Chapter 201: Heads Up, Someone Cut the Boss
Can it come back to life?
The procedures involved were a little complex, and the process probably wouldn't be simple.
But overall, no problem.
All he could say was that its skills were a tremendous help in a moment like this.
Matsushita Yusuke reflected on that for a moment, and by the time he raised his head again his expression had become considerably more serious.
"No problem at all. It just needs some time. More importantly, though... Aizen-sensei."
"I'm here, Matsushita-kun."
"From this engagement, how did things come out on your end?"
Getting to the actual business, Aizen Sosuke, whose expression had been carrying a subtle quality until now, let out a quiet sound and showed a measured smile.
"The results were... somewhat larger than anticipated."
Aizen wasn't generally the type to talk up his own gains. For him to put it that way, the results must genuinely have been considerable.
So it wasn't a total loss.
A quiet thought settled in Matsushita Yusuke's mind, and after a brief internal flurry he landed on a simple consolation.
It's fine, it's fine. At the end of the day they did manage to pull something out of the old man. Not a wasted trip.
Time to head home.
After returning to his squad's compound, the first thing Matsushita Yusuke did was get some rest immediately.
No choice about it. The reiatsu drain was too significant. If anyone who knew him well was around right now, they'd be able to pick up on something being off.
Matsushita Yusuke was at a genuinely extreme level of exhaustion right now.
Obviously this wasn't something he could let anyone see. A captain-level figure, up in the middle of the night wandering around outside, and coming back nearly spent... anyone who didn't know the situation would think he had been running a marathon.
Any way you looked at it, a difficult situation to explain. He needed to get his condition back quickly, at least enough not to let anything show...
Bang bang bang.
Huh?!
Who is looking for me at this hour?
Matsushita Yusuke, tucked away in his room, coughed twice to settle himself, then called out.
"I'm here... who is it?"
"Captain Matsushita, it's me."
From the voice, that was Gin Ichimaru. But Matsushita Yusuke didn't answer immediately. He quietly rustled around for a moment before 'getting up' and responding.
"Coming... so, what is it?"
Looking at the narrow-eyed fox-faced young man outside, Matsushita Yusuke only opened the door a crack and peered out with appropriate caution.
"Vice-Captain Soifon said there was a document she needed you to look over, but she forgot to pass it on during the day, so she asked me to bring it to you."
Soifon had recently moved back to the Squad 2 compound.
It wasn't that there had been any falling out on the Squad 11 side. It was simply that pressure had been building within the Shihoin household, calling for her to go back and shore things up for a while.
She hadn't gone into detail, but Matsushita Yusuke could roughly guess.
Probably Yoruichi had fled without any concern for the consequences, and the internal handover was now in disorder.
Under the logic of the original story, both Soifon and the Omaeda line would have been the main pillars of support, helping the Shihoin house continue operating and getting through a smooth handover. The odd-couple pairing from the source material was probably something like this combination, Soifon and Omaeda, but in this timeline the story had clearly undergone significant change.
The most obvious change was Soifon's trajectory.
She had been pulled into Squad 11 by Matsushita Yusuke directly, which left the Omaeda line temporarily holding the captain position at Squad 2. The Shihoin house, as a large family system, certainly had subsidiary branches that resembled in-law lines. With Yoruichi present, nobody would have tried anything. But with the family head suddenly gone, it was inevitable that someone would make a move.
That was why Soifon had gone back, and Matsushita Yusuke had no reason to stop her.
Think of it as going back to the family home for a visit.
Because of all that, Squad 11 evenings had been relatively quiet lately. Not very lively.
Matsushita Yusuke let these miscellaneous thoughts run through his head, then came back to himself and looked at Gin Ichimaru with a nod.
"Got it. Leave it with me. Go get some rest."
That should theoretically have been the end of it, but Gin showed no sign of leaving. Instead he raised his head slightly and looked directly at Matsushita Yusuke.
Then said quietly:
"Captain Matsushita. Are you injured?"
This kid's instincts are a little too sharp.
Without waiting for any response, Gin had already stepped back two full paces, waving a hand as he went.
"I don't know a thing about anything. I'm going. Good night, Captain Matsushita!"
Watching the retreating back of someone who had made a very quick, very loud exit, Matsushita Yusuke let out a quiet sigh he couldn't hold back.
In a certain sense, this kid genuinely was a prodigy. Not for nothing was he someone who eventually managed to fool even Aizen. His observational ability for the smallest details was genuinely something.
At the same time, it had served as a useful reminder.
'Next time, I should probably clean myself up before seeing anyone... otherwise it seems like I'm actually quite easy to see through.'
The thought had barely settled when the gate not far away was thrown open and Squad 1 members filed in, every face set with grave seriousness.
They moved straight through, completely ignoring the squad members trying to stop them.
Zaraki poked half his head out from the training room with an expression of clear irritation.
"Hey. Who breaks into a squad compound at this hour? Looking for a fight?!"
At a moment like this, he was notably on edge.
The reason was simple. The security of the compound was now in his hands. Even if he himself didn't particularly care about such things, when something went wrong it was still embarrassing.
Matsushita Yusuke stepped forward at the right moment and stopped the man who was a second away from blowing.
"Easy. Hear them out first."
Being the captain counted for something in moments like this. Zaraki didn't go off, and simply waited to the side in quiet.
Three Squad 1 members in formal attire came to a stop in front of Matsushita Yusuke and went down on one knee.
"Captain Matsushita Yusuke. The Captain-Commander requests your presence."
Here we go.
Matsushita Yusuke was completely unsurprised.
The old man had just been attacked not half an hour ago. If he wasn't calling everyone together for a meeting right now, what, wait until sunrise?
Damn, do you even know your boss just got cut?! Get up and grab your weapons!
Considering the founding purpose and overall nature of the Gotei 13, that kind of reaction made a certain kind of sense on another level entirely.
Matsushita Yusuke composed his expression and responded with complete formality.
"Understood. I'll be on my way shortly. Please continue with the notifications."
"We will proceed to notify the next squad captain. Please take your time."