouth were considerably more official.
Isshin got the general idea and was already nodding. Seemed like it had landed.
Whether it would actually come to anything was still unknown, of course.
But that was really outside of what Matsushita Yusuke was concerned with here. Helping Isshin with the selection was, at its core, a favor-building exercise.
And what exactly was he farming those points for?
To witness the historic moment as closely as possible, obviously. Unlock that hidden scene, get the reward — genuinely double the return.
As for the remaining seated officer candidates for Squad 10, Matsushita Yusuke had done advance research and could rattle off several names.
Isshin couldn't stop nodding, a deeply satisfied smile spreading across his face.
"This is such a huge help... Captain Matsushita!"
You could tell it had resolved a pressing concern for him.
Matsushita Yusuke was happy to pocket the goodwill, and at this point simply raised a hand in an OK gesture without needing to say anything — completely smooth, not a wasted motion.
"If you run into any more difficulties going forward, feel free to come to me. Within what I'm able to do, I'll give everything I have."
"Hearing this makes me a little embarrassed. Is there anything I can help with on your side, Captain Matsushita?"
"Haha, probably not at the moment. My work is pretty straightforward right now, nothing particularly unusual."
You genuinely want to help?
Then please hurry up and go find love in the living world.
I am already extremely eager to witness the birth of the three worlds' number-one stat monster.
It brought to mind a meme from his previous life — Ichigo Kurosaki's birthday: Yhwach hiding in the ceiling, Aizen Sosuke standing outside the window, the Kurosaki couple on the first floor preparing cake.
And where does that put me? Where does that put me?
Can I hide under the bed?
The whole "getting dropped into an unexpected parental situation" framing wasn't quite how Matsushita Yusuke thought about it, but under permissible conditions, he wanted to try the "raise them from the start" style of approach.
After all, as long as you didn't go too far and were fundamentally on Ichigo's side, that blond brat was remarkably magnanimous — he almost never actually finished anyone off.
Consider: Aizen had indirectly caused his mother's death, and even this guy got a merciful ending — Ichigo splitting him open like a watermelon with all the serenity of someone doing a kindness.
Matsushita Yusuke had accounted for this, and his mind was already full of schemes.
"If that's everything, shall we call it a night?"
He stood up with a smile.
"Don't let this current impression fool you — I do have some things outside the squad that still need dealing with."
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