Chapter 161: My First Crop
"..."
The mind was foggy. Every sense along with it.
But as consciousness gradually returned, the blurred field of vision adjusted itself breath by breath, until it came back to normal.
The young man, pulling himself out of unconsciousness, snapped upright.
Not good.
That was his first reaction.
The scene of being struck was still lodged somewhere in the back of his mind, and the pounding in his head hadn't fully let go yet.
He was exposed. But... he wasn't dead?
He frantically ran his hands over himself, confirmed that nothing was missing, then looked around the room with the shaken expression of someone who had just narrowly avoided something.
Nothing here was familiar. A completely unfamiliar room. He was lying on tatami, with a blanket over him.
The blanket had the smell of sunlight on it. It had soaked through to his clothes as well.
Something about it made his heart beat a little faster.
"Oh, you're awake?"
A voice from beside him. Unfamiliar, but faintly so.
He turned his head toward the source, staring.
Matsushita Yusuke was dressed simply, holding a small bag, standing at the doorway waving at him. His smile was easy. His tone was calm.
"I thought you'd sleep a bit longer... your body turned out to be weaker than I was expecting."
He walked over quickly, settled down cross-legged beside the young man.
"How are you feeling? Should be a bit better now?"
"..."
Playing the silent, unreadable act?
Expected, of course. People who could chat casually in a situation like this were the exception.
After a short pause, Matsushita Yusuke smiled and added:
"Should I call you 'dirty little brat,' or... Gin Ichimaru?"
The other person's body gave a visible flinch.
His expression didn't change. But the hands hanging at his sides had clenched into fists, and small beads of sweat were seeping through his fingers.
Completely nerve-wracked.
From where he stood, there was no way to explain how his identity had been exposed.
How does this person know my name?! I've never told anyone... it can't be Rangiku, can it???
That kind of panicked speculation makes it easy to reach the wrong conclusions.
"You... you've got the wrong person!"
"Even if I had the wrong person, there's no need to shout. That kind of reaction just makes you look more suspicious, kid."
Gin Ichimaru pressed his lips together, expression saying nothing.
Matsushita Yusuke took in every bit of this, then let out a quiet, almost imperceptible sigh.
Gin Ichimaru.
Honestly, Matsushita Yusuke's impression of this guy was pretty good.
Because this person was, in the most literal sense, the real deal when it came to devotion. Years of enduring everything, playing every role, keeping every secret, all for one reason: to get back something that belonged to the girl he'd grown up with. Skilled, quietly calculating, dark in his methods, but with a motive that was completely clean.
You say Bleach didn't have any beautiful-and-strong-and-tragic characters? Let me make a strong case for this narrow-eyed kid. He died for his cause in the end.
Matsushita Yusuke looked at the nervous young man watching him with the expression of a startled animal, and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Found the person. So...
What was the right move here?
This person's abilities were more than sufficient. He was a genius-level talent by Aizen's own assessment.
In the original story, at the time of the Visored incident, he was still a malnourished-looking kid. A hundred years of serious development came after that. He became a captain, and with his Bankai alone he came within a hair of reaching Aizen's one real critical weakness.
If not for the Hogyoku stepping in at the decisive moment, Aizen could have been finished right there.
Ability and character both unquestionably strong.
And this person died in Rangiku's arms at the end, like a final brushstroke on a painting that put a perfect close on an imperfect life. It might not be kind to say it, but some people only truly shine after they're gone.
Anyway.
The talent was right there in front of him. What was the right call?
Matsushita Yusuke reached out his right hand with a grin.
"Why don't you come join my squad!"
Talent.
For Matsushita Yusuke right now, this was the equivalent of a high-quality crop just sitting there waiting.
He had this entire field and nothing planted in it yet. A complete waste. Embarrassing, even.
Technically it was because graduation season hadn't arrived yet, so there was no one to recruit. But in practical terms, his "Stardew Valley" wasn't running. At all.
And now there was a guaranteed captain-level potential sitting right in front of him. This might genuinely be a once-in-a-lifetime opening.
"Join the squad. My benefits package is excellent: four days on, three days off, thirteen-month salary, spring and autumn breaks on top of annual leave, and small gifts on every national holiday."
Gin Ichimaru looked deeply skeptical.
"Is this some kind of scam operation?"
The reasoning was straightforward: "Benefits that good just feel fake."
"That's... actually a fair point."
Matsushita Yusuke rubbed the back of his head and laughed awkwardly.
"Cough... let me put it differently. I know what you're after specifically, and I understand your situation... so."
He adjusted his seating slightly.
"Do you honestly think you can pull that off relying on your abilities alone?"
It probably sounded like a riddle. But having read the source material, Matsushita Yusuke had an informational advantage.
Gin Ichimaru's reason for joining the Club in the first place came down, at its core, to recovering the fragment of Rangiku's soul that had been absorbed into the Hogyoku.
Which meant it was categorically impossible.
Because Aizen's personality operated on exactly one principle in this regard: I can take what's yours, but what's mine stays mine.
Even trusted subordinates couldn't go after the Hogyoku. That applied equally to Matsushita Yusuke and to Tosen.
"..."
Gin Ichimaru looked carefully in Matsushita Yusuke's direction.
As he had said: he had never told anyone the purpose behind what he was doing. Not even Rangiku was anything other than completely in the dark.
So how had this person figured out his intent?
He couldn't find any way to explain it. But at the same time, Gin Ichimaru didn't actually feel a particular urgency about that.
Because he genuinely couldn't feel any hostility coming from Matsushita Yusuke.
Strange person.
"You're not going to kill me?"
After a moment's consideration, he asked it plainly.
"You're not afraid I'll go report to Aizen Sosuke that you have divided loyalties?"