The hole-masked crown atop the head.
A rose-colored facial pattern stretching along her cheek.
That's an Arrancar, right?
Matsumoto Rangiku blinked and wiped her eyes, then looked forward again.
That is an Arrancar, right?!
Her stunning eyes widened in disbelief, and her seductive body tensed into a combat-ready stance.
Why is Karakura Town so damn cursed?
First, the soul burial training ran into unexpected anomalies.
Then came an Arrancar who could completely suppress its Reiatsu.
And now, another Arrancar appears—seemingly out of nowhere?
> "I just wanted to come here to slack off a little. What's so wrong with that…"
Matsumoto grumbled inwardly before drawing her Zanpakutō and dashing forward—
Only to be held back.
"Let go of me, brat!" she snapped.
"That's an Arrancar—Adjuchas-class, no less!"
Still straining against the hold, Rangiku's sharp eyes were locked ahead with focused intensity.
"Relax," Kanbaru said calmly. "She's not an enemy."
Feeling her buxom form squirm and push against his grip, Kanbaru tried to explain while tightening the hold with awkward precision.
"Not an enemy?" Rangiku's eyes narrowed. "What does that mean?"
"Literal meaning."
Kanbaru coughed and let go of her as if nothing had happened.
Then—
Under Matsumoto Rangiku's horrified gaze…
The Arrancar charged forward and launched herself directly into Kanbaru's chest.
BOOM!
He was sent flying.
"???" Rangiku's jaw dropped.
You call that not an enemy?!
"I'll help you!" she declared, her body glowing with spiritual pressure. This was no time to hold back. That blast had serious force.
"The enemy is Adjuchas-class... I'll go all out!"
"Shikai—!"
> "Whisper…"
Her slender fingers traced her Zanpakutō's surface.
And then—
She was held back again.
"Meow meow what now?!" Rangiku exclaimed, staring at Kanbaru with complete exasperation.
Was this kid playing games with her?
"Accident. Accident," Kanbaru smiled awkwardly, now holding a little green-haired girl tightly in his arms.
That girl… was Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck—Nelliel for short.
The reason Kanbaru had gone flying wasn't an attack, but the result of her high-speed collision.
Hyper-Acceleration.
One of Nel's innate traits. A pounce-based burst movement—an instantaneous lunge enhanced by gravity acceleration.
It amplifies both momentum and destructive force in close range.
Even a captain-level Shinigami would be sent flying, likely with fractured ribs.
Kanbaru only survived because he was in a fused state—the second-level collapse of his transformation.
Otherwise…
> By now, Kurosaki Masaki would be burning incense over his grave.
But the truth was… Nel hadn't meant to attack him at all.
It was just—
> "N-Nel didn't see Kanbaru when she woke up… so I thought you didn't want me anymore…"
Nestled tightly against Kanbaru's chest, the small Arrancar sobbed uncontrollably.
When she woke up alone and couldn't sense him nearby, her panic reached a peak.
In desperation, she followed his spiritual trail at top speed—
And thus, the scene just now.
Matsumoto Rangiku's jaw slackened. "Is this Arrancar… yours?"
"In a way, yeah," Kanbaru admitted. He gave a brief explanation of Nel's background—conveniently omitting the part involving Szayelaporro Granz.
"So… you picked her up?"
Rangiku blinked. "You're really something, Kanbaru. Picking up a… person like that."
Her voice trailed off as she looked again at Nel.
Even without much contact, Rangiku had sensed it—her Reiatsu wasn't normal.
It was gentle.
Pure.
Completely unlike the typical Hollow.
Brutal, erratic, insane, malevolent—these were the spiritual hallmarks of Hollow-kind.
But this girl?
Her spiritual pressure lacked all those dark tones. Her eyes weren't cruel.
There was no killing intent. No hunger.
Only innocence. And warmth.
And something else—
> Devotion.
From the moment Rangiku had started observing her, she noticed Nel's gaze rarely left Kanbaru.
Even when she occasionally glanced at others, her eyes remained calm and kind—but slightly distant.
That same devotion only surfaced when she looked at Kanbaru again.
It was a kind of loyalty that surpassed logic.
Almost like… imprinting.
"She really cares about you," Rangiku said softly.
"If someone tried to hurt you—I get the feeling she'd kill them without hesitation."
Her sultry, older-sister voice carried uncharacteristic seriousness.
Then she sighed and scratched her head.
"But… adopting a Menos Grande? And not just that—an Adjuchas-class? That's absurd."
She paused.
"Can we even do that? Adopt Hollows now?"
"What do you think the Soul Society will say?"
Her words weren't wrong.
If Seireitei found out that an Arrancar was living peacefully in Karakura Town…
They'd flip.
No matter how "special" Nel might be, the Gotei 13 wouldn't ignore the risk.
They'd have two options:
1. Eliminate Nel.
2. Force her back to Hueco Mundo. (and this was the better outcome)
If the first happened—
Kanbaru wouldn't just sit back. He'd burn Seireitei to the ground if he had to.
> "That's why I want you to help keep her hidden," Kanbaru said, rubbing the back of his head.
Rangiku stared at him for a long time. Her face scrunched in frustration.
"Kurosaki Kanbaru…" she sighed deeply.
"You've really dropped a dilemma on me."
But her stern expression didn't last long. She gave him a teasing smile and leaned close, draping herself around his shoulders like a lazy cat.
"Still—leave it to me."
"After all, during the soul burial exercise, you had my back."
"Fair's fair, right?"
"Right, Kanbaru-chan~"
Her tone had that smug big-sister playfulness to it—clearly taking pleasure in teasing him.
She cupped his face gently in one hand, poking it twice for good measure.
Kanbaru: "..."
Wasn't this the same Matsumoto Rangiku known as the seductive black hole of paperwork, lieutenant of Squad 10, and the terror of bureaucratic captains?
Wasn't she supposed to be a vice-captain?
And now…
This is what he's dealing with?
> Who can survive this woman?!
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