"Oh my. Captain Rosse really is too dangerous. You haven't even been here a few days and you already made the Head Captain issue a ban."
Ichimaru Gin spoke with that same smiling tone, the words sounding playful on the surface but clearly meant to warn Matsumoto Rangiku.
But unfortunately for him, Rangiku didn't buy it at all.
"Captain Ichimaru, our captain has no problem whatsoever. Everything he did was self-defense. Unlike some people, who can only get chased all over the place."
"Tsk! As expected of Captain Rosse. Looks like I still can't match up to him. Oh my, since Captain Rosse is perfectly fine, then I can take my leave without worry," Gin finished with that same narrow-eyed smile and immediately turned to go.
When it came to holding things in, Gin might even surpass Aizen.
Seeing him leave, Rangiku finally let out a breath.
Rosse had only been here a few days, yet trouble kept finding him.
There were rumors in the past that new captains often got targeted a bit, but none of them had as much going on as Rosse.
But thankfully, this time ended peacefully.
"Rangiku, are you very familiar with Captain Ichimaru?", As they walked back toward Squad Ten, Rosse asked casually.
"Eh? Why is the captain asking that?", Rangiku jumped in surprise, her generous curves bouncing, the scale truly impressive.
"You don't act nearly as proactive with the other captains as you do with Captain Ichimaru," Rosse said with a smile.
"Huh? Captain is saying I'm timid in front of the other captains, right?", Rangiku pouted, looking at Rosse with dissatisfaction.
They were captains after all, monsters who could destroy the heavens and earth. She was just a small vice captain. How could she dare meddle in captain-level affairs?
"But yeah, I am familiar with Gin," Rangiku hesitated for a moment, then still decided to talk about her past.
"Gin and I were partners who relied on each other back in Rukongai. Once, after I fainted from hunger and woke up again, Gin suddenly said he was going to become a Shinigami."
"After that, he just left on his own and never came back."
"Some time later, I found a way to become a Shinigami and entered the Shin'o Spiritual Arts Academy. By then Gin had already graduated at the fastest speed. He was a real genius, finishing in just one year."
"Maybe we just have different talent. My limit was only vice captain. When Gin graduated, he already had the power I have now."
"When I graduated from the academy, Gin had already become Squad Five's vice captain."
"And after that first parting, Gin never talked to me again. There were several times I went to him full of joy, but all I got were words like I wasn't worthy to be his friend. It really hurt."
By this point, Rangiku looked completely lost in melancholy.
"Rangiku, do you like Gin?", Rosse, always a smooth listener, somehow slipped the question in at the perfect moment.
"Like? No! No!", Rangiku waved her hands quickly, startled.
"It's not like that. I just think of him as a dear friend. He took care of me a lot back then. More like an older brother. To be honest, I did admire him a lot at one point, but later I realized admiration and understanding were worlds apart."
"Maybe I never understood him at all," She then smiled faintly, "If I never truly understood him, then what liking is there to talk about? But captain, I'm surprised you care about this kind of love stuff."
"You make it sound like I'm some battle maniac. Any normal person would be curious, right?", Rosse chuckled and ruffled her hair more strongly.
"Captain! I'm not like those kids Toshiro and Momo. You don't always have to treat me like a child," Rangiku muttered in dissatisfaction, but this time she didn't swat Rosse's hand away. Instead, she quietly let him keep patting her.
That feeling of being cared for was really, really nice.
Ever since Gin left back then, Rangiku hadn't felt that in a long time.
But now, that feeling seemed to have returned.
Only, unlike the deep childhood affection she had with Gin, the care she felt from Rosse definitely made her heart sway a little.
Only once you grow up do you realize how rare and precious the care between adults truly is.
Rangiku's lips curved gently, her eyes narrowing slightly as she enjoyed this peaceful moment.
———
But not far away, the still-unmoved Ichimaru Gin paused in place, staring blankly.
This version of Rangiku... maybe he had seen it once long ago, but those memories had almost faded away.
When had it started? Probably from the moment he saw Aizen personally extract part of Rangiku's soul.
After that, he had walked down a path of no return.
But that piece of Rangiku's soul belonged to her. He would take it back, no matter what.
For that, he could sacrifice everything.
As for Rangiku herself... if Rosse weren't so dangerous, he might have sincerely wished her happiness.
'But anyone except Rosse.'
Gin looked one last time at the two standing so close under the eaves, then said nothing and quietly left.
With his current identity, he had no right to interfere.
And Aizen's plan wasn't far from beginning. When that time came, the Seireitei would have no place for any of them... and neither would Rosse.
Rosse had sensed Gin's presence clearly from the beginning.
When he felt Gin finally leave, Rosse let go of Rangiku with a smile, then continued walking with her.
What he had set his eyes on would never be something he gave up because of someone else.
If he was going to be a turtle from the start, then he would be a turtle for life, Ichimaru Gin.
———
The matter with Squad Eleven quickly spread throughout the Seireitei.
When people heard the whole squad had been nearly emptied out, most Shinigami felt nothing but envy.
But envy was one thing. Imitation was another. Many squads had captains stronger than Zaraki Kenpachi, but just thinking about their captains' personalities made them give up on the idea.
Instead of wishing their captain would fight with Zaraki to earn them benefits, it was far safer to just go flatter their captain every day.
Maybe a captain in a good mood would give them something nice. That was way more reliable than causing trouble for Squad Eleven.
Once Rosse finally had some downtime, he began learning Kido and Shunpo.
Shunpo was a Shinigami movement technique, similar to Soru from the Navy's Six Styles. It also used rapid stepping to move instantly.
By comparison, the Hollow's sonido was more practical, trickier, and more unpredictable.
But unfortunately, sonido was a racial talent for Hollows. Shinigami couldn't learn it easily. Anyone who could master Shunpo well was already considered a genius.
But with the foundation of Soru from the Six Styles, Rosse mastered Shunpo completely in just two days.
According to Rangiku, compared to Rosse, the so-called strongest genius in a hundred years, Toshiro Hitsugaya, seemed like an idiot.
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