After leaving Hitsugaya's home, Haruki hadn't walked far when he suddenly stopped.

  "Alright, o keep hiding. e out," he called.

  Footsteps echoed nearby, and a blonde woman with an impressive figure emerged, a look of mild surprise on her face.

  "Oh my, you noticed me," she said.

  "Of course, you didn't even bother to hide your spiritual pressure," Haruki replied, eyeing the woman. This had to be Rangiku Matsumoto, the future lieutenant of Squad Ten.

  He quickly examined her spiritual ability:

  "Big Supplement Pill: Your soul possesses unique nourishing properties. By splitting off a fragment of your soul, you enhahe evolution of an object, a person's growth, or even the pletion of their soul-reted tasks."

  This ability... was quite peculiar.

  It wasn't self-serving at all; it purely beed others! By giving away fragments of her soul, she could help others aplish tasks or even evolve.

  Was this reted to Aizerag a fragment of her soul to plete the Hōgyoku?

  If Haruki's memory served him right, Rangiku's soul tained a fragment of the Soul King—a piece of its fingernail, to be precise. Aizen had taken this fragment to plete the Hōgyoku, which allowed him to accelerate its formation.

  Perhaps it was this ihat gave Rangiku's soul the unique characteristic of the Big Supplement Pill.

  "I wonder," Haruki thought, "if I ed my own soul fragment, would it help me evolve?"

  Unsure, he decided it would still be worthwhile to befriend Rangiku and acquire this ability. After all, one could never have too many abilities. Who knew when it might e in handy?

  ...

  Rangiku interrupted his thoughts. "Which squad are you from?" she asked, having never seen him before.

  "Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Haruki tered. "I'm the one assigo patrol West Rukongai today. Why is another Shinigami here?"

  "Oh, I'm not here on patrol," Rangiku admitted with a mischievous ugh. "I snuto Rukongai for some fun."

  "I'm Rangiku Matsumoto from Squad Ten. Now that I've introduced myself, it's your turn."

  "Haruki from Squad Five," he replied. "What were you doing trailing Tōshirō Hitsugaya?"

  "Tōshirō Hitsugaya, huh?" Rangiku mused. "So that's his hat kid's got talent. What's your retionship with him? Are you pnning to recruit him as a Shinigami?"

  "I'm friends with his friend," Haruki expined as they walked through Rukongai. "She asked me to che him. The moment I saw him, I knew he had the potential to be a Shinigami."

  "Don't worry, I've already persuaded both him and his grandmother. Tomorrow m, I'll take him to the Shin'ō Academy."

  "What?! That's so unfair!" Rangiku pouted. "I found him first! If he's going to be a Shinigami, he should join Squad Ten!"

  Her ent gave Haruki pause.

  Would Hitsugaya still join Squad Ten now that Haruki had intervened? Would he end up in Squad Five instead?

  While most Shinigami were assigo squads by the academy, exceptionally talented individuals, or those requested by captains, often had more freedom to choose.

  Given Hitsugaya's genius and the ck of a prior reservation by Squad Ten, Aizen might very well recruit him into Squad Five.

  If that happened, wouldn't Haruki have altered history on just his sed day?

  ...

  "Hey, what are you spag out for?" Rangiku asked, a Haruki's sudden silence.

  "Nothing, just thinking about a few things," Haruki replied, then addressed her earlier .

  "Even if I discovered Hitsugaya first, his squad pt will ultimately depend on the academy, the captains, and his own choice."

  "If you want him in Squad Ten, I'd suggest ving your captain to request him from the academy."

  "Eh?" Rangiku blinked. "You wouldn't mind him joining Squad Ten?"

  "Of course I'd like him in Squad Five," Haruki admitted, "but I respect his decision."

  Truthfully, Haruki preferred having Hitsugaya in the same squad. It would allow more time tthen their bond and push Hitsugaya's favorability above 80, enabling Haruki to permaly acquire the Prodigy ability.

  "You're surprisingly det," Rangiku remarked, patting him on the shoulder. "Alright, I like you. When you're ba Seireitei, want to grab a drink?"

  "I'm on patrol duty for the few days," Haruki said, brightening at her suggestion but also slightly disappointed. "Once I'm free, I'd be happy to."

  "Great! I'll hold you to that." Rangiku ughed, waving as she turo leave. "I'll leave the kid to you."

  "Got it," Haruki replied, watg her go.

  He'd already unlocked Rangiku's temporary ability, indig her favorability toward him had reached 60. She was uedly easy to get along with.

  Not bad! While the Big Supplement Pill ability wasn't immediately useful, it might prove invaluable someday.

  ...

  After Rangiku's departure, Haruki resumed his patrol. Unlike Seireitei, which was heavily fortified, Rukongai cked protective spiritual barriers and was often frequented by Hollows. Occasionally, Hollows would even use Rukongai as bait to lure weaker Shinigami, whose souls were a delicacy to them.

  Haruki was responsible for patrolling Districts Ohrough Five, a retively safe area overall. He initially assumed this would be a routirol, but as he returned from District Five, he sensed something was off.

  Still in "teag mode," Haruki's sensitivity to spiritual energy flow was heightened, allowing him to detect subtle anomalies. Additionally, the Stern Master-Apprentice Bond ability enhanced his overall awareness and mastery of his skills.

  At this moment, Haruki realized that the ability wasn't just for teag—it had turned him into a truly exceptional "strict master."