Chapter 265: The Most Trusted
So this was what it felt like to be completely blindsided by something you never saw coming.
Matsushita Yusuke now had a concrete reference for the experience.
In the moment he actually processed what Yamamoto had just said, he choked on his tea. Properly choked, the kind that made you wonder if a lung was following the cup.
He straightened up after a while, wiped the tea off his face, and waved his hand repeatedly.
"Old man, get a grip. Who does something like this?"
"What's wrong with it?"
Yamamoto's expression said he considered the question fully answered. He seemed to have resolved whatever he had been deliberating, and right now he was not retreating. If anything, he was leaning into it.
"I thought this through carefully. Given the current pressure from Central 46, we need to make some concessions while also making our own position clear."
A brief pause. He narrowed his eyes.
"Rushing a new appointment just to fill the seat and giving the noble houses something to pick apart isn't what we need right now. Using someone already trusted and proven as an interim measure is the most practical solution I could come to."
Yamamoto seemed fairly satisfied with his own reasoning. He even gave a small nod.
Yes. Well reasoned. Good work.
Matsushita Yusuke did not see it that way at all.
Running two squads at once?
By any reasonable standard, that was strange and not a little unreasonable. Given how traditional and closed-off Soul Society's institutional culture was, hearing this particular proposal from Yamamoto's mouth produced a sensation of profound cognitive dissonance.
Something is wrong with the old man today.
That thought formed. But the other two in the room seemed to have taken the proposal seriously, because both of them had already turned to look at Matsushita Yusuke with assessing expressions.
Kyoraku rubbed his chin and gave a slow, thoughtful nod.
"It's actually not a bad argument. And honestly, given where things stand, putting any new face in that seat right now feels deeply irresponsible."
Short tenure, enormous pressure.
One bad run against the hostility being directed at the Gotei 13 from outside, and the whole thing could collapse inward.
Ukitake's gaze dropped slightly and he added in the tone of someone working through the logic:
"If that happened, we'd have an even bigger spectacle on our hands and the public situation would get considerably worse. When you frame it that way, I think the Captain-Commander's proposal does make sense."
Both of them looked at Matsushita Yusuke at almost exactly the same moment. Quiet smiles.
"And if the one taking it on is Captain Matsushita, there really aren't any other objections."
"If it's you handling things, I can't find anything to complain about."
He wanted to argue. He didn't get the chance. Yamamoto had already put a hand on his shoulder.
The old man's palm was heavily calloused, decades of wear compressed into something that hit like a sandbag. Matsushita Yusuke's shoulder tilted under the weight of it.
"We're counting on you, Captain Matsushita."
And that was that. The final word. The meeting was officially over.
Matsushita Yusuke sat there with an expression of complete vacancy as the small gathering dissolved around him.
He scratched his head all the way through the rest of the day, and that evening showed up as usual for the underground meeting.
One thing led to another, and so.
"I ended up being named interim captain of Squad 10. Aizen-sensei. Doesn't that seem strange to you?"
Facing the complaint from one of his own, Aizen remained entirely composed. He even had the presence of mind to produce a pleasant smile.
"Strange? Not really."
Quite the opposite, in fact.
"This has actually raised my opinion of Yamamoto and those two students of his somewhat."
"What? Why?"
Aizen's tone was even, with a faint thread of something approaching dry amusement at the edges.
"Are you genuinely not seeing it, or are you playing dumb, Matsushita-kun?"
Before he could respond, Tosen, who had been quiet until now, filled in the answer.
"Among the captains still active, you're one of the very few who's trusted, genuinely strong, and accepted by the noble houses. You're what they'd call a standout."
Matsushita Yusuke rubbed the back of his head in mild confusion.
Is that actually how it works?
"You don't seem to have noticed."
Aizen poured a cup of strong tea and held it out, then took a small sip of his own.
"Let's take the opportunity to go through the available information properly."
First.
"Matsushita-kun, you are the current captain of Squad 11. As the combat-exclusive squad, even to completely uninformed outside observers, the person holding that position projects a particular kind of weight."
Matsushita Yusuke nodded firmly.
Right, the reputation. He had always been mentally prepared for that part, so it didn't need more comment.
What comes next?
"Second: your performance record over the years has been exceptional. Hasn't it?"
That, Matsushita Yusuke had genuinely never thought about. He scratched the back of his head and let a thoughtful expression settle on his face.
"You restructured Squad 11's organization and developed working relationships with multiple other squads. That may not feel significant to you, but it substantially changed the internal dynamics of the Gotei 13. That actually matters."
Aizen paused briefly, then continued.
"The noble houses' favorable view of you stems directly from that. That's the specific calculation they made."
Restructured was honestly a strong word for what had actually happened. Matsushita Yusuke had made adjustments that were convenient for collecting accrual points and running things in a way that suited him. Nothing principled about it.
But the reasons behind it weren't traceable from the outside, and explaining them would accomplish nothing. Best to simply accept the framing.
"And of course, the most important factor is what you've demonstrated during this period of instability."
Aizen looked at him with something warm and openly evaluating in his expression.
"When the tide runs out, the ones still standing are the ones with real strength. Your performance has been visible enough to earn Yamamoto's genuine trust. As interim options go, someone capable and without obvious ambitions of their own is exactly the profile they'd want. Can you see why you're the obvious choice?"
Honest reaction: deeply annoying to hear. Also, no good counterargument available.
Matsushita Yusuke could only sit there with a tight frown, and then attempted his own summary.
"So what you're saying, Aizen-sensei, is that I'm now one of the people Yamamoto actually trusts most inside the Gotei 13?"
Boss, when exactly are you making your move?
At this rate I'm going to be running the whole organization before you do anything.
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