~ Next Bonus, 300!
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Soi Fon busied herself with the paperwork, glancing conflictedly between Retsu Unohana and Yoruichi Shihōin. The air between the two won crackled with silent hostility, as if invisible daggers were being thrown back and forth.
Although Unohana wore a gentle smile, Soi Fon's keen instincts picked up on the sharp, dangerous aura hidden beneath it.
As for Shin? He was long gone. Unable to stand the stifling atmosphere, he had made the wise decision to flee the 2nd Division barracks.
Shin knew all too well that if he stayed, he'd only get dragged into the middle of their cold war. It was better to make a tactical retreat.
Call it escapism if you want, but for Shin, it was simply survival.
"Strange. Why is the street completely empty?"
Shin wandered through the Seireitei, noting the lack of foot traffic. Had sothing major happened? Why hadn't he heard any commotion?
Curious, Shin released a sliver of his Reiatsu to sense his surroundings. He quickly realized where everyone had gone—they were all gathering at the Shin'o Academy.
Changing course, Shin headed toward the Academy as well. If there was a crowd, there was usually sothing interesting happening, and Shin was never one to turn down a bit of entertainnt.
Since he wasn't wearing his Captain's haori, his presence didn't cause much of a stir. Shin usually kept a low profile, so relatively few people recognized him on sight.
"Hey, do you know what's going on here?" Shin tapped the shoulder of a woman with a particularly striking figure.
The woman turned around at his touch, her expression shifting to one of mild panic the mont she saw his face.
"Oh, it's you," Shin said, imdiately recognizing her.
It was Rangiku Matsumoto, the woman with the explosive curves.
The last ti he saw her, she had nearly died at Aizen's hands. If Shin hadn't intervened, Rangiku's story would have ended right there in tragedy.
Seeing her flustered expression, it was obvious she recognized him too. A playful smile tugged at the corners of Shin's lips.
"Captain Shin... thank you... thank you for saving back then."
Rangiku bowed deeply, her voice filled with gratitude. She rembered everything clearly, including hearing Shin's na during the incident.
She even knew about Aizen. Originally, Rangiku had wanted to report Aizen's actions, but Gin Ichimaru had stopped her.
Gin knew the reality of the situation: even if she spoke up, no one would believe a nobody from the Rukongai over a respected Lieutenant like Aizen. Furthermore, given Aizen's standing, nearly killing a random soul wouldn't be considered a capital offense in the eyes of the Central 46, especially without hard evidence.
Although Rangiku was unwilling to stay silent, she eventually agreed for her own safety. However, she had kept a close watch on Aizen ever since.
It was a miracle she was still alive. Without Gin's subtle protection behind the scenes, Aizen likely would have silenced her permanently to tie up loose ends.
"No need to thank . I didn't exactly plan on saving you—it just happened," Shin said casually.
Hearing Shin's dismissive words, Rangiku lowered her head, feeling a bit dejected. She was genuinely grateful to him and had wanted to visit him to express her thanks properly.
However, Rangiku wasn't a Lieutenant yet. She didn't have the dazzling reputation of soone like Gin, who had risen to Captaincy through sheer talent and opportunity.
With her current status as a regular squad mber, getting an audience with a Captain like Shin was nearly impossible.
"So, what's happening here?" Shin asked, steering the conversation back to the crowd.
"A prodigy has entered the Shin'o Academy. Everyone is here to get a look at him," Rangiku explained, a hint of yearning in her eyes.
"Oh? A prodigy?"
Shin's eyes flickered with interest. If there was a genius causing this much of a stir, it had to be a significant plot character.
"I think his na is Tōshirō Hitsugaya. He's very young, but he was born with imnse Reiatsu," Rangiku said.
Her expression dimd slightly as she spoke. Although her own talent wasn't bad, it paled in comparison to a true monster of nature.
Originally, Rangiku's potential was quite high, but a portion of her soul had been stolen by Aizen, permanently hampering her growth.
Still, compared to the souls in the Rukongai who lacked the spiritual pressure to even beco Shinigami, she was miles ahead. Even among the Gotei 13, she was considered elite—after all, she was destined to beco a Lieutenant.
Anyone capable of reaching Lieutenant rank was a genius in their own right, just not on the sa level as the freaks of nature.
"So it's him," Shin muttered with a faint smile upon hearing the na Tōshirō Hitsugaya.
He was indeed a genius. The future youngest Captain in history. Young, intelligent, and powerful.
He possessed Hyōrinmaru, the strongest Ice-type Zanpakutō. Theoretically, if developed to its absolute limit, it should be able to rival the strongest Fire-type Zanpakutō, Ryūjin Jakka.
The problem was that Tōshirō's own base power was leagues below Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, so Hyōrinmaru often seed underwhelming by comparison.
In reality, a Zanpakutō capable of controlling the weather was terrifyingly strong—Tōshirō just needed ti to grow into it.
"Do you know him, Captain Shin?" Rangiku asked curiously.
"Nope, never t him," Shin replied flatly.
Rangiku blinked, speechless. If he didn't know him, why did he act like he knew exactly who he was?
Now that he knew the cause of the commotion, Shin lost interest. He turned to leave.
"Wait! Captain Shin, wait a mont!"
Seeing Shin walk away, Rangiku abandoned her plans to watch the prodigy and chased after him.
"Is there sothing else?" Shin asked, turning back to face her.
Shin looked at Rangiku with blatant appreciation. Strictly speaking of physical assets, neither Yoruichi nor Unohana could quite compete with Rangiku in the curves departnt.
Seeming to sense Shin's wandering gaze, Rangiku blushed slightly and lowered her head.
It helped that Shin was incredibly handso. If it were anyone else looking at her like that—Rangiku would have turned around and walked away imdiately.
"Um, I really want to repay you," Rangiku said earnestly.
"And how do you plan to do that?" Shin asked with a teasing smile.
Rangiku looked troubled. She hadn't actually thought of a specific way to repay him yet.
"How about I treat you to dinner, Captain Shin? Would that be alright?" Rangiku asked, looking at him with a mix of anticipation and anxiety, fearing he might refuse.
"Sure. Since a beautiful woman is inviting , it would be rude to refuse." Shin nodded.
Rangiku's face lit up with joy. He actually agreed.
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