Shinigami: Medicine Can't Save The Soul Reaper Society

Rangiku's expression flashed with a mix of gratitude and joy upon hearing the words but was quickly replaced by resolve as she shook her head and said,

"Makoto-sama, thank you so much for taking care of me. No matter what, I'll find a way to repay your kindness in the future. But right now, I can't. I still have to find Gin."

Makoto ruffled Rangiku's disheveled hair again and said,

"I know where Gin is."

"What?!"

Rangiku's eyes widened, sparkling with sudden hope. She eagerly asked,

"Makoto-sama, where is he? Where is Gin?"

Knowing that this information would eventually reach Rangiku one way or another, Makoto saw no reason to withhold it. He answered directly,

"He's already become a Shinigami of the Gotei 13, and he's currently the Third Seat of the Fifth Division."

"I… I need to go find him," Rangiku declared resolutely.

"Rangiku, how do you plan to find him?"

Makoto's question immediately stumped her.

"Come with me, Rangiku. The best way to enter the Seireitei is to enroll in the Shin'ō Academy and become a Shinigami. But with your current age and spiritual power…"

Makoto paused briefly, sensing her spiritual energy, and assessed,

"You're still far from meeting the Academy's standards. If you truly wish to find Gin sooner, you need to focus on recuperating and building your strength first."

Rangiku hesitated for a long while, then suddenly bowed deeply towards Makoto with utmost respect,

"Makoto-sama, I will find a way to repay your kindness."

Makoto smiled and bent down to lift Rangiku into his arms, preparing to leave with her.

However, just then, a voice—young and full of fury—shouted from behind him,

"You damned Shinigami, let go of Rangiku!"

Makoto turned his gaze to see a black-haired boy charging towards him, brandishing a bamboo pole sharpened at one end, aiming directly for his vital points.

But no matter how often Makoto embarrassed himself in hand to hand combat before Soi Fon, allowing her to pin him to the ground effortlessly, there was no way he'd let a child's sneak attack land.

With a slight flick of his right foot, Makoto sent the bamboo pole flying, and the black-haired boy was knocked to the ground by the force of his failed charge.

"Kid, you're pretty brave, huh~?"

Though Makoto wasn't angry over such a trivial matter, he couldn't help but find the situation amusing.

No matter how harmless he appeared, surely he didn't look so weak that a random kid with a stick would think he was easy to defeat, right?

Yet, the boy showed no fear. Instead, he glared at Makoto with unyielding eyes and shouted,

"You bastard Shinigami, let go of Rangiku! If you want a fight, come at me!"

"You?"

Makoto scrutinized the black-haired boy, finding him vaguely familiar, just as Rangiku spoke up anxiously,

"Hisagi, calm down! He's the Makoto-sama I told you about before. He's a good person!"

Hisagi?!

Hearing the name, Makoto recalled who this boy was—Hisagi Shūhei, the future Vice-captain of the Ninth Division in the original version. A man of quiet resolve, loyalty, and integrity.

"You know each other?" Makoto asked Rangiku.

"Yes…" Rangiku replied, somewhat sheepishly.

"I was planning to hide under a table, wait for Hisagi to cause a distraction, and then grab some buns while the vendor was distracted."

Upon hearing this, Makoto finally understood.

So Rangiku hadn't been acting alone. This was a premeditated, coordinated operation—with an accomplice who, as it turned out, possessed considerable potential as a future Shinigami.

If he was going to "recruit" one, why not take both? For the sake of stability in Rukongai, Makoto decided on the spot to take Hisagi and Rangiku under his wing together.

Realizing he had misunderstood Makoto—and learning that Makoto was the respected figure Rangiku had often spoken of—Hisagi quickly stood up and apologized for his actions.

"It's fine. On the contrary, your courage to face a stronger opponent is commendable," Makoto said with a gentle smile.

Hearing such warm, sincere praise for the first time, Hisagi couldn't help but feel his admiration for Makoto soar.

"Makoto-sama, I only acted on impulse because I was worried about Rangiku," Hisagi said, embarrassed by the compliment.

Still holding Rangiku, Makoto crouched down in front of Hisagi and, unfazed by the dirt and grime covering the boy, extended a hand to help him up.

"Courage and loyalty like yours shouldn't be wasted here in Rukongai. Why not come with me?"

For a moment, Hisagi stared at Makoto, who seemed to glow as sunlight streamed over his face.

"Someone like me, living like a rat, scrounging for scraps… Can someone like me truly be recognized? Admired? Needed?"

Hisagi's eyes and nose reddened as tears welled up. Slowly, he placed his scarred, small hand into Makoto's outstretched one.

Makoto's warm, radiant smile didn't waver as he gently closed his hand around Hisagi's cold, trembling one.

"From now on, I look forward to working with you, Hisagi."

In a voice raspy with emotion, Hisagi responded, one word at a time,

"I will dedicate all my loyalty to you, Makoto-sama."

Makoto chuckled lightly as he lifted Hisagi into his arms alongside Rangiku,

"Haha, no need to be so formal. Think of me as an older brother or even just a friend."

Hisagi felt a comforting warmth flow through him as his heart filled with newfound resolve.

"No matter what, I must give everything I have to repay Makoto-sama…"

With that, Makoto, holding both Rangiku and Hisagi, vanished from the spot using shunpo.

Luckily, the two children were small, and Hisagi's thin frame made it easy to carry them both.

As for Rangiku, leaning against Makoto's chest… Well, let's just say Makoto now understood what it meant to experience a "flat-screen experience."

With Makoto's speed, it didn't take long for them to reach the place where Kuchiki Byakuya hid his "onion-headed" sister, Rukia.

"Makoto-sama?"

Seeing Makoto arrive with two children in tow, Hisana quickly stepped out of the house, carrying little Rukia in her arms.

=========================

Consider joining me on P@treon For 50+ Advance Chapters:

P@treon: [email protected]/JustaPasserby

~~~Drop Powerstones guys!~~~