Though it's a bit self-serving, well… if he could help Rangiku recover, maybe he could earn Ichimaru Gin's favor.
If it's for Gin's [Viper], he can accept losing a few soul fragments.
Hmm, later.
He and Gin aren't close yet, and most importantly, he's too weak right now.
At least wait until he learns Bankai.
They kept drinking and eating until after eleven. When Yoshio went to settle the bill, he found the tab came to 520,000.
Goddamn that's pricey!
Nearly two months' salary gone—counting his new Ninth Seat pay at that.
He compared Seireitei prices to his previous life's—this meal would be a bit over 5,000 usd.
Eh, not bad. It's for boosting favorability and for his future strength—worth it.
Fifth Division members left one after another until only Yoshio and a slightly flushed Rangiku remained.
Rangiku had a bit too much—reeking of alcohol—then patted Yoshio on the shoulder.
"Yoshi, you did reaaal good."
Yoshio's face darkened. "You're drunk."
"I'm not drunk!" Rangiku laughed, patting his shoulder even harder. "From now on, I've got your back. If anything comes up, come to Tenth Division and find me!"
"Got it, got it. You've said that a hundred times—so naggy!" Yoshio pouted, watching Rangiku off.
He turned to head home when a man appeared before him.
"Are you… a Fifth Division officer?"
The man wore a gorgeous kimono and a straw hat. The outfit was so conspicuous that Yoshio knew who he was right away.
And not many in the Seireitei could afford that kimono. Yoshio's original self had looked up the price—3.3 million.
Plenty could pull together that much money, but few would spend it on clothes.
In Seireitei, aside from low-ranking nobles in business, that leaves the upper nobles and the Five Great Noble Clans.
So the man's identity was obvious.
"Captain Shunsui?!"
Yoshio said in surprise.
It was the Eighth Division Captain, Shunsui Kyōraku.
Yoshio glanced and saw Shunsui's soul ability: ["Two-Faced."]
["Two-Faced: When doing something contrary to your outward persona, your spiritual pressure increases dramatically."]
Heh, truly "two-faced."
On the surface, Shunsui looks laid-back and not eager to fight, but in reality he's ruthless. Once he decides to battle, he'll do anything to kill the enemy.
Starrk was fooled by this old fox's façade, thinking Shunsui was his type. Shunsui opened with Kageoni and a backstab, nearly halving Starrk's life in one strike.
Yoshio sees nothing wrong with that—this is war. If you fuss over pointless dignity and restraint, that's childish.
Of course, Yoshio wants that ability, but he and Shunsui aren't close.
Shunsui looked a bit embarrassed.
"Ah, you recognized me. But even so, I'll still say this: next time there's an event like this, could you invite me?"
"???"
Yoshio's eyes turned into little anime dots. He said in surprise, "Captain Shunsui, you…"
"You're an embarrassment!"
Before he finished, a woman in shihakushō suddenly appeared and bonked Shunsui on the head, scolding angrily,
"As a captain, how can you make such a shameful request of another squad's officer?!"
Yoshio knew this was Ise Nanao. Her soul ability is called ["Mirror Reflection."]
["Mirror Reflection: Generates a mirror at your fingertip that can reflect the opponent's attack."]
This should be related to her family's hereditary sacred treasure, the Shinken Hakkyōken—after all, it's a sword that reflects divine power.
He wants this ability too!
Great—these two are friends I'm definitely making!
Watching the two of them like a comedy sketch, Yoshio couldn't help saying, "Um… Captain Shunsui, Lieutenant Ise, you two are…"
Ise Nanao cleared her throat. "It's nothing. We have business to attend to, so we'll be going."
Before leaving, Shunsui shot Yoshio a look, signaling him to call next time there's a drink-up, then was dragged off by Nanao.
Unexpectedly seeing such a scene before heading home, Yoshio chuckled and shook his head, then returned home.
How to put it—at this point in time, relations between the Gotei 13 squads aren't that good.
There's little interaction between squads. Someone like Rangiku, who often drinks with other squads, is rare.
Normally, squads barely know each other; they might not even know who the other captain is.
Yoshio now vows to change the Gotei 13! He'll become the popular guy of the Gotei—men too, not just women!
If possible, he wants to befriend Hollows and Quincies as well! As long as someone has a soul ability, they're a potential friend!
Humming a little tune, Yoshio went home and set his house as his safe house.
Instantly, he felt much more relaxed.
Not truly relaxed, but psychologically so. He'd been under the gaze of a crowd; now that no one was watching, he naturally felt lighter.
…
Back home, Yoshio took out his Zanpakutō.
Or rather, it can't be called a Zanpakutō yet—it's still an Asauchi.
In theory, he'd need several more years of nurturing the Asauchi before it can Shikai and truly become his Zanpakutō.
This process starts when every student enrolls. Quick ones might achieve Shikai by graduation; slow ones might take decades.
Under normal circumstances, Yoshio would spend 20–30 years to gradually learn his Zanpakutō's name, achieve Shikai, and then become a seat officer—done.
But now he has Tōshirō Hitsugaya-level talent—so it's different.
After activating the ["Child of Kirin"] skill, even the rate he infuses his spiritual essence to nurture the Asauchi increased noticeably.
Plus his previous ten years of nurturing, he feels he can hear the Zanpakutō's voice in his heart already.