Chapter 33: Leaving the Monster Plate

"... Ah, I can't find it."

It has been 5 days since the start of the fourth exam.

With less than two days left until the deadline of the season, Sora, who had not yet obtained a single point, muttered to himself in the center of the forest.

"I can't find you, I can't find you."

As he walked, Sora sang the thoughts floating in his mind with an incredibly beautiful melody.

Regardless of the target line, just as he said, if someone could take the Plate, Sora would get 6 points, which is a passing score.

Thanks to a crazy survival instinct, Sora's senses had become sharp enough that he didn't need "Quan," but this meant observing "Is there anyone around me harboring hostility or Malice toward me?"

In other words, even if the other party was lurking nearby, if they had no intention of harming him, such as hostility or Malice, he would not notice them at all, so when looking for such things, they might mistake it for Sora's Fortune Telling, and feelings are useless.

So he could only search blindly, but if he did that, there was a high probability of encountering Hisoka or that Needle worker, so Sora, at a loss in every sense, really didn't want to search seriously.

"... It's almost the limit, should I go to the Venue and look around too?"

For the time being, I realized over these past few days that blind searching would only exhaust me, so I decided to limit the scope of the search area.

Due to the nature of the exam, if a Plate is stolen, you have a chance to get it back, so there was no early withdrawal from this exam, but if you have already obtained a passing score and are approaching the limit, you will psychologically want to approach the finish line. I decided to go.

In this case, if I took a Plate from that student, I might get several times the resentment due to the anger of being robbed compared to if I had taken it normally, even if I had already collected enough points, and the impatience of the short-term limit, so I personally avoided doing so. I want to do it, but I can't think of any place other than where I'm sure the student will come.

Thus, with a melancholy sigh, Sora headed toward the bay where he had landed.

Just then, his right hand suddenly caught it, as if it had moved on its own.

Although it was thrown, Sora probably didn't mean to hurt him.

Looking at him, his gloomy face turned into a brilliant smile, and he spread his arms.

"Killua!!"

Compared to Sora, who expressed joy at seeing him, a strange expression appeared on Killua's face.

No killing intent, no hostility, no Malice. Although it was just mischievous when he threw it, he caught it naturally and let it out directly.

Then, thinking "I don't like this," Sora ignored his sullen, pouting face and rushed over happily like a dog that had found its master.

"Killua! It's been five days! I missed you! I mean, what's wrong? Did you get the Plate?"

"... You, think about whether you're targeting yourself."

If I responded to Sora, who ran to me too defenselessly, with such cynical sarcasm, Sora would respond with a curious attitude.

"Because Killua's target isn't me, and he isn't taking the exam seriously, he just stole my Plate because he couldn't find me."

"Besides, this line will return to Killua like that. In your case, even more so, because you know I won't steal a target's Plate, my target is 1 point and 3 people."

Killua stuck his Tongue out at Sora, and Sora continued to speak honestly, with the same playful tension. Just as she said, Sora's target Kurapika and Killua are here now, so I can't think of anything to say.

"So? What exactly happened? You said you didn't know your target, but did you find it? Not yet?"

"Why are you here? Did you just find it?"

Sora tilted his head and asked Killua, and Killua remained silent, unable to think of any words to refute for a moment.

I didn't ask him why he was suddenly depressed, because he didn't realize he was depressed, or because he knew even without asking.

The former is also annoying, but better than the latter, so Killua interpreted it as the former and replied with a slightly sulky tone.

"I found it, I already have 6 points, what about you? Did you collect 6 points?"

I won't say that I've been looking for you since the second day of the exam just to help. Honestly, Killua is not a child yet, not an adult.

However, if he lied and said he found it by accident, he would likely find that this sensitive woman was lying, so Killua didn't answer the second half of the question, but asked him back.

Hearing Killua's question, Sora's high tension dropped all at once.

Sora slumped his shoulders while being excited and said, "... I have one point left, but I can't find the candidate."

Faced with Sora's tension, Killua clenched his fists in his heart, but he didn't even say it, instead cursing rudely as usual: "Come on!"

"There's no way around it! This island is huge! Or rather, I'm scared of encountering something like Hisoka!"

"Ah... of course, if I encounter him, he might attack me, regardless of whether he has already obtained 6 points or if I am his target."

After feeling a little self-reproach and sincere sympathy for Sora's desperate wailing, Killua finally spoke a fragment of his true feelings.

"... I can't help it. I'm free, so I'll help you a little bit."

Hearing Killua's words, Sora opened his eyes slightly, widened them a little, and then asked back.

"... Really?"

"What do you intend to do with a lie like that? I'm bored without it."

It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't true.

Even if that was the reason for helping someone, it couldn't be the reason he personally went to find Sora.

Without explaining why he chose to help Sora instead of Gon, Kurapika, or Leorio, Killua glanced at Sora.

"... What is this? Are you trying to say this is a troublesome matter or unnecessary help?"

"That's not true!!"

Sora, who immediately denied Killua's frustrated reluctance, spread his arms again with a sarcastic tone and hugged Killua without hesitation.

Killua's thoughts couldn't keep up with Sora's sudden movement, and he stiffened after raising his voice: "Huh?"

As for Sora, he didn't care about Killua's reaction, hugged him tightly, and expressed his joy nervously again.

"Ah, you're really cute. This not-cute, cheeky side is the cutest."

"It shouldn't bother you. I'm glad you made the decision. These past few days, I haven't seen a Shadow or shape of an examinee, so I was lonely, so lonely."

"Yes, thank you for coming. I'm happy. I love you."

"~~~~!!"

The thought that had been paused by shame awakened again, and Killua screamed and waved his arms, wanting to break free from Sora's embrace.

"Seriously, what on earth are you!? Aren't you ashamed to say that yourself!?"

"Absolute! You must not be ashamed of your true feelings!!"

Killua blushed and protested because he was suddenly told he was hugging him, but Sora pressed his arm against the curtain and announced it in a highly tense manner without embarrassment, like a nail in wheat gluten.

Killua felt it was stupid that he had made this guy embarrassed, and said, "I'm so embarrassed, shut up!"

Just when I thought such a reply could make me feel a little relieved, it was Sora speaking sideways, without distortion.

"So, Killua.

"What is it?

Killua did not realize he was dissatisfied, but he did not say he disliked it.

Regardless of whether Sora realized Killua's true feelings, he apologized faintly, "Sorry, sorry," and then stated his own "request."

"Now, I want to sleep, so please give me a pillow."

"You decided to hate it!!"

First, after reflexively showing a firm refusal, Killua opened his mouth and said: "Wait, you mean you wanted to sleep from the beginning!?" seemingly confused by Sora's overly subtle remarks.

However, even in such confusion, Sora just pushed forward with momentum.

"I'm sleepy! I haven't slept much since I entered this island!!"

"Maybe that's why your tension is abnormally high!?"

The words spoken by Killua were unclear whether they were tentative or convincing.

Basically, she is always very playful, but her tension was not that high, and she is more likely to be indifferent, so I actually solved the mystery of this high tension after we met again.

Due to lack of sleep, this seems close to the tension of the middle of the night.

"... No, wait. You said you weren't good at sleeping alone, but that doesn't mean you can't do it, right? Why are you so sleep-deprived?"

For a moment, I was convinced that it was unreasonable for me to be angry with myself, but I understood the feeling of wanting to be angry, but I remembered that Sora was at the level of "I don't want to sleep alone," not "I can't sleep alone."

"If someone is by your side, you can't sleep unless you hold hands with that person." He explained awkwardly while scratching.

The first day, I couldn't sleep because of self-loathing..."

"Gon? Did he do anything?"

After hearing the name of the student Sora cared about just like him, Killua was straightforward on the surface, but his heart was racing inside his chest as he asked.

His goal is above all Number 44 Hisoka. No matter how you imagine the worst-case scenario, this is not enough.

However, Sora simply denied Killua's worries, saying: "Ah, it's okay, she is still alive."

"However, a lot of things happened, and instead of breaking my self-esteem, it was trampled and messed up, and I was really depressed. How much."

For the time being, I tried my best to heal the wounds, and I said I wouldn't take what the perverted clown said seriously, but even if I said that, it wouldn't be a dent, would it? Instead, I don't know if being comforted would hurt my self-esteem even more, and now I'm worried that what I did will be counterproductive."

Probably out of consideration for Gon's trampled self-esteem, he did not elaborate on what happened. Even Killua had that much, so he didn't dare to ask for details.

It was actually unfavorable to Gon; Sora leaned against a nearby tree and said it was nothing, but no matter how you looked at it, Sora, who was also depressed about Gon, was right in front of him, so his mood improved.

"Are you so depressed and lost that you said you didn't want to be with me?"

"No, I just thought it would be better if I still wasn't with him. If Hisoka's words and my words would only hurt that child's self-esteem, that would be a dream." I was a little hurt, so I ran away quickly while I was asleep."

I imagined why Gon, who was so worried, was not by my side, and when I asked him, he smiled bitterly, denied it, and explained.

Then he smiled somewhat lonely and said.

"... I didn't want you to be there, and I didn't want you to see, so the purpose of my leaving was to make you pretend you didn't see me, but that's true. I might have run away first because I didn't."

I can't say there is no such line of Sora.

As far as I know, Killua doesn't know about Gon.

I feel he is the kind of person who wouldn't say anything, but first of all, Killua couldn't imagine being so depressed that Gon would give up on becoming a Hunter. Sora's words had already made him realize that images and these were useless.

Killua knows the pain of imposing his own image and ideals on him.

He is here now because he cannot bear the pain.

Know. Know.

... But, I still hate it.

"... It doesn't seem like it. Isn't your mind dull because of lack of sleep?"

After giving Sora a kick, Killua sat next to Sora.

"? Killua?"

Killua looked up at Sora, and Sora widened his eyes in surprise.

"What are you doing? Go to sleep, I don't want the pillow, but because of lack of sleep, emotions go up and down suddenly, which is more troublesome."

I don't want to see Sora's lonely smile. I feel that smile doesn't suit this woman.

I don't think Sora pushes himself in a negative direction like Sora and becomes depressed.

Even if this is just Killua's selfish image, I hope it is like that, because Sora looks so good that he can't always read the atmosphere, and laughs so positively that he is shocked.

Now, laughing like this is just a strange tension because I am sleepy.

Hearing Killua's words, Sora was startled again, and then laughed.

"No way, I Compromise."

"I make a concession!"

As usual, I smiled triumphantly and said a few words, making Killua, who was sitting next to him, slightly angry.

This is the Sora that Killua knows, just like Killua's image.

Sitting beside Killua, holding his hand and closing his eyes, Sora couldn't even say half a sentence of "Good night..." and immediately fell into a dream.

I thought about whether this way of sleeping, which is closer to fainting than falling asleep, is the limit, or whether Killua is considered safe and does not need to be cautious.

If so, how much do they trust me?... Kurapika or me?

Unlike when he slept next to Kurapika on the airship, Sora did not rest his head on his shoulder.

He leaned against a tree, sleeping with his head bowed.

Whether it was a difference in trust or simply due to the height difference with Killua, Sora's head would likely end up on top of Killua's head rather than his shoulder, so he didn't do it... Regardless, he reached an annoying conclusion: when I woke up, I was planning to complete the eight-hit kick.

Killua had such wandering thoughts, but he certainly knew he was in the middle of an exam, so he maintained proper vigilance.

However, Killua, who was raised as the heir to the Zoldyck family, was not conceited enough to think he was the strongest, nor did he think he had no enemies; I had thought there were only Hisoka and Sora.

He did not realize that, like Killua, a resident of the Pitch Darkness who had slipped away from his safety net, completely erased his presence, and emitted no killing intent, hostility, or Malice, was lurking right beside him.

The resident of the Pitch Darkness, Hanzo, was hiding in the bushes looking for the two of them.

Having stumbled upon them by chance, and since neither were small fries, I was considering whether to hunt these two, and if so, which one to choose.

I had thought that thanks to Killua, I would be able to handle it easily, but because the Plate was wrong, I had to hunt three people, and I almost wanted to take Killua's Plate to exchange for the eighth one. There was one, but judging from the interaction when he stole the No. 199 badge, it was clear he was not an easy opponent to deal with, as he was still a child.

Hmm, speaking of the white-haired one sleeping unarmed right now, he is not as easy as he looks.

Hanzo had never seen Sora, also known as Hakuga, fight, but he knew he had faced Hisoka in the first exam, and he was not optimistic enough to underestimate Sora, his number one target and favorite person.

Even so, for those students who went to the trouble of looking for them, there wasn't much room left to let go.

Hanzo thought about it and concluded that Killua must have fallen completely asleep with a Smoke Bomb containing a special sleeping pill, and then stole Sora's Plate.

Both were influential players, and in order to reduce opponents, even if they had extra points, they would want to grab all the Plates, but if they did that, their resentment would be deep.

There were 2 days left until the limit. It was a bit long to want to escape the resentment he had purchased so far, so Hanzo only thought about at least reaching his passing score.

Judging from the conversation between the two, Sora had 1 point and was aiming for 3 people with 1 point left, so the situation was the same as Hanzo's, so if you only took 1 point from Sora, you would still have a chance, so don't go crazy looking for who took it yourself; it's closer to you. I thought finding a good student first was the point.

Killua's retaliation was worth three points to him, and if it were taken away, he would definitely receive a strong backlash.

Hanzo had no conversation with Sora, to the extent that he had a one-sided sermon with Menchi in the second exam, but in the first exam, he was in the lead with Killua, Gon, and Sora; because of this, I saw her run back without hesitation for the comrades behind her.

I know I went to protect my friend, preparing to fight Hisoka.

Knowing her good intentions, it is not hard for me to imagine that if she took Killua's Plate and made her desperate to pass the exam, she would definitely be angry at him, rather than taking her own Plate.

Thus, Hanzo took a Smoke Bomb from the luggage he was carrying and threw it out without warning, without any sound, not even letting Killua, who was almost in the same line of work as him, notice.

Believing this to be the most reliable and safe method and plan.

Hanzo did not notice.

At this moment, Killua did not know that even lethal Poison, let alone sleeping pills, would have no effect.

It doesn't matter if you know or not.

Later, he regretted very much what he had missed.

Should have noticed.

Even Killua, who did not hide his presence, did not notice, but when he threw down a nut with the feeling of "let him give him a surprise," his arm moved naturally, without even looking. Already realized.

Sora was bored with those who had no bloodlust or hostility toward him, even if he did not erase their presence. Don't know. Don't deal with.

However, if there was "danger" to himself, even without killing intent or hostility, even if it was purely accidental, the body would react.

This was not a reflection that left thoughts behind, but the result of thoughts continuing to accelerate, even if it became crazy and exhausted.

Hanzo did not notice. I don't know. I don't know.

He did not understand the madness of the target.

＊＊＊

The moment Hanzo pulled out a Smoke Bomb twice as small as his palm and threw it out, the moment the Smoke Bomb left Hanzo's hand, his eyes opened.

Not the near-black eyes of deep blue like the night sky, but the eyes of the sky above his head opened, and Sora pointed his hand, which had nothing to do with Killua, straight ahead.

He pointed at the bushes where Hanzo was hiding, or more accurately, at the small Smoke Bomb Hanzo threw, and said:

"Ken."

A few seconds after her words, the Smoke Bomb exploded.

It should have exploded when it hit the ground or the other party, but it suddenly exploded in mid-air.

Not an explosion. Hanzo certainly heard it.

I did hear the sound of something hitting the Smoke Bomb, something invisible.

Killua, who could not understand the situation, just stared at the exploding smoke with wide eyes, but Sora's movements were so fast that I doubted if he was really asleep.

Before the smoke could drift onto them, they suddenly opened their waist bags, took out a Jewel, threw it toward the smoke, and shouted.

"Explosion!"

The gem containing the Mana storm, following the master's command, erupted with effect, emitting the smoke of the sleeping pill.

"!? What the hell!? That's a foul!"

Hanzo muttered to himself at the reaction of the full score, as if he had predicted not only the reaction speed but also the reaction itself, and jumped down from the tree branch.

I was a little worried that Sora had a mysterious method similar to my own ninjutsu, but out of curiosity, I didn't intend to kill myself, even if it was a cat.

Hanzo easily gave up the attempt to take the Plate from the two, because they were only one point away from passing, but the opposite situation would not work.

"Ken!"

Hearing the words that the Smoke Bomb exploded in the air again, Hanzo nimbly turned back and jumped onto a tree branch.

But I still couldn't see anything.

"Ga!!"

I couldn't see it, but it hit me.

When I turned around, an invisible thing hit my left shoulder, letting out a short scream.

The power was almost the power I could hit with a Hard ball. It was not strange that it didn't hit well, but for Hanzo, who had undergone torture, it was a blow that could be easily withstood.

... If it was just power.

His shoulder was itchy after being hit by an invisible Hard ball, and although he was distracted, he did not stop running, but for these two, it was enough to catch up.

Hanzo turned around with a look of disgust, and Sora, while shaking the nearby branches, said with a very happy smile.

"Come on! If you're worried about your life, your arms, your legs, or anything else, then put the Plate down first!"

"Ahhhhhhh!!"

At the same time, when Hanzo jumped down from the tree, he used a branch to cut it in two, and mercilessly threw Hanzo down.

It really is Sora vs. Hanzo.