Naturally, when Captain Kuchiki had received reports of repeated Huge Hollow attacks around Shinjuku Station, he had sent his vice-captain to the transient world at once. And after all, Captain Kuchiki had told Renji to pick the team to accompany him; if he didn't want Renji to bring Kira, Matsumoto and Hinamori, he would have said so, right?

Anyway, now the four of them were sitting on a wall near the station, kicking their heels against the brick and waiting for the sun to set so that the Hollows would start coming out. Matsumoto was licking an ice-cream cone, perhaps more lasciviously than really necessary, and the young guys hanging out a few feet away were casting appreciative glances in her direction.

Of course, the conversation had turned the way it always turned when vice-captains were unquestionably beyond hearing distance of their captains.

"Nothing I do's ever good enough for him," said Renji moodily, looking at the new sunglasses he'd purchased. "Just once, it would be nice to hear, 'Well done,' or 'Good job,' but no."

"You think you have it bad?" said Kira, hunched over. "At least yours is there. Mine's never around. I don't think he even notices what I do."

"He criticizes me all the time!" Matsumoto chimed in. "He keeps telling me my outfit is inappropriate and I need to cover up more!"

"Well—" began Kira.

"And he keeps telling me to stop drinking so much too," she finished, crossing her arms. "I'm not a kid! I can have a good time if I want to."

"He's so wonderful," said Hinamori, pink-cheeked and leaning on her hand. "I hope I can be with him forever."

Suddenly, they realized one of the young guys had sidled up to Matsumoto. "Yeah, mine keeps telling me to quit drinking, too!" he said, resting his arm casually on Matsumoto's shoulder. "It's so lame, right?"

Kira and Hinamori blinked.

"Who are you talking about?" said Renji.

"Well, my dad, of course," said the stranger. He turned to Hinamori. "Seriously, though, you might have issues."

Matsumoto's ice cream dropped onto the ground.

"Hrrk," said Kira.

"What's wrong with him? Is he choking?"

In a delayed reaction, Matsumoto's arm shot out in a punch that left the stranger sprawled on the ground, rubbing his cheek in shock.

"Let's just . . . never talk about that again, okay?" said Renji, standing up.

"Agreed," said Matsumoto, following behind with the others as they headed toward the station.

"I do not have issues!"

A/N: Paging Dr. Freud . . . I'm so sorry, you guys. XD