Restricted Death

Chapter 191 Confrontation
After Ise Nanao returned to the Eighth Division barracks, she told Kyoraku Shunsui about Matsumoto Rangiku's desire to be transferred from the Tenth Division to their division.

"Vice-Captain Matsumoto is coming to our squad?" Kyoraku exclaimed in surprise. "Why?"

Ise Nanao delivered the prepared statement: "Rangiku had some conflict with Captain Tachikawa..."

Kyoraku Shunsui said directly, "If there's a conflict, why not just find a way to resolve it?"

Nanao said, "Things aren't that simple. The two of them have reached a point where they can't stand each other anymore, which is why Rangiku wants to leave the 10th Division."

After listening, Kyoraku Shunsui couldn't help but ponder. This matter was difficult to handle. Matsumoto Rangiku was not an ordinary member. A vice-captain was extremely important to the entire Gotei 13 and the Seireitei. Moreover, the relationship between the vice-captain and the direct captain was also very special, because the captain had direct power of appointment and dismissal, and the vice-captain was mostly one's confidant.

Historically, when vice-captains are transferred to other positions, it seems that the only path is to be promoted to captain. There has never been a case of a vice-captain going to another squad to serve as an ordinary officer.

"What happened between them?" Kyoraku Shunsui thought he should find out the problem first.

Ise Nanao, however, began to stammer.

Kyoraku looked at her strangely.

"It's... not convenient to talk about."

Kyoraku: "..."

He was both annoyed and amused, and said, "You want me to help, but you can't even tell me what happened?"

Ise Nanao pursed her lips and remained silent.

Kyoraku Shunsui suddenly realized something and asked, "Is it inconvenient to say, or do you not know?"

Ise Nanao then whispered, "I think... we have them all."

Kyoraku Shunsui was utterly speechless. He couldn't help but say, "You don't even know the answer to this, and you come to me for help? I'm telling you, Nanao, you're not that stupid."

Ise Nanao wanted to explain further: "But Rangiku and Captain Tachikawa have really reached the point of..."

Kyoraku Shunsui waved his hand, interrupting her.

He asked, "Does Captain Tachikawa know about this?"

Ise Nanao immediately said, "Rangiku is already preparing to submit a transfer request to him, but she's worried that Captain Tachikawa might not be willing to release him. She hopes you can step in and help..."

Kyoraku Shunsui sighed heavily: "So, even Captain Tachikawa doesn't know? You don't know what his attitude is either."

"..."

Kyoraku Shunsui pouted and looked at Ise Nanao, saying, "If Vice-Captain Matsumoto were a man, I wouldn't be able to help but ask you what kind of spell she cast on you... So, why did you get involved in this kind of thing? Just because Vice-Captain Matsumoto is your friend?"

Ise Nanao lowered her head and said, "I just wanted to help Rangiku."

She was well aware that this was not a wise choice, but she was also helpless and couldn't bear to ignore Matsumoto Rangiku.

Kyoraku Shunsui was quiet for a moment, then said, "Do you really think doing this is helping her?"

"..."

He took off the straw hat he was wearing and put it aside, and began to explain: "First of all, Matsumoto Rangiku is a member of the 10th Division. It can be said that everything she does in the 13th Division is decided by Captain Tachikawa. We have no reason or right to interfere in this matter."

"Secondly, Captain Tachikawa is young and holds a high position, so he must be arrogant. If I rashly overstep my bounds, I might offend him and make him think that Vice Captain Matsumoto asked me to back her up. What will Captain Tachikawa think and do? Have you considered that? Will he take his anger out on Vice Captain Matsumoto?"

"..."

Ise Nanao remained silent.

"Finally, I still want to talk about why the conflict occurred between them. You have no idea what the specific reasons are. Even if Matsumoto Rangiku was at fault first, are you still going to unconditionally protect and help her like this? Do you think this is a good thing for the future development of our relationship with the 10th Division?"

After Kyoraku Shunsui finished speaking, Ise Nanao was completely speechless. She stood there in silence for a long time before saying, "I'm sorry, Captain, I was wrong."

Seeing that she understood, Kyoraku Shunsui comforted her, "I know you're worried about your friend. Wouldn't it be more effective and less risky to find another way to resolve their conflict?"

After hesitating for a moment, Ise Nanao suddenly gritted her teeth and said, "Actually... I have some guesses about the issues between them."

"Tell me."

"When I asked Rangiku what happened, she didn't say much, but she cursed Shin as a scumbag... Moreover, Rangiku was in a very bad state at the time. She was completely lost and listless, as if... as if she had been violated."

She finally decided to tell the truth so that the captain could better help Rangiku.

Kyoraku Shunsui looked surprised after hearing this.

"you sure?"

"I was just guessing, but Rangiku wouldn't admit it and didn't say much more."

Kyoraku Shunsui pondered for a moment. If the truth was indeed that Tachikawa had taken advantage of Matsumoto Rangiku, then the 10th Division was no longer a good place for Matsumoto Rangiku.

But is that really the truth?
Tachikawa... he doesn't seem like the type to do something like this!

Recalling the many things that had happened in the past, Tachikawa Shin's impression of him was that of a meticulous and opinionated person. This kind of thing was something only a brainless idiot would do, which was completely different from Tachikawa Shin's style.

Moreover, given Tachikawa Shin's strength and resources, pursuing a girl he likes wouldn't be difficult; it would just take some time.

Kyoraku Shunsui refused to believe that what Ise Nanao said was true.

That must mean that Matsumoto Rangiku is hiding something!
After a moment's hesitation, Kyoraku Shunsui asked, "Was this something that Vice-Captain Matsumoto asked you to do?"

Upon hearing this, Ise Nanao quickly replied, "It's my own wish to help her!"

However, Kyoraku Shunsui guessed almost exactly what was going on, and his impression of Matsumoto Rangiku immediately dropped a bit.

Friends shouldn't be used like this.

"I understand," Kyoraku nodded calmly.

"I'll go and have a talk with Captain Tachikawa."

Ise Nanao was overjoyed upon hearing this, thinking that he had agreed to help, and quickly bowed and said, "Thank you, Captain!"

Kyoraku Shunsui simply smiled indifferently at this.

#
Squad 10.

When Hitsugaya learned that Matsumoto Rangiku had returned, he breathed a sigh of relief, feeling finally free. He immediately rushed to the vice-captain's office, but there was no response when he knocked on the door.

Puzzled, I went to the captain's office.

"Enter."

Hitsugaya entered the room and saw Matsumoto Rangiku standing in front of the letter's desk. He was about to say something when he noticed that the atmosphere in the room was a bit strange. Matsumoto Rangiku had a cold face, and the captain was also looking at a piece of paper whose contents he didn't know.

On the table lay the vice-captain's armband. "Hitsugaya," Shin said.

Hitsugaya then said, "I heard that Vice-Captain Matsumoto had returned, so I came to see him..."

Looking at Matsumoto Rangiku's face, he felt something was wrong, and he swallowed back the words he was about to say.

What's going on here?
He was unsure, and felt that he was no longer fit to stay there.

“You’ve come at the perfect time,” Matsumoto Rangiku suddenly said. “From now on, let Hitsugaya officially take over my position.”

Hitsugaya was momentarily stunned.

Xin tossed the documents in his hand onto the table, his tone indifferent: "Who becomes the vice-captain, is that up to you?"

Matsumoto Rangiku was too lazy to argue and simply said, "Whatever."

Seeing the two of them like this, even someone as dense as Hitsugaya would realize that something had happened.

Why did the vice-captain Matsumoto have a conflict with the two of them just because he was given a leave of absence? And wasn't it the captain who approved the leave this time?
The current situation... is that Vice Captain Matsumoto is going to resign from his position as vice captain?
Although Hitsugaya has always felt that he is wasting his talents by being the third seat, he has no intention of squeezing out Matsumoto Rangiku.

He asked dryly, "Captain, what does this mean?"

"It's nothing, you can go out now."

"……Oh."

Hitsugaya's eyes swept back and forth between the two men before he obediently left the office.

The captain and vice-captain often argued before, but it was usually one side gritting their teeth and the other getting furious.

This is the first time I've seen each other so indifferent and the atmosphere so oppressive.

But he didn't know exactly what had happened; he could only wait until Matsumoto Rangiku came out to find out.

In the office, Matsumoto Rangiku said, "Transfer application. If you agree, sign it."

Xin, however, remained unhurried and slowly said, "Who said I agreed?"

His attitude infuriated Matsumoto Rangiku, who snorted coldly, "Do you expect me to stay in the 10th Division?"

Shin rested his chin on his hand, looking at her with a half-smile: "I say, Ms. Rangiku, is this how you talk to your captain? You've really grown more and more temperamental in just a few days."

Matsumoto Rangiku immediately retorted angrily, "How do you expect me to treat you? And how did you treat me?! I was blind to have brought you out of Rukongai! I should have just left you there to fend for yourself!"

She couldn't hold back any longer, and her eyes were filled with resentment as she looked at Xin.

“But you brought me out.” The letter stated a fact.

Matsumoto Rangiku sneered: "Yes, I brought out an ingrate!"

Xin sighed softly and said, "I have always remembered your kindness to me, but that is not a reason for you to do whatever you want and for me to tolerate you at will. As the vice-captain of the 10th Division, you should also remember your responsibilities. I am just giving you a lesson to make you realize your mistakes."

These words sounded high-sounding, but they only made Matsumoto Rangiku even angrier. Was this guy teaching her what he did?

Indeed, she had her flaws in the past, but she no longer wanted to argue with him about them. She said impatiently, "Do you agree to my transfer application or not? Even if you don't agree, I won't come back."

Unfazed by her threats, Xin calmly replied, "Then you're on leave. Taking a long leave without returning, disobeying orders, and recklessly violating discipline—you're asking for trouble."

Upon hearing the words "nest of maggots," Matsumoto Rangiku involuntarily shuddered.

She knew exactly where that place was—a special prison under the jurisdiction of the Second Division, unlike the Ninth Division. Almost no prisoners who entered the Maggot Nest ever came out alive.

Matsumoto Rangiku gritted her teeth and said to Shin, "Are you really this heartless?"

"I'm heartless?" Xin looked somewhat innocent. "Wasn't it you who wanted to leave? And wasn't it you who kept threatening me?"

Matsumoto Rangiku said fiercely, "Aren't you really afraid that I'll fight you to the death and tell everyone what you did to me?!"

Xin said helplessly, "You're still threatening me."

He leaned back in his chair, looking completely nonchalant: "Then you go ahead and say it. I happen to have a version of events too. Matsumoto Rangiku tried to seduce the captain for a bed, but failed. In a fit of anger, she left the team for several days. Fortunately, I was magnanimous and didn't pursue the matter. But the vice-captain Matsumoto turned around and framed her. There were two captains who knew about this that day. Who do you think the outsiders would believe more?"

"You...!" She trembled with rage, her fingers clenched into fists until her knuckles turned white. "Tachikawa Shin! You shameless! For you actually..."

"What about me?" Xin tilted his head slightly, his ambiguous smile deepening, carrying a chillingly playful tone. "Isn't this the truth?"

"..."

Matsumoto Rangiku suppressed the urge to lash out and fight him, and slowly calmed herself down.

"What exactly do you want?" she demanded.

Shin shook his head slightly: "I don't want anything. Did I ask you to do anything? Ms. Rangiku, you're the one making demands. I just felt they were unreasonable, so I didn't agree."

Shin adjusted his posture, leaned forward, crossed his arms in front of him, and looked directly at her, saying, "Miss Rangiku, what do you want?"

Matsumoto Rangiku's fingernails almost dug into her flesh, but her reason told her that at this moment she could only continue to endure and think of another way.

The other party is now the captain, and she has no reason to fight with him. If she acts impulsively, even if she is in the right, she will become wrong.

She suddenly turned around, intending to leave the office, when she heard a sound behind her.

"slow."

Xin pointed to the transfer application on the table: "Take your things."

With that, he blew a light breath, and the transfer application immediately floated to the ground.

Matsumoto Rangiku's face darkened, but she ultimately didn't react. She walked heavily back to her desk, stared coldly at the letter, then bent down to pick up the transfer application and clutched it tightly in her hand.

The letter continued, “You must have work to do today. Your vacation is over, so don’t waste your time here and interfere with your work.”

Matsumoto Rangiku left the office without saying a word.

Shin didn't bother to find out if she had left the barracks, but Matsumoto Rangiku probably wouldn't dare. Around noon, Shin used his spiritual pressure to check and found her obediently staying in the office, and couldn't help but smile.

This woman looks fierce, but she's actually quite timid.

Sin was getting tired of reviewing documents, so he asked Hinamori to take the rest to the vice-captain's office.

When she returned, she reported that the captain of the Eighth Division, Kyoraku Shunsui, had come to visit.

Kyoraku?

What is he here to do?
(End of this chapter)