On the morning of March 7, Kisho hadn't woken up yet when he heard the sound of "Ring ring ring~~ ring ring ring~" — the phone on the bedside table was ringing.
He sat up, groggily picked up the phone.
"Hello?"
"Hello, Mr. Barton. There is a guest who claims to be named 'Shalnark' asking whether you are staying here. May I ask if you know him? Or would you like us to refuse his visit on your behalf?"
Kisho was instantly wide awake. He hurriedly said,
"No, wait — I know him. I'll come down right away."
In a flash he threw on his coat, slipped on his shoes, and rushed downstairs. There, he saw Chrollo in a suit sitting on the lobby sofa, and opposite him was Shalnark, smiling at him with wide emerald-green eyes.
"Yo~"
When Shalnark saw Kisho, he raised a hand and waved.
Kisho walked up to the two of them. Before he could say anything, Shalnark patted him on the shoulder and said with a smile,
"Let's go~ We'll talk outside."
"...Okay."
Kisho glanced at Chrollo, who hadn't said a single word from start to finish and hadn't even looked at him once, and wisely chose not to ask anything.
He followed Shalnark all the way out of the hotel.
Shalnark stopped, turned around, and looked at him with a smile.
"So? Any leads yet?"
He gave a sly grin.
"Need a hint?"
"Here."
Kisho showed him the whale badge in his hand.
"Not bad~"
A look of surprise appeared in Shalnark's eyes.
"You're not as useless as we thought."
Kisho felt seriously underestimated.
"If you thought I couldn't do it, then don't give it to me in the first place!"
"If I'm not mistaken, this badge can only be used by you alone, right?"
Shalnark shrugged with a smile.
"...Yeah."
Kisho nodded, then asked doubtfully,
"After I get in, how am I supposed to tell you what I see?"
"We naturally have our methods. You just need to be able to get in."
Shalnark continued,
"Alright, next is what the leader asked me to tell you. Listen carefully."
Kisho:
"...Okay."
Shalnark cleared his throat and deliberately imitated Chrollo's voice.
"After entering, do not rashly use 'Gyo' to observe anyone. Just maintain 'Ten,' and do not do anything unnecessary."
Kisho:
"...I get it. Stop imitating him already. It's really weird."
"Haha~ I thought I sounded pretty similar."
"Not even the same timbre, okay?!"
Kisho was speechless.
Shalnark laughed.
"Alright, go back. Just pretend you don't know us over there."
Kisho nodded and slowly walked back.
Shalnark stared at his retreating figure, the smile on his face gradually fading.
A phone with small purple devil wings appeared in his hand, and in his vision, behind Kisho's back, there was an antenna plugged in.
That was his Nen —
"Black Voice."
...
At six in the evening, Kisho arrived beside the musical fountain. More than a dozen low-key yet luxurious black sedans were already parked there. Next to each car stood an attendant wearing a bow tie and white gloves.
Kisho casually walked up to one of the cars. The attendant looked at him for a moment, then said,
"Are you Mr. Barton? May I trouble you to show some proof?"
"It looks like the identity of special visitors is no longer a secret."
Kisho thought to himself as he silently took out the whale badge and waved it in front of the attendant.
"My apologies for the rudeness. Mr. Barton, please."
The attendant immediately bowed in apology upon seeing it, then opened the door on one side of the car. After Kisho got in, the attendant also opened the driver's door and started the vehicle.
The sedan began to move slowly. To Kisho's surprise, it drove toward the lake. Just as it was about to enter the water, the ground suddenly opened. A massive horizontal gate slid backward, revealing a downward-sloping ramp, inside which was a pitch-black tunnel.
"So this is how they solved it? That's seriously outrageous!"
Kisho marveled inwardly.
"The door is controlled by machinery, not Nen — no wonder I couldn't find it even when I used 'Gyo.'"
The sedan slowly entered the tunnel.
After an unknown amount of time, Kisho felt the car begin to climb upward. After leaving the tunnel, the sedan drove along a long road lined with golden-leaf trees on both sides for about another ten minutes, then stopped in a plaza. Walking forward about five hundred meters from there, one could see the resplendent palace-like building visible even from the outer island.
There were already five or six sedans parked here, neatly lined up.
After getting out of the car, the attendant opened the door for Kisho and said softly,
"Mr. Barton, please allow me to guide you."
"...Alright."
Kisho nodded.
The two of them slowly walked toward the central building.
In the center of the plaza stood a massive statue. As Kisho passed by, he glanced at the introduction. The statue depicted a famous musician from the last century named Helt Wood.
"Mr. Helt Wood is the great-grandfather of the current head of the family. He was a highly respected pianist. His work 'Deep Sea Sonata' remains one of the world's five great super-technique piano pieces, and fewer than ten pianists are capable of performing it perfectly."
Seeing Kisho take interest, the attendant explained.
Kisho nodded, stood before the statue, and gave a slight bow in the capacity of a junior pianist.
A moment later, the two arrived at the main entrance of the palace.
Twelve massive white jade-colored stone pillars supported the palace. When Kisho saw the carvings on them, his expression changed instantly — because they were the twelve zodiac signs he was extremely familiar with. Though he didn't know whether it was just his imagination, these carvings gave him an eerie feeling.
Moreover, despite the palace's dazzling splendor, Kisho felt as though something from the abyss and darkness was peering at him.
The hand in Kisho's pocket tightened around the skull badge.
He hadn't been idle these past few days. Instead, he had been testing the various rules of "Calamity's Mouth."
First was materialization. Only after he finished performing "Sonata of Darkness (Piano)" could he materialize it, and materialization also consumed a certain amount of Nen.
Next was wearing it. After putting it on, if he subjectively dismissed the wearing, "Calamity's Mouth" would disappear. If he never dismissed it, he could keep wearing it indefinitely.
Then came the third point: every time it was worn, one-tenth of his Nen would be consumed to feed the skull. After that, with each passing day, the amount of Nen consumed would double compared to the previous day. In other words, 10% on the first day, 20% on the second day, 40% on the third day, and 80% on the fourth day. That was the limit. Kisho didn't dare test further to see whether the upper limit was all of his Nen, or whether it would drain him dry even if it meant absorbing 120%.
Finally, whether due to a problem with his Nen or because he hadn't collected the complete score, he could currently hold at most two "Calamity's Mouth" at once. If he tried to create a third, the first one he had materialized would disappear.
Likewise, he could only wear one at a time. If he tried to wear both, the two skulls would glare at each other, start cursing, and then perish together, disappearing at the same time.
...
"Hello, Mr. Barton. Thank you for your visit."
At the main entrance of the palace stood a middle-aged man in a suit, also wearing white gloves.
"I am Rawn, the butler of Whale Manor. Next, please allow me to guide you."
Kisho looked at the middle-aged man, but the latter only wore a proper smile, revealing no intentions whatsoever.
"Alright."
Kisho nodded and followed behind him, slowly walking into the palace.