The teasing words had barely left Shiba Isshin's mouth when Matsumoto Rangiku's voice lagged behind her reflexes. Her body reacted before her mind could even process the thought, and she took a decisive, heavy step backward.
This intense physical reaction expressed her resistance to training without reservation. It was an instinctual response, the kind that most clearly reveals a person's true character. Her reaction was so fast and so blunt that it was as if she had just laid eyes on something utterly unspeakable.
Shiba Isshin spoke up, his voice carrying a mix of jest and a touch of helplessness as he tapped his fingers on the desk.
"You troublesome girl."
"You have talent, and your foundation isn't bad."
"Among the batch that joined the squads back then, your academic records were the most outstanding."
"But look at you now. Day in and day out, where is your mind wandering?"
"The moment you have a bit of free time, if you aren't thinking about shopping or drinking, you're looking at those beauty guides or whatever those emotional magazines are?"
He shook his head as he spoke.
As the Lieutenant of the Tenth Division, Matsumoto Rangiku had been trained and promoted by him. He had poured a great deal of effort into her development, and the two shared a deep bond of friendship. However, once she sat in that position, she seemed to lose all her drive and began to indulge in other pursuits.
If the person themselves had no intention of moving forward, there was only so much he could do as Captain. After all, cultivation was a very personal matter. Usually, he could only do what he was doing now—seizing a small opportunity to needle her with words that were half-joking and half-serious.
But external pressure could never truly replace internal drive.
He turned his gaze toward Suō Tsukasa, who was looking at a newly received secret technique with the joy of someone discovering a precious treasure, and then toward Toshiro on the other side, who had finished putting away the medicine bottles and was now earnestly immersed in paperwork.
Both of them had been in the squad for less than a year, yet they both possessed a driving force that kept them constantly growing. Moreover, their strength was advancing at a speed that even he, their Captain, could not ignore. He was also aware that Rangiku had recently joined their training group.
Thus, a thought occurred to him: he wanted to use these two "mirrors" to reignite a certain person's buried motivation to advance. He continued his verbal output.
Pointing a finger at the other two in the room, his voice took on a more sentimental tone.
"Look at how much later Tsukasa and Toshiro joined the squad than you. How rapid is their progress?"
"I'm not saying you have to treat training and work as seriously as they do, but this... you're living a bit too comfortably!"
As he spoke, he pointed at her desk, which was cluttered with personal items—various cosmetics and an assortment of magazines. While her desk was much more organized than it used to be, it looked messy and chaotic when compared to Toshiro's clean and tidy workspace next door.
At that moment, Rangiku, who had been listening quietly, felt a bit embarrassed and subconsciously glanced at Tsukasa beside her. He also looked back, and their eyes met.
Tsukasa remained calm, returning an ordinary smile. His gaze was peaceful, devoid of the condescension or mockery she had expected. This somehow gave her a surge of confidence.
Matsumoto Rangiku suddenly raised her voice, hands on her hips. Her previous unease was replaced by a surge of defiant feistiness.
"Talk, talk, talk! Haven't you said enough?!"
"Tsukasa was here earlier, so I gave you some face, Captain."
"But I can't stand it today! What's wrong with being a Lieutenant? What's wrong with reading magazines?!"
"I used to work very hard, okay? What's wrong with taking things a little easier now?"
"I don't neglect my official duties normally!"
Her words came out like machine-gun fire, her blonde hair swaying slightly with her agitated tone.
"You want me to work hard, right? Fine, from now on we'll work hard together. In the future, I'll be the Captain, and you can be the Captain-Commander, how about that?!"
"Surely that's enough hard work!"
She stared at Shiba Isshin, enunciating each word with agitation. Clearly, words were no longer enough to vent her current excitement. The more she spoke, the angrier she became.
So, she took direct action.
Whack! Whack! Several solid punches landed squarely on Shiba Isshin.
"Ow! Stop hitting me! It hurts, it hurts!"
Caught off guard, Shiba Isshin winced in pain and quickly raised his hands to block, dodging while begging for mercy.
"I got carried away, I'm sorry—"
He covered an eye that had been accidentally grazed, his expression exaggeratedly contorted. His tall frame looked a bit pathetic at that moment; the aura of an elder lecturing a junior from moments ago had vanished completely.
Venting her feelings felt great, but the backlash came quickly. Matsumoto Rangiku huffed and added two more punches to his arm, the lingering anger still visible on her face.
Seeing this, Shiba Isshin felt a twinge of regret, feeling he might have pushed a bit too far. After a few seconds of awkward silence, Suō Tsukasa felt it was time for him to play the peacemaker and give them both a way out.
One must be kind to those who provide for them. Since he was currently reaping benefits, the priority was to resolve this small conflict. Seeing that Rangiku had mostly vented her anger, Tsukasa flashed a bright smile and spoke up.
"Uncle, perhaps Rangiku just hasn't found a reason to push herself yet."
"Actually, she has made some progress during this time; it's just not that obvious."
"There's nothing wrong with her wanting to live a more relaxed life. Being happy is the most important thing."
"Besides, don't you still have Toshiro and me?"
He spoke these words naturally. To be honest, he and Rangiku were the same kind of people. They were both hedonists who knew how to make themselves live as comfortably and interestingly as possible within their capabilities. Comfort has always been man's most primitive craving.
The only difference was the driving force behind them. If the future enemies weren't so powerful, he, with the strength of a Lieutenant, would have started slacking off as well.
The Seireitei seemed vast and the number of Shinigami numerous, but those who could truly join the ranks of Lieutenants or even Captains all required talent, hard work, and opportunity. Compared to those above her, she might be lacking, but compared to those below, she was more than capable. For someone of Rangiku's age to have this level of strength in the Seireitei was already quite an achievement.
Moreover, she had once been deprived of the Soul King's nail that was mixed into her soul during Aizen's Hogyoku experiments. Although she hadn't lost her spiritual aptitude, it had affected her to some degree. Though based on Tsukasa's current understanding of her, her spiritual soul didn't suffer from any rumored "missing pieces," what she likely lost was the power akin to a Fullbringer brought by a fragment of the Soul King's body.
But who could truly say how much that unknown loss affected the upper limits of her growth? After all, in the world of Shinigami, the more "mixed" the essence of one's soul power, the closer one could get to the most primordial of powers.
Tsukasa turned his head and continued.
"Also, Rangiku, don't be angry. I support your way of thinking."
"However, you are the Lieutenant that Uncle values. He simply hopes you can go higher and further."
"As a Captain, he has his own concerns. If one day Toshiro's strength surpasses yours by too much, the relationship between your seats will become somewhat awkward."
"Even if the squad members don't say anything on the surface, over time, there will inevitably be talk. Some unfavorable rumors might even spread about you."
With the talent and strength Toshiro was currently displaying, he could seize the Lieutenant position through a challenge by the end of the year. Even if Toshiro wouldn't do such a thing even decades from now, others might not think the same way.
Why should the Third Seat be so strong yet remain beneath the Lieutenant!
There must be some inside story between the Lieutenant and the Captain!
"Tsukasa, your mouth... is certainly better at talking than mine—and bolder."
"Rangiku, that's the reality of it. You have your own path. I won't nag you about it anymore in the future—"
Shiba Isshin hadn't expected his deepest concerns to be voiced so clearly. He sighed with emotion. Some rumors had reached his ears in the past, but he had suppressed them all. As Captain, he couldn't speak of these things openly without appearing to show favoritism. He didn't want Rangiku to be embarrassed in the future, nor did he want internal friction within the Tenth Division.
This required a suitable outsider to break the silence, and Suō Tsukasa was the perfect person for the job.
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