Noticing that look, Mayuri quickly turned his head toward Rangiku.
"Oh my, 10th Division Lieutenant... do you have some complaint about my words?"
Mayuri laughed strangely, speaking softly.
Though his voice was quiet, his tone clearly carried a provocative edge.
Hearing this, everyone's gazes turned toward Rangiku. Hitsugaya tilted his head slightly. "What's wrong, Rangiku?"
But Rangiku didn't answer him. She ignored the surrounding gazes, still staring at Mayuri.
Facing Mayuri's sharp eyes, she showed no sign of backing down.
After a moment, she slowly spoke through clenched teeth:
"Captain Kurotsuchi, you're asking if I'm dissatisfied? Then I'll say it plainly..."
"Regarding your words just now, I... am absolutely dissatisfied!"
Rangiku showed a serious expression for the first time. Her tone was unmistakably furious.
This surprised everyone nearby. Hitsugaya's eyes widened.
He'd never seen Rangiku display such a forceful expression, especially in this setting, facing a captain.
Clearly, she was truly enraged.
After hearing this, Mayuri's strange laugh didn't change. His eyes rolled. "Heh, then... Lieutenant Matsumoto, what are you dissatisfied with? Tell me."
"Could it be you want to defend that insignificant person, so you can't stand what I just said...?"
His words fell. His tone and gaze grew sharper.
But Rangiku seemed to respond without hesitation:
"Of course not!"
"Gin... he did those things. Even if he's punished, I won't complain, but..."
"But, Captain Kurotsuchi, you called him insignificant...!"
"Gin... he undoubtedly took actions beneficial to the battlefield during the Battle of Karakura Town!"
"Even if that sword thrust didn't kill Aizen directly, the effort he put in was witnessed by everyone!"
"And in that battle, the person who never participated in the decisive fight from start to finish... who stayed in Hueco Mundo for personal reasons... was you, Captain Kurotsuchi, wasn't it?!"
"I remember, at that time, all the threats in Hueco Mundo had already been... completely resolved by Captain Segawa..."
"But you chose to avoid battle for selfish reasons, so... why are you being so harsh toward Gin, who participated in the fight...?!"
By the end, Rangiku's voice had grown extremely agitated.
Her eyes locked on Mayuri. Her chest rose and fell rapidly with her quickened breathing.
Hearing these words, the surrounding captains froze. Their expressions varied.
But Head Captain Yamamoto, seated at the front, unexpectedly didn't interrupt.
They understood instantly.
This was a post-war summary meeting, not a pre-battle strategy session. Here, they needed to discuss oversights and mistakes during battle.
What Rangiku just mentioned was precisely Mayuri's "mistake."
Back then, after opening a directional Garganta for Shigure and the others in Hueco Mundo, he could have returned together.
However, after the Garganta opened, he'd chosen to avoid battle and remain in Hueco Mundo, searching for "experimental materials."
On this point alone, Mayuri had violated the principles of a Gotei captain.
So Yamamoto didn't stop Rangiku's words.
He wanted to see what explanation Mayuri would give, and what the captains would think.
At that moment, Hitsugaya standing in front of Rangiku tilted his head slightly. "Rangiku, calm down. This is a meeting."
Hearing this, Rangiku's gaze shifted. She lowered her eyes, exhaled gently, and bowed her head slightly. "...Yes."
She knew she'd been impulsive. Now she slowly calmed down.
Then Yamamoto spoke flatly:
"We'll discuss Gin's judgment later."
"Now, Captain Kurotsuchi... regarding avoiding battle, do you have anything to explain...?"
"As Lieutenant Matsumoto said, if the Hueco Mundo threat had already been resolved by Segawa, you should have come to the battlefield together, correct...?"
"..."
Hearing this, Mayuri slowly twisted his neck to look over.
Then that bizarre smile appeared on his face again. He slowly shifted his gaze, sweeping across everyone's faces, before laughing:
"Heh, rush to the battlefield...?"
"Why would I do something so meaningless...?"
"Should I have been like Lieutenant Matsumoto, like that Gin, like all you captains, making those... stalling efforts?"
"Lieutenant Matsumoto, you said 'Gin participated in the battle'...? Hey now, does that level even count as participating?"
His words landed. Everyone froze. Rangiku's pupils contracted.
But before they could speak, Mayuri's gaze suddenly turned toward Shigure. After staring for a moment, he looked at Retsu Unohana, laughing:
"Hehe, Captain Unohana, why are even you looking at me like that...?"
"I said it back in Hueco Mundo when I opened that directional Garganta, didn't I?"
"From the moment Segawa Shigure decided to join the battle, victory... was already secured."
"In other words, when I opened that Garganta for him, the battle's outcome was already decided..."
"So why would I need to return to the World of the Living... to gaze up at this guy's battle?"
"After all, from the start, I've hated the feeling of being completely crushed by this guy."
At this point, everyone froze. Shunsui and Jūshirō even showed wry expressions.
But Mayuri suddenly turned his head, looking back at Yamamoto.
Then a half-smile appeared on his face. "Speaking of which... Head Captain, I don't think I have anything to explain."
"After all, I was the one who used the directional Garganta to send Segawa over, so logically speaking..."
"My contribution should be the greatest aside from Segawa's, hehe..."
"Don't you all think so...?"
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
Read up to (100+ ) advanced chapters on Patre\on
Visit us here: patreon.com/DarkGolds
Happy reading, everyone!