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Soi Fon widened her eyes slightly, took half a step forward, and raised her fist.

"Hey, hey, stop hitting me, stop hitting me! I'll talk, I'll talk... To improve work efficiency, we recently partnered with the 10th Division, and from now on, the two teams will operate together... right?"

Soi Fon nodded, but still punched Yusuke Matsushita in the side.

There are too many words!

The person involved, gripping the table, trembled and grinned.

"Please, I'm begging you, don't call this side... otherwise, I won't be able to make a living in the future..."

"what?!"

I'm too lazy to bother with these things.

Soi Fon put down the folder and turned to leave.

"I've reviewed everything. If you're still worried, take another look. I've marked the parts that require signatures; you can decide for yourself."

"Oh, thank you so much..."

The cooperation with the 10th Division is what Yamamoto had previously instructed us to do: improve patrol efficiency and work safety... This can be considered as putting the previous discussions into practice.

Work needs to leave a record, and in a feudal context, this level of efficiency was already quite remarkable.

Matsushita Yusuke subconsciously said some polite words, but he quickly put down the documents in his hand and turned to look at Soi Fon's back.

"...?"

He didn't know if it was some kind of physiological problem recently, but he felt that his vice-captain had been acting very irritably lately.

Whether or not she was doing her job was one thing, but Yusuke Matsushita could sense that Soi Fon seemed rather uninterested in anything.

Why not show some concern and see?

"Soi Fon, just a moment."

The latter paused slightly and turned his head halfway around.

what happened?

—Without uttering a word, the meaning conveyed in his eyes was enough to provide a corresponding description.

Yusuke Matsushita emerged from behind his desk, quickly stepped forward, and whispered something to Soi Fon.

"Is something troubling you lately?"

"……No."

"Haha, you're kidding."

He smiled and raised his right hand, pointing his index finger to the corner of his eyebrow.

"The wrinkles have all been squeezed out; you must not have slept well last night."

Soi Fon grunted, her face quickly turning red, and she kicked him angrily.

"If you leave me alone, I can sleep well every day!"

The team members who were originally planning to come and report heard these things from afar, and immediately whistled and turned away as if nothing had happened.

What are they doing over there?

"Don't get involved... It's just the captain and vice-captain's little game, don't interfere..."

I've lost face big time.

Realizing this, Soi Fon was furious and wanted to retaliate, but Matsushita Yusuke grabbed her hands and pulled her back into the office.

"Alright, let's put aside our temper for now. Judging from your reaction, I think I wasn't wrong. What's wrong, is something particularly bothering you lately?"

Soi Fon pursed her lips and turned her head to the side.

He had an expression of reluctance to speak.

"Because of some personal matters..."

Yusuke Matsushita blinked and leaned back slightly.

"Is it the kind of trouble that even I can't share?"

"...Not really."

As if giving up the struggle, Soi Fon sighed softly and sat down on the office bench.

She lowered her head, placed her hands on her knees, and whispered with a furrowed brow.

"It's said that there's news about Lord Yoruichi again in the mortal realm..."

Ah, it's about the head of Shihōin-mae (tactical lean back).

Upon hearing this, Matsushita Yusuke immediately smiled with relief.

He didn't rush to ask any further questions, but instead turned around, poured a glass of water, and handed it to Soi Fon.

"Was this a message from a member of the 13th Division?"

After all, nowadays, only a small group of people are able to settle down in the real world and carry out long-term operations.

Soi Fon, holding her cup, nodded slightly and took over the conversation.

"It is said that someone saw traces of Yoruichi's activities in the real world. Although there is no way to verify it, I think it is necessary to investigate further."

As if trying to convince herself, Soi Fon continued to ramble on.

"The Shihouin family is currently in a very unstable state. If Lord Yoruichi could return, he would definitely be able to resolve these unnecessary troubles!"

She took a small sip of water, and her gaze suddenly sharpened.

"Lord Yushiro is far from being able to stand on his own. If those people in the family were to resort to some underhanded tactics..."

It all boils down to the same old aristocratic ways.

Soi Fon's concern is understandable, since, as mentioned before, her family is a directly subordinate noble family of the Shihōin clan.

In nature, it's similar to the situation with Ōmaeda; both are subordinate members who are active under the Shihōin family... Of course, judging from the current situation, the reason they can continue to follow Shihōin is largely because of Yoruichi.

After all, in the context of feudal society, having such a cheerful and easy-going master was indeed a great advantage.

With his thoughts drifting, Matsushita Yusuke scratched the corner of his mouth and casually asked a question.

"So, you're planning to go and see the real world for yourself?"

To be honest, it's entirely reasonable for Soi Fon to have such a plan. After all, for her, Yoruichi Shihouin's existence is her pursuit and goal.

This guy already had a strong tendency towards promiscuity...

"No, let's forget it."

Soi Fon's answer surprised Matsushita Yusuke. He lowered his head and met Soi Fon's slightly raised gaze.

His eyes held a mixture of emotion and helplessness, and his tone carried an indescribable subtlety.

"Until we have accurate information, it's best to leave it at that for now..."

As she spoke, Soi Fon lowered her head again and nestled back into Yusuke Matsushita's arms.

"Until then, let's wait a bit..."

Yusuke Matsushita blinked and smiled silently.

"Yes, I'm not going anywhere... You can stay here."

249: Duties

"First, what are the key focuses of the patrol work?"

Seeing Shiba Isshin raise his right hand, he proudly held up his index finger and gently shook it in front of him.

Yusuke Matsushita tilted his head, rubbed his chin, and showed a thoughtful expression.

Let me think...

"Ensure absolute security within the area?"

"...Are you really that serious?"

Shiba Isshin paused for a moment, looked around to make sure no one else was there, then lowered his voice and leaned closer.

They whispered as if they were talking in secret.

'Is it to find a good place to sleep in?'

Looking at Shiba Isshin's expression, Matsushita Yusuke knew he was definitely not joking.

How come this guy is already thinking about these things so soon after starting work...?

Seemingly noticing Matsushita Yusuke's somewhat subtle gaze, Shiba Isshin coughed twice, leaned back, and adjusted his expression as he did so.

"Ahem, uh... actually, what I said earlier was all a joke. The most important thing is a sense of responsibility, the responsibility to protect the peace of Soul Society!"

"It's best to plan your words carefully before speaking, otherwise they won't be as persuasive."

"Waaah..."

Hearing the footsteps behind them, the bickering between the two came to an end.

"Captain! Captain Matsushita..."

The people who came on their way were members of the 10th Division, and judging from the position of their badges, they should hold a position similar to that of a seat officer.

Yusuke Matsushita had no impression of this kind of passerby and had no desire to speak at the moment, so he just stood quietly to the side.

Seeing that Shiba was adjusting his expression and communicating with the team members in a way that was different from his usual frivolous attitude, while also explaining the work to them...

Yusuke Matsushita also took the opportunity to let his thoughts wander.

It's been half a month.

It has been half a month since the two squads officially started operating together.

Judging from the results, the patrol team did not achieve any 'operational' results. Of course, this was to be expected.

After all, if I don't take action, there won't be any openings...

"Still no special circumstances? I understand. Let's switch shifts then. You lead the team and let everyone go back and get some rest."

The latter nodded excitedly and returned the greeting earnestly.

"Understood. Captain, be careful!"

"Oh, I'll definitely pay close attention!"

Even the captain has to do it personally, after all, this is a task assigned by Yamamoto, and there is no reason not to take it seriously.

The fact that the two captains are gathered here now is also a statement.

Of course... Matsushita Yusuke's ambitions went far beyond just this.

Watching the two figures disappear into the distance, Matsushita Yusuke pondered briefly before speaking softly.

"Captain Shiba, since we're all here, shouldn't we just let the other members go back and rest?"

Matsushita Yusuke met their gazes and gave them a very cheerful smile.

"After all, everyone has been busy for the past two weeks, and they must be very tired, right? It's only half a day, and Captain Shiba and I can definitely handle it."

It was done without any prior notice; it was a completely 'whim' in another sense.

But Shiba Isshin listened to it completely.

After a brief moment of thought, he turned his head and looked at the soldiers beside him.

“I think Captain Matsushita makes a lot of sense… It’s rare that I’m out here with him to inspect the site today, so you can all go back and get some rest.”

"But Captain..."

"There's no 'buts' about it. The two team leaders are working here; could they possibly be doing a worse job than you?"

That's not the case.

Seeing himself being put on the hot seat, the person stammered for a while, and finally could only sigh in resignation.

But soon, that expression changed to 'gratitude'.

"I will explain the situation to the others, Captain... and Captain Matsushita, thank you both!"

Yusuke Matsushita waved cheerfully.