Chapter 55: Why Is Everyone Here?
Kai and Shizuku had spent the last two weeks slowly hopping from one motel to another, creeping closer to the airport. They spent 90% of their time training and only 10% being "normal" tourists.
The result was that their last hotel was quite close to the airport... and quite far from the luxury mall where Kai had ordered the rings. It was in the complete opposite direction.
"You head to the airport first," Kai had told Shizuku. "Check out the airship schedules. I'll run back and grab the rings, then meet you there."
In terms of pure foot speed, Kai was faster. Plus, Shizuku had almost certainly forgotten where the mall was and would have to waste time looking at maps.
Kai moved through the bustling city streets like a phantom. Dressed in his new, comfortable sportswear, he didn't just run; he flowed. He leaped onto a lamppost, used it to swing around a corner, and then ran horizontally along a wall for twenty feet before dropping back to the sidewalk, landing so lightly that the pedestrians below didn't even notice.
Nen users really did have an unfair advantage over "Muggles."
Normal physical training was "double the effort for half the result." But training your Aura, which then passively enhanced your body? That was "half the effort for a hundred times the result."
Kai hadn't neglected his physical body, but his Nen training had supercharged his development. His punches, his speed, his reflexes—they were improving by leaps and bounds every single day.
Literally.
He hadn't tested it fully, but he was confident that he could now run the Hunter Exam's marathon phase without breaking a sweat. Running for an hour straight? That was nothing compared to holding Ken for ten minutes. And he could hold Ken for 150 minutes.
Whoosh.
Hands in his pockets, Kai weaved through the crowds. He even had time to stop at a popular juice stand and buy a drink.
"Not bad," he muttered, sipping the tropical blend as he checked his phone.
Six and a half minutes. He was already more than halfway there.
He finished the drink and tossed the cup into a trash can with a perfect, no-look three-pointer. As he passed an electronics store, a blaring loudspeaker caught his attention.
"IT'S HERE! THE LATEST MASTERPIECE FROM GAME DESIGNER MR. UFO! THE THRILLING, ACTION-PACKED 'GREED ISLAND'..."
Kai skidded to a halt. "What island?"
He turned and walked into the store.
...
Greed Island. The legendary game created by Gon's deadbeat dad, Ging Freecss, and his team of Nen masters.
The name was an acronym of the creators' initials—G for Ging, obviously.
It was a game that only Nen users could play.
It was limited to 100 copies, sold for billions of Zeni, and was completely, utterly out of stock.
So, seeing a shelf full of "Greed Island" game cartridges in plastic cases was... interesting.
A TV screen above the shelf was playing a promotional video. A blond man in a suit stood in front of it, watching pixelated characters cast spells and swing swords in a generic fantasy world.
"What a load of crap," Kai muttered, walking up next to the man. "It's a bootleg."
The blond man turned to look at him.
Kai looked back.
Hmm? Kai squinted. You look familiar, buddy.
The man was wearing a flashy suit that somehow still managed to look disheveled. He had dirty-blond hair and the distinct, sleazy aura of a used car salesman who had just been fired.
Kai's heart skipped a beat. Holy crap. Is that...?
The man smiled, his eyes crinkling. He activated Gyo for a split second, scanning Kai. Then his smile widened into a dazzling, fake beam. "Hello there, little boy. Do you want an autograph?"
That punchable face. That annoying voice. It was him.
Pariston Hill.
The future Vice-Chairman of the Hunter Association. The man Netero would pick just to make his own life difficult.
"You're a Nen user, aren't you?" Pariston said, his voice smooth as silk. "So you should know. Greed Island is a Nen-infused game. How could it possibly be sold in a place like this? A single real copy would be worth more than this entire city block."
Kai pointed at the shelf. "This is 'Greed-Y Island' (Tan Wan Zhi Dao). Can you read? 'Greed-Y'."
Pariston didn't even blink. In fact, he stopped paying attention to Kai entirely. Because just then, a customer pointed a shaking finger at him and screamed.
"IT'S HIM! IT'S PARISTON!"
"Hey everyone! Look! It's that lawyer! The one from the wife-killer case!"
"The scumbag who got Ojiesky off?!"
Suddenly, the store was a mob scene. Customers, clerks, even the owner swarmed around Pariston, their faces twisted in anger. It was like watching people surround a rare, hated animal. They looked ready to tear him apart.
"How could you defend that monster?!"
"He killed his wife! And you let him walk!"
Pariston didn't flinch. He just kept smiling that perfect, infuriating smile. "I'm a lawyer. I get paid to win cases. What's wrong with that?" he asked the angry mob. "I won, which proves I'm excellent at my job. If Ojiesky walked, and you're angry... doesn't that mean the Ochima legal system is the problem? Haha..."
"Besides," he added breezily, "I'm not a lawyer anymore. The competition in Ochima was just... too boring. No challenge at all. Haha."
As he trolled the crowd, his eyes flicked to the store's front mirror. He saw the young Nen user—Kai—suddenly freeze, his expression shifting. The boy turned and walked out of the store, ignoring the commotion.
...
Pariston Hill is a lawyer? And he defended a wife-killer? Kai thought, stepping onto the street. It's so absurd... and yet, it fits him perfectly.
But he had bigger problems.
In the reflection of the store window, he had seen three figures walking on the other side of the street.
He stopped and glanced across the traffic.
Three people.
One was a woman with messy pink hair tied in a high ponytail, dressed in a traditional gi-like outfit. Machi.
One was a tiny figure completely hidden under a mop of gray hair. Kortopi.
And the third... was a young man in casual clothes, with black hair and a white bandage wrapped around his forehead.
Chrollo Lucilfer.
The Leader of the Phantom Troupe.
Kai felt a cold drop of sweat slide down his back. What are the odds?
He didn't stare. He knew better. Staring at a Nen master—let alone three of them—was like shining a spotlight on yourself. He gave them a single, cursory glance to confirm, then turned and continued toward the mall, his pace steady and unhurried.
A few minutes later, Pariston strolled out of the game store, his suit rumpled but his smile intact. He looked in the direction Kai had been staring.
He didn't know who the boy had been looking at. But he activated Gyo and saw three auras in the distance. They weren't hiding. They were walking down the street, radiating power like miniature suns, completely unconcerned with who saw them.
Interesting, Pariston thought. Since he had nothing better to do... he decided to follow them.
Kosumo International Airport.
The Phantom Troupe trio walked into the massive, sunlit terminal.
"I hate airships," Machi muttered.
"Our luck hasn't been great," Chrollo said calmly, hands in his pockets. "We've scoured the Azian and North Ames continents, and we haven't found a single solid lead on the King Zhenwu Treasure..."
"Treasures like that are usually myths," Kortopi's muffled voice came from under his hair. "Finding nothing is the norm."
"Are you deaf?" Machi snapped, a vein popping on her forehead. "I said I hate airships."
"If you don't want to use a fake ID," Kortopi suggested, "you could just steal a ticket."
Machi scowled. It wasn't about the ID. She had a hunch. A bad feeling about this flight. But she couldn't put her finger on why.
"Someone's watching us," Chrollo said. His voice didn't change pitch. "Four o'clock."
"Mm. We felt it too."
Neither Machi nor Kortopi turned around. They didn't need to use En. They could feel the weight of the gaze.
"Gone," Chrollo said a moment later.
They finally turned. In the crowd at their four o'clock, they saw the back of a young girl in a black turtleneck walking away.
"Maybe she recognized us," Chrollo mused.
"Machi's hair is too conspicuous," Kortopi said.
"Your entire existence is conspicuous," Machi shot back. "Want me to give you a haircut?"
"No thanks..."
They chatted idly as they walked toward the gates.
Meanwhile, in front of the giant electronic departure board, Shizuku sat down on a bench.
'That was the Phantom Troupe...' she thought.
She was curious. She wanted to go talk to them. But the Boss had given her a mission: check the flight schedules.
So, she let it go.
(End of Chapter)