Chapter 57: Hisoka's Doppelgänger
{Mm. I can still hear you. It's very clear.}
Shizuku walked into the women's restroom on the far west side of the terminal. She entered a stall, locked the door, and focused on the ring on her finger. The mental connection was flawless.
{It barely consumes any Aura at all...}
She raised her hand, and with a soft pop, Blinky materialized.
{Although... honestly, we could just use our phones for this.}
She aimed the vacuum at the velvet box Kai had given her—the one containing the other eight rings. "Blinky, inhale."
Whirrr. The box vanished. She dispelled the vacuum and waited.
Kai didn't respond.
{Kai?} she transmitted.
A few seconds later, his voice echoed in her mind. {Oh... sorry. It's just a little chaotic over here. It seems a lot of people just had their airship tickets stolen or snatched...}
On the east side of the terminal, Kai stood amidst a brewing storm of angry passengers. Some were shouting at security guards, demanding action. Others were furiously making phone calls. And a large number were rushing back to the ticket counters to buy replacements before boarding started.
{Was it the Phantom Troupe?} Shizuku asked.
{Maybe,} Kai replied.
He didn't linger. He ducked into the men's restroom on the east side. Even in here, men were grumbling at the sinks about stolen tickets.
Is the Phantom Troupe really this petty? Kai wondered. Stealing random tickets? Are they scalpers now? Even if they're broke, surely Chrollo could just 'persuade' a few people to hand over cash...
He turned the corner toward the urinals and froze.
At the sinks, a man was examining a business card. He sensed Kai's gaze and turned around.
It was the blond man in the rumpled suit. Pariston Hill.
He smiled, tucking the card into a silver case and pulling out a pen. "Well, well. You really are a fan, aren't you? Followed me all the way to the airport? Alright, you win. I'll give you an autograph."
Kai stared at him, deadpan. "I'm here to pee. Do you want to join me?"
What is with my luck today? First the Spiders, now this guy. Pariston was basically Hisoka's spiritual twin—a pure agent of chaos who lived to mess with people. Running into him twice in one day felt like a bad omen.
Kai briefly considered shouting, "Hey everyone! The wife-killer lawyer is in the bathroom!" just to watch the mob descend, but he decided against it. Pariston might take an interest in him then, and that was the last thing he needed.
He walked past Pariston into a stall.
{I'm fine,} he transmitted to Shizuku. {Just ran into a weirdo...}
When Kai came out, Pariston was gone.
Makes sense, Kai thought. Like I told Menchi about Ging... I know him, but he doesn't know me. To Pariston, I'm just a random kid.
...
Boarding time was approaching. Shizuku stood in the crowd near the gate.
Someone tapped her left shoulder.
She turned to the left... and a finger poked her right cheek.
Kai grinned at her. "How did you fall for that twice? I just did it two hours ago."
"I remember," Shizuku said, rubbing her cheek. "I just fell for it both times."
Kai laughed, momentarily at a loss for words.
"There are so many people," Shizuku observed. "How did you find me so fast? Did you learn En?"
Kai pointed at her leg. "I have a tracker on you, remember?" The Star Marker on her hip.
"Oh, right," Shizuku said. Then she looked at her ring. "Why put the mark on the ring? You could have just put a Crescent Moon directly on my skin, like the Star."
"You make a good point," Kai admitted. "But... I guess subconsciously, I felt like communication should be optional. Like a phone call. If you don't want to talk, you can just take the ring off. I didn't want to be the guy buzzing in your head 24/7."
Shizuku looked at the ring, thoughtful.
"Let's go," Kai said, patting her shoulder. "Time to board."
As they walked toward the gate, they passed another group of angry passengers.
"It has to be a gang! Everyone got hit!"
"I got robbed twice!"
"It was a tall guy! Wearing a hoodie, face covered!"
"Security here is a joke!"
"I saw his eyes... big, sunken eyes..."
"Like a corpse... a walking corpse..."
Suddenly, a shout went up. "Stop him! Thief!"
Chaos erupted near the security checkpoint. Guards were chasing a tall, thin figure in a hoodie. The man moved with unnatural speed, bowling over bystanders like pins as he sprinted away. He vanished into the restrooms before anyone could get a good look.
The guards rushed in after him, but emerged a moment later, baffled. He was gone.
Pariston Hill, standing near a newsstand, watched the scene with mild interest. He had used Gyo. The thief was definitely a Nen user—his Aura containment was sloppy but present.
Pariston looked down. A ticket had fluttered to the floor near his feet, dislodged in the chaos.
He picked it up.
Destination: Gukan'yu Kingdom.
He looked up at the board. Boarding now.
Well, he thought, smiling, isn't that convenient?
...
"Was that the guy?" Shizuku asked as they passed through the gate.
"Who?" Kai asked.
"The one from the restaurant. The one who wanted to kill the Spiders."
"Did we meet someone like that?" Kai frowned. "I remember a guy named... Bowl? Or Wood?"
"See?" Shizuku said. "If we'd met someone like that, and it was about the Spiders, I would remember."
"Never mind," Kai sighed. "Pretend I said nothing."
A question mark appeared over Shizuku's head.
They boarded the massive airship. For Kai, it was his first time on such a vessel, and despite the tension, he felt a thrill of excitement. That excitement lasted exactly until the airlock hissed shut... and he saw Pariston Hill walking down the aisle.
Pariston saw him, too. His smile widened into something truly annoying, and he gave a little wave.
Then, Shizuku poked Kai's arm and pointed down the corridor.
Walking ahead of them, unmistakably, was the pink ponytail of Machi.
Kai felt his soul leave his body. Why is everyone here?
"Did you hear?" a passenger whispered nearby. "That guy, Ojiesky... the wife-killer? He's on this flight! I saw him! He was all bundled up, trying to hide, but I'd know that fat pig anywhere! He's fleeing the country!"
Pariston overheard this, and his smile became genuinely delighted. This free ticket, he thought, is going to be very entertaining.
Meanwhile, in the economy-class restroom, a gaunt man with sallow skin sat in a stall. He rocked back and forth, his lips moving silently, repeating a mantra over and over again.
Phantom Troupe... Phantom Troupe... Phantom Troupe...
(End of Chapter)