Bleach : I Need To Rizz To Become Stronger ?!

"Lieutenant Matsumoto."

Matsumoto Rangiku yawned as she arrived at the squad barracks that morning. Hearing the greeting, she lazily replied, "Morning."

"It's not morning anymore, Lieutenant," the voice responded.

Rangiku squinted and looked over. "Ah, Hoshino."

Hoshino Tōru, Fourth Seat of the Tenth Division, had always been known for his diligence.

He'd once been the Third Seat, but when Hitsugaya took that position, Hoshino voluntarily stepped down, believing himself less capable—even though back then, Captain Shiba Isshin had offered to let the two share the seat.

To Rangiku, Hoshino was that guy—the one who always did exactly what the captain asked.

"Lieutenant Matsumoto, did you drink yourself into another hangover last night?"

"Of course not!" she immediately denied.

Hoshino stepped forward and handed her a document. "These are today's assignments."

Still groggy, Rangiku's headache only worsened at the sight of them. She said quickly, "Just take them to the captain."

Hoshino sighed. "Lieutenant, this is your workload. You can't just keep bothering the captain with everything."

"He is the captain," she said matter-of-factly. "Who else should I pass it to?"

Hoshino followed her into the lieutenant's office.

"The captain's already been quite busy lately."

"Busy?" Rangiku scoffed. "Isn't that his job? Besides, he's still young and full of energy—shouldn't he be helping out an old-timer like me?"

With that, she slumped onto her desk.

"I'll nap a bit. Close the door on your way out."

"Yes, ma'am."

Hoshino stared at her dozing form and sighed silently before walking out, documents still in hand.

As he reached the captain's office, he bumped into someone coming out.

"Oh, it's Hinamori," he greeted with a warm smile.

"Senior Hoshino!" Hinamori bowed politely before hurrying off. "The captain's inside!"

Hoshino noticed her flushed cheeks and rushed gait, and his expression grew a bit odd. Still, he reminded himself not to pry into the captain's private affairs.

He knocked and stepped inside.

"Captain."

"Hoshino, right on time."

Hoshino handed over the documents. As Shin skimmed through them, he asked, "Where's Matsumoto?"

"She's..."

"She's not here yet? What time is it? That woman—what the hell is she doing!?" Shin snapped irritably.

"No, she is here, but she seemed a little... off, so I didn't want to bother her," Hoshino offered diplomatically.

Shin called it out instantly: "Off? You mean hungover from drinking again."

Hoshino: "…"

Shin reviewed the files carefully and signed off on them.

"I really need to teach that woman a lesson."

Hoshino pretended not to hear and shifted the topic. "Captain, are you going out on patrol this afternoon?"

Shin glanced at his schedule and nodded. "Yeah, that's the plan."

Hoshino looked puzzled. "Why the sudden interest in the outer Rukongai districts?"

"Captain Aizen from Squad Five asked me to keep an eye out—he suspects a Hollow might show up around there."

Shin had indeed been taking this seriously, personally leading patrols for several days in a row—not because of the Hollow itself, but out of instinctive caution regarding Aizen.

He wanted to know if this "request" was truly routine—or if there was something deeper behind it.

But nearly a week had passed, and nothing unusual had surfaced. Shin began to relax, thinking maybe he'd just been paranoid.

"You don't need to overwork yourself, Captain. You can delegate these things," Hoshino offered. "I happen to be free this afternoon—I can lead the patrol."

Shin nodded. "Fine. I'll leave it to you."

He then pulled a stack of papers from a nearby file.

"Take these to Matsumoto."

Hoshino accepted the files and glanced through them. He looked back at Shin.

"Captain?"

"Give them to her. Tell her it's my order."

"...Understood."

So Hoshino headed back to the lieutenant's office.

Rangiku groaned at the knock, lifting her head irritably. When she saw the files, her eyes widened.

"Lieutenant?"

"Oww…"

Suddenly she clutched her forehead and winced.

"Are you alright, Lieutenant?"

"I'm fine," she said, rubbing her temples. "Just a headache. Probably drank too much last night."

Hoshino thought back to when he'd asked if she was hungover—she'd denied it immediately. Now she was putting on a show.

"Don't worry, Hoshino. Go on with your work. I'll take care of everything. Just need to rest a bit, then I'll get through all this."

Hoshino sighed and offered, "Why don't I help you with some of it—"

Smack!

Rangiku shot upright, handed the entire stack back to him, and bowed slightly.

"You're a lifesaver, Fourth Seat Hoshino. Truly a good man! No wonder the whole squad respects you—I do too!"

Hoshino couldn't help but laugh. "Alright, alright. You get some rest."

That afternoon, Rangiku quietly slipped out of her office. After checking the hallway, she adjusted her uniform and headed out.

"Where are you going?"

A voice from behind froze her in place.

She spun around to see Shin—and immediately forced a nonchalant smile.

"Just going to find Hitsugaya. Squad business."

"He's on patrol in Seireitei today. If it's official, you can talk to me instead."

"Oh... right. I forgot. Nothing urgent, then. Never mind." She turned back into her office with an air of indifference.

Once the door closed, she muttered under her breath, "That brat's definitely watching me."

Indeed, Shin had been quietly tracking her reiatsu the entire time.

Back in the captain's office, Hinamori lay lounging in his chair. When Shin returned, she smiled, "Was Lieutenant Matsumoto trying to sneak out again?"

Having been in Squad 10 for a while now, Hinamori had learned plenty about Rangiku's habits.

What Hitsugaya had once told her about Rangiku hadn't been an exaggeration.

"That lazy woman," Shin muttered. "You better not learn from her."

"I won't," Hinamori promised.

Shin added, "Fourth Seat Hoshino's a good example. You should stick close and learn from him."

"I've heard that too," Hinamori nodded. "My batchmates all respect him. If it weren't for Tōshirō, he'd still be the Third Seat."

Shin chuckled. "Is Hitsugaya that unpopular?"

"He's... alright," she replied. Hitsugaya's cold demeanor and immense talent often made him hard to approach. Though the other rookies knew Hinamori was close to him, they still whispered behind his back—just not in front of her.

Shin sat back down, and Hinamori began massaging his shoulders.

After a moment, Shin suddenly said, "Go ask Matsumoto to bring me the documents I assigned her."

"Okay."

Elsewhere, Rangiku, having learned of the request from Hinamori, told her, "I got it. You head back—I'll deliver them soon."

As soon as Hinamori left, Rangiku rushed into another office.

She went to Hoshino's desk and quickly found the files. Skimming through, she saw most of them were already done.

"As expected of Hoshino... you really saved me."

Thinking they'd suffice, she stepped out to deliver them—only to see someone running full speed toward the captain's office.

Something's wrong.

She followed, curiosity piqued.

Bang!

The door slammed open without even a knock.

"Captain!"

Inside, Shin immediately stepped away from Hinamori, looking displeased. "What is it?"

The man's face was pale, his voice frantic.

"Fourth Seat Hoshino... something's happened!"

Clatter—

The files in Rangiku's hands scattered across the floor.