Self-Sacrifice

Akira Morisawa's words seemed to strike a hidden nerve in Gin Ichimaru's heart. Gin fell silent at once, then said coldly, "She is just an ordinary friend."

"Is that so?"

Akira gestured for Taume Yoshigami to leave the temporary treatment room. Then, while he began a more detailed examination of Rangiku Matsumoto, who was already lying on the bed, he spoke in a conversational tone.

"Generally speaking, I look down on childhood romance. Early feelings like that do nothing useful besides stirring up immature impulses. I do not have much personal experience with it, but in theory, I oppose behavior that provides no benefit to body or mind."

Gin watched Akira's hands glow green with Kaido, his expression focused and serious. For a moment, Gin's own expression nearly cracked.

"W-what romance? There is nothing like that."

"Is that so? In that case, I should give you one warning. You are sacrificing yourself now to cure this girl, but that does not mean the two of you will necessarily end up together in the future. Are you truly prepared for that?"

Akira examined Rangiku as he spoke, his tone casual, almost like ordinary small talk.

"That kind of thing does not matter. I only want to repay a debt," Gin answered calmly.

The lenses of Akira's glasses reflected a greenish light. He asked with perfect indifference, "Good. Then even if, years from now, after Rangiku has grown, she carries part of your soul and someone else violates her, destroys her life, and leaves her carrying another person's child, you probably would not feel too sad, right?"

A vein nearly popped.

Gin's restraint frayed.

His fist tightened.

Gin's expression almost collapsed completely. The fingers gripping his Zanpakuto went rigid, and the thread that had nearly snapped inside him almost drove him to release his blade and shoot this hateful Shinigami dead.

No. Shoot him down, hard.

Although Gin had already sensed the nasty nature hidden under Akira's gentle exterior, he had never imagined that the man could be this awful.

Gin glared at Akira, and his eyes opened wider than ever before, as if the ptosis had healed itself on the spot. His gaze was full of humiliation and rage.

Akira pushed up the glasses reflecting that green glow again and said, "Oh, right. Strictly speaking, Rangiku's body will contain a fragment of your soul. So if, years from now, after she has grown, someone else violates her, then in a certain sense that violation would reach you indirectly too. Does it truly not matter?"

"??!!"

Gin nearly snapped.

'What do you think? Do I look like it would not matter?'

If Akira had not already cured several Rukongai residents who had lost portions of their souls, proving that this man could restore Rangiku, Gin would absolutely have gone berserk.

Akira watched from the corner of his eye as Gin's expression approached its limit. Then his tone shifted, becoming solemn and earnest.

"So, you brat with a rather severe tendency toward self-sacrifice, if you do not want that future to happen, you had better get rid of that foolish mindset. Otherwise, even if you sacrifice yourself, you will spend your whole life being dragged into the consequences of other people's violence and violation."

Gin's expression stiffened. His face shifted between fury and bloodless shock.

But very soon, Gin sensed the concern and gentleness hidden beneath those deliberately vile words.

"Thank you."

After a long silence, Gin forced out those two words with difficulty.

"Do not overthink it. I am only being responsible for my patient."

Akira's voice softened. Then he asked, "Final confirmation. Gin Ichimaru, you are certain you want to undergo Soul Transplant and transplant part of your own soul into Rangiku Matsumoto to treat her soul loss, correct?"

Gin, who had nearly suffered a complete collapse of his mental defenses under Akira's vicious words, froze for several seconds. Then he looked at Rangiku beside him, and his gaze gradually firmed.

"Yes."

"Then there is one thing you need to know in advance. Since you have already awakened a Zanpakuto, undergoing Soul Transplant may cause part of that Zanpakuto's ability to become incomplete. It may even affect your future talent as a Shinigami. Are you all right with that?"

This time, after confirming Gin's will once again, Akira's tone was less a question and more a notice.

"That kind of thing does not matter," Gin answered without hesitation.

Akira moved to Gin's side and said gravely, "Very well. Then... I am officially beginning."

Gin nodded. Then, as if he had suddenly thought of something, he quickly spoke.

"Wait..."

Akira paused and asked, "Are you regretting it?"

Gin opened his eyes slightly and looked at Rangiku beside him.

"The part of my soul you transplant will affect Rangiku in the future, right? If so, I hope you can transplant the part that contains happiness, joy, satisfaction, and other good emotions."

Akira blanked for a moment. For some reason, he felt as if this kid had force-fed him a mouthful of sweet romance and made him digest it.

Also... why did Gin's self-sacrificing mindset seem to be getting even worse?

Akira spoke irritably.

"Are you teaching me how to do my job? Should I lie down and let you stand up to perform the treatment instead?"

Gin fell silent at once. He allowed Akira, whose expression had turned focused, to cover his thin, delicate body with hands glowing green.

"Ah?!"

In the next moment, as Gin felt his soul beginning to be divided, he could not hold back a cry. Then he clenched his teeth and forced it down, afraid he would interfere with Akira's treatment.

Pain.

Unspeakable pain. True pain that reached the soul itself.

Gin endured for only a few breaths before his vision nearly went black. Suddenly, he understood why Akira had wanted patients unconscious before performing Soul Transplant.

Even so, Gin did not regret it in the slightest. He held on with everything he had, keeping himself conscious.

What had happened to Rangiku made Gin instinctively suspicious and wary of everything. He had to witness Rangiku's treatment with his own eyes.

'Rangiku...'

'Rangiku...'

'Rangiku...'

In the end, amid the agony of his soul being cut again and again, Gin's mind, which barely retained a sliver of awareness, held only Rangiku's smile and the dried persimmon she had once offered him.

'Rangiku, no matter what, I will protect you. I will make sure you recover!'

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