Ichimaru Gin's Value

Yoshikami Tsume's expression turned rather strange after being interrupted, like a peacock slowly spreading its tail feathers only to suddenly take a devastating blow from behind, forcing everything to shrink back in an instant.

"Makoto, don't you need to rest? I was just about to tell you my story," Yoshikami Tsume said, smacking his lips as though he had not yet had his fill.

"Really, there's no need. I already know it," Chiba Makoto said.

Yoshikami Tsume froze. "Makoto, you've heard my story?"

"No..."

Chiba Makoto smiled gently. "But your face is written all over with stories, so I prefer to read them slowly myself rather than hear them from your mouth."

Yoshikami Tsume felt a jolt of electricity shoot from the top of his head straight to his heart, making his whole body tremble.

That tremor... was the feeling of meeting a kindred spirit!

Since becoming a Soul Reaper, this was the first man who had willingly taken the initiative to understand Yoshikami Tsume's inner self.

Who said... pure friendship and true kindred spirits could not exist between people of the same sex?

"Makoto, thank you," Yoshikami Tsume said, tears gathering at the corners of his eyes.

Thank me?

Why was he thanking me??

Chiba Makoto stared at Yoshikami Tsume in utter bewilderment, feeling as though he could not quite understand the man before him.

Still, Chiba Makoto felt that the atmosphere was suddenly heading in some strange direction and hurriedly said, "Next, please."

"Alright, I'll arrange it right away!"

Yoshikami Tsume wiped away his tears and quickly went to make the arrangements.

With the success of the first case, the next resident with a relative willing to provide what was needed for "Soul Transplantation" soon arrived. After resting briefly, Chiba Makoto once more entered his working state and treated the residents without pause.

For a time, as news of Chiba Makoto spread completely, it was like a spark of life slowly spreading through the bleak, deathly stillness of autumn among the residents suffering from missing souls, giving those residents whose emotions had nearly gone numb a trace of hope in their eyes.

As the nineteenth seat, Yoshikami Tsume also organized his subordinates to move among the residents, confirming one by one whether they had relatives or friends willing to provide what was needed for "Soul Transplantation."

Yet, just as Unohana Retsu had said, this was an endeavor of little significance.

Very few residents of Rukongai ever had the chance to reunite with relatives from their lives before death, and apart from relatives, there were exceedingly few friends in Rukongai truly willing to offer up their souls for another...

Even though Yoshikami Tsume ran back and forth to confirm matters, there were ultimately fewer than five people, a proportion that was even below five percent.

"Damn it..."

As his subordinates reported their results one after another, a defeated look inevitably appeared on Yoshikami Tsume's face.

It was rare enough to encounter fellow fools like this within the Thirteen Divisions, yet in the end, fewer than five of them had the chance to survive. For Yoshikami Tsume... that was undoubtedly hard to accept.

"Right!"

Yoshikami Tsume suddenly remembered something and turned to his subordinates beside him.

"Keep asking whether there are any residents we missed, and strictly confirm that they are willing."

Then, Yoshikami Tsume hurried off in a certain direction, heading straight for a sparsely populated area.

Soon, a solitary house standing halfway up the mountain came into Yoshikami Tsume's sight. Its walls were riddled with holes, barely blocked from the wind and rain by nailed-up wooden boards.

Seeing this, Yoshikami Tsume hesitated not at all and directly pushed open the door, which was more decorative than practical. The instant his vision darkened, a short blade pressed against his neck.

"Don't move!!"

Yoshikami Tsume was slightly startled. Slowly raising his gaze, he discovered that Ichimaru Gin was clinging tightly to the eaves above like a vicious venomous snake, with Poison Fang in his hand aimed at Yoshikami Tsume's throat.

Yoshikami Tsume raised both hands, keeping them away from the Zanpakuto at his waist to show that he meant no harm, then said, "Kid, you should remember me, right? I deliberately left dry rations in places where you could easily take them several times."

Slowly, Ichimaru Gin moved the short blade away from Yoshikami Tsume. His light body dropped from the eaves, and his cold tone seemed to soften slightly as he said, "I remember you, Yoshikami Tsume. What do you want?"

"Tch, just as Makoto said—you really are a rude little brat."

Yoshikami Tsume spoke while looking over the surroundings.

Ichimaru Gin remained silent in response and did not say a word.

However, when Yoshikami Tsume's gaze returned to Ichimaru Gin, he suddenly noticed the short blade in Ichimaru Gin's hand. His pupils contracted sharply, and he cried out, "A Zanpakuto?? Kid, where did you get that?"

Hearing this, Ichimaru Gin lowered his head and glanced at the Zanpakuto in his hand. "So this thing is called a Zanpakuto? I originally picked up a Soul Reaper's weapon to keep myself safe. Then, when I woke up after sleeping one day, it had become like this."

!!!

Yoshikami Tsume was stunned.

A... a genius!!

This kid's spirit body looked so young, yet he had already awakened his Shikai on his own?!

This was without a doubt a genius rarely seen in the Soul Society in a hundred years... no, perhaps even in several hundred years!

Almost instinctively, Yoshikami Tsume spoke.

"Kid, do you want to become a Soul Reaper? With your aptitude and talent, you could definitely become one of the Soul Society's foremost Soul Reapers. Even becoming a captain someday wouldn't be impossible."

"A Soul Reaper?!"

Ichimaru Gin's gaze flickered, as though he were weighing something over, before he asked, "My value... is that great?"

"Very great. You're an unquestionable genius!" Yoshikami Tsume said with certainty.

Then, under Yoshikami Tsume's shocked gaze, Ichimaru Gin slowly dropped to both knees before him and spoke in a pleading posture.

"I hope to trade my value for one favor from you."

Seeing this, Yoshikami Tsume turned serious. "Tell me. Even if I can't do it myself, I'll do my best to ask my Vice-Captain for help."

Ichimaru Gin abruptly raised his head and stared at Yoshikami Tsume.

"No. Please try not to alert any more Soul Reapers. I only hope you can use your connections to find a trustworthy Soul Reaper to treat a friend of mine."

"Treatment?" Yoshikami Tsume froze.

"That's right!"

As Ichimaru Gin spoke, he stood and lifted a tatami mat beside him, revealing an unconscious orange-haired little girl lying beneath it.

"Hahahaha..."

At the sight, Yoshikami Tsume could not help but laugh, feeling that the coincidence was simply astonishing.

What Yoshikami Tsume failed to notice, however, was that the short blade in Ichimaru Gin's hand had subtly been aimed at his throat.

A chilling gleam shone from Ichimaru Gin's narrowed eyes. If Yoshikami Tsume said anything like, "So it was you, kid, who stole this little girl," he was ready to immediately shoot down the Soul Reaper before him.