REVIEWS AND POWERSTONES PLSSS!!!!!REVIEWS AND POWERSTONES PLSSS!!!!!REVIEWS AND POWERSTONES PLSSS!!!!!
Chapter 035: [Unlock Special CG: Soifon]
A certain renowned psychologist -- one Vo Zki Suode -- once proposed a theory.
When you find yourself losing an argument, always remember: you still have your fists.
Soifon's current rank in the Detention Unit put her roughly at the level of a seated officer in the Gotei 13. At that tier, looking down at others was practically a professional habit.
But there was no way Matsushita Yusuke, a man who had turned quest optimization into an art form, was going to let that stand.
Today she was going to find out exactly what he was capable of.
He pushed up his sleeves.
Kishinoshin already had a headache forming. His entire approach to this situation had been built around keeping things from escalating.
Which was why, even when Soifon addressed him by name without any honorific -- a junior doing that to a senior was not exactly standard -- he'd let it go. Not worth making an issue of.
But the situation had moved clearly past the point where that approach was going to work.
"Matsushita-kun, let's think about this calmly—"
"Kishinoshin, stay out of it."
Technically he outranked her. It was not going to matter right now.
In Soifon's view, every person Kishinoshin had ever brought through that gate had been a disappointment dressed up in potential. And given that her entire purpose here was to ensure that only people worth Yoruichi's attention made it through, she wasn't going to apologize for having standards.
Anyone following Yoruichi-sama needed to actually be exceptional. And if exceptional was too much to ask, then at minimum they needed the raw ability of someone like Urahara Kisuke.
From that position, this attitude made a certain kind of sense.
Kishinoshin could see she'd already passed the point of listening. He stepped forward quickly and raised both hands in a calming gesture, trying to get something in before it was too late.
"It isn't that straightforward. I already discussed this with Yoruichi-sa—"
"Even Yoruichi-sama doesn't get a say in this one."
Soifon's eyes were bright and her voice was flat with conviction.
"If I'm part of this arrangement, I have a role in the selection process too."
She was committed. Fully committed.
Matsushita Yusuke let out a quiet internal sigh.
She had the energy of someone in their first month at a new job, absolutely determined to prove their worth to management by being more demanding than management asked them to be.
Apparently noticing that she was being looked down on by an Academy student -- of all people -- Soifon's expression shifted into something that had left pleasant behind some time ago.
"An Academy student, wandering in here to eat free food and contribute nothing. Kishinoshin, your judgment has always been questionable."
"What exactly does it matter to you if someone comes here and eats?"
"It matters because I run this unit. If I don't approve of someone, they don't get to stay. End of discussion."
"...Sorry?"
Was that actually true?
Matsushita Yusuke glanced sideways.
Kishinoshin made a helpless gesture with both hands.
I was trying to tell you. You didn't let me finish.
Could they still walk this back?
The experienced read on Soifon -- Kishinoshin's read, from years of dealing with her -- was that she was actually fairly easy to manage. A few well-placed compliments and the whole thing usually resolved without incident.
But that window had closed.
Soifon had already turned away. She jerked her head back without looking, beckoning over her shoulder.
"Follow me. There's a dedicated training space inside. I'm going to knock every tooth in your head loose."
Matsushita Yusuke had been quietly calculating whether getting on the wrong side of a future superior was going to cause him problems down the line.
Then the quest panel opened.
[Quest: Teach this little menace a proper lesson]
[Profile: As the future commander of the Detention Unit, Soifon has always seen herself as support -- the person who holds things together from behind. She does not yet understand the full measure of her own ability, and her current temperament is, to put it plainly, a problem. Let her understand there is a ceiling above her. Teach her to respect others. This, too, is Yoruichi-sama's intention.]
[Rewards: Zanjutsu +2, Kido +2, Hakuda +2, Shunpo +2, Reiatsu Level +4, Random Draw (Technique)]
[Special Reward: Unlock Special CG: Soifon -- Soifon Affection Meter Activated...]
"...!!"
Every remaining hesitation dissolved on the spot.
Walk it back?
Not a chance.
She was going to find out exactly what she was dealing with.
When it came down to it, the only real concern had been Yoruichi's reaction. But the quest description had made that concern unnecessary. Soifon's attitude had apparently been noted as a problem by someone with actual authority over this arrangement.
As for the special CG and the affection meter business at the end --
Hmm.
Women were a complication he had no time for. He was going to be the strongest Shinigami in Soul Society. Getting sidetracked by whatever that notification was gesturing at was not part of the plan.
Though he was wondering if there was a preview option.
He set the thought aside and let his expression settle into something more focused.
This was a high-reward quest. High-reward quests required full attention. The drinking contest had been the reminder he needed on that front -- if Aizen hadn't been operating completely outside normal parameters, that one would have been a clean loss.
He rolled out his shoulders, shook his neck loose, and found his stance.
Kishinoshin looked at the expression on Matsushita Yusuke's face and felt something cold run through him.
"You're not actually going all out, are you."
"Kishinoshin-senpai -- do you think she's going to hold back?"
...
"No. She absolutely will not."
"Right. So I'm not exactly in a position to hold back either. I'll give it everything I have. Probably won't be life-threatening. Probably."
That last word did not make Kishinoshin feel better. He shook his head and said, quietly:
"I'll referee."
Nothing more to be said.
The three of them moved through the corridors, several turns, until they reached a wide, open room tucked away at the back of the facility. Large enough to fit a lecture hall comfortably inside it, with room to spare.
"The entire room has been reinforced with barrier techniques on two separate layers. Any Kido up to and including number seventy-nine can hit it at full force and the structure will convert and absorb the impact. Nothing will break."
Under normal circumstances, using Kido above number sixty required paperwork and authorization.
What Kishinoshin was also saying, without saying it: there was nothing in here that could be damaged. So neither of them had any excuse to hold back.
Both of them understood.
They looked at each other across the room with very different expressions.
Soifon stood in place, clapped her hands together, and worked the tension out of her wrists.
She looked younger than she would in the original story, the edges not yet fully set. But the arrogance was already complete. It sat in her posture and her eyes, a specific kind of looking-down that didn't have room for doubt.
"You're going to learn what happens when you come near Yoruichi-sama without earning the right."
Matsushita Yusuke rolled his neck and settled his weight.
"Don't cry when you lose."
The words were out before he'd made a conscious decision to say them.
He paused.
Was this a fighting game now? Were they doing pre-match trash talk?
Apparently they were.
Kishinoshin raised his right hand.
It came down hard.
"Begin!"