Chapter 108: The Master's Quest
The outcome was decided.
With those words came the understanding that the Gotei 13 was about to face changes that ran considerably deeper than anything visible on the surface.
Everything quietly reshaping around everything else.
And when the dust finally settled:
Three days had passed.
On this day, Matsushita Yusuke stood at the entrance of Shin'o Academy with bags in both hands, looking up at the nameplate with an expression that was equal parts reflective and mildly absurd.
What can you say. Life doesn't follow the script.
After all, nobody would have predicted that a six-year Academy program would, in this particular case, amount to just over a year from start to finish.
This is graduation already?
Feels like I barely studied.
Though he said that, his mood was surprisingly level. No significant emotional response. If anything, the only noteworthy observation was that he had apparently failed to build any meaningful first-year friendships, which meant that at a moment like this, nobody had come to see him off.
The thought had barely finished forming when a familiar voice arrived.
"Matsushita-kun!"
He turned and found a large, familiar figure waving and jogging toward him with a broad smile.
"Sorry! Had some squad business to finish up. Kept you waiting."
Omaeda Kishinoshin.
As Squad 2's vice-captain, "busy with work" described his existence in the most literal possible sense. Making time to show up here at a moment like this was, by any measure, uncommon.
So naturally Yusuke wasn't going to complain.
"Not at all. Senpai taking time out for this: I'm genuinely grateful."
"Ha ha! Hearing you say that really does make me a little emotional."
Kishinoshin rubbed the back of his head with a fond, nostalgic expression.
"I could already tell you had ability, even back then. But I didn't expect the time it would take to actually show what you were capable of to be this short."
As had been noted before: Soul Society was large. Raw talent alone wasn't enough to attract serious attention. Only individuals who had actually grown into their ability counted for anything.
If someone had told him before that a greenhorn young man had the nerve to challenge the Squad 11 captain, he would have privately concluded something was off.
Today, he had nothing to argue.
Facts spoke for themselves. Matsushita Yusuke had not only lasted to the end but come out of it as the definitive winner.
"Let me take some of that luggage."
"Ah, that's a real help. Thank you, Kishinoshin-senpai."
The two split the bags at the entrance and started down the main road.
Kishinoshin was naturally talkative, partly by professional necessity. He led the conversation, ranging across this and that, and eventually it shifted toward something a little more specific.
"So, Matsushita-kun. What are your plans from here?"
The question was indirect. For the person being asked, there wasn't much to decode.
"You're asking whether I intend to take the Squad 11 captaincy."
Kijishi's death and Matsushita Yusuke's withdrawal from the Academy: anyone with any sense for how things worked would have registered the connection between those two events.
But Yusuke saying it out loud, explicitly, caught Kishinoshin slightly off-guard.
He made an awkward sound. His smile went a little strained.
"Let's just talk like equals. Hearing you address me so formally at this point feels honestly a bit strange."
Fortunately, Kishinoshin wasn't the type to dwell on things. He gathered himself, steadied his tone, and said quietly:
"This isn't just me asking, actually. My captain has been thinking about it too."
As had been mentioned before: Squad 11 operated under a particular set of rules.
The logic was absolute. Show enough combat ability and cut down the sitting captain, and you qualified to lead the squad. That was the established principle.
Qualified, though. Just that. The actual decision of whether to take the post still came down to the person's own inclination. If Matsushita Yusuke had no interest in it, declining was entirely within his rights.
Everyone had played a little rough over the course of things, but personal choice was what mattered at this stage.
Matsushita Yusuke had already heard this reasoning three days ago. He thought for a moment and asked:
"Out of curiosity: if I don't take the captaincy, what actually happens to Squad 11?"
Kishinoshin considered that seriously, choosing his words carefully.
"It would probably suspend operations for a while."
The reason was simple.
"Squad 11's current state isn't good. Kijishi caused too many problems while he was in charge. Personnel casualties, financial damage, reputation. The whole picture."
The Gotei 13 was, at its core, a military organization built on force. But times had changed. Even Yamamoto had put away the killing, and everyone else had fallen into line to some degree.
"Cleaning all of that up takes both funding and personnel, and neither is available overnight."
Administrative logistics were clearly more in Kishinoshin's lane than sword fighting. His tone picked up slightly.
"I heard my captain talking about this yesterday. If nothing unexpected comes up, rebuilding Squad 11 into an actual operational force worth presenting will take years. Several of them."
That did sound like a long time.
But Matsushita Yusuke had spent a year here and had developed a reasonable sense of how these organizations moved.
Bureaucracy. Everywhere.
And with Central 46 pressing from above, the Gotei 13's every action operated under constraint, creating friction at every turn. Not entirely a bad thing, honestly. It was exactly this kind of grinding process that had gradually settled these killing gods into something approaching calm.
Having run all of that through his head, Yusuke considered and asked:
"Any personal recommendation, Kishinoshin-senpai?"
Kishinoshin didn't answer immediately. He thought for a beat, then leaned in slightly.
"This is just between us: I'd suggest not rushing into the post. The mess there is too bad. Moving fast would probably do more harm than good."
Solid advice. From a pure cost-benefit standpoint, the most sensible approach by any measure.
But that framing was still a little too idealistic.
Matsushita Yusuke exhaled quietly.
"To be honest with you, I actually want to take the post as quickly as possible."
The reason was simple.
My quest is right there waiting to be completed.
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