Chapter 28: I Can No Longer Hold Your Hand

I remember Ponzu.

First, I recalled my pathetic self, caught by Sora in a maze full of traps, screaming without doing anything.

＊＊＊

"……I thought I was going to die."

"I did my best to protect you."

Judging by Sora's expression, when I temporarily set down the oranges and arrived at a place where I judged there were few traps and tricks, she muttered with a pale face; Sora rushed in, looking somewhat dejected.

"……Honestly, these were all traps I thought I couldn't avoid, so I am grateful, and I really want to thank you, but in this situation where my brain and stomach have been shaken, I can't say anything."

"That's right. Sorry."

As Ponzu glared at her in protest while panting, Sora squatted down to rub her back and apologized gently.

Because of the constant screaming from Ponzu, the bees were still jumping around Ponzu as if to protect their master. This was a sight that needed to be avoided.

Even in this situation, he approached me without hesitation and stroked my back.

First of all, as Ponzu herself said, if he had walked this path full of traps alone, he would have had no confidence at all, regardless of the chains on his bracelet, to arrive here unscathed.

I know Sora did not intentionally walk around to make Ponzu motion-sick.

I was simply a "burden" that had been picked up; although I was grateful, I absolutely had no right to complain.

I know, but my selfish pride could not honestly say thank you or apologize, so Ponzu silently ordered the flying bees to return.

A female of the same gender. I didn't ask her age, but she was probably not far from me. Her physique was a few notches taller than hers, and her height was considered on the tall side among women, definitely not an average build.

Although there was little difference between us, the fledgling Sora and my own self, who had failed the Hunter Exam many times, intensified my sense of inferiority, and the thought of perfection was born from this.

Shaking off this thought, Ponzu suggested standing up and continuing forward.

But Sora squatted down and said.

"Sorry, Ponzu. If possible, I want to rest here for a while."

"Hmm?"

Ponzu couldn't help but frown in dissatisfaction and immediately said, "Oh no!"

Sora, who had been running around carrying me, could absolutely not be more tired than I was, screaming while being carried.

His face was puffy, but he couldn't think that it might have been overdone out of concern for himself, or that he might be injured somewhere, so he tried to recover and then quickly continue forward. Sora raised his head self-deprecatingly and looked at Ponzu with a puzzled face, saying.

"Sorry."

"Sleep!?"

With just this one sentence, Ponzu's self-pity vanished into thin air.

Wait, Ponzu tried to convince herself that this might mean he was too tired to run around and was sleepy, but the follow-up action was broken by him.

"Yeah, I'm sleepy. I didn't sleep much last night."

"Why!? Go to sleep!!"

For some reason, it was revealed that I hadn't slept during one of the few times I wondered if it would be the next rest period, and my apology was completely blown away.

However, even though Ponzu scolded him, Sora yawned with sleepy eyes, as if asking where the Wind was.

"Well, that's it. Just as I was about to sleep, a guy gave me a glimpse of bloodlust. Unlike Hisoka, he had an intense bloodlust that could even be felt through a Needle, so my nerves were tense, and I fell asleep. Seriously, who was that bloodthirsty person? I've had my fill of Hisoka; I feel like I'm going to get gastritis……"

"……Sorry. Sleep as much as you want."

The apology didn't return; instead, sympathy welled up, and Ponzu felt sympathy for Sora from the bottom of her heart.

I didn't want to get close to him just because Hisoka's gaze was fixed on me, but there was nothing but sympathy, no room for pity at all.

"Yes, sorry. Thank you."

Sora sat in a gym-sitting posture, placed his forehead on his knees, and said.

Unlike Ponzu, I asked Sora, who could frankly say sorry and thank you; I suddenly thought of something and thought it wasn't anything interesting.

"……If you don't know who that killer is, you can sleep by my side."

"Even if I don't know whose killing intent it is, just by looking at it, I can at least judge whether it's someone capable of producing that kind of killing intent."

Sora answered immediately without even raising his head.

Ponzu was not amused by this direct answer either.

In other words, I didn't have the ability to bring out that kind of bloodlust, and I thought I was judged as an opponent such that I didn't need to be guarded against.

"You took appropriate measures to keep me from being stung by the bees that are your secret weapon; you can't show that kind of killing intent."

These words were said to the pouting Ponzu.

Ponzu looked to the side in surprise; unknowingly, Sora was smiling at him.

Seeing the happy, blissful smile on his face made his heart ache terribly, and Ponzu immediately looked away.

I felt like I was being told, "I'm glad you're my partner," and I couldn't bear to look at him because his smug smile made me feel like I would fall for him.

"……The nature of the Root, I don't do it, and it's also disadvantageous to me."

"Shouldn't I have just exposed the existence of the bees and hidden the existence of the Bee Repellent Spray? Then, in order to protect myself from the bees, I would have to protect you."

Even though I turned around to show that I hadn't done anything good or anything, I was just being selfish, and Sora just answered simply.

Listening to Sora's cruel methods, Ponzu thought to herself, "Is there a way?" When I thought that not being able to come up with such a method was the reason I couldn't pass the Hunter Exam, Sora next to me laughed.

"Whether he has it or not, or whether this thought didn't exist in the first place, it all proves that Ponzu is kind."

"This is the reason why I have come all the way with you. Frankly speaking, if it were just a bracelet, I believe I could remove this bracelet without an Explosion, so I thought about taking it off myself and continuing forward."

Startled by Sora's words, Ponzu looked to his side, and Sora answered with a smile: "Don't worry, I don't like it now."

"You showed me sincerity, so I will repay it with sincerity. You protect me from the bees, so I will protect you."

I don't need to believe it, because I think it's just lip service.

Nevertheless, I still remember my heart beating so fast, even though I knew she was a woman, that I wanted to believe those words.

Ponzu remembered Sora saying that and smiling with a hint of sleepiness; he was handsome.

Ten minutes after opening a new door that shouldn't have been opened, Ponzu had too much time on his hands.

Ponzu usually rested a little on the airship, and since leaving Sora to come to this tower, he didn't have enough energy to fall asleep.

Because of the chain connecting the bracelets, I can't even walk further alone to see what's going on.

The inspection and maintenance of the luggage were finished, so I could only let my thoughts wander.

Ponzu muttered to himself while looking sideways at Sora, who was sitting next to him and barely breathing.

"... I think that even a female Hunter should have this level of ability."

Although I know there is no point in thinking this way, it just eased my nervousness, and I couldn't help but think about it.

Ponzu repeated his self-loathing from just now, jealous of Sora; although he was the same gender and age and physique as himself, he already possessed the military strength essential for a Hunter.

When I thought about the cruel shift of responsibility, I sighed again that it would be better if someone looked down on me and cursed me as a burden or a useless person.

Ponzu felt good about Sora—he had strength, wasn't serious, didn't complain that he was just an obstacle, acknowledged his sincerity, and the reward was too great. I really wish this exam could end as soon as possible; I couldn't help but wish I wanted to leave this child.

While enduring an overwhelming sense of inferiority, Ponzu muttered as if he were deflating.

"... After all, ordinary people are no match for geniuses."

"When you make excuses like that, you can't defeat anyone."

The overly harsh words returned to Ponzu's muttering.

Ponzu opened his eyes to look to the side, and Sora continued to speak with his eyes closed.

"That is to say, I'm not a genius or anything."

Saying this, Sora opened his eyes.

Then, when Ponzu's face was reflected in those midnight blue eyes, looking as if he were angry or about to cry, Sora also made a confused expression as if he had encountered trouble and opened his mouth.

"In my opinion, you are also a genius in that field."

"Huh?"

Just when he thought he had faced reality and pointed out his own mediocrity, the shock of Ponzu's anger and inferiority complex was swept away by this sudden remark.

"No, this kind of blatant comfort is quite ironic..."

"Comfort? It must be strange to call you an ordinary person, because you have the ability to manipulate bees quite freely."

Ponzu pointed it out in a daze, and Sora immediately responded with even more intense anger than before.

When I discovered that what I specifically saw made me have such thoughts, although I thought Ponzu was simple, I still felt a little happy, and I turned around to answer to hide my joy.

"It's no big deal. Anyone can do it as long as they train."

"Maybe so. But Ponzu. That's all I can say."

Ponzu opened his eyes wide again to look at Sora and answered immediately, and Sora smiled and continued.

"It's fine. Three years ago, when I was dying, I was picked up by a Professional Hunter and became his apprentice for three years.

From your perspective, this might look like a genius or something, but to me, being bullied by an old hag was 100 times harder than the traps in this tower, so if that's the case, it's of course a bit sad to end up as a 'genius.' I wonder what happened to my three years."

"............ I'm sorry."

Approaching the end, Ponzu expressed sympathy for Sora's story, which seemed out of reach, but at the same time reflected on his own words and apologized from the bottom of his heart.

Although he was the same gender as me, and there was not much difference in age and physique, I thought that Sora, who was stronger than me, was "because she is a genius." Ponzu never considered the reasonable possibility that she worked harder than him.

What Sora said at the beginning was completely correct. Ponzu was just making excuses for his lack of effort, saying: "It can't be helped, because the opponent is a genius."

Faced with this situation, a soft weight appeared on Ponzu's head, and he was depressed because of the greatest self-loathing of the day.

Sora touched Ponzu's head from his hat with moderate force, and the bees did not come out.

"Oh, sorry, don't be so depressed. I don't see that you aren't working hard.

Even if I put in the same effort, if I am taught by a professional, my master will know more about the exam trends, so I can improve my skills under effective guidance. You have to prepare steadily for the exam, right?

I don't think you didn't try or that you are inferior; that's not the case at all. On the contrary, you will soon discover how great you are. That's why it's better not to be depressed and be proud."

Hearing Sora's encouragement, Ponzu tilted his head, but Sora's words were completely serious, not just encouragement.

From the perspective of Sora, who is a magician and a Nen Ability user, Ponzu, who trains and manipulates bees to this extent using technique rather than Magic or Nen Ability, should be praised because it is pure technique.

Sora prayed that he would realize this as soon as possible and continued.

"For now, I hope you won't be depressed.

What I want to say is, if you end your opponent with the word 'genius,' it is rude to the other party, and you are just frustrated, right?

Then, 'I believe you really worked hard! If you put in the effort, you can do it! Isn't it better to think that way? Effort is troublesome, and it doesn't always yield results. Instead of giving up because you can't reach the word "genius," your chances of becoming who you want to be are higher, so you won't be broken. Let's do our best.'"

Being told this far, the dumbfounded Ponzu burst out.

"Huh? What are you laughing at?"

"Aha!"

Ponzu himself laughed for a while, not knowing what was wrong.

"... Well, I'm not exactly straightforward or positive. If anything, I think I'm a negative person who would die of self-loathing the moment I stop if I don't keep running forward."

"Are you a migratory tuna?"

Sora was not angry at being laughed at by Ponzu, but his troubled argument was strange again, and Ponzu retorted while laughing.

After laughing for a while, Ponzu said to Sora with a bright face as if he had let go of something.

"... Thank you. That's right. It's true that I've worked hard too, so if I make excuses and give up, it would be rude to the me of the past."

After conveying the thanks he couldn't say due to his foolish jealousy, Sora smiled happily and then yawned.

Seeing this, Ponzu apologized, "Sorry for disturbing your nap," but Sora denied it while rubbing his eyes.

"No, it's not like I woke up because of Ponzu's muttering. I thought I'd sleep, but it seems I can't fall asleep, so let's move on. Time is precious, too."

"Can't sleep? Is it because you can't relax in a place like this?"

Ponzu asked, stopping Sora, who was about to stand up to answer. It was true that if the nap and rest were enough, he wanted to move on, but he felt reluctant to force Sora, who looked sleepy no matter how you looked at him.

"It's not that I can't do that, but... it's embarrassing to say, but I'm not good at sleeping alone."

Sora hesitated for a moment before answering, but after Ponzu said, "It's more troublesome if you worry about me," he resigned himself and explained the reason he couldn't sleep, leaving Ponzu stunned once again.

"If I'm really alone in a room, I have trouble falling asleep, but I can eventually. If it's a place like a train where there are lots of other people, I can sleep even if it's a bit noisy—or rather, I can sleep precisely because it's noisy..."

"In a situation like this where it's just the two of us, sleeping alone is really bad. It's like a bad thing, or maybe a bad place, but anyway, closing my eyes all by myself is somehow... scary."

"? Are you claustrophobic or something like that?"

What he said sounded like a child, but judging by his tone, he wasn't joking. However, whether it was the scent or the body temperature, I wanted something. Proof that I was still alive.

"... Yeah, closing my eyes and resting for a bit makes me feel a little better. Even if I force myself not to sleep, it's really just a waste of time. Let's continue."

Sora proposed this and tried to stand up again, but this time he was stopped.

This time, she held my hand tightly.

"... Seriously, if you responded to my sincerity and tried to protect me, then you should at least expect me to reciprocate your sincerity."

"Sleep. Thank you for your recognition of me. If you have body temperature, you can still sleep, right?"

This time, Sora looked down at Ponzu, dumbfounded, and Ponzu said with a slight "I did it" smile.

Hearing this, Sora blinked a few times, then laughed.

"Then, believe in my words."

After saying that, he sat back down and closed his eyes.

This time, I closed my eyes, and in less than a minute, I could hear my own breathing. Looking at Ponzu from the side, her sleeping face was so peaceful, and he could tell that until just now, Sora had only wanted to sleep with his eyes closed.

After that, about three hours later, Sora woke up again.

Honestly, waiting for Ponzu was boring, but it wasn't bad.

In the process of wasting time, the thoughts that surfaced in my mind were no longer negative loneliness or self-loathing, but my imagination and uncalculated questions about how Sora had become so strong.

I thought I could become stronger. Like Sora, he believed he was strong and could become a Hunter.

Ponzu remembered that he certainly thought he could be equal.

Afterward, Sora and Ponzu moved steadily forward on the Path of Unity.

Even though she was able to overcome difficulties to a certain extent, Ponzu still lacked confidence in her own strength and held a negative attitude toward how to use the drugs that served as her weapons, "waiting."

I was depressed about this, but Sora said, "Ponzu, I'm glad to have you as my partner. Because if Ponzu had the same strength and fighting style as the old man, I wouldn't want to be a princess." Although I wasn't happy at all, Ponzu agreed that she didn't want the old man to carry her like a princess, so she was no longer depressed.

About 50 hours later, we arrived.

The final exam site of the Path of Unity.

"... Two?"

Entering the room we reached, Sora muttered first, and Ponzu tilted her head.

The room was larger than the one they had originally fallen into, and they suspected there were two doors to the left and right of the Goddess relief on the wall, right in front of the entrance they had entered.

Besides that, there had been many rooms with paths split in two and multiple entrances and exits, but the reason the two of them were suspicious of the doors was that the doors had no handles and were shut tight.

The two approached the Goddess statue, wondering if they had to find something to open this door, or if it was a quiz like the Honest Village and the Liar Village, when suddenly the Bracelet connected together, and the Chain on my hand fell off.

"Eh!?"

It turned out to be the rule that "if the Chain breaks, the Bracelet will explode," so I inadvertently raised my voice at the same time and reflexively held the two Bracelets, but the Chain seemed to have fallen off on purpose, and the Bracelet itself did not fall off, nor did it explode.

After I breathed a sigh of relief, the mouth of the Goddess statue moved clumsily and announced in a synthesized voice.

"This is the final exam for the Path of Unity. From now on, the two of you will pass through separate doors."

"The doors lead to the same large room, but the room is divided in two by tempered glass. This glass has a Hidden Switch somewhere on the wall of either room; if you press it, the glass will be stored away, becoming one room."

"In the two separate rooms, there are several prisoners waiting. One prisoner in each room has a 'key' to remove your Bracelet. However, the key belongs to your partner, who entered the room opposite the one you entered."

"The two of you should use the remaining time limit to steal the other's key from the prisoners and open the glass separating the rooms. Once both Bracelets are released, the door to the exit will open."

"Additionally, if it is confirmed that one of the students has died within the allotted time, both Bracelets will explode, so please be careful."

After the Goddess statue finished explaining the final exam, Ponzu, whose direct combat power was too weak, changed her expression.

However, Sora turned around with a straight face and asked Ponzu.

"Ponzu. Do you have Hypnotic Gas?"

"Hm? Yes, but..."

"Good. Then put it down as soon as you enter the room, and let everyone, including yourself, fall asleep. When I finish tidying up the room, I'll break the glass and clean it up, let's go."

"This is a strategy the Examiner didn't expect!"

She was already doing something the Examiner hadn't expected at the beginning, but for some reason, Sora also liked the people here, saying, "Do you know about unity? I don't know if it's self-centered or self-centered."

As for the glass, what if Sora's room didn't have a Hidden Switch? I thought so, but once I thought about it, Sora had already kicked the iron ball to pieces, so Ponzu was convinced there was no need to look for a Switch.

I'm sorry for relying on Sora until the final exam, but Ponzu's existence was already a disadvantage for Sora in this exam.

If Ponzu were to die easily and cause Sora's wrist to explode as collateral damage, he should discard his petty pride, so Ponzu prepared the fast-acting Hypnotic Gas from her bag so it could be sprayed immediately.

Seeing this, Sora laughed brightly and said.

"Then, I'll leave it to you. As expected, I'm glad my partner is Ponzu. I don't have to worry in vain, it's easy and good."

Despite putting all the burden on himself, Sora was able to say "I'm glad it's Ponzu" in earnest. While sighing in exasperation for the umpteenth time, Ponzu also laughed and replied before they each entered the opened doors.

"I'm also glad you're my partner, Sora."

The strategy Sora proposed was, as Ponzu said, beyond the Examiner's expectations, but since the Hunter exam expects students to go above and beyond the Examiner's predictions, Lippo, the officer in charge of the 4th exam who was watching on camera, did not issue a warning over the broadcast about Sora's bold "leave it all to me" strategy, but held his stomach and watched happily.

Just as Sora's strategy was unexpected for Lippo, only he, who knew who the prisoners prepared in this room were, anticipated that unexpected events could happen to Sora and Ponzu.

Ponzu remembered.

The biggest miscalculation in Sora's strategy.

Ponzu remembers.

The moment I entered the large room partitioned by glass, I released the Hypnotic Gas all at once toward the 78 prisoners.

Along with the prisoners who fell to their knees, I also inhaled the gas, and in my fading consciousness, I saw the room next door.

Seeing Sora on the other side of the glass vigorously landing a jumping knee kick right into the face of the sturdiest prisoner, I thought, "Ah, no problem," and let go of my consciousness.

I regained consciousness because I was struggling to breathe.

As I managed to open my heavy eyelids, there was a man right in front of me, drooling from the corner of his mouth and looking somewhat excited.

Although it was muffled through the glass, I definitely heard Sora's voice clearly shouting, "Ponzu!!"

It was only after that that I realized my neck was being strangled.

After recalling the events of being too close to the rotating lantern, Ponzu finally recognized reality, which is now.

Ponzu was very familiar with the prisoner who had been imprisoned for over 100 years and was strangling her.

A man imprisoned for crimes including rape, murder, and dismemberment of corpses. A Serial Killer with over 20 confirmed victims.

The biggest misjudgment regarding the two of them was this psychopath's dark desire, which was not just forgiveness, but a drowsiness brought on by the Hypnotic Gas.

A man intending to harm, defile, and ruin a woman weaker, younger, and more beautiful than himself—Ponzu, who happened to be in the middle of his targets, appeared, and he could not maintain his sanity.

The prison asceticism did not exhaust his dark desire, but was the result of the repressed expanding and erupting.

Due to the abnormal secretion of anesthetics in his brain caused by excitement, plus the fact that he suddenly bit his own hand so that his flesh was gouged out, he rendered Ponzu's Hypnotic Gas ineffective.

And Ponzu, who was sleeping just as defenselessly, was also fitted with fangs.

"Agu... oh..."

It was not because he did not want to kill her yet that he was not strangling her so tightly, but because there was still residual hypnotic gas in her body, so she could barely move.

The man used his left hand to choke Ponzu's neck, while his right hand groped Ponzu's body, which he had bitten, and fresh blood flowed. Although I felt very uncomfortable about this, my resistance was too weak.

Most of the bees on the back were asleep because they had used the Hypnotic Gas, and since the opponent had already strangled them first, the bees' attack Switch "Vibration" did not occur, and "Scream" did not occur either. It could not be brought out.

"Ponzu! Move! Move! You're in the way, but let go!"

I could hear Sora's voice through the tempered glass.

Due to being injected with Hypnotic Gas, she could not defeat most of the prisoners in the room.

He reached out his hand with a look of understanding, even though he didn't like that he was blaming himself for formulating such a strategy.

I wanted to grab that hand.

Ponzu, who was much stronger than me but troublesome and prone to depression, kept saying to her, "You don't have to be depressed." I wanted to say.

So, because of this, Ponzu used all her strength on her weak body to resist the hand that was strangling her.

Her weak, meaningless resistance incited the man's sadism, making her suffocation more intense, but she still resisted.

(... Give up... I can't take it anymore!!)

For the irreplaceable "friend" he met during the Hunter Exam, whom he considered a rival, Ponzu would never die, nor would he let anything irreversible happen.

When she decided to do so and continued to resist for a short while—

Bang! At the same time as the sound of the balloon explosion, something flashed.

It was broken glass.

Ponzu and the man couldn't help but look in the direction the sound came from.

The first thing I saw was the wreckage of the thick tempered glass, which was shattered and shimmering.

And what I saw on the other side was the poisonous red of fresh blood.

Some were still moving and groaning, some were no longer moving; Sora stood in the center of the pile of flesh, holding a cheap Ballpoint Pen.

Sora opened his eyes and said:

"--Get out"

I looked at the man and Ponzu with clear sky-blue eyes.

There was a void in the sky.

Sky sky to sky from.

I saw a Death God with "" eyes.

The next moment, the arm of the man strangling Ponzu's neck was severed; I thought it was originally intended to be taken off his shoulder.

The man took a deep breath, wanting to scream in pain, but a Ballpoint Pen pierced him heavily.

The moment the Ballpoint Pen pierced deep into the man's chin, the man's eyeballs rolled, turned to the whites of his eyes, and he fell to the ground, unable to move.

Sora said while kicking the fallen man's body and severed arm.

"Ponzu! Are you okay!?"

Reflecting Ponzu in his sky-colored eyes, he reached out a hand to her as she lay there—

On the first floor of Trick Tower, like the other examinees, Ponzu sat silently, waiting for the end of the Third Exam.

While being tormented by regret, self-loathing, and a fear that still had not faded.

"Hii!"

I recall many times how I let out a short, twitching scream and slapped away the hand that was offered to me.

Ponzu slapped away Sora's hand so hard that the effects of the gas and the strangulation were nowhere to be seen. Revealing a fear and rejection that were not there during our first meeting.

Then, with a look of sudden realization, she managed to lift her body and desperately tried to move her still-numb tongue.

"N-no... that's not it... Sora... I am..."

"It's fine."

Being interrupted mid-sentence, Ponzu was shocked to realize that what she felt was not the shock of rejection, but relief that she didn't have to say anything.

While denying it by saying "That's not it," Ponzu didn't know what she was trying to say to Sora, or what was "not it."

Ponzu herself knew very well that that "not it" was nothing more than an excuse, and nothing more than a plea for her life.

Sora did not even cast a look of disappointment at Ponzu like that.

Even when her hand was brushed away, even when she was rejected, she felt neither anger nor sadness.

She only wore a face as if she had realized something the moment she was brushed away.

And then, she said.

"I'm sorry. For scaring you."

She no longer offered her hand to Ponzu, and from a position slightly further away, she smiled lonely, as if she had given up on something.

Even though she felt a pain in her chest so sharp it felt like it was being torn apart by that smile, Ponzu could say nothing.

She could not take Sora's hand.

After that, they did not speak until Sora found keys from corpses, dying prisoners, and prisoners still asleep from Ponzu's gas, removed each other's bracelets, descended the stairs from the hidden door that appeared, and arrived at the first floor of Trick Tower.

Even upon arrival, they did not speak.

She could not speak.

Regret and self-loathing raged in his mind, but he could not say anything.

"I'm sorry," I said, but I still couldn't help but hold her hand.

I felt her eyes change from midnight blue to sky blue, out of place, and very beautiful.

But at the same time, I felt scared and helpless.

I had no doubts about the change in my eye color at the time, and even now I am just thinking about it; I am not afraid of it itself. I am just afraid of being seen by those eyes.

When Sora reached out his hand, and when I looked into his eyes, I saw a vision.

I felt my arm being severed, just like the arm of the person who strangled me was amputated.

With this baseless illusion, Ponzu shook off the hand of the person helping him.

I have seen many people die in the Hunter Exam. Ponzu herself almost accidentally killed an opposing student.

So the fact that Sora killed a captive to save himself should not matter. I don't even know why I am so afraid, instead of feeling sorry that I couldn't be of any help.

Ponzu herself did not know, but the rejected Sora seemed to understand.

Shaking off his hand, he made a face as if he had noticed something, and smiled sadly.

Ponzu could not get rid of the thoughts in Ponzu's mind; Sora apologized with a lonely but apologetic face, making him think: "It is my fault for forgetting this matter."

"I'm sorry. For scaring you."

Facing such an apology, his heart screamed, "No!", but no sound came from Ponzu's mouth.

While worrying, Sora also waited alone.

Worried that Hisoka would bother Sora again, or who the murderer Sora spoke of was, worried about Sora who couldn't sleep even with his eyes closed, he never fell asleep. He couldn't even get close.

I didn't think I had this qualification.

In less than a few minutes, I noticed that Sora was clearly uneasy.

Even so, Ponzu still could not say, "What's wrong?"

I clearly knew what he was anxious about, who he was waiting for, and what he was worried about while they hadn't arrived yet, but I could not alleviate his anxiety, nor could I say anything.

"Late, everyone! Just a little more!"

When there was less than 1 minute left on the time limit, hearing a voice that was not as angry as the words suggested, but only happy, I finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Before the third exam, seeing Sora happily meet the four people who were always Together, she rushed over happily, wagging her tail like a dog, barely making it in time. I breathed a sigh of relief.

But the next moment, Ponzu wanted to cry.

"……Sora."

"Hm?"

Kurapika, the blonde androgynous beauty often talked about while walking on the Path of Unity, who thought Sora had a good relationship with him, suddenly grabbed Sora's hand.

Sora was confused and wanted to pull his hand away, but was held tightly by Kurapika, who stared at her for a while.

"? Kurapika, what's going on?"

"……Ah. I'm sorry. It seems you were worried about something just now, so I thought you were hurt, but it seems there is nothing.

……Are you alright? Beautiful hands, as always."

Kurapika's words made Sora's eyes widen.

Ponzu also opened her eyes wide to look at him, but Kurapika of course noticed there was only Sora in front of him, his hand still not letting go.

"Sora?"

This time Kurapika looked puzzled, but Sora did not answer, only smiled.

"……You are the one with heavy injuries. Thank you, Kurapika."

Ponzu wanted to cry seeing Sora's smile; it looked like he was crying, but also like he couldn't help but be happy.

I want to apologize.

I want to cry and apologize for my rejection, because I didn't thank him for his help, just being afraid, because I did such a cruel thing, I couldn't touch myself, let alone those four people.

But no sound came from Ponzu's throat.

I want to hold that hand, hold the hand offered to me again, this time, but even in my imagination, Ponzu could not hold Sora's hand.

Again and again, I am afraid and reject.

However, not only Kurapika, but the silver-haired boy also complained: "I mean, if you were there, that path would have been easy to win," and then put his arm around Sora's waist.

The black-haired boy was as happy about the reunion as Sora, and said childishly: "Thanks to Sora, I finally thought of a good idea, and we all passed the exam! Report."

A similarly tall black-haired man was somehow shut out by other members when trying to talk to him, and Sora said in surprise: "……Leorio, what did you do?"

No one rejected her.

Unlike Ponzu, he might just not have seen Sora's eyes, that kind of spectacle.

But I know this is just an excuse.

I know that using the word "genius" to finish off an opponent is just an excuse for one's own lack of effort.

A lack of "qualification" is a convenient excuse for Ponzu.

Ponzu abandoned her own "qualification."

Rationally speaking, he could not help but bitterly hate his own selfishness in rejecting Sora, but Ponzu's instincts could no longer approach Sora, nor could she get involved in it.

The amputated arm I imagined. That arm was undoubtedly a kind of "qualification."

He realized it was he himself, not Sora, who had severed his own arm and taken it away.

Someone reminded me that I should have held the hand of the child I wanted to be my "friend," which is my weakness, because I could not accept that the child was a "Death God."

Once you break it, you cannot go back. I cannot do my best. I have no choice but to give up.

After recognizing that Sora was a "Death God," the terrified and broken Ponzu could no longer stand by Sora's side.

Sora must know this.

That is why she did not say, "Don't give up," and say, "You are a genius," just as she said, "Don't give up."

I believe he has been reminded many times that he has no choice but to give up.

Ponzu bit her lip and walked out of Trick Tower with the other students.

Deciding not to cry. If he cried, he would surely become a victim, but he would pay attention to Ponzu. I feel sick; this is my fault.

So I decided not to cry.

This is the only thing Ponzu could do... this is the only thing Sora could do.

Kurapika looked at the Number Plate lottery drawn just as the third exam ended.

(Number 16... Tonpa, hmm... I might have an advantage in terms of combat, but he is a veteran and does not want to pass the exam.)

"Oh, Kurapika's target is that old man."

"!?"

Suddenly, Kurapika jumped up, turned around, and someone was suddenly peeping at the Number Plate in his hand from behind.

"Erasing your presence and suddenly calling out from behind!"

"Ahahaha, sorry, sorry."

Kurapika apologized half-believingly, not knowing if he was really thinking bad things, and wanted to scold him for a while longer, but stopped when he remembered what he had done just after coming down from Trick Tower.

Although she is usually a girl with zero personal space, she did not try to touch Kurapika or the other three at all.

Although happy to see us again, Sora still tried to keep a little more distance than usual.

Something must have happened at Trick Tower.

Gon seemed unwilling to say it, but he told me, "... I smelled the scent of blood on Sora," so Kurapika knew very well what that "thing" was.

So, while making lame excuses, I forcibly grabbed his hand and would not let go.

Thanks to this, Kurapika continued to talk with Sora, and some unstable emotions had calmed down, which was a relief.

"I am lucky to know my target. However, that old man seems very smart."

"Yeah. I was thinking the same thing, not knowing what to do."

While saying this, Kurapika thought of something.

"Sora. Won't you participate in the fourth exam with me?"

In the proposal, it was hardly calculated that being a duo would be effective for searching for targets, fighting, or setting traps.

I just wanted to be Together with Sora.

Even though they met again, Kurapika felt a childlike loneliness during the nearly three days of Separation, but most importantly, Kurapika was worried and wanted to stay by her side to keep her from killing.

At Trick Tower, Sora must have killed a person, a prisoner.

Sora did not believe this was an exam, so I could only imagine that when they met again, he never tried to touch himself or his friends.

When Kurapika held Sora's hand, his eyes were full of terror.

Kurapika's hands were stained with the blood of others, and he could not erase them from his mind.

So I don't want her to become like that again, I don't want to comfort her, but from the bottom of my heart, I feel that Sora's hands are beautiful, so I hope Sora thinks so too, so that even a drop of blood on her hands will be reduced.

Kurapika made a Suggestion, just hoping for that.

"Ah... sorry, Kurapika. That is impossible."

However, Kurapika's proposal was rejected almost immediately.

Then, before asking "Why?", Sora handed it to Kurapika.

The lottery you drew, the Number Plate of her target.

"! Sora!"

Kurapika looked at the Number Plate, eyes wide, wanting to question Sora, but Sora said with her usual bright smile.

"Kurapika. Good luck."

After saying that, she left Kurapika.

Both Kurapika and the Number Plate handed to Sora were left behind.

Only the 404 Number Plate remained.

The journey with Ponzu really ended with Sora running around holding Ponzu, so splitting it into two episodes was too short, so if I wanted to write everything I wanted to write in one episode, the result was this long...

From next time, it will be the fourth exam. I think the fourth exam will be a little longer.