"So, I heard you did pretty well for yourself a little while ago. Why don’t you tell us the story?"
This was the "Shin’o Academy class reunion" I had mentioned to Rukia before. We had decided to start by eating at a barbecue restaurant.
That idiot Renji had made a strange face and acted awkwardly when he saw Rukia arrive with me, but after she kicked him in the ass a few times, he started behaving normally.
Considering they were destined to marry someday, all it took was for one of them to make the first move for their relationship to mend.
As for Momo and Izuru, neither of them was particularly prejudiced, so they would become friends with her soon enough.
"I’m curious about that as well. This tight-lipped bastard wouldn’t even give me the full story, and we’re in the same division."
Unless it was a secret mission, there were no particular restrictions against discussing it.
It was merely an unspoken rule not to treat a mission as a source of entertaining stories if a fellow Soul Reaper had died during it.
Since no one had died this time and it had not been a secret mission, people kept asking me about it, but...
"No... Bragging about my own exploits with my own mouth is a little... You know, isn’t that kind of embarrassing?"
It really was rather embarrassing.
In the middle of the battle, the tension had gone to my head and I had spouted lines like, "Can’t you hear it anymore...?" Looking back on it now was excruciating.
If I went so far as to tell the whole story, I might end up becoming the sort of guy who practiced Shunpo in bed out of sheer embarrassment.
Unfortunately, not a single person had witnessed my entire battle, so everyone interested in it had no choice but to ask me.
"I can understand where he’s coming from...."
As expected, Izuru had a temperament similar to mine. Though when the two of us were alone, we had a strange tendency to drag each other’s spirits down.
"Oh, what’s wrong with that? Saving someone is an admirable thing."
"She’s right, she’s right."
Whenever Momo praised someone, I was always on edge, wondering whether she would end by adding, "Just like Captain Aizen."
I had been taking measures in my own way, but her trust in and dependence on Aizen continued to grow by the day.
"You’re already a lieutenant. Why are you acting so coy?"
"Lieutenant Yuki~ Why don’t you regale your subordinates with the tale?"
"Look at this bastard. The corners of his mouth are starting to twitch. Just a little more and we’ll have him."
...Fine, then. I would tell them a little. Without exaggeration. Objectively.
**
"Ryunosuke! Miyako!"
"Oh, Captain."
Captain Ukitake arrived not long after I defeated Metastacia.
What a relief. At least he hadn’t collapsed and started coughing up blood while treating his own men.
"Are you hurt anywhere?"
"I’m fine. More importantly, please treat Third Seat Miyako."
I had tried to treat her myself while waiting for Ukitake, but the most I could manage was to stop the bleeding.
Even then, the moment I stopped using Kaidō, her wounds split open again and blood came pouring out, leaving me unable to do anything else.
"All right. I’ll handle it."
Once Ukitake began treating Miyako, her condition quickly showed visible improvement.
Unfortunately, a problem arose somewhere else.
Ukitake suddenly began sweating profusely.
"Ghack!Cough!"
What the hell was this? Captain, why were you suddenly covered in blood?
"C-Captain?"
Please say something, Captain.
I shouted in alarm, but Ukitake silently continued the treatment. Only after Miyako’s breathing had become steady did he finally stop.
"Well, cough! I thought my condition had improved a great deal lately, but this is still a little too strenuous...."
He was coughing like a man on the verge of death.
"Whew... Still, at least I’ll be able to face Kaien without shame. Thank you, Ryunosuke."
"...There’s no need to thank me. It was only natural as a member of the same division. More importantly, are you all right?"
"I’ll be fine after a little rest. I’ve lived with this illness for hundreds of years, so I know it very well. Haha, cough!"
True to his word, his coughing gradually subsided.
By the time I could hear the mountain insects chirping once more, Ukitake spoke to me.
"By the way, Ryunosuke, there’s something I’d like to ask you."
Of course. My actions were bound to raise questions. Despite having no information, I had discerned the Hollow’s danger all by myself and acted on it.
It was time to make my excuses.
"I’m having trouble walking. Would you mind supporting me?"
"...."
Carrying Miyako on my back while supporting Ukitake as well was going to make for a rather difficult journey.
As I carefully traveled with light bursts of Shunpo, Ukitake spoke again.
"You know, I’m rather talented at fortune-telling."
"Excuse me?"
Ukitake continued without paying any attention to my reaction, as if he were simply saying what he had already decided to say.
"Perhaps thanks to that, I believe my intuition and premonitions... things like that are fairly reliable as well."
"...."
"So that is what I’ll report to our superiors. After the investigation unit departed, I was suddenly struck by an ominous feeling, so I took you, who happened to be nearby, and went to support them."
"...Aren’t you going to ask how I knew?"
Ukitake responded with a carefree smile.
"Of course I’m curious, but you said it yourself just now. You said it was only natural as a member of the same division."
"...."
"The same applies to me. It’s only natural to trust a subordinate who risked his life to save a comrade. If the day comes when you wish to tell me, however, I’ll gladly listen."
After that, no more words passed between Ukitake and me.
Since I was practically carrying two injured people back with me, the return journey took considerably longer than the trip there.
"Having to suspect someone is a sad thing."
At one point, I heard something that might have been him talking to himself or perhaps merely lamenting, but I chose not to ask.
**
I gave my classmates a suitably edited version of the story.
Even in private, I had no business telling people from other divisions that Captain Ukitake had coughed up blood or anything of the sort.
He had since handed the captaincy over to Kaien and was no longer a captain, but still.
"This bastard played coy for so long, but once he got started, the whole story came pouring out."
"You were the one who asked me to tell it, Renji. Now you’re giving me grief for it?"
"Heh. Since we’re already at it, why don’t we go get a drink?"
Momo and Rukia seemed to consider it for a moment, but soon nodded. As for Izuru, he was a surprisingly heavy drinker, so naturally he did not object.
The problem arose while we were on our way to a nearby tavern.
"C-Captain Aizen!"
We ran into Aizen.
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