Chapter 182: Five Years
Time passed, drop by drop.
Seasons turned. And before long, five years had gone by in what felt like the blink of an eye.
Over that stretch, the once eerily quiet Squad 11 barracks had become, at this point, unmistakably lively.
As a combat squad with its particular character, the early days had been rough going. The unusual nature of the place, combined with the wreckage Kijishi had left behind, had done serious damage to its appeal as a posting.
But over time, through Matsushita Yusuke and Soifon's efforts across multiple fronts, and with the help of other squads doing their part to spread the word, that reputation had been steadily turned around.
Matsushita Yusuke's intent was simple.
He wanted Squad 11 to develop into a genuinely normal organization, as much as that was possible.
Not just a pure combat machine where the only thing that mattered was who could hit hardest.
Because honestly, what was the point of only being able to fight?
Anyone who had read the source material already knew the answer.
Across three major arcs, did Squad 11 ever get a single moment that really stood out?
In the Bount arc, the captains got cut down. In the Arrancar arc, the stage shifted to the living world. And the Thousand-Year Blood War was even more embarrassing: all of Seireitei got ambushed, so everyone ended up fighting whether they wanted to or not.
The label of "combat specialists" sounded considerably less impressive in that light.
With all of that in mind, Matsushita Yusuke had used his "extraordinary foresight" over these five years to quietly carry out his renovation plan for Squad 11.
And the results?
Walking down the squad hallway, humming to himself, he passed more than a few young, sharp-looking female squad members on their way somewhere.
"Good morning, Captain."
Squad 11 with actual female members. What a leap forward. Truly a moment for the history books.
Five years had left almost no visible mark on Matsushita Yusuke. If you were forced to describe the difference, the most accurate thing you could say was that he had become a little more rough around the edges. A certain casual ease had settled into the way he carried himself.
That was just what happened when you had been at something long enough.
Hearing the squad member's greeting, he returned it without any particular ceremony.
"Oh, heading out on an assignment?"
The squad member with the freckled face was clutching a folder of documents, and she nodded with an expression barely containing itself.
"Yes! Vice-Captain Soifon asked me to deliver this joint exercise document over to Squad 13."
Matsushita Yusuke blinked, then opened his mouth with the expression of someone who had just remembered something.
Right.
The joint exercise.
It was a special arrangement put together specifically to exchange what each squad did well while simultaneously improving Squad 11's standing in the eyes of everyone else. The point was to chip away at the fixed impressions people held about this place. In the short term there was nothing you could point to directly, but that was fine. These things were about consistency more than anything else.
Matsushita Yusuke waved her off with a cheerful smile.
"Go on, then. Watch yourself out there, and get in touch if anything comes up."
She gave a quick nod and jogged off with barely suppressed excitement.
The man himself didn't especially notice, but the truth was that his approachability, and his particular lack of airs, had made him genuinely well-liked within the squad.
Compared to basically everyone else in this institution, the fact that "easy to talk to" was the standout quality, not impressive, not intimidating, just approachable, was apparently all it took to put you ahead. Soul Society really was something.
With that thought drifting through him, Matsushita Yusuke continued toward his office.
He didn't get far before a scream reached him from somewhere ahead, growing louder fast.
A heavy thud followed it.
A figure came crashing through a nearby sliding door, spinning through the air, and plowed into the courtyard below. It stayed down for a good while after that.
"Hey! Get back up and keep going! Is this really all you've got? At this level, I'm not approving your seated officer promotion application!"
A familiar voice carried from the side. Zaraki stepped out through the broken doorframe, training sword in hand, looking thoroughly unimpressed.
"Squad 11 doesn't recognize seated officers at this ability level. If you want to prove yourself, get back up and come at me again!"
Then he noticed Matsushita Yusuke standing nearby.
The two of them stared at each other.
"..."
"..."
Yachiru's head emerged from behind Zaraki, practically vibrating with excitement.
"We're conducting seated officer assessments! What do you think, Yusuke? Aren't we amazing?"
Honestly, the whole situation was hard to evaluate.
Because of Zaraki's particular approach to these things, Squad 11's seated officer roster had been stuck at two people for some time. Him and Gin Ichimaru, and nobody else.
Of course, Gin wasn't actually a match for Zaraki in a straight fight. But they sparred constantly, and compared to everyone else who had tried, this particular fish had turned out to be a fairly tough one. Add to that the fact that Gin's nature leaned heavily toward endurance, and in his own way he had earned something like Zaraki's acknowledgment.
These two unexpectedly got along pretty well.
As for the current state of affairs: only two seated officers.
But when you thought about it, that made complete sense.
Being able to beat Zaraki was the bar for a seated officer here. Who in their right mind would come to this place and put themselves through that, when every other squad in Seireitei offered a comfortable posting with good food and good company?
Matsushita Yusuke had no particular objection. He had never been someone who enjoyed inserting himself into things that weren't his immediate concern.
In the most literal sense: as long as you're happy, carry on.
"Just don't go too overboard."
He laughed his easy laugh, waved, stepped over the scattered debris, and kept walking.
Behind him, Zaraki's voice called out.
"In a couple days, once I've made some progress, I'll come challenge you again!"
This had been happening regularly for five years. By now Matsushita Yusuke had long since stopped reacting to it with anything other than a comfortable familiarity.
He raised his right hand without turning around.
"Anytime~"
Back in his office, he let out a yawn, made himself a cup of tea at his leisure, retrieved the blanket hanging from the coat rack, and curled up on the window-seat lounge chair like a cat settling in for a nap.
Slack off. Sleep. Make the most of every quiet day.
Of course.
Today seemed to be a slightly different kind of day.
Because before long, Matsushita Yusuke heard that familiar hum.
Like unseen insects drawing slowly closer. He opened his eyes and looked toward the window.
And caught Tosen Kaname in the act of pushing the window open, preparing to climb through like someone who was absolutely not supposed to be there.
"..."
"..."
The air between them went briefly awkward.
"I thought you weren't in..."
A short cough. Tosen tucked away what he had been carrying and switched to speaking directly instead.
"Getting to the point: Aizen-sama is looking for you. Also..."
He paused, then added in a quieter voice.
"Our plan. There has been progress."
Turns out the calm was only ever a temporary pause.
The storm that followed never waited long.