Shinji was arguing with Hiyori-The-Nutjob after she had given him a nosebleed with one sandal, and called him 'Baldy' for the third time in ten minutes. Watching them squabble like Yuzu and Karin but with fatal intent, I wondered for the 100th time how those two became the leaders of this little group.
"Keep it down will you, you're ruining my book!" Risa yelled from off to one side. She sighed in frustration and closed her book with a snap as Hiyori bellowed obscenities back at her. Risa got up and stormed off, or so I thought. Apparently I was spaced out because she felt it necessary to wave a hand in front of my face. "Yo."
I swatted her hand away in irritation. "What?"
"If you keep frowning like that you'll get wrinkles early," She told me without the slightest hint of humor in her voice.
"Says the woman who's already halfway to being a perverted old man."
"I am not perverted!" Risa exclaimed defensively.
"Whatever." Hirako was now holding Hiyori by the back of her jacket as she lashed out at him. "What weird pair."
"Yeah. Sometimes I honestly wonder if Shinji got dropped on his head when he was still living in the Rukongai." She looked over at me with sharp eyes behind her glasses. "What?"
"Nothing. It's just that… I was wondering why Hirako was the one to recruit me."
"You mean you were wondering why he's our unofficial leader?" I nodded reluctantly. "We were all leaders in the Seireitei; Captains and Lieutenants. If I asked you who looked like the leader, who would you have guessed?"
"I don't know. Kensei maybe. Or that Love guy."
"Yeah. They were great Captains. Shinji… he was something else. Don't get me wrong, he was strong and level-headed and smarter than you'd believe. But he wasn't feared like Kenpachi or loved like Ukitake. But what happened changed us. All of us. Maybe him most of all. He's crazy, yes, but crazy was exactly what was necessary at that point."
"I'm not sure I understand."
"Shinji is a son of a bitch at the best of times. He says a lot of shit that people want to belt him for. He leads like he does everything else, without backing down, no matter what. He was the only one who could make us shut up and listen. He was the only one who would say the things that needed to be said, no matter how much they hurt. He still does. Shinji may act like a complete moron who lets a girl push him around, but there is steel in him. That's why we follow him."
She stood and picked up her porno mag. She had given me a lot to think about. Just as she was about to leave, she turned to add one last thing. "And because the rest of us are too lazy to do it!"