Chapter 31: Shizuku: Can We Change the Wager?
Watching Kai, Shizuku, and Menchi walk off together, Dako and his team were left with a complicated mix of feelings.
We were hired with Shizuku first. Why are these two newcomers suddenly teaming up with her?
Were they supposed to just... awkwardly tag along?
...It wasn't that they didn't have the nerve.
But what excuse could they use?
"Strength in numbers"? Splitting up was clearly more efficient.
"We'll protect you three?"
Don't be ridiculous. That kid had nearly vaporized one of them with a finger-flick. Who was protecting whom?
"Will you be working as a team, or splitting up?" a Blanchett Company guard asked. Now that the Ochima team had official clearance, the company had to provide escorts—less to help them, and more to protect the tigers from them.
Dako and his men looked at each other. "What does the company recommend?"
"We recommend you realize there's nothing to find and go home."
"We'll split up, then," Dako said. The group of five broke apart and headed into the forest. Two took the outer zone, two took the buffer, and Dako himself headed for the core.
In the core zone of the reserve, the forest was even more primal. Kai, Shizuku, and Menchi walked on, flanked by two Blanchett guards.
Strictly speaking, none of the three had any real "Hunter" tracking skills. But they were Nen users. Their senses were superhuman, and with Gyo focused in their eyes, their perception was incredible.
Menchi, in fact, was using Gyo right now. She scanned the woods, then kept glancing over at their new "teammate."
Shizuku, noticing the stares, looked back, confused.
Menchi pointed to her own eyes, then to Kai's, then to Shizuku's. "Don't you practice keeping Gyo active?"
"Oh." Shizuku immediately focused Aura into her own eyes. She looked around, and her gaze landed on Kai's ears.
"Is there a use for focusing Gyo on your ears?" she asked.
Menchi was stumped. Ginta never taught me that.
"Try it and see," Kai said with a smile.
Both Menchi and Shizuku tried it. Their hearing instantly sharpened, the rustles and whispers of the forest becoming crystal clear.
"This... seems kind of useless compared to using it on your eyes," Menchi concluded. "With my eyes, I can see Aura..."
Shizuku, however, tilted her head. "But... is there Aura that you can only hear?"
Menchi's eyes went wide. She frowned, thinking.
"See? She's got way more talent than you," Kai said, patting Menchi's head. "You gotta think outside the box, little sis. What if you run into an enemy who uses a... Sound Hatsu?"
"You mean a 'Hatsu', not 'Sound Ninjutsu'," Menchi grumbled.
Shizuku, ever the curious one, asked, "Why does he call you 'little sis'?"
Menchi just growled.
"The strong teach the weak," Kai said sagely. "I'm basically her half-teacher. I'm being nice by not calling her 'niece'."
"Hmph! You're asking for it!" Menchi snarled, but she changed the subject. "Shizuku, you're a freelance Hunter, right? You never took the Hunter Exam?"
"Mm," Shizuku nodded, her Gyo still active as she scanned the woods.
"Then how—" Menchi started, but then glanced at the guards walking behind them.
Kai picked up where she left off. "She's curious how you awakened Nen. And, if you did, why are your basics like Gyo so unpracticed? Did you not have a teacher?"
He was curious, too. He knew Shizuku was from Meteor City, just like Chrollo and Machi.
Meteor City. A giant, lawless junkyard that had existed for 1,500 years, taking in all the world's refuse—bodies, weapons, trash, and abandoned children. The rumors claimed 8 million people lived there... but there was no way to prove it.
Which begs the question, Kai thought, where did the '8 million' number come from?
In response to their questions, Shizuku just looked at them and said nothing.
"See? So reckless," Kai scolded Menchi. "You can't just ask people about their personal Nen secrets. You think everyone is an open book like you?"
"Oh! Sorry!" Menchi said, then shot Kai a glare.
Shizuku, however, just asked, "If you pass the exam, does someone teach you Nen?"
"Yeah, but not everyone learns..."
The trio wandered on, seeing plenty of tigers, but since it was daytime, their coats weren't glowing.
Shizuku suddenly said, "Ah. So those are Pale Moon Tigers."
"You're just now figuring that out?" Menchi muttered.
They searched until dusk and found nothing. Four days left. 2 million Zeni for nothing, or 10 million for a real discovery. The thought of missing out on the bigger payday was annoying.
At the exit, they ran into Dako, who was covered in dirt and had also found nothing.
"See you tomorrow, Shizuku," Menchi said, waving as she and Kai walked off.
Dako waited until they were gone, then turned to Shizuku. "We should keep searching tonight. That 2 million Zeni is just—"
He turned, but Shizuku was already gone, walking in the same direction as Kai and Menchi.
Two crows cawed overhead.
Dako stood there for a long time, then scrubbed his face and plunged back into the dark forest.
The Blanchett guards sighed. We'd like to eat dinner, you know!
...
Shizuku, walking out of the forest, heard the cawing and looked up. "Ah," she said, as if just remembering. "I felt like something was missing today."
Night fell on the Elf Amusement Park. The neon lights flickered on, and the evening crowd began to gather.
Kai—now a local legend at the park—was back at his stall by the fountain. He'd even "borrowed" the Blue Moon Jewel from the swindler vendor again. The park guards knew him by now and just let him be.
New tourists, unaware of the "Fountain Kid," were always ready to challenge him.
"Haha, I bet this big guy lasts three seconds!"
"I'll bet five!"
The swindler vendor cackled from the side. "I'll bet one!"
SLAM!
Kai effortlessly pinned the muscle-man's arm to the table.
The man stared at his trembling hand. Just then, a quiet, female voice said, "Can I try?"
Kai looked up. It was Shizuku, in her black turtleneck and jeans.
"Caw, caw."
The two "Kai-Crows," their mission complete, flew off into the night. Shizuku didn't notice. Her deep, violet eyes were locked onto the Blue Moon Jewel on the table.
"Kid, don't," the muscle-man warned her. "This boy's a monster. His wrist is..."
"Beat it, uncle," Kai said. "Give the lady a seat."
Shizuku sat down.
"Stop staring," Kai said, waving a hand in front of her face. "You win, it's yours."
He placed his arm on the table and flexed his fingers. "Using Nen is fine."
A shroud of Ten, invisible to the non-Nen users in the crowd, enveloped his hand.
Shizuku finally looked up from the jewel and met his gaze. "Can we change the wager?"
"To what?" Kai asked.
Shizuku placed her arm on the table. A shroud of her own Ten flared to life as she gripped his hand.
"Your Hunter License," she said.
"Done," Kai said instantly. "But a License isn't an 1800 Zeni bet. What happens... if you lose?"
(End of Chapter)