Chapter 162: Squad Member
Huh, so there's a "drive a wedge between them" phase too?
Quite the act for someone your age.
Matsushita Yusuke smiled and reached over, giving Gin Ichimaru's head a firm ruffle.
"Heh... big brain in a little body."
Aizen was a careful person. That cut both ways.
Because he was careful, even with reports from trusted subordinates, he would weigh each one before deciding whether to accept it or dismiss it.
And because he was the type to think three steps ahead, even if he heard something alarming, his decision would ultimately be based on whatever the realistic evidence supported.
"You're saying my superior won't take the word of his own trusted subordinates seriously, but will instead believe the ramblings of some unknown kid with no track record?"
"..."
From a pure results standpoint, that was exactly the logic.
Gin Ichimaru said nothing. Not because he was convinced. He pressed his lips together and watched Matsushita Yusuke with guarded eyes.
"What do you actually want from me?"
"Tch."
Matsushita Yusuke clicked his tongue.
A kid with complicated motives is always a headache... I already said I don't want anything. Why is that so hard to follow?
Fine. Let's do it this way.
"Either you agree to join my squad like a reasonable person, and I help you get back what you're after. Or you don't agree..."
He made a slow throat-slitting gesture.
"I break your legs and drop you back in Rukongai to fend for yourself. Your call."
Are those two options even in the same category?
Rukongai had no real order to speak of, especially the further-back districts. Getting dropped there without the ability to move around was the same as being left to rot. Might as well be dead.
Gin Ichimaru gave a tense nod.
This was not the time to be stubborn. Get through it first. Figure out the rest later.
"I'll join..."
Matsushita Yusuke clapped his hands together and stood.
"That's all I needed! Congratulations, you're officially Squad 11's first squad member. Uniforms are still being made, so wear whatever you have for the next few days."
He said it casually while his attention shifted to the panel that had just appeared.
[Squad 11 Management Panel]
[Squad Member Count: 1 (Current Cap: 200)]
[Squad Tasks: (Build a Dedicated Unit) (Develop a Vice-Captain Level Figure) (Increase Squad Reputation)...]
Gin Ichimaru's profile appeared in the roster. Matsushita Yusuke tried to view it, and was greeted with: (Insufficient Affection Level).
Figures. It really does work just like Stardew Valley. Though personal information like that does depend on the person's own consent. Yusuke thought about it for a moment and let it go.
Things are how they are. Develop it from here, slowly.
As for the returns: the squad tasks were exactly the kind of content he had been eyeing for a long time. Countless tasks of that type.
At his current stage, improving stats through standard quests was getting noticeably harder. Not only had the number of available quests dropped significantly, but the quality was difficult to push up either. Achievement-type quests were, in the most literal sense, rare luck.
That left squad management as the primary route for large volumes of stat rewards. He could lay the groundwork in advance, but just as before: the number of available slots was limited. Quality over quantity was the only sensible approach.
Waiting for a solid batch of Academy graduates.
Originally Matsushita Yusuke had been planning to take it easy for about half a year. Gin's arrival had slightly shifted that plan.
Getting an early start wasn't a bad idea.
After all, nobody ever looked at themselves and thought: I'm too strong.
'Even if this kid ends up developing a bit sideways under my watch, he should hit vice-captain level at the absolute floor... in terms of returns, just this one person alone could give me multiple harvests.'
An absolute goldmine. A renewable one at that.
With that thought, Matsushita Yusuke's gaze toward Gin Ichimaru took on a distinctly peculiar quality.
The recipient of that stare gave an involuntary flinch, couldn't figure out what to say, and settled for swallowing nervously.
"Is... is there something?"
"Nothing. Let me show you around the squad. You'll be operating here going forward, so it's worth getting familiar early."
Gin Ichimaru was probably not thrilled about this, but that was fine.
He was well and truly outmatched here.
He was dragged along on a mandatory introductory tour.
"Bath is over here, toilet and bedroom are here... since you might not be entirely self-sufficient yet, the room next to mine is yours."
Looking at the neatly furnished private room, Gin Ichimaru went quiet.
"...I don't have to pay rent?"
"You growing well and getting a little stronger each day. That's the best return I could ask for."
Matsushita Yusuke smiled, gave him a pat on the shoulder, turned, and left.
"I've got things to take care of... your squad insignia should come through in three or four days. Free time until then. But don't leave the squad area. It'll cause unnecessary trouble if you do."
Gin Ichimaru watched Yusuke's retreating back with an expression that didn't quite know what to do with itself.
He couldn't make sense of Matsushita Yusuke's thinking at all.
Why put so much effort into someone he'd just met? And by any reasonable reading of their respective positions, shouldn't they be on opposing sides?
But this person had some kind of inexplicable warmth about him. Like they were old friends who had known each other for years. Not the least bit concerned about what Gin might do, seemingly not even considering the possibility that he might turn.
So what was he supposed to do with that?
Standing where he was, Gin Ichimaru showed a thoughtful expression.
The situation was unclear. The other party's background and motives were unknown. The rational move, the conservative move, was to find an excuse and walk out.
But he couldn't get his feet to move.
He wasn't especially intuitive by nature, but right now there was a pull that he couldn't quite name. If he left this place, he had a feeling he might never again be able to reach things at a different level.
This was a turning point. A fork in the road, the kind that only came around once.
The choice he made here might shape not just his own future, but Rangiku's as well.
Just thinking that far, Gin Ichimaru felt the cold settle into his hands and feet. He pressed his lips together. Drew a slow breath.
Rangiku.
Even for her sake, he absolutely could not die here.
He had no intention of running. If anything, he'd already started tidying up the room.
Soifon, who had been keeping watch nearby, rolled her eyes.
She hadn't expected the first squad member to turn out to be some little brat.
No idea what that idiot was thinking.
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