Bleach: Starting From Joining Squad 6

The reason Nagasawa Masaru called the Fate Value system "metaphysical" was because it relied heavily on a matter of "what if."

According to the system's notes, there were two primary ways to obtain Fate Value:

First, by completing tasks issued by the system.

Second, by actively changing someone's destiny—after which the amount of Fate Value gained would depend on the extent of that person's future impact on the world.

Put simply, Masaru didn't even need to think twice to realize that if he somehow straightened out Sōsuke Aizen and Yhwach, making them become best friends with the Soul King and live happily ever after, he would probably rack up an absurd amount of Fate Value.

But clearly, altering destiny was no easy feat.

It was easy enough to change the fate of an ordinary soul. If he went out past the 70th District of Rukongai and handed out food and water, he could easily save a number of souls from dying of starvation.

However, such actions would rarely earn him Fate Value—unless, by sheer chance, one of those he saved happened to be someone destined to change the fate of the entire Soul Society.

As for the truly influential figures with the power to reshape the world—like the captains of the Gotei 13—there was no way a few casual words from him would be enough to alter their life trajectories.

Thinking about all this, Masaru decided that such matters should be approached with long-term planning. After all, his original goal after surviving was just to slack off and live as a salary thief, wasn't it?

At that very moment, now that his system's official version had just activated, he began to receive Expectation Value updates.

[Your fellow Shinō Academy graduates, frustrated by how you've stolen their spotlight, also secretly hope you will become the youngest captain in Soul Society's history and win some glory for their generation. Expectation +1]

[Your reputation is gradually spreading through Seireitei. The Gotei 13 is eager to see how you perform next. Expectation +2]

[The Squad 6 members are deeply unhappy about your parachuted promotion to third seat. They eagerly anticipate seeing you make a fool of yourself. Expectation +4]

Masaru: "..."

Reading through the incoming Expectation updates, Masaru couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

So basically, the sum of everyone's hopes in Seireitei didn't even outmatch the amount of people hoping he'd mess up?

As expected, where there are people, there are politics. No matter the place, nobody likes a leader who parachutes in.

But just as Masaru was reviewing the record of Expectation gains, one particular entry suddenly caught his eye.

[Sōsuke Aizen has taken a keen interest in you and is looking forward to seeing even more surprising performances from you. Expectation +9]

"Hsssss…"

Good grief!

Masaru couldn't help but curse out loud.

He'd already drawn the attention of the big bad boss?

His breath caught in his throat.

Getting noticed by Aizen was definitely not a good thing.

He remembered clearly that around this time, Aizen had already grown tired of experimenting on ordinary souls for his Hōgyoku Hollowfication research. To collect more precise data, he had begun experimenting on actual Shinigami from the Gotei 13.

This only solidified Masaru's resolve to never leave Seireitei, to never give Aizen even a sliver of opportunity.

"You seem a little out of sorts."

Just as he was racking his brain for ways to stay off Aizen's radar, a familiar voice suddenly rang out beside his ear, startling him.

Turning toward the source of the voice, he saw none other than Shutara Senjumaru, clad in white and standing barefoot in his room, her sandals left behind at the door.

She had somehow slipped in unnoticed.

Looking at the elegant classical beauty before him, Masaru seemed to forget all about Aizen for a moment. Smiling lightly, he said,

"Though beauty is often forgiven, it's still not exactly polite to pop into someone's room without warning. Next time, a heads-up would be nice."

At his words, a warm smile blossomed on Senjumaru's face. The artificial skeletal arms behind her responded to her emotion, even daintily covering her mouth as she laughed.

"Hehe, you really do know how to talk sweet. I've brought your Shihakushō."

It was only then that Masaru noticed that the two artificial limbs behind her were carrying a completely black outfit—visibly different from the standard Shinigami uniform.

He stepped forward to receive it, and when he took a closer look, surprise flickered across his face.

A long black coat paired with a three-piece suit—he immediately thought of Osamu Dazai from Bungou Stray Dogs.

Before he could comment, Senjumaru had already noticed the amazement in his eyes and continued calmly.

"This is a common style of dress in the Western Branch. For some reason, compared to the usual Shihakushō, I find this suits your temperament far more."

The "Western Branch" she referred to was essentially the Soul Society's Western counterpart—Inner London, one could say.

While it did seem strange to wear a Western-style suit in a place full of kimono-wearing Shinigami, Masaru had to admit…

It looked ridiculously cool.

Compared to the overused Shihakushō, this was already a visual upgrade.

He wasted no time changing into it.

And honestly, compared to the Shinigami work uniform, this suit felt far more to his liking.

Although he appeared content outwardly, the questions in his mind only grew. Unable to contain his curiosity, he asked the woman before him,

"Wouldn't it have been fine to have a regular squad member deliver this? There was no need for you to come personally, right?"

From their earlier conversation, it was clear that Senjumaru had received the Royal Guard's invitation long ago, only delaying her departure from Seireitei for some reason. She hadn't headed to the Soul King Palace until Kirio Hikifune was invited as well.

Her personal visit today clearly wasn't just about delivering a set of clothes.

At his question, a brief look of approval flashed in Senjumaru's eyes, and she nodded slightly.

"If it were that brat from the Kuchiki clan, I would've sent just anyone."

"But you are different."

Seeing that things were playing out as expected, Masaru instantly adopted a posture of rapt attention.

Noticing his receptiveness, Senjumaru didn't hold back.

"While tailoring this for you yesterday, I noticed something strange about your body."

"Your Soul Chain and Soul Sleep, although healed, seem to be lingering at a critical breaking point—on the verge of rupture at all times."

"I spent all night thinking about it, and I suspect it has to do with your unusual constitution."

As she spoke, one of the skeletal limbs behind her produced a device that looked oddly like a power-level scanner from Dragon Ball, which she brought to her eye. After a long moment of silent analysis, she continued,

"As I thought. Your absorption rate for spirit particles far exceeds that of a typical Shinigami. Even among captain-class powerhouses, you would stand out."

"But your body is simply too weak. It's like placing a fragile ceramic vase under a raging waterfall. Years of malnutrition have left your body unable to keep up with this extraordinary intake. That's why your Soul Chain and Soul Sleep remain perpetually on the verge of collapse."

"I came here today to help you resolve that problem."

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