Chapter 653 - 653 Embarking On The Journey, Moving Forward Again

"Regarding my retirement application and my recommendation letter for you to succeed me as Captain-Commander, I have already sent them to the Soul King Palace. Presumably, the document appointing you as the new Captain-Commander will be issued from the Soul King Palace before long. So, make your preparations in the meantime."

Yamamoto said this final sentence to Toshiro, then said no more and let Toshiro leave.

Unlike the lightness he felt upon arrival, Toshiro's steps were heavy as he left, as if a great mountain was pressing down on his shoulders… a mountain named responsibility.

Thinking that the weight of the entire Soul Society would soon rest on his shoulders, even Toshiro couldn't help but feel somewhat heavy-hearted.

"Sigh..."

After walking out the gate of the 1st Division, Toshiro took a deep breath, then sighed and said: "Well, whatever. Even if I do actually take over as Captain-Commander, it will still be some time. I won't think about it for now. First... I'll go see Rangiku."

As he said this, Toshiro couldn't help but unconsciously frown again, his expression somewhat worried.

In fact, for these ten days, because of Gin's death, Rangiku's mood had been quite poor. She no longer had her former boisterous cheerfulness and tomboyish demeanor. Instead, she often felt sorrowful and melancholic, and had even lost some weight. Of course, certain parts of her body had become even more prominent instead.

Within the Seireitei, on a barren mountain, there was a sizable cave. This cave was rather peculiar, frozen by ice and snow that never melted throughout the year.

At that moment, Rangiku was inside this cave, leaning against the ice-covered rock wall, her expression sorrowful as she lowered her head in silent melancholy.

This ice cave was originally a normal cave, but because Toshiro had once trained here, it was affected by his power, thus becoming covered in ice and snow that never melted.

Rangiku, as Toshiro's Lieutenant who had followed him for many years, had come here before.

Recently, Rangiku had been in a bad mood and wanted to be alone. However, because Yamamoto was injured, the affairs of the Gotei 13 were temporarily being handled by Toshiro as Vice-Captain-Commander.

As a result, the 10th Division's barracks were constantly busy, with people from other divisions frequently coming for various matters.

So, seeking peace and quiet, Rangiku left the division alone and unconsciously ended up here.

Then, Rangiku could be seen frowning, smiling, and looking sad, seemingly lost in past memories.

Finally, Rangiku came back to her senses and let out a long sigh: "Even in disappearing, you leave me nothing to remember you by... On this point... you're still as detestable as ever, but..."

"If you had actually left me something to remember you by... I would surely be forever trapped in painful memories, unable to escape... You probably anticipated this, which is why you did this, right? Really, you are... always a detestable man..."

As she said this, Rangiku's voice was somewhat choked, tears welling up in her eyes.

Then Rangiku struggled with her tone: "No, I can't cry. I have to be strong. I can't cause everyone... I can't cause Captain any more trouble..."

"It's alright... if you want to cry, cry out loud..." Toshiro's voice suddenly echoed in the silent ice cave.

"Captain?" Rangiku looked up in surprise and saw Toshiro approaching.

"A Captain is supposed to be the solid support for their subordinates. So, you can lean on my shoulder, Lieutenant Rangiku." Toshiro said with a sympathetic tone as he walked up to Rangiku.

"Captain!"

As if finding her anchor, Rangiku let out a mournful cry and threw herself into Toshiro's arms, sobbing loudly against his shoulder.

"There, there... cry, cry it out... let out all the pent-up anguish and pain, cry them out loud. Then become strong again, carry everyone's thoughts and blessings, embark on life's journey, and move forward again..." Toshiro gently comforted her, stroking Rangiku's head.

Rangiku sobbed in response, then continued to cry loudly, venting the depression and sorrow in her heart.

After a long while, Rangiku's crying finally subsided. The sadness on her face disappeared, replaced by a determined expression once more.

"Are you alright now, Rangiku?" Toshiro asked.

"Yes, I'm fine now, Captain. Everyone is moving forward. Even Hisagi and Renji aren't at the barracks... they're hiding somewhere training hard. I can't... stay down and stop moving forward either." Rangiku said, lifting her head.

However, after lifting her head from Toshiro's shoulder and looking at his handsome face so close to hers, Rangiku suddenly blushed and pushed Toshiro away, breaking free from his embrace.

Caught off guard by the push, Toshiro stumbled and nearly fell to the ground.

"Hey, what are you doing, Rangiku!" Toshiro said irritably.

"You took advantage of me and you dare ask what I'm doing? I misjudged you, Captain. I didn't think you were this kind of person!" Rangiku said loudly.

"Took advantage of you? When did I take advantage of you? I just held you to comfort you. How is that taking advantage?" Toshiro retorted.

"Ha? You admitted you held me, and that's not taking advantage? Then what is taking advantage?" Rangiku said angrily.

"What's wrong with you, Rangiku? We've been close friends for decades. Just holding you to comfort you, how is that taking advantage?"

"Besides, you used to be the one always putting your hands on me. What you did back then was much more serious than 'just a hug', and I never held it against you, did I?" Toshiro frowned.

Rangiku's personality, to put it nicely, was boisterous, open, and informal. To put it bluntly, she was a tomboy. So, in the past, she often treated Toshiro like a good buddy, putting her arm around his shoulder, and there were even several times when Toshiro nearly suffocated from Rangiku's 'face wash'.

At first, Toshiro was a bit uncomfortable with this behavior from Rangiku, often blushing shyly.

But seeing this reaction, Rangiku found it amusing and often teased him like this, laughing heartily at his boyish responses.

So, later, Toshiro simply ignored this behavior from Rangiku, and Rangiku stopped teasing him about his innocent boyish reactions.

However, the physical contact like putting arms around shoulders and hugging, like brothers or friends, didn't stop.

Therefore, both Toshiro and Rangiku had long been accustomed to this kind of behavior, expressing closeness like good buddies.

But precisely because of that, Toshiro really didn't understand why she would suddenly react this way just because he held her to comfort her.

After hearing Toshiro's words, Rangiku also realized her reaction was a bit extreme, so she said somewhat sheepishly: "Ah... I'm really sorry, Captain. Before, you always looked like a little kid, and I thought of you as a younger brother, so I didn't really mind those displays of affection. But..."

"But now you've suddenly become a handsome, cool adult, so... so I'm not really used to it. I'm really sorry, hehe..." Rangiku said with an embarrassed smile.

Hearing Rangiku's explanation, Toshiro's face darkened with exasperation.

In essence, the meaning in Rangiku's words was that before, she didn't see Toshiro as a man, but as a 'little kid', so she didn't care about certain intimate actions and behaviors.

But now that Toshiro had broken through and reshaped his body into a perfect Divine Body, he maintained his adult form.

Consequently, Rangiku was instead unaccustomed to it and could no longer see Toshiro as a little kid.