Chapter 147: I Don't Get This. (Emphatically.)
[Achievement reward obtained...]
[Skill (Reishi Affinity)]
[You have gained the ability to communicate with reishi particles. The practical boost this gives you may not be large, but through this kind of connection you will grow more familiar with your own strength and develop in multiple directions.]
Matsushita Yusuke narrowed his eyes slightly and turned the notification over for a moment.
Here we go again.
Another one of these weird little skill unlocks.
Honestly, at his current level and pace, what he actually needed were rewards that pushed his raw capabilities directly upward. Something like a straight Kido-type Zanpakuto +5 or +10. Get the numbers moving.
Because after getting his hands on a Bankai, Yusuke had felt the jump in combat power clearly enough.
But alongside that... the difficulty of going any further had gone up just as sharply. Every single point past 70 took real time, and if he could get those increments through achievement rewards, that was the most efficient path available.
This skill in school would have been nice!
He kept the internal grumbling to himself, face neutral, and walked away alongside Aizen.
Tosen Kaname was the only one who hesitated slightly.
"Aizen-sama, is it truly unnecessary to deal with them?"
His instinct for cutting things off at the root was working just fine. But Aizen clearly had other arrangements in mind.
"We don't need to."
He said it without any uncertainty, and added:
"Urahara Kisuke isn't in the same category as the others. That man is genuinely troublesome to deal with. And the effects of Hollowfication won't hold indefinitely. Once Captain Hirako recovers, we'll be looking at two captain-class opponents again."
A brief pause. Aizen smiled.
"Those two are different from the others. Dealing with them would get complicated. And Matsushita-kun took on a significant load just now. Pushing further when we're the ones at a disadvantage isn't the play."
...Hm?
I'm part of the plan here?
Matsushita Yusuke came back to the conversation and looked at his employer, nodding carefully in response.
"You're too kind... I'm honestly not that worn out."
"Respecting the opponent as a matter of practice also reduces our own risk. Let's leave it here, you two."
Fair enough. Not arguing with that.
"Besides, the current situation was well within expectations... it simply means falling back on the second plan."
Aizen Sosuke pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Something quietly luminous moved behind his eyes.
"With Kyoka Suigetsu in hand, the two of you... nothing ahead of us can stand against us."
Matsushita Yusuke had been half-focused on the panel. At that line, he couldn't help stopping dead.
Hold on, hold on. Isn't that line about thirty years early?
The timeline is completely wrong. I didn't collect this cutscene!!!
"By the way, Aizen-sama."
Tosen spoke up suddenly.
"That young one I mentioned to you a while back... he was quietly asking around about you again yesterday."
"Ah, that one?"
"Should I deal with him, Aizen-sama?"
"No... that approach would only make it look like we had something to hide. Better to make contact first and see what he actually wants."
Aizen raised his right hand, pressing his fingers lightly to the side of his face, and said in a measured tone:
"If he turns out to be a genuinely rare talent, getting him on our side is the right solution. After all... our numbers are admittedly thin right now."
Matsushita Yusuke, listening to what sounded like a coded conversation between the two of them, felt a question mark forming somewhere above his head.
What are they talking about?
Then Aizen turned and looked directly at him.
"Actually, Matsushita-kun. I'd like to leave this to you. Compared to either of us, a Squad 11 captain has a much easier time making contact with someone like him."
"Uh... with who, exactly?"
"A young man by the name of Gin Ichimaru."
Gin Ichimaru.
There was no version of events in which Matsushita Yusuke didn't know that name.
He was one of the most prominent figures in the source material. And going by the original timeline, the slot Yusuke was currently occupying should have been his. And moreover...
Wait.
Hold on.
At this point in the timeline, shouldn't he already be a Club member? Why is first contact only happening now?
Something in the plot was off.
A moment later, it clicked.
The timing might not line up anymore.
Could it be that because Yusuke had joined and become a captain, he'd given Aizen a bit of extra confidence, enough that Aizen had chosen to move the whole operation forward ahead of schedule?
Not impossible.
After all, in the source material, the version of Aizen who maintained his "good guy" persona had to stay warm and agreeable with everyone around him, day in and day out. And yet even under all that, when it came to Hirako Shinji specifically, he hadn't hesitated for a second. The moment the man lost his ability to fight back, Aizen's reaction had been: monologue first. Then blade out. End it right there.
What did that say?
That the Squad 5 captain had probably been getting on Aizen's nerves for a very long time.
Others, he might have let go (possibly). But with Hirako specifically, the second the man was helpless, every accumulated grievance came due at once. New grudges and old ones, all settled together.
So if Aizen had chosen to move the schedule forward, the fact that Gin Ichimaru hadn't been recruited yet made perfect sense within that logic.
The source material never actually showed the scene where Gin joined up. That narrow-eyed kid made his debut as a child, barely bigger than a grade schooler, already trailing somewhere behind Aizen.
Which meant Aizen must have spotted him and identified his potential right around this phase.
"You want me to handle this, Aizen-sensei? Is that..."
"What's wrong, no confidence? Matsushita-kun."
Aizen smiled over at him and said it warmly.
"I took some time to observe the young man myself. His thinking may be a bit complicated, but his talent looks solid. If it works out... getting him over to our side might not be a bad outcome."
But.
"Exactly how to read him, what decision to make... that I'll leave entirely to you. If you decide he's not a fit, taking care of him then and there is fine too."
He stepped forward, gave Matsushita Yusuke a light pat on the shoulder, and added with a smile:
"I'll be waiting to see what you decide, Matsushita-kun."
The man in question scratched the back of his head and made a face that landed somewhere between baffled and put-upon.
I don't get this.
Am I moonlighting as HR now?
Fine, the company was small and clearly not running at full efficiency, so wearing multiple hats wasn't completely unreasonable.
But this felt a little unprofessional.
Was he supposed to slot Gin Ichimaru into Squad 11?
That narrow-eyed kid as a Squad 11 battle maniac?
...Was there any scenario where that worked?