Chapter 107: Possible Worlds

I do not think there is a story that has dreams just like a story.

"If, if I were to sum it up in one word, it is the ability to freely change the past and the future.

No matter how cruel or

absurd the things that happen are, it is a treasure trove of possibilities

... But this is a very cruel word.

Because the word "if, if" was born precisely because it is not real.

From the very beginning, the premise is a "dream" that cannot contend with reality.

Loosen the hand holding mine.

"Alright, I'm next."

But Kurapika is not alone.

Witty, he reversed the opponent's plan, headed to the ring, crossed a thin bridge without railings or handrails, and replaced the victorious Gon.

Behind me, an irreplaceable partner in the Hunter Exam calls out: "Good luck!"

At that time, Gon and Leorio were both fine, but rather than trusting Killua, they were more wary of him; there should have been Tonpa, a person full of Malice participating in the exam, who could be seen up close and actively harming Examinees, especially newcomers, yet there was no Shadow of him.

"Kurapika! Hurry up!"

On the contrary, Sora cheered, jumping around as innocently as Gon, even more innocent than Gon.

Although Kurapika was relieved, he didn't think at all about whether Sora was present or not, or whether she had won the first match.

Unaware of this unnatural contradiction, and unaware that he was dreaming, he turned and scolded Sora: "Don't go crazy! You're the boss!"

I laughed while scolding him because he knew this was actually a Dream World.

Unknowingly, yet deliberately shifting my gaze away from the Dream World, we immersed ourselves in a world that was originally impossible.

Once you realize you are dreaming, this dream turns into a lucid dream.

A lucid dream, where you can walk around as you please and change the world, it would be interesting in its own way, but this is something you can do because you know it is a fleeting dream that will disappear once you wake up.

I feel that once I realize the happiness I feel in a dream is nothing more than an illusion of bubbles that only exist in the dream, I can no longer consider it happiness.

Kurapika continues to dream.

The fact that he seems happy even if it is a bubble is real, so he continues to have unpredictable dreams while creating them himself, so that it lasts as long as possible.

An Examiner who fought Kurapika, a prisoner with a sentence of over 100 years, also entered the ring, then took off his mask and clothes like a hood, revealing himself.

"My god... amazing body... and face."

When Leorio saw that figure for the first time, everyone generally agreed.

One can only say the face is deformed.

No matter how you look at it, that face seems acquired, but that face was damaged, twisted, and collapsed to the point where its original shape could not be imagined.

Contrary to his face, his body muscles are unnatural, and except for the small Tattoo of 19 hearts on his chest, there are no flaws.

Although Kurapika is petite, he is not small in stature, but when he stood side by side with the prisoner, the physical gap was like that of an adult and a child.

However, the only one who felt uneasy was Leorio.

Except for him, the other four agreed with Leorio's initial impression, but apart from his face, his impression of the body was completely opposite.

Gon must have judged by intuition, but the other three knew that these muscles were not worn down by Training.

Originally, a strong person, even if the vital points on their face were battered, could not be unscathed.

Most certainly, those muscles were artificially put on with Power Enhancer or something else. Not fake, but considering the risks later, it's better to wear meat underwear; it's nothing more than a fake threat.

The man pointed to a Tattoo on his chest, shouting how many people he killed for how many tattoos, he wanted to trade life for life. Deciding he was an opponent I didn't need to fight, I decided to rest; I leaned against the Wall, leisurely watching Kurapika's match.

"Alright, decide how to play, we'll follow along."

And Kurapika himself, no matter what the man said, remained expressionless, coldly continuing the story.

Even if I say expressionless, it's not like a doll hiding its expression so the other party cannot understand its emotions; the man was clearly sad because he was hit.

Kurapika's features and physique are feminine, so he probably thought that if he threatened him a little, he would be scared and back down directly; unfortunately, both his strength and heart do not match his appearance.

Proposing a Death Match, threatening that he wouldn't stop attacking even if he conceded, and even forbidding the use of weapons, Kurapika remained expressionless and obediently followed all conditions, which made me even angrier.

It is no longer just a story.

This match is nothing more than a match. Comedy, comedy; except for Leorio, who had no idea of the man's true strength, everyone else felt it, and even Kurapika himself felt disgusted.

No one worried about Kurapika, not even Sora.

I didn't notice.

The "trump card" for the opponent.

The man himself didn't realize this was the biggest bad move.

"Start!!"

Just as the real Examiner Rippo announced the start of the match on the broadcast, the man leaped up, exceeding his own height.

Kurapika was a bit more agile than he imagined, so he raised his estimate of the opponent's ability a little, but with gravity and his own weight, he jumped up, gaining more momentum, and the power of his fist increased; I was surprised.

(He smashed the ground with his bare hands…………!!)

In a sense, the one least shocked by this fact was Leorio, who misjudged the opponent's ability.

Gon, Killua, Sora, and Kurapika never underestimate an opponent's ability.

Precisely because his judgment and estimation were correct, he was at a loss under the attack power that far exceeded his estimate.

But everyone discovered something more unmissable than the blow that smashed the floor.

A huge carved spider was stuck to the man's back.

The moment they saw the Twelve-legged Spider Tattoo, their eyes widened.

A hellish crimson lotus bloomed in the distance, the farthest distance, the farthest distance of the blue sky.

This man was certain of victory.

The strength of an arm that could only be struck once a day by the Iron infused into his body, and the strength of the Phantom Troupe, proved that the Tattoo was nothing more than a tool of intimidation to him.

I never thought about how much resentment I had purchased with the existence I used. To him, the existence of a giant Spider like the Phantom Troupe was a convenient tool, yet at the same time, it was as unrealistic and distant as a monster from a fairy tale.

If you, the Phantom Troupe fellows, do not truly understand that the existence of the Phantom Troupe is real, then the Phantom Troupe is the same. To him, it was like an event in a novel.

I never expected that a character from a novel would appear before me.

"Kukuku, what's wrong? Can't you speak?"

So the man continued to speak, thinking that even if he gave the other party a chance, he did not launch an attack and stood still; this was also his usual awe.

Unknowingly, I inadvertently triggered the other party's anger and continued to spit out foolish words.

"I am Majitani, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Brigade."

The first was a substitute for a greeting. Now is the time to admit defeat. Even now, I am still like that...!?"

This was like exposing that he knew nothing about the Phantom Troupe.

Not knowing what "so much" was, not knowing if he was deceiving his own cowardly, weak self—someone who lacked the courage to kill, to hit, to fight, or even to buy resentment.

But I finally noticed.

Without realizing his own stupidity, without realizing that he himself was already standing on the guillotine, this man, Majitani, realized.

"Uh..."

I noticed the scarlet color, burning with hatred.

"Hey... what are you!?"

Kurapika knew the other party was a fake, likely a cowardly weakling who hadn't even suffered any physical harm.

But I still couldn't let it go. The existence of the giant Spider on his back, the disgusting mouth of the giant Spider, the existence of the Phantom Troupe—all of it was thanks to the existence of the Phantom Troupe; it was absolutely not.

"!?"

So, first, I covered my mouth with my left hand; exposing ignorance would only make me feel bored.

His jawbone made a cracking sound, but Kurapika could not hear it.

Majitani finally realized that even if his jaw were crushed, his bluffing was not an acceptable opponent, and he desperately spat out two words: the truth.

"Whoa, whoa, wait!"

But even this no longer sounded like Kurapika.

All Kurapika could hear was his own resentment of "I cannot forgive him."

My vision was dyed red; I couldn't even see the man in front of me.

All I could see was a terrifying giant Spider clinging to the man's back.

With the momentum to crush that giant Spider, Kurapika clenched his fist against Majitani's face and lifted it slightly—

"Kurapika!!"

I shouldn't have heard any sound, but I could hear that voice clearly.

The vision dyed bright red, as if the fog had dispersed, regained its color.

What was in front of me was not that damned member of the Phantom Troupe, whose face I didn't even know, but a terrified, pathetic coward desperately begging for his life in Kurapika's hands, which were gripping his jaw.

He was not worth hitting.

"It's okay, Kurapika. You don't have to do that."

His voice cooled the scorching brain.

A cold heart received an inseparable warmth.

"You don't have to be unable to forgive yourself for the sake of a coward who cannot bear his own sins."

Do not forgive; you can hate me, it's okay to be angry; that is why you don't need to do anything; you don't have to be an arbiter or an executioner.

Do not think your anger is justified, or that punishment is justified. You will carry out the punishment, and no one will punish you, so you don't have to bear the burden of a crime you can never forgive yourself for."

Kurapika's hand moved away from Majitani's jaw.

The fist, clenched until it was dripping with blood, slowly loosened.

My clear mind realized how absurd what I had tried to do was, and I couldn't help but laugh.

I had to laugh. To that extent, I had tried to do something meaningless and useless.

Kurapika asked himself: "What should I do with this fake hand stained with a coward's blood?"

I did not have this hand to do such things.

"Kurapika. You can do what you want. Your hands are there to grasp your happiness."

Knowing the answer he should have asked himself, Kurapika gave a bitter smile at his own rashness.

I placed my hand on Sora's hand, and Sora's hand wrapped around my back, holding me in his arms.

"... Ah. That's right."

I grasped my own happiness.

When I came to my senses, Majitani had already fallen before me.

His face was bruised as if he had been hit with all one's might, and he was twitching.

Even though Sora had jumped over that bottomless stairwell, climbed into the ring, and held Kurapika, no longer hitting Majitani, this result was clearly strange, but Kurapika had no doubts about it.

Before Kurapika hit him, the people around should have stopped him, but in front of Majitani, who lost consciousness after being hit, the story proceeded on the premise that Kurapika stopped hitting him.

If Sora had broken in, he hadn't done anything to the opponent but was hindering the dominant Kurapika, so even if Kurapika hadn't lost due to a foul, it would be unnatural without some kind of goodwill. However, Lippo didn't broadcast anything, and the other prisoners didn't complain.

The Dream World is a mixture of memory and desire; despite the terrible contradictions, it continued without any failure.

Kurapika held Sora's hand for a moment, reminding himself again what his hands were for. Go back and find your friends.

"What are you two suddenly doing!! Explosion!!"

"No way!"

"What are you talking about!?"

After returning, Leorio shouted at the two of them, though it was unclear whether these complaints and demands were legitimate or unreasonable.

However, Leorio's words seemed to be the consensus of everyone except Kurapika and the other; I smiled bitterly, but no one's mocking laughter stopped me.

Yet, since he already knew why Kurapika was angry and why Sora had risked being penalized to stop him, Leorio realized that this complaining was utterly frustrating.

So, instead of blindly blaming Kurapika's back, Leorio regained his composure and asked, "I mean, are you okay?" For some reason, he was a person who cared and worried.

To Leorio's question, he replied, "Ah. I am not injured."

What Leorio wanted to ask was not whether he had external injuries, but those wounds that even the injured could not see or touch, so he quipped again: "May I come closer to you? Board."

Now my head is bleeding and I am too embarrassed, so Kurapika wants to make it disappear, but pushing Leorio and Gon is bad, and they are worried, "It's fine." So, honestly, even though I know it is a fake, my bad habit is that if I see a spider that is a symbol of the Phantom Troupe, regardless of whether it has 12 legs or a Tattoo, even if it is a real spider, I will go crazy. He confessed that his personality would change.

It would be fine if the deception of the Brigade were as unforgivable as the real thing, but tattoos and accessories with spider patterns have nothing to do with the Brigade, and even real spiders have heads like—Kurapika could not suppress his disgust for himself, sat down, and sarcastically talked to himself.

"Hmm... However, in the sense that I haven't lost my anger, I should be happy..."

Regarding Kurapika's self-mockery, Gon and Leorio argued, "Let's not let Kurapika see spiders," while Killua seemed not to care.

"Kurapika"

Kurapika, caught in a negative vortex of shame and self-loathing, lifted his head almost reflexively.

Kurapika's weakness toward Sora is that his body reacts.

No matter what stupid, dangerous, or reckless thing Sora does, Kurapika will end up angry, but in the end, he will definitely forgive him; even if I withdraw my trust, I cannot refuse.

And most importantly... when her voice is laced with anger, although I really want to "run away," I cannot.

When she is angry, she has nothing to do with herself. If he only thinks about Kurapika, knowing that his anger toward Kurapika is as if it were his own, his desire to run away increases, but he cannot escape.

Kurapika sat down in front of Sora, and Sora stood with his arms crossed, looking down at her.

"If you should be happy that you haven't forgotten your anger, should I also be happy?"

Even knowing he will regret it, he still cannot let go of his stubbornness. Awareness—this is also a bad habit I hate to change.

But, if you say such things, if you ask such questions, you have no choice but to throw away your stubbornness.

After all, I know Sora will not be happy about this.

It will not make me happy, but it still protects Kurapika's joy and happiness above all else. Because I will protect you while hurting you more than anyone else.

So Kurapika gave up his stubbornness, but he still could not give up the stubbornness sufficient to hide his blushing face.

"... You don't have to be happy. That is a lie. I am not happy at all."

"... Yes."

After Kurapika replied, Sora said this and sat down beside Kurapika.

She leaned her head on Kurapika's shoulder and said.

"Kurapika. I am glad you listened to me and you stopped."

Tell Kurapika what makes you happy and what makes you happy.

Tell me, ask again.

"Can I continue to be happy about this?"

When I heard this question, the first thing that came to mind was the sentence, "How can you say such things while sober!?"

However, all that came out of Kurapika's mouth was a brief "... Ah" response.

Along with the answer, Kurapika's hand overlapped with Sora's beside him.

I am not honest, but someone reminded me that I am as honest as cash.

"Hey! Isn't there a prisoner over there who is good at blasting!?"

"Alright! Sedkan! It's your turn!!"

"Leave the Explosion to me!!"

"What do you mean by this! Are you serious!?"

However, when Leorio loudly demanded the prisoner's cooperation for the bombing, Kurapika was furious, and for some reason, the prisoner also got on the boat.

Yet Kurapika's serious response was Killua replying: "If you don't want to be treated, you can't flirt anywhere! Seriously, you, explode now! Sorry, Kurapika, Sora, it's really embarrassing." Kurapika once again hugged his knees in shame and covered his face.

By the way, the person who was told to explode suddenly laughed, as if it were someone else's problem.

Kurapika was not amused; instead, he would use force to make him shut up. I felt that the emptiness of being single would only be highlighted, so Leorio pulled himself together, raised his voice again, and announced that he would participate in the next match.

"Come on, I'll solve it myself!! Hurry up and clean it up, and bring out the next yarrow."

"Huhu, I can't do that."

However, he had just started and was suddenly discouraged.

The female prisoner moved the bridge aside, climbed into the ring, knelt beside Majitani, confirmed something, and then told him that he was not dead, he was just unconscious.

"... I just fainted."

This match is a Death Match!! They decided to fight until one side declares defeat or death. He is still alive and has not declared defeat."

Although he almost declared defeat, Kurapika's strength made him unable to say it until the end.

Perhaps she even read Kurapika's personality perfectly. Otherwise, this "time stagnation" would not work.

"Hey, you are arguing with me. Hey, Kurapika. Give me a hint so I don't die."

"Dismissed."

Leorio clicked his tongue to prompt Kurapika, and Kurapika immediately sat down and answered.

Leorio was naturally dissatisfied with this answer, but Kurapika did not want to give up his answer either.

I don't know why Majitani shouldn't hit her, but he remained unconscious.

I do not doubt it.

Regardless of whether to fight or not, from the moment I saw that Spider, my head boiled over, my vision turned red, and I couldn't think of anything else.

Kurapika did not question why Majitani had fainted, because that was the result of his own recklessness. As for the answer, I will wait until Majitani wakes up on his own.

Responding to Kurapika's response, Killua leaned in close to him, looked down at Kurapika, and said.

"Hey, if you don't like me killing or what I'm about to do. You've never killed anyone, have you?

Are you afraid?"

Kurapika looked up at the child who said "I will kill you," as lightly as if he were throwing away trash.

He did not look any more philosophical than his age. In fact, he looked younger than his actual age.

At that time, Kurapika could not have known that he was just a child who didn't know what he was saying.

At that time, he didn't yet know that he was the child expected to be the heir to the Zoldyck Family, so these words were too eerie.

After learning of it, I remained on guard, wondering what would happen if we became enemies.

But now

Kurapika, mixing memories of the past and future, answered quietly, knowing that the child had made such a small wish, wishing so crazily and painfully during the final exam.

"Don't say that; to take another's life lightly is to take your own life lightly.

First of all, if you make me do this, Sora's thunder will fall upon me, and you will be angry too. And... it makes her sad, but is that okay?"

"What!?"

"I'm glad you seem to understand me."

At Kurapika's first warning, Killua's face seemed to say, "Let's preach."

Additionally, Sora, who was next to Kurapika, agreed with Kurapika's statement, so Killua's face flushed red, opening and closing like a Fugura for a moment, then he said: "Ha! Barbarabaka!" I stubbornly covered up my embarrassment that I couldn't see.

No matter how you look at it, his behavior suited his age; he was just a child younger than his years.

Do you want me to kill you? Kurapika smiled slightly at this seemingly ordinary child, which made Killua even angrier, making him even more furious.

"What are you smiling at?!

"Oh, you say something nice once in a while! Say more! Don't think about bothering others!!"

Leorio took advantage of Killua's embarrassment and seriousness to pressure Kurapika, demanding that he Recapture his opinion that he would not finish him, but Kurapika had no intention of backing down, stubbornly continuing to say "No."

And Leorio, numbed by Kurapika's stubbornness, finally indicated that he would take a majority vote, but since it was not a majority vote as an exam, but just something the students did themselves, he did not use the monitor, but raised his hand to take it.

As a result, Leorio was the only one who thought he would finish the job.

"This traitor!"

Leorio immaturely blamed Killua for not agreeing with Killua, who had been telling Kurapika to finish him off like himself, but Killua said sullenly, "That's meaningless. You won't change your opinion," he replied.

Although he said that, the real reason he opposed it might be "If Kurapika forces it, Sora will be angry."

And Gon also didn't like violence, especially when the other party didn't like it; forcing it was impossible, so his gentle opinion was that since the other party had already conceded, he should wait quietly.

Leorio was also a witty person, but he didn't want to kill, so usually he would listen to his opinion, but it was just a Coincidence that his opinion was not reflected, and he seemed to have accumulated a lot of stress, clicking his Tongue in dissatisfaction.

If Tonpa were here, he would smile when he saw Leorio fall into the majority vote trap.

If you don't need to do this, you will fight for a majority vote; if you raise your hand and lose anonymity, you will carry more pressure that you shouldn't have, your sense of alienation will increase, trust will be damaged, conflict will arise, and the group will disintegrate...

Thinking this way, I would lick my Tongue at the collapsing future.

Until I heard Sora's opinion.

"Hey! Sora!! Say something to your brother who is too stubborn!! This guy will only listen to you!!"

"No, I didn't want Kurapika to dirty his hands from the beginning, so I stopped him."

Leorio said something, not knowing if he was angry at Sora or just asking for it.

It would be strange if the answer wasn't expected from the start, but Leorio, whose blood was boiling in his brain, didn't seem to have such imagination, and this time he said: "Ah, I see." I am completely frustrated and sulking.

Gon and Killua looked at each other, not knowing what to do with Leorio throwing his adult self away, and Kurapika sat down without hesitation.

In a sense, the only one who could deal with Leorio's childish dissatisfaction was the eldest, Sora.

"... Or rather, Leorio. Can I ask you a question?"

"Oh? What is it?"

Sora stood up and approached Leorio, who was sitting in the corner of the room, muttering dissatisfaction and starting to dissipate his stress.

Gara is not good at answering this question, but if answered properly, the Root of this person is good.

This is why Sora asked.

If he realized this later, he would definitely blame himself more than ever. That is why she pointed it out early, while the wound was shallow.

"Leorio, you want to be a doctor, not a Hunter, right?"

"? Oh, yes. But what is that?"

Facing Sora's question, the thorns Leorio had just left behind due to frustration disappeared, and he answered with a plain and strange look on his face while asking about the intent of the question.

It was a meaningless question to him, so much so that his frustration and dissatisfaction were completely blown away, albeit temporarily.

So, to answer Leorio's question, Sora asked him the question he really wanted to ask.

Sora's fingertips touched his lips, and he sat up and raised his head.

What Sora really wanted to ask was that Sora wanted to point out one thing Leorio should not do for his dream.

"Are you telling a patient to 'live' while forcing him to 'kill'?"

"!"

There was no problem with his opinion.

The other party was a criminal with a sentence of over 100 years, almost the same as a death sentence.

And even if there were about 60 hours of free time left, Kurapika's point of "I don't want to do it because I don't want to do it" was certainly selfish, even though there were ways to finish early because it was an exam with a time limit. If you don't like it, if you tell me to declare failure correctly from the beginning, you cannot oppose it.

That is why Sora didn't want to agree, but he didn't want to deny or criticize the idea of finishing the opponent.

Aside from Leorio, if Leorio's true, ambitious profession is not that of a doctor, then Sora has nothing left to think about.

It is just that he should not have said it. I should not have forced you.

In order to become a doctor who can say "I don't want your money" to a sick child who needs a lot of money for treatment, if you know how cruel reality is and do not give up, you can Compromise. If not, please do not Compromise here.

Even if you force someone to kill you for your own convenience, spitting the two words "stay alive" at someone who insists they do not want to kill you and hopes for you to live, it carries no persuasive power.

It is too thin; it is merely a meaningless list of sounds.

Today, the word "kill" might become a source of immense guilt, hindering him from becoming a doctor.

Sora pointed this out.

Leorio's eyes widened in front of Sora, speechless for a moment, then he scratched his head in frustration, groaned, and stood up abruptly.

Without answering Sora's question, he chased after her as she walked away and stood in front of Kurapika, who had also been stunned by Sora's words.

Then, just when I thought he had sat down forcefully, he lowered his head and said:

"I'm sorry!! It was entirely my fault!!"

This was the answer to Sora's question, kneeling on the ground, wholehearted and sincere.

＊＊＊

When Leorio knelt on the ground to apologize, Kurapika was very unhappy.

Kurapika himself was well aware that he was the one who had dragged his comrades into his own foolish actions and wiped them out, so he did not deny or criticize Leorio's thought of wanting to kill him; I had no intention of doing that from the beginning.

"Do not let yourself blame Leorio.

So, to be honest, while Leorio's pressure was frustrating, I did not expect him to want me to kneel and apologize, so Kurapika's guilt increased, and I felt sorry for him.

"Leorio! You don't have to go that far! First of all, because I am short-sighted and still selfishly wasting time, you don't have to worry, because your opinion is correct for the exam!!"

Kurapika desperately tried to persuade Leorio to lift his head.

Killua, not to mention Gon, had known him for a long time, but he still looked at the scene before him and thought: "A rare sight."

Leorio felt that this situation was rare; although it was his own doing, if he kept apologizing too exaggeratedly, Kurapika would take care of him, stifling his true feelings, saying: "Take responsibility and kill him." So I offered my head to respond to Kurapika's persuasion.

With this, the relationship that was about to break was safely repaired, and I thought the opinion had been unified as "wait for Majitani to wake up."

"That's right. As a test, Leorio's opinion is the most correct."

However, for some reason, the leading figure in the solution was reviving the story.

The three witnessed Kurapika's shoulders jump in fright at Sora's words, his face turning pale instantly, but they did not have any doubts.

Or rather, honestly, except for Kurapika, the reactions of the three were the same.

Sora's voice was cold enough to cause such a reaction.

Kurapika knew. When Sora made this sound that felt cold rather than angry, I knew I was serious.

Floating in my mind like a revolving lantern was the memory of when we first met: amidst human distrust, he held hostility toward everyone except Sora, spoke to Kurapika out of concern for him, and tried to share candy and other things; Sora's smile, and the smile when he rejected his kindness and ignored him without even saying a word of thanks.

Kurapika turned his head to look at Sora, his movement like a mechanical doll out of oil.

Sora was smiling just like in the memory.

The appearance of the flower was beautiful in a way that could not be expressed otherwise, but her eyes held not a trace of a smile. Standing in front of Kurapika, he said:

"——Kurapika"

First, he called his name with an incredibly beautiful smile.

Then, he raised his fist and smashed it onto Kurapika's head.

"If you know you are selfish, at least don't act like it!!"

Sora's lightning struck at the same time as the fist, which made the same sound as when Majitani smashed the floor.

That sound made Kurapika's head not worry about being crushed as heavily as the floor, but no one asked: "Are you okay!?"

Kurapika knew that the one being scolded was Kurapika, but they all remembered their mother's sermons from childhood, a terrifying experience that could neither be escaped nor resisted.

Fortunately, Kurapika's head was not crushed, and though the pain was too great to scream or cry, he was safe for the moment.

This blow made me hold my head with both hands, only able to tremble slightly, but the person who was hit was, of course, the usual over-protection, stomping his feet aggressively and ordering: "Kurapika, Ken."

As soon as Kurapika finished speaking, he took his hands off his head, sat on his knees, placed his hands on his knees, face down, but with his back straight.

In the first month of meeting, I should have only bought it a few times, but years later, the posture Kurapika sat in when Sora was seriously preaching was so good that I could ignore the pain, through reflex, as if it had been deeply rooted in his body and mind.

The moment Kurapika knelt down, Sora's lightning struck again.

"Seriously, knowing your own fault, why are you still so arrogant!!"

If you know how selfish you are, say something like "I'm sorry, but please give me some time"!! If I hadn't acted badly and asked, even Leorio would have waited for me for a few hours instead of forcing me to do the worst thing an aspiring doctor could do. I know, but you don't!

Do you understand!? Kurapika! Because of your complete lack of consideration, Leorio was under unnecessary pressure and said the worst things he shouldn't have said, making him blame himself!

Since Leorio said it himself, Leorio should blame himself, but if you had just taken care of him, Leorio wouldn't have said such things!

You say you are selfish, just causing inconvenience to this exam, and what you did is morally the most correct, so you don't have to feel guilty about it, you are going to do it. No, don't! If you try to endure it, you don't have to, I will hit you and tie you up to stop you!!

But! It is true that you caused trouble for people who have nothing to do with me, I'm sorry, and please do something unskilled!!"

Kurapika continued to listen while shrinking his body, and while he was preaching, whether it was the surging momentum or the correctness of the content, he could not interrupt.

I glanced at the three people watching me from afar from time to time, saying: "Please help me."

"……Eh, isn't he dead?"

Sora's sermon continued until Killua noticed that Majitani had not woken up after about two hours.

＊＊＊

"……Kurapika, your third exam was like this."

Hearing Leorio talk about the third exam he missed, Sora placed his Finger between his brows and muttered, while Senritsu smiled bitterly.

At present, only these three people were in a room in an abandoned building seeing Kurapika's condition.

Gon, Killua, and Zepile had already left, preparing to attend the Auction.

The start time had not been set, but because there was a dress code, it seemed they went to rent formal wear. Leaving Zepile aside, Gon and Killua's large-sized formal wear might run out soon, so it was already too late to act.

Kurapika did not wake up as usual; the fever was only slight, but it gradually subsided, and his condition was improving, so they were not worried, and I continued chatting while giving him water.

The conversation turned to Kurapika. Let things take their course, naturally. Kurapika connected these three things together; of course, the relationship between Senritsu, Sora, and Leorio was not very long or deep, so they did not have much in common.

Therefore, when Gon and the others were there, it was exactly the Kurapika of four years ago, so Sora said: "I want to know the Kurapika I don't know." We were talking about the exam.

Regarding the Third Exam, I heard a little from Gon and Killua on the boat to Zebir Island, but I didn't know much about the story with Majitani of the Fake Phantom Troupe, and the subsequent interaction with Leorio; perhaps because Gon and the others were very worried, I hadn't heard of it, so Sora asked: "Why wasn't I there?"

That face looked very sad, and Leorio revealed his own shame in order to take away that sadness, and honestly told him whether he would stab him in the end; the sadness disappeared, but instead, he looked down at the sleeping Kurapika with cold eyes.

"Sora."

It wasn't just Kurapika; she liked Kurapika very much, so she was strict about her own behavior, or rather, she didn't like words or deeds that would make the true feelings of the person she loved looked down upon by those around her. Kurapika woke up; he was preaching about an incident from eight months ago.

"Sure enough, I won't, I definitely will in the future."

Even without Leorio's warning, Sora didn't want to lecture or fist-fight after waking up, but there was no option not to do so from the beginning, so Leorio said "I'm sorry" to the sleeping Kurapika. Heart. I apologized.

"Hmm, Kurapika is still seventeen now... he was sixteen during the exam, don't you want to give her a little face?"

As for me, hearing this story, I felt relieved. He is also a bit lazy and immature, he is still a child, I felt a little relieved."

In the exchange between Sora and Leorio, Senritsu's bitter smile turned into a slightly funny smile, following a little behind Kurapika.

This might be a follow-up that Kurapika doesn't really want to do, but compared to the painful way he tries to push himself to become an adult, his childish carelessness is indeed easier to see. That's why it can be without help.

And Sora seemed to agree with this, pursing her lips to show agreement, "Yes, but...".

After agreeing, Sora sighed deeply and looked at Kurapika with helpless eyes.

"Really, you are a child who cannot help but be spoiled; if that's the case, Leorio will be exhausted."

"Hey, how did I come out? It's disgusting."

Leorio thought Sora's words were a joke and interrupted with a dazed face; not only Sora, but even Senritsu looked back at Leorio, with eyes as if saying: "This guy, what are you talking about?"

Confused by the eyes of the two women, Leorio guessed that this was not a joke for the time being.

This reaction was a mystery to Leorio, but from Sora's perspective, there was clearly no mystery. That's why I'll tell you after laughing.

"Leorio, don't say it at the beginning, Kurapika didn't dislike you at that time, in fact, he quite liked you; being forced to finish, even if he refused, Leorio, you didn't deny or criticize his opinions. It's obvious you didn't."

You might know, Kurapika's boiling point is very low, so if someone I don't like forces me to do this when I'm already irritated by the Fake Phantom Troupe, I will definitely retaliate, at the very least fight it out."

Leorio was convinced by Sora's words: "It's true."

Actually, when we first met, both of them were too immature, so they were both irritated; let alone arguing, they even had a duel, so Kurapika was considered a relatively gentle person in the Third Exam.

However, although knowing the sentence "Kurapika likes me very much" is not strange, because it is someone who wants to attack me, saying it is disgusting, but it really doesn't satisfy that point.

"Whether you like me or not. Simply put, I said the worst as a doctor and as a person, but that exam was the most rational, and it was my request. I know I am selfish, so I can't complain."

So Leorio tried to deny that Kurapika liked him, but the smiles of the two women never wavered.

"Maybe this is true. But he is not always a disrespectful, rude person who doesn't get along well with anyone."

Senritsu answered this time.

Kurapika certainly argued with Dalzollene as if he didn't use honorifics at all.

For now, his performance in social aspects is indeed not bad, but when he defeated the 11th Phantom Troupe and brought back the injured Sora, his performance was already terrible; if he hadn't grabbed Sora, he would have already dogeza-ed. Go out and ask.

At that time, it was probably the first time I hadn't been spared from pretending, but I'm sure this is also the only reason why I couldn't be so insensitive to Leorio, even though I was equally aware that I was selfish. Not.

"You are not good at being spoiled, Kurapika.

I can't say I want someone to honestly spoil me. But he is a child who wants to prove that he is valued by others. I will never admit it."

Senritsu's words were followed by Sora's words, and Leorio finally understood what they wanted to say and what they were laughing at.

Understanding, he looked at Kurapika in surprise and said.

"Is this what you spoil me with, this guy!?"

Similar to the mischief and rebellion of a child against parents with siblings, or against parents without blood ties due to remarriage or adoption.

It is said that Kurapika's irresponsibility and aggressiveness towards Leorio stem from the expectation and prejudice that "no matter how rude you are, he will forgive you."

Indeed, Sora does better in all aspects from the upper left, so it's hard to say, because Kurapika is swayed by Sora, but Kurapika does things similar to Sora. Because there is, when I think about it again, it is easy to be convinced.

Compared to Sora, the place where he is more conspicuous to Leorio is that, unlike Sora, although he has affection and friendship for Leorio, he is not stingy with anything that can be called gratitude.

"... what a kid, this guy."

He was convinced, but to be honest, knowing that he was trusted and expected, the spoiled Leorio felt deeply from the bottom of his heart for Kurapika who was still sleeping.

Sora and Senritsu realized that these disgusted impressions were secretly mixed with relief, and laughed again.

He must have felt guilty all the time.

When we first met, although we were two years apart, I felt childish for not using honorifics to him, and called his precious compatriot "dirty".

Because of this sentence, Kurapika could never trust him, so he must have thought that he would be rude and disrespectful to her.

... No, a long time ago, Leorio knew that his trust and spoiling for himself had reached an annoying level, so he had such an attitude.

"Yeah, so Leorio, please don't worry about it, scold him. Or rather, if you don't scold him, he will always be annoying; if he is spoiled, just scold him."

Sora agreed with Leorio's words, strictly allowing Leorio "don't hesitate", precisely because he wanted to spoil Kurapika.

To this, Leorio smiled and replied: "If you don't tell me, I will do it."

Leorio didn't have the option of "not going out because it's annoying", he didn't even consider it.

And Sora, who couldn't hear the heartbeat, was the same.

"... Okay, I'm going to change the subject or reply to you, but what happened after the Third Exam? Did you, Phantom Troupe Spider, wake up and honestly admit defeat?"

Just when the inconvenient conversation about Kurapika finally ended, Sora returned to the topic as if she were talking about herself.

And when the story was passed back, Leorio made an "uh..." sound with a very awkward voice and expression, and then moved his gaze away from Sora.

If Kurapika's battle with Majitani in the Third Exam was Kurapika's most inconvenient story, then for Leorio, this was the most inconvenient story of his life.

So I think I will try to deceive the story in some way, but the point is that it is particularly insensitive, but it is basically impossible to deceive me, but the human lie detector Senritsu is the point of the topic Sora raised. Knowing what Leorio did wrong.

If it was the heartbeat playing the psychology of "embarrassment", Senritsu would consider changing the story again, but her too kind ears even heard "anxiety of being disrespected", Leorio is sorry, but Senritsu's curiosity overwhelmed this feeling "I won't ask", and then asked, "What exactly did you do?"

Senritsu only knew him for one day, but he trusted Leorio because he thought they wouldn't seriously despise him, so he thought his anxiety was a misunderstanding. But...

As it turned out, at the very least Leorio spoke with sincerity and said nothing; perhaps because his sincerity was acknowledged, but the gazes of the two women were cold to the Absolute zero.

Listening to Killua's words, everyone wanted to check on Majitani's condition, but Kurapika had already been kneeling for two hours; except for times like this, he had no opportunity to do so, and his legs were numb, unable to stand.

Realizing this, Sora, who was sitting on his lap, also laughed and reached out a hand toward Kurapika.

"Aha, sorry. It's a bit too hot, and it's been too long, hasn't it? Are you okay?"

"……If you feel it's bad, if possible, just pretend you didn't see it and leave it be."

The moment he tried to stand up, Kurapika was witnessed unable to stand from his kneeling position due to his numb legs, still in an otl posture. Sora did not listen.

Sora pretended not to hear Kurapika's request as usual, pulling Kurapika's hand to help him stand up. While helping, he whispered.

"But Kurapika. You really should reflect on yourself. If you do that, Leorio will be disappointed in you."

"Don't say bad things!!"

When I shouted these words from my heart, the person declared to be disgusting looked at me with a surprised face, "What are you two talking about?"

Then Gon and Killua turned around and shouted to the two who hadn't taken a step yet.

"What are you two doing?"

"Let's leave."

Beyond the road of Pitch Darkness, it was neither an intangible courtyard nor a circle of matches, but the azure sky and the deep, vivid ocean.

There was no doubt about what happened in this match and the third exam.

Kurapika accepted it naturally, without realizing that her dream had changed once again.

Dreaming of an impossible time, an impossible possibility, an impossible world, believing it to be real.

"Kurapika. I am angry, but actually, I am happy."

Even this hand-holding Sora was not real. Sora had never said such a thing. Fortunately, since they met again, Sora had not yet preached seriously, so this was an illusion created by Kurapika.

This was just Kurapika's most convenient dream.

"Although it's annoying, you, a person who cannot be trusted by anyone, could be said to have trauma, to the extent that Leorio, that ugly-looking thug, relies on you so much... Don't reject it first just because you are afraid of being betrayed. You have already started to trust others, to the point where you can think, 'I won't be hated'."

But this smile indicated that Kurapika was no longer distrustful of people; although he was extremely clumsy and it was a very annoying way of doting on Leorio, Kurapika had become able to trust, expect, and be spoiled, which was a refreshing feeling. It was "impossible" not to think of a happy smile from the bottom of one's heart.

"……You are no longer my own Kurapika."

Do you want to make that silhouette, which seems only a little lonely and as if regretting, impossible or possible?

I don't know yet.

I cannot give you an answer yet.

Kurapika still did not know what dream he wanted to see, what dream he wanted to watch, or what dream he wanted to protect.

Unknowingly, I continued to walk.

Along with the body temperature you cannot let go of.

Even in an impossible world, Together with you.