Chapter 289: Soul Society's Premier Pressure-Proof Captain
After a brief exchange with Komamura, Matsushita Yusuke turned and headed out.
The day had produced more chain reactions than expected, but things had more or less reached a natural stopping point. The social obligations of the situation had kept him around longer than strictly necessary -- though in a certain sense, managing exactly that kind of thing was part of what being a captain actually meant.
"Matsushita-kun."
He half-turned at the voice from behind and found Aizen Sosuke approaching at an easy pace, his vice-captain beside him.
The boss.
Given that this was not a private context, Matsushita Yusuke adjusted quickly and produced the appropriate response.
"Captain Aizen!"
He stopped, gave a small, respectful bow, and said with a smile:
"You really came through today. Saved me a significant amount of work. Squad 5's support capacity is exactly as advertised."
Not empty praise.
The facts backed it up. Of everyone who had stayed behind to help with the aftermath, the largest contingent outside of Squad 11's own people was from Squad 5. Aizen had clearly put genuine effort into developing the members under him.
Squad 5's designation as a reserve support unit meant its members were, in the most literal sense, generalists. Breaking down their responsibilities by category: treatment, combat, logistics support -- they could function in any of it. That kind of universal capability could easily translate into being mediocre across the board, but the Squad 5 Aizen had built was clearly not operating that way.
These people were motivated. They moved without being told to.
Before Aizen could even respond, Hinamori Momo beside him straightened up with a proud expression and jumped in first.
"Captain Aizen's guidance is exceptional! Every Squad 5 member is a genuine professional -- please rest assured on that front, Captain Matsushita!"
Matsushita Yusuke smiled and turned to look at her with something that was mostly fond exasperation.
"Credit goes to Vice-Captain Hinamori as well, doesn't it? Well done. You're exactly the kind of second-in-command a squad needs."
She had not expected this.
If anything, her previous statement had been less about taking credit and more about making a point about Squad 5's quality in general. Having the response come back and land directly on her was not what she had been aiming for, and the expression it produced was a distinctly flustered one.
Why did the topic come back around to me?
Her hands came together in front of her and she started kneading them together restlessly.
Aizen watched her, and with a quiet smile, reached over and gave her head a light pat.
"Don't be so tense. Captain Matsushita doesn't mean anything difficult by it. And this is recognition you've actually earned." A pause, gentle but clear. "Selling yourself short is not a quality that belongs to someone who has grown."
Like a basketball being reinflated.
Hinamori Momo's whole presence seemed to come back online at once. The smile that broke through was genuinely bright -- the kind that put a small, happy indent in her cheek and had nothing complicated underneath it.
"I understand, Captain Aizen!"
The energy in her voice was substantial.
Which was honestly something to think about.
Matsushita Yusuke let his thoughts drift briefly as he watched her.
The relationship between Aizen and Hinamori had always been one of the more discussed dynamics in the original story. For a straightforward superior-subordinate arrangement, the closeness between them had never quite fit that framing.
The reason was simple enough.
During the arc where Aizen faked his death, Hinamori Momo had become, in the most literal sense, a force of pure narrative acceleration -- a character who had completely snapped and was biting at everything in reach. If her strength had been higher, Matsushita Yusuke genuinely believed she would have gone Bankai without hesitation against anyone and everyone who crossed her path.
Who killed Captain Aizen? Doesn't matter. I'm detonating.
There was a certain quality to that energy. A complete lack of concern for consequences. Pure drive with no filter.
As for the other dimension of it --
What kind of subordinate shows up at her captain's quarters in the middle of the night, not to report something urgent, but just to talk? And then simply stays there and falls asleep?
From any angle, that behavior communicated something beyond the usual professional dynamic. Something warmer and more complicated.
If Hinamori were someone scattered and impulsive it might have been possible to write off as careless. But from everything Matsushita Yusuke had observed over these years, and from what the original story had shown -- she was sharp. Capable. The kind of person who held a vice-captain position not through appearance or connections but through actual ability.
Matsumoto Rangiku was proof enough of the principle. Someone that striking held the Squad 10 vice-captain seat precisely because her administrative ability was real. Looks alone didn't get anyone past the resistance of the people underneath.
So a person as genuinely capable as Hinamori, choosing to make those kinds of gestures -- that was not accidental.
Subtle. A little layered. But that was how these things tended to be expressed in this world. Soul Society had feudal roots, and the culture that grew from those roots preferred the indirect expression. You didn't say "I like you" -- you said "the moon is beautiful tonight" and let the other person understand.
A connection recognized through shared feeling, without the words being said plainly. Finding that kind of resonance was rare, and when it happened, it was its own thing.
As for how Aizen responded to it --
Matsushita Yusuke glanced sideways at the man standing there with his usual mild, pleasant smile.
The original story had never addressed that part in any detail. He wasn't going to speculate irresponsibly.
What he could say was that whatever this particular Squad 5 dynamic was, it ran warm.
"Captain Matsushita!"
Hinamori's voice pulled his attention back. He refocused and looked over at her.
She was wearing an expression that had gone from bright to slightly intense, and there was a quality to it that communicated genuine concern.
"Is something the matter?" he asked.
"I heard that Vice-Captain Soifon has already started her leave -- have you been doing any actual preparation for the delivery date and everything that comes with it?"
Ah. This topic.
The easy smile on Matsushita Yusuke's face went somewhat stiffer.
Being honest about it:
"Not much. Things have been busy and I haven't had the chance."
"That is absolutely not acceptable!"
It came out before she could even think about it.
"Both newborns and mothers in late pregnancy need careful attention! This is something you need to take seriously, Captain Matsushita!"
He had just been lectured by Yamamoto about this very subject. And now Hinamori was getting at him about it from the other direction.
Matsushita Yusuke did feel the pressure, and he wasn't going to pretend otherwise.
But the smile didn't leave his face.
Because this was, in its own way, how people showed they cared.