In the Soul Society, within the Third Division barracks, inside the captain's quarters.
This was already the sixth time today that Ichimaru Gin had checked himself in the mirror.
"The collar still feels like it needs to be pressed down a bit here… If I rest my Zanpakutō in this spot, that should be fine."
If the other Third Division members saw this scene, they'd probably feel like the sky was falling.
Their "keep-out-for-strangers" captain… actually had a day where he looked this nervous?
That was harder to believe than the sun rising in the west.
But the fact remained: according to reliable information, Matsumoto Rangiku was coming back today.
Gin was very grateful that he'd taken that gamble earlier—using a little scheme to lessen the suspicion Higashino Shuuichi held toward him.
Otherwise, Higashino Shuuichi probably wouldn't have let Matsumoto Rangiku and the others return so soon.
Only after confirming there were no major threats lurking around the Soul Society would Higashino Shuuichi notify Rangiku and the others to come back.
At least, that was how Ichimaru Gin saw it.
And from how things had played out, that was indeed the case.
Staring at himself in the mirror, Gin saw, reflected in his half-lidded eyes, the silhouette of someone else.
"Rangiku… welcome back."
Gin suddenly shook his head. No, that wouldn't do. Wouldn't that sound way too bland?
And besides, he didn't know whether Higashino Shuuichi had told Matsumoto Rangiku anything about him. If, in Rangiku's mind, he was still the culprit who'd forced Higashino Shuuichi into Hollowfication, then saying something like that would only make her resent him even more.
"I'm sorry… Rangiku."
Gin tried again, but the moment those five words left his lips, he immediately vetoed them himself.
"No, no, that's even worse!"
He understood perfectly well that saying this was the same as admitting he was that culprit back then.
And while that was indeed the truth, he absolutely could not blurt it out in a moment like that.
"Rangiku, here—these are dried persimmons I specially got for you."
Gin extended his right hand toward the mirror, and in that instant, the reflection before him was dragged back to those days in the Rukongai when it had just been the two of them relying on each other.
Back then, life had been hard, but at least it hadn't been filled with the unspeakable pain it was now.
"Rangiku… it's not like I wanted that either… I know Shuuichi-sama is a good Shinigami, but to avenge you, to earn Aizen's trust, I could only do that—I had to do that. Forgive me… Rangiku."
These were the thoughts that had been buried in Ichimaru Gin's heart for who knew how many years, finally confided to the little Rangiku that existed only in his memories.
Then, when his right hand unconsciously reached a little farther forward, wanting to place the dried persimmons into her hands just like in the old days, that image shattered, leaving only his own fragile, pathetic reflection in the mirror.
Time itself seemed to stop.
But in reality, it wasn't time that had frozen—it was Ichimaru Gin's body.
He just stared blankly at the person in the mirror.
That wasn't him.
That shouldn't be him.
The Ichimaru Gin who had sworn to avenge the Rangiku who had nearly died back then—
That man absolutely could not look like this.
Looking at his reflection, Gin finally forced out a cold, snake-like smile.
Yes. That was him. That was Ichimaru Gin.
Until Aizen was dead, there ought to remain this distance between him and Matsumoto Rangiku.
That was fine.
No one knew what had just happened in the Third Division captain's quarters.
For most Shinigami in the Soul Society, this day was nothing more than an utterly ordinary one. There weren't many Shinigami who even qualified to know that Matsumoto Rangiku and Kisaragi Shūsuke were returning.
"Higashino-dono, are you really planning to have Shūsuke and Rangiku join your Katana-gari-shū (Blade-Hunting Corps) directly?"
The one asking was the Second Division captain, Soi Fon—one of the few in the know.
For the captain of the Second Division, learning about this wasn't difficult.
After all, if Kisaragi Shūsuke and Matsumoto Rangiku were returning to the Soul Society via official channels, then one prerequisite was obtaining the consent of the current Head Captain of the Gotei 13.
At first, Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni had been vehemently opposed. In his view, having a "rehired" Shinigami like Higashino Shuuichi around already slapped the entire Soul Society in the face. If they were now to readmit Shinigami branded as rebels back into the fold, where would that leave the Central 46's and his own "face" as Head Captain?
Wouldn't it be the same as announcing to all Shinigami that he, Yamamoto, and the Central 46 had committed a colossal blunder back then?
However, once Higashino Shuuichi clarified that he only wanted to restore Kisaragi Shūsuke's and Matsumoto Rangiku's status as Shinigami, Yamamoto finally relented.
As expected, that old man's mouth was full of lofty reasons, but in truth he simply couldn't stand Hollowfied Shinigami.
To someone as old-fashioned as Yamamoto, who held the most primitive kind of worldview, any Hollowfied Shinigami—no matter the form—was nothing more than a Hollow, not a Shinigami.
Calling them "Hollowfied Shinigami" was, in his mind, already a form of flattery.
"They don't really have anywhere better to go, do they?
For Shinigami like us with a record, under the Head Captain's Gotei 13, the word 'future' simply doesn't exist."
Higashino Shuuichi looked ahead as the Twelfth Division members busied themselves preparing to open the Senkaimon (World-Piercing Gate).
"You could let them join my Second Division. I swear, I'll treat them fairly."
Soi Fon looked at Higashino Shuuichi with a hint of expectation.
She really didn't want Katana-gari-shū (Blade-Hunting Corps) to recruit anyone. As long as that unit had no members, there was still a chance—however slim—that Shuuichi-dono might one day return to the regular Gotei 13 roster.
But if the Katana-gari-shū gained members, then with Shuuichi-dono's personality, even if an opportunity arose to rejoin the Gotei 13, Soi Fon suspected he might well turn it down.
Because Higashino Shuuichi would feel responsible for the people under him in Katana-gari-shū.
So Soi Fon worked hard.
But her efforts had no result.
As long as Yamamoto remained Head Captain of the Gotei 13, Higashino Shuuichi would never entertain the idea of rejoining its ranks.
"Shaoling, I'll accept your feelings on Rangiku and the others' behalf. But I'm not going to send them back into the Gotei 13—and more importantly, they themselves don't have that intention."
Higashino said with a small smile.
At that moment, the Senkaimon connecting to the World of the Living finally slid open under the Twelfth Division's tinkering.
"We're finally back, huh."
The first to step through was a man with a bristling beard along his chin. The instant he saw Higashino Shuuichi, he jogged over at once.
"Shuuichi-sama!"
Those four syllables burst from his mouth, ringing loud and clear.
"This time it's official—welcome back, Shūsuke."
Looking at Kisaragi Shūsuke, Higashino felt genuinely gratified.
No one was made of steel, and Higashino Shuuichi was no exception.
When it came to Kisaragi Shūsuke—the student he had poured so much time and effort into training from the very beginning—Higashino was, on the whole, deeply satisfied.
And Kisaragi Shūsuke, in turn, responded to his teacher's welcome in his own way.
"Hi Kanketsusen (Fire Geyser)!"
Without a moment's hesitation, Kisaragi Shūsuke released his Bakkōtō into Shikai (Initial Release) and let his reiatsu surge out without restraint.
He wanted to proclaim to the entire Soul Society one thing: Kisaragi Shūsuke had returned. His teacher, the Shuuichi-sama standing before him, would no longer be fighting alone. In this Soul Society, there would be at least one utterly loyal man standing ready to thwart anything that might threaten Shuuichi-sama.
"Here I was thinking the Soul Society would at least throw us a welcome party with a bit of scale. We're still two Shinigami who finally managed to clear our names, you know?"
The woman following close behind Kisaragi Shūsuke was Matsumoto Rangiku.
From the moment she walked out of the Senkaimon, her pretty eyes had been darting all around, left and right—
As if she were searching for something.
Of course Higashino Shuuichi knew what Matsumoto Rangiku was looking for. Naturally, it was good sake.
A few days ago, when he'd gone to ask whether they wanted to return to the Soul Society, Rangiku had already told him that once she was back, she wanted to drink for days and nights on end.
That was certainly no problem. For Higashino, money to buy alcohol was hardly an issue. But on an occasion like today, there was no way he was pampering Matsumoto Rangiku by actually setting up a sake feast for her.
"You've got two captain-class Shinigami here personally to welcome you. Isn't that extravagant enough?"
So Higashino deliberately donned a stern expression and questioned her.
"All right, all right, Shuuichi-sama, I get it…"
But in truth, this time Higashino had misjudged her.
The reason Rangiku had been glancing around wasn't sake at all—she was looking for a certain person.
The childhood friend who, in the years since she'd left the Soul Society with Shuuichi-sama, had grown into a captain of the Gotei 13: Ichimaru Gin.
Even though Higashino had already told her previously that what happened back then might not have been Gin's doing, Matsumoto Rangiku still wanted to hear Gin explain it personally.
She had even decided that, as long as Gin came over this time and explained the truth behind the captain Hollowfication incident, she could consider forgiving him.
Unfortunately, after sweeping her gaze around the area, Rangiku didn't catch a glimpse of Ichimaru Gin anywhere.
Maybe… Gin just doesn't know yet?
Impossible. Rangiku clearly remembered Shuuichi-sama saying that the decision to let them return had long since been circulated among the Gotei 13 captains.
As captain of the Third Division, there was no way Ichimaru Gin didn't know.
So if Gin wasn't here, there could only be one explanation: he didn't want to see her yet.
But… why? Why wouldn't he want to see her?
That wasn't like the Ichimaru Gin she knew.
In her memories, the Gin from back then would definitely have shown up here.
Rangiku believed that firmly. So in her mind, there was only one answer: he was feeling guilty.
Because he'd done something wrong, he didn't dare face her.
But that clashed with what Shuuichi-sama had told her.
Who was right and who was wrong? Rangiku wasn't sure anymore.
In reality, though, Ichimaru Gin had already watched the entire scene from afar.
He just stood there in the distance, never taking a single step forward.
In the end, Gin hadn't been able to completely suppress his feelings. He'd wanted to come, to see with his own eyes whether Rangiku had been doing well in the World of the Living.
After hearing Rangiku's firm, spirited conversation with Higashino Shuuichi, he felt relieved.
Rangiku's life in the human world had been richer and happier than even Kisaragi Shūsuke's.
Then Gin turned around and left, without so much as a trace—like a cloud silently drifting away.
At the same time, in South Rukongai, a tear in space suddenly opened, and a man and a woman stepped out.
"So this is… the Soul Society?"
The woman's looks were ordinary, and her body was covered with various instruments—but these devices didn't hinder her excited movements in the slightest.
"Yes. We've safely arrived in the Soul Society. Thank you for your cooperation, Satomi-san."
The male Shinigami stood behind her. After jotting down the final set of data in his little notebook, he thanked her happily.
"This is what I should do, no need to thank me, Ōko-kun~
In fact, I should be the one saying thank you. I'm sorry—I was just a little too distracted by the scenery around us."
Nagasawa Satomi bowed to Yushima Ōko in gratitude.
Thanks to Higashino Shuuichi's explanations, Nagasawa Satomi understood all too well how difficult it was, as a Fullbringer, to preserve both your appearance and consciousness and then come to the Soul Society through Konsō (Soul Burial).
You could say that the vast majority of Shinigami didn't have the qualifications or the ability for this kind of job.
Only captain-class Shinigami and members of the Five Great Noble Clans who wielded hereditary divine tools—those exceptionally powerful or unique individuals—could pull it off.
Yushima Ōko belonged to the latter category. Thanks to his Zanpakutō's ability, he could move freely within the Dangai (Precipice World). For someone like him, guiding Nagasawa Satomi—whose soul had become extraordinarily powerful after fusing with fragments of the Soul King's body—through the Dangai was hardly a challenge.
At the same time, Higashino Shuuichi hadn't let such a precious experimental opportunity go to waste. The reason he'd asked Yushima Ōko, rather than doing it himself, to bring Nagasawa Satomi into the Soul Society was because he wanted Yushima to record the entire process of her soul's conversion in detail.
So that in the future, Higashino Shuuichi could grasp Fullbring for himself.
For reasons that needed no explaining, a human soul was an indispensable part of obtaining Fullbring.
For Higashino Shuuichi, that was the hardest step to accomplish.
Originally, it was an almost unsolvable problem—but with time, this possibility had finally appeared before him.
"It's fine. I've already sent your coordinates to Shuuichi-sama. All you have to do is wait here. I'm sure Shuuichi-sama will come to pick you up soon."
Yushima Ōko nodded matter-of-factly, then used shunpo (Flash Step) to speed off toward Seireitei. He wanted to take advantage of the data still being fresh to immediately put some ideas that had just popped into his head into practice.
With this, all the members of the original Osaka Prefecture branch who had once been forced to separate from Higashino Shuuichi had finally gathered again in this somewhat distorted Soul Society.
And in case anyone wondered whether someone was still missing—of course not. At this very moment, Kabuma Sayako was already sitting at home, where she had just met once more with the current Head Captain of the Gotei 13, Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni.
As head of the Kabuma clan, one of the Five Great Noble Clans, Kabuma Sayako had never carried the label of "traitor." So when she returned to the Soul Society, and how she returned, were matters entirely up to her own whims.
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