Chapter 240: I Don't Want to Do That Kind of Thing!
"Ichimaru... Gin?"
Rangiku tilted her small head slightly, trying to recall.
Then she shook her head and said, "I don't know him."
"It's rare to find children with full names in Rukongai. If I had met him, I would definitely remember."
As she spoke, she picked up her chopsticks and tentatively took a small piece of grilled fish.
Seeing that Satoru showed no signs of anger, Rangiku breathed a small sigh of relief and happily helped herself to more food.
Hearing Rangiku's response, Satoru showed a thoughtful expression.
If he remembered correctly, Rangiku should have met Ichimaru Gin when they were very young and wandered together as orphans.
Later, Rangiku was caught up in Aizen's soul experiment and had part of her soul taken away.
The reason Ichimaru Gin viewed Aizen as an enemy was precisely because of that experiment.
He glanced at the girl sitting across the dining table, happily devouring her meal.
Hmm... upon closer inspection, the current Rangiku did appear younger than her animated counterpart.
Recalling the strength Rangiku had displayed earlier when fighting the wolves, Satoru speculated that this mysterious power might be the reason Aizen targeted her.
At this thought, Satoru lifted the corners of his mouth.
Running into him was a stroke of luck for this little girl.
After eating and drinking their fill, the two left the restaurant.
Satoru stretched lazily.
Finding Sōsuke could wait—first, he needed to bring Rangiku back to the Eleventh Division.
Once he figured out her peculiar power, he'd enroll her in Shin'ō Academy.
Hmm… while he was at it, he might as well stop by the Second Division and ask Yoruichi to send some people to search the area, see if they could find Ichimaru Gin.
That white-haired brat was also a rare genius—what a waste not to add him to his slave squad… ahem, not to recruit him.
Having sorted out his thoughts, Satoru couldn't help but marvel.
He truly had everything meticulously planned—worthy of being called the greatest strategist of the era.
What Sōsuke, what Kisuke—they were nothing but chickens and dogs before him!
In high spirits, he turned to gaze into the distance.
On the street, Rangiku was sprinting swiftly.
She ran with cunning, sticking to crowded areas, leveraging her small stature to slip through gaps beneath the throngs.
Whenever she was starving and stole food, only to be caught, this trick had always saved her.
Today, she was sure it would work again, helping her evade that clueless Shinigami!
As she ran, Rangiku chuckled to herself.
That Shinigami, though he seemed decent, undoubtedly had some ulterior motives toward her.
Why would a normal person spend money to treat some brat from Rukongai to a meal?
Foolish Shinigami, your acting may be good, but you never expected your actions would betray you!
Just as she was gloating, Rangiku suddenly slowed her pace.
…No good, her stomach hurt.
She'd eaten too much earlier, and the sudden sprint had made her feel terribly queasy.
Her face pale, she clutched her slightly bulging belly and leaned against a nearby wall.
Fortunately, she'd already put some distance between them.
Even if he was a Shinigami, it was nearly impossible for him to find her now.
She'd just rest here for a bit.
As she was about to sit down, a voice suddenly sounded beside her:
"Don't stop abruptly. It's better to walk slowly for a few minutes first."
"?"
Rangiku turned her head in confusion, her eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.
"Y-you, you, you…"
Seeing Satoru standing beside her, she almost collapsed to the ground.
"Hohoho, foolish brat, did you really think you could eat a meal paid for by me, Satoru, and just run off?"
Satoru placed one hand on his hip and the other over his mouth, letting out a queenly three-stage laugh.
Rangiku had no energy left to criticize his absurd antics.
The girl gritted her teeth. "You bastard, you really did have an agenda!"
"Heh, isn't it obvious?" Satoru looked smug. "There's an old saying in the living world: the sky won't rain down free pies."
"All these years, only I, Satoru Mikami, have been the one mooching off others—no one has ever managed to mooch off me!"
"Rangiku, if you want to leave, you'll have to pay for that meal first."
Damn it.
Rangiku's heart sank.
She'd fallen right into a trap!
Though she knew the answer would be terrible, she had no choice but to ask, "…How much?"
"Hmm, let me think."
Satoru adopted a thoughtful expression.
A few seconds later, he smiled and held up one finger. "Ten million kan."
"Just kill me already!"
Rangiku stared in stunned disbelief.
Ten million kan... Good grief, in all my life, I've never even held a single full string of kan coins!
Satoru crossed his arms and nodded lightly:
"No money is fine. Come back with me, and pay off your debt by selling yourself."
Sell, selling herself?!
Rangiku's small mouth fell slightly open, disbelief written across her face.
How could this guy say something so outrageous as if it were nothing?!
She wasn't even fifty years old—how could she possibly do such a thing?
What kind of pervert would even buy her?!
Seeing that Satoru didn't seem to be joking, Rangiku didn't care whether she could actually escape or not—she turned and ran.
But before she could take two steps, Satoru grabbed her by the back of her collar from behind, lifting her up like a kitten.
"Waaah! Let me go! I don't want to do that kind of thing!!"
Amid Rangiku's cries, Satoru soared into the air and, accompanied by roaring laughter, flew off into the distance.
...
...
Thud!
Still holding Rangiku, Satoru landed steadily.
Rangiku's eyes had turned into spinning spirals, wobbling dizzily.
Along the way, Satoru had sometimes used Flash Steps, and other times simply stomped on the air, blasting out shockwaves as he surged forward.
If she were sitting safely inside a passenger cabin, it might have been fine.
The problem was, she was only being held by the back of her collar, with her life entirely at Satoru's mercy.
While flying through the sky, she had nearly fainted from fear multiple times.
Finally back on solid ground, Rangiku felt a wave of relief, as if she had narrowly escaped death.
As she struggled to steady herself, voices called out from all around.
"Big Brother Satoru!!"
"Big Brother's back!!"
"Big Brother, you've worked hard!"
Rangiku looked around in surprise.
She saw many Shinigami dressed in black Shinigami uniforms bowing respectfully in their direction.
From the crowd, two figures approached.
One was a large dog, the other a dark-skinned man.
"Lord Satoru! You've returned!"
Komamura smiled.
Since following Satoru, he had gradually grown accustomed to life in the Seireitei.
The more he learned about the Seireitei and the Shinigami, the more he marveled at how fortunate he had been to encounter Satoru and Captain-Commander Yamamoto.
If not for those two, he would still be wandering aimlessly for who knows how long.
With his large, furry hand, he handed Satoru a water canteen.
Satoru reached out, took it, drank several large gulps, and wiped his mouth with satisfaction.
Meanwhile, Kaname turned his curious "gaze" toward Rangiku beside Satoru.
"Lord Satoru, who is this?"
Satoru grinned.
"This is Matsumoto Rangiku. I brought her back from Rukongai."
"From now on, she'll be your companion!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a voice suddenly rang out from afar:
"Brought back from Rukongai?! She must be another strong one, then!"
"Quick, fight me right away!!"
Rangiku: "..."