Restricted Death

Chapter 188 I Want to See Him
At Matsumoto Rangiku's house.

As soon as Ise Nanao pushed open that familiar door, a strong, almost tangible smell of alcohol hit her, carrying a decadent, indulgent, sweet and fishy odor that instantly made her delicate brows furrow.

The afternoon light, which should have been bright, was mostly blocked by the heavy curtains, leaving only a few stubborn rays that squeezed in, casting dappled shadows on the messy living room floor. Empty wine bottles lay askew, like abandoned soldiers, scattered around the tatami mats and low table. The air was filled with the scent of alcohol, dust, and an indescribable sense of despondency.

Nanao's gaze swept quickly across the chaos, finally settling on the huddled figure in the center of the floor.

Matsumoto Rangiku lay motionless on her back, her long golden hair spread out like a dull silk. Her eyes, which were usually bright and sparkling, were now staring blankly at the blurry patterns on the ceiling, as if her soul had been ripped away, leaving only an empty shell soaked in alcohol.

"How much did you drink?" Qi Xu's voice was slightly tense. She walked quickly to the window and pulled it open forcefully.

A cool breeze rushed in instantly, dispersing some of the suffocating smell of alcohol and stirring up a few strands of chrysanthemum-like hair.

Rangiku didn't react at all; she didn't even move her eyes.

"Are you off today?" Qi Xu asked again, her tone clearly showing concern.

She had only gone to the First Division to handle some routine paperwork, but when she returned to the Eighth Division, the members on duty told her that the Tenth Division's Vice-Captain Matsumoto had rushed over to look for her. After learning that she was not there, he left without saying a word and looked dazed.

The team member added, "Vice-Captain Matsumoto... seems a bit off, Vice-Captain Ise." This made her heart tighten, and without daring to delay, she immediately followed her memory to Rangiku's residence.

Seeing her friend's state, Qixu sighed silently. She first neatly gathered the empty wine bottles scattered all over the floor into a corner, straightened the crooked cushion, and then picked up a wine cup that had rolled under the table. Her tidying up revealed a hint of suppressed irritation.

After doing all that, she walked over to Rangiku, looked down at her, and asked in a stern but helpless tone, "Are you dead?"

These provocative words finally stirred Rangiku's senses. She let out a muffled murmur, shifted her body, and slowly sat up, supporting herself on her elbows. The headache from the alcohol was clearly tormenting her; she slapped her forehead a few times, making a dull "slap" sound, her brows furrowing in pain.

"Awake?" Qi Xu squatted down beside her, her sharp gaze scrutinizing her pale face and bloodshot eyes. "You weren't on vacation today, were you? You just ran home without a word and got completely drunk. Aren't you afraid your captain will punish you again?"

Matsumoto Rangiku seemed to have heard something terrifying, her whole body trembled, and then she let out a cold laugh, short and dry, which sounded particularly jarring in the silent room.

Ise Nanao was puzzled and asked, "Did you two have a fight?"

In her memory, Captain Tachikawa was a decent person. Although young, he was composed and steady. On the other hand, Matsumoto Rangiku, as a squad's lieutenant, had many "flaws".

Although Matsumoto Rangiku often complained about Captain Tachikawa in front of her, Ise Nanao was not one to blindly follow others. She had her own clear understanding of the truth of the matter. This time, it was highly likely that Matsumoto Rangiku had done something wrong again, which angered Captain Tachikawa. He may have reprimanded her or punished her, which led to the escalation of the conflict between the two.

However, judging from Rangiku's current dejected state and her attempt to drown her sorrows in alcohol, her anger was clearly not yet appeased, and might even be worse. Nanao temporarily suppressed the urge to offer advice and simply waited quietly.

Matsumoto Rangiku was silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke up: "Nanao, I'll go to your squad."

Ise Nanao paused, then pretended not to understand and asked, "What are you doing in our squad? What new idea has your captain come up with this time?"

"I mean, I'm being transferred to your squad."

"..."

Is it really that serious? Or was it just something said in anger...?

Ise Nanao thought to herself, then sat down on the floor next to her and said, "You're just a lieutenant. What rank or position do you expect to get if you're transferred to another squad? Our squad doesn't have any vacancies right now. Do you expect me to give up my lieutenant position to you?"

Matsumoto Rangiku lowered her head and said, "Three seats will do. Isn't your team's third seat pretty average?"

Ise Nanao shook her head: "No, I've already reserved one of our team's three seats for a player."

"Who?"

"Kanisawa, she is currently the ninth seat, but she is serious and meticulous in her work and has great potential. In the next few years, I plan to have her take over our squad's current third seat."

Matsumoto Rangiku was silent for a while: "Then four seats, five seats are fine too... any seat officer will do."

Ise Nanao felt helpless and said, "What's going on with you? Why are you suddenly telling me about changing squads? Do you think you're just an ordinary member? You're the vice-captain! Changing squads requires approval from the First Division. At least tell me what's going on."

Matsumoto Rangiku remained silent, sitting there in a daze.

This scene made Ise Nanao keenly realize that things might not be so simple. If it were still a matter between Matsumoto Rangiku and Captain Tachikawa, she wouldn't be worried at all now that Matsumoto Rangiku was pouring out her grievances.

Ise Nanao hesitated for a moment, then slowly asked, "Is it related to Captain Tachikawa? What happened to him?"

Matsumoto Rangiku sneered again and said, "He's a piece of scum!"

Scumbag?

What kind of vocabulary is this?
As Ise Nanao pondered, her expression suddenly changed: "What...did he do to you?"

Matsumoto Rangiku remained silent and turned her head to the side.

Ise Nanao was both anxious and angry: "Say it!"

Matsumoto Rangiku remained silent, slowly bending her legs and sitting there curled up, hugging her knees.

Ise Nanao was extremely shocked: "He really did something to you?!"

This... how is this possible? Captain Tachikawa is actually that kind of person!

Her expression shifted rapidly, her mind racing, before she finally asked, "Did he... really do it?"

"..."

Ise Nanao gritted her teeth and said, "I never expected him to be this kind of person! Rangiku, I will definitely get justice for you!"

As she spoke, she tried to get up, but Matsumoto Rangiku grabbed her arm and asked, "What are you doing?"

Ise Nanao said seriously and angrily, "I'm going to find our captain and then report this to the Central 46! We can't let these villains get away with it!"

Matsumoto Rangiku let out a heavy sigh, pulled her back, and said, "Are you crazy or am I crazy? It's not what you think."

Ise Nanao got even angrier: "Then explain yourself clearly, what exactly happened?"

Matsumoto Rangiku lowered her eyes and said, "I can't explain it... I don't want to stay in the 10th Division anymore."

Ise Nanao said irritably, "If he really did something bad, why should you leave? You won't explain what happened. I'm completely confused. Did he really assault you, or was it just molestation, or something else?"

Matsumoto Rangiku fell silent again, which made Ise Nanao so angry that she wanted to kick her, but she held back, thinking that Ise Nanao must be feeling terrible right now.

"What's the reason?" Ise Nanao asked again. "Is there no reason for something like this to happen? Or was he simply lustful?"

“…” Matsumoto Rangiku let out a long sigh and lay back down on the floor. She said painfully, “Don’t ask anymore, I don’t want to think about it anymore.”

Ise Nanao felt both helpless and heartbroken, and could only sit there quietly watching her.

Things aren't that simple; Tachikawa Shin shouldn't be that kind of person.

After calming down, Ise Nanao began to rethink her actions. When she suddenly learned that uncertain news from Rangiku, she had been blinded by anger.

Captain Tachikawa, even his own captain speaks highly of him, so he must be a smart man. At the peak of his life, with a bright future ahead, why would he do something that could ruin him?

She had no idea what the truth was, and could only wait until Rangiku was in a better mood before asking her.

Or perhaps she should ask Captain Tachikawa herself.

However, it was actually inconvenient for her to go. After all, the other party was a team leader, and regardless of his status, she had no right to question him.

After a long silence in the room, Ise Nanao suddenly heard Matsumoto Rangiku say, "I want to see him."

Ise Nanao instinctively replied, "What would I do with him?"

As soon as she spoke, she realized that "he" did not refer to Shin Tachikawa.

Who else could it be?
Suddenly, a silver-haired figure flashed through her mind.

Gin Ichimaru!
Matsumoto Rangiku added, "He probably won't come to see me."

Ise Nanao was silent for a moment, then suddenly stood up: "I'll go find him for you."

"..."

Matsumoto Rangiku looked over, her eyes, like ruins, filled with a glimmer of hope, which stung Ise Nanao.

"Wait at home for a while, I'll have him come over soon."

"..."

After leaving Matsumoto Rangiku's house, Ise Nanao went straight to the Fifth Division barracks.

She could vaguely sense some clues about the unspoken past between Rangiku and Gin Ichimaru. She wasn't oblivious to the complex and indescribable look in Rangiku's eyes when she looked at Gin, but every time she tried to inquire, Rangiku would evade the question in various ways.

All she knew was that the two of them had a past that no one else knew about, nothing more.

Nanao Ise successfully met Gin Ichimaru in the office of the vice-captain of the Fifth Division.

"Vice-Captain Ise?"

That fox-like face always wore that signature, enigmatic squinting smile, as if it were a mask that could never be removed. His tone carried just the right amount of politeness and a hint of barely perceptible aloofness: "Is there something you need?"

The Eighth Division and the Fifth Division do not have particularly frequent overlaps in their daily official duties.

"Rangiku wants to see you!" Ise Nanao got straight to the point.

Gin Ichimaru paused slightly, seemingly surprised that her purpose in coming involved Rangiku Matsumoto, but he maintained his smile and asked, "Is there something you need?"

Ise Nanao was anxious, but she knew she couldn't reveal everything Rangiku might have gone through, especially given the unclear situation and the involvement of another captain. She carefully chose her words: "She...something happened to her, she's in a very bad mood, and she's in a terrible state. She...needs to see you now."

She deliberately emphasized the word "need".

"I see," Gin Ichimaru said, his voice filled with regret, but the regret was only on the surface and did not reach his eyes. He tilted his head slightly, his smile unchanged. "Unfortunately, I have to go out on a field mission later."

Ise Nanao grew anxious, "But Rangiku, she..."

What field mission? As a rescue team, when is the Fifth Division ever not in a situation of extreme urgency? If there were really a field mission, how could the other party be so unhurried?

subterfuge!

“Vice-Captain Matsumoto has been drinking,” Gin Ichimaru said with a smile. “There’s no need to take what a drunk person says too seriously. Vice-Captain Ise, all you need to do right now is stay by her side.”

"You guessed she'd been drinking?" Ise Nanao's voice rose a few decibels, and she unconsciously clenched her fists, her nails almost digging into her palms. "You know her so well, you should know even more clearly that she..." She couldn't finish her sentence.

Because at that moment, a gentle, mellow voice, carrying a reassuring power, suddenly rang out at the office door:
"it does not matter."

Ise Nanao immediately turned around and saw that it was Aizen, the captain of the Fifth Division.

“Captain Aizen.” She immediately bowed in greeting.

"It's alright, Gin." Aizen said with a gentle smile and great understanding, "Lieutenant Matsumoto wanted to see you, right? He must really need you. It's fine to hand over the field mission to someone else."

Upon hearing this, Gin Ichimaru retorted sarcastically, "Captain, encouraging your subordinates to skip work like this isn't a very good example."

Aizen chuckled and said, "Special circumstances call for special measures. Gin, I'm doing this for your own good. Are you sure you don't need to go?"

Gin Ichimaru's smile remained unchanged, but he said nothing more.

Ise Nanao stared blankly at the two of them, her heart sinking deeper and deeper.

"Vice Captain Ichimaru, you..."

"I'm sorry to have made you come all this way for nothing, Vice Captain Ise."

Ise Nanao eventually left; she couldn't possibly say anything more in front of the Fifth Division Captain.

After she left, Aizen also withdrew his gaze from her retreating figure.

"Yin, do you know what I admire most about you?"

Upon hearing this, Gin Ichimaru smiled and said, "Is it my loyalty to Captain Aizen?"

Aizen chuckled lightly: "It's because you're never afraid of my suspicions. If you had chosen to meet that Vice-Captain Matsumoto, I might have been happier, since her current superior is Tachikawa."

Gin Ichimaru sighed, "It's a pity I couldn't grasp your meaning, Captain."

(End of this chapter)