"Looking at the schedule, we won't be leaving until tomorrow morning." Kanzai stretched his arms above his head as the crowd shuffled down the gangplank. The sky was bruising into dusk, deep purples and oranges bleeding across the horizon. "Weather's unpredictable this time of year."
Liam blinked. "Is that actually how you use that idiom?"
He turned to face the Tiger Zodiac properly. "Also, I thought you left already."
"My contract isn't finished." Kanzai shrugged, hands sliding into his pockets. "Why would I leave?"
"We barely saw you on the ship," Menchi said, grinning. "Were you hiding?"
"A bodyguard who wanders too far from his employer isn't much of a bodyguard." Kanzai's tone was casual, like he was discussing the weather. Which, technically, he had been a moment ago. "Pretty straightforward, right?"
"That makes sense," Shizuku said, nodding seriously. "You don't have much education, but you have a lot of experience."
The air temperature dropped about ten degrees.
Menchi's eyes went wide. Dago and the other amateur Hunters suddenly found the ground very interesting. Liam kept his face carefully neutral, but internally he was cackling.
Holy shit, Shizuku.
"I'm a professional Hunter," Kanzai said, smiling like he'd just received a compliment. "What did you expect?"
Liam stared. Menchi stared. Even the amateur Hunters looked baffled.
Did he only hear the second half of that sentence? Is this man immune to insults, or is he just selectively deaf?
Slohe, the balding Ochima bureaucrat, cleared his throat with the desperate energy of someone trying to prevent a fistfight. "Let's find a hotel first. Rest tonight, leave in the morning."
He glanced at Kanzai, smiling a bit too wide. "Tomorrow's the 16th. Your short-term contract runs through the end of January, which is fortunate since we'll be passing through a few... troublesome areas. I hope you don't mind handling any issues that come up?"
"I'm a bodyguard," Kanzai said flatly. "I complete the job."
Dago and the others exchanged looks. They were planning to follow Slohe back to Ochima anyway, hoping to squeeze a bit more payment out of the bureaucracy. Free security from a Zodiac-level Hunter was just a bonus.
Liam glanced at Menchi.
On the ship, the three of them had spent hours poring over the world map. Liam had circled places he remembered from the manga: the Hunter Association Headquarters, Misty Wetlands, Heavens Arena. He'd even half-joked about visiting the Zoldyck estate, since their front gate was technically a tourist attraction. Or maybe swing by NGL before it became a Chimera Ant nightmare.
Shizuku had shrugged and said she'd follow the boss wherever he went.
Menchi, though. Menchi had plans.
Liam could still hear her voice from that conversation in the cabin, confident and clear as she traced her finger along the southern continent. "I'm staying in Ochima. I want to travel the whole region, taste food from every culture, hunt ingredients I've never seen before."
She'd grinned. "I'm a Gourmet Hunter, after all. What else would I do?"
Then she'd tried to pat his head like he was a puppy, and Liam had flicked her hand away, and they'd both laughed.
The group found a hotel near the port. Slohe handled the booking, naturally expensing everything to the Ochima government. After a quick shower and a change of clothes, everyone trickled down to the hotel restaurant for dinner.
The dining room was warm and loud, filled with the clatter of silverware and low conversation. Liam ended up sitting across from Kanzai, both of them attacking identical steak dinners.
"Mr. Kanzai," Liam said, sawing through a particularly stubborn piece of meat. "You look young. When did you join the Zodiacs?"
Kanzai stuffed an enormous chunk of steak into his mouth. He chewed slowly, deliberately, staring at Liam the whole time.
It was deeply uncomfortable.
"Few years ago," Kanzai finally said, mouth still half-full. "Don't remember exactly."
"I heard President Netero selects the Zodiacs personally," Liam continued, trying to sound casual.
Kanzai kept chewing. And staring.
Why is he looking at me like I just insulted his mother?
Kanzai swallowed. "You want to join?" He leaned back in his chair, wiping grease from the corner of his mouth. "Positions are full. That's what 'Twelve' means. Twelve spots."
He grinned, sharp and challenging. "Unless the President decides to replace someone. He picked me because I'm good at fighting. You want my spot? Beat me. I'll recommend you myself."
The air around Kanzai shifted. Not visibly, but Liam felt it. A subtle pressure, like standing too close to a furnace. The older Hunter's aura was leaking out, just barely, testing him.
Shit. This guy's not joking.
"Mr. Kanzai," Liam said carefully, keeping his tone light. "I'm not a piece of treasure you need to appraise. That aura pressure thing is making it hard to enjoy my steak."
Kanzai snorted, and the pressure vanished. He grabbed another piece of meat. "Means you've got decent reserves. Good instincts."
You're a goddamn menace, is what you are.
But Liam just smiled and went back to his dinner.
Later that night, Liam stood by the window in his hotel room. The city lights of Greburg sparkled below, far less impressive than the neon glow of his old world but still pleasant in its own way.
He dipped his finger in leftover steak sauce and drew a crescent shape on the windowsill.
Concentrating, he wrapped a tiny thread of aura around his fingertip and pressed it against the juice. The crescent darkened, shifting from glossy brown to a dull gray. The Moon Mark.
"It works on objects too," Liam muttered, studying the mark. "The target doesn't matter. The mark itself is the anchor."
Good to know.
Movement caught his eye. Shizuku had stepped out onto the balcony next door, her purple hair catching the moonlight.
Liam waved.
Shizuku tilted her head, then raised her hand and waved back.
For a moment, neither of them said anything. Just two people standing in separate spaces, acknowledging each other's existence.
Then Shizuku went back inside, and Liam closed his window.
The next morning, January 16th, 7:00 AM.
Greburg's train station was chaos incarnate.
Crowds surged in every direction, dragging luggage, shouting at children, checking tickets. The smell of coffee and fried dough hung in the air, mixing with diesel fumes and someone's overly aggressive cologne.
Menchi stood on the platform with a small backpack slung over one shoulder. Her kitchen knife hung openly from her belt, completely visible, completely illegal for anyone who wasn't a Hunter. But with her license, she could walk into a government building with a machete and nobody would say a word.
Perks of the job, Liam thought.
"You didn't have to come," Menchi said, though she was smiling.
"We had time." Liam checked his watch. "Our train to Cosmo doesn't leave until 9:15."
Cosmo was bigger, flashier, more modern than Greburg. According to Slohe, that's where you caught international airships to other continents. From there, Liam and Shizuku could go anywhere. No visas, no paperwork, no hassle.
Hunter privileges, baby.
Wait.
"Hang on," Liam said, turning to Shizuku. "You don't have a Hunter License. Do you need a visa to stay in Ochima?"
Shizuku blinked. "We have people who make fake documents."
"Isn't that illegal?"
"Yes."
"Cool. Make me a bunch."
"What are you two whispering about?" Menchi crossed her arms, mock-offended. "You're supposed to be saying goodbye to me."
"Haven't you left already?" Liam asked innocently.
Menchi bared her teeth at him, trying to look intimidating and failing miserably. Then she laughed, the sound bright and unguarded. "Whatever. We'll see each other again anyway. And next time, I'm going to blow your mind. I've been thinking about a new ability, and it's perfect for me."
Liam snorted. "How awesome can it be? I could take you down in two punches. By the time we meet again, you probably won't even recognize me."
"You're the one who should worry!" Menchi leaned in, grinning wickedly. "Without my cooking helping you recover, you'll fall behind. I'm going to surpass you, just watch."
Liam extended his fist.
Menchi bumped it immediately, her expression shifting from playful to serious. "I'm a Hunter too, you know. Stop underestimating me."
They both turned to look at Shizuku, who was watching them with her usual blank curiosity.
"Oh." Shizuku realized what was expected. She stuck out her fist.
All three fists bumped together.
Behind Menchi, the train hissed and groaned as it pulled into the station. Steam billowed across the platform. People started pushing toward the doors.
"Time to go," Liam said.
Menchi stepped back, waving as she moved toward the crowd. Then she turned and disappeared into the crush of passengers.
Liam and Shizuku stood there for a moment, watching the train.
"Hey!"
They turned. Menchi was leaning out of one of the train windows, pointing directly at Liam.
"What's your specialty?" she shouted over the noise.
Liam opened his mouth, then closed it. He had no idea how to answer that.
But Menchi was already laughing. She waved one last time, then pulled back inside. The train's whistle shrieked, and the engine rumbled to life.
Liam watched it pull away, gaining speed, until it was just a dark shape disappearing into the distance.
"We should find Kanzai and Slohe," Shizuku said quietly.
"Yeah," Liam agreed. "Let's go."