Chapter 5: The Name of the Eyes

Personal Profile

Name: Sora Shikiori Birthday

: February 12th

Age: 21 years old

Height: 169 cm

Weight: 50 kg

Hometown: Another world

The ideal situation would be for Sora Shikiori to become an ally, but aside from the fact that there are currently no vacancies, Shalnark's rough research into Sora's background shows no criminal activity.

No, to be precise, she hasn't destroyed property, though there are many cases where she destroyed several buildings and caused irreparable harm such as amputating opponents; however, as far as Shalnark's investigation is concerned, she is a criminal. The results of fighting people with Nen Ability, and because she has the protection of a Professional Hunter teacher, are usually treated as self-defense accidents, ending at most with compensation for damages.

In other words, unlike Chrollo and the others, she is a woman who lives in the light, not in the darkness, even though she does not have the same genealogy.

Therefore, when asked to become an A-rank Bounty leader, it is highly likely she is not an okay opponent.

Even if I wanted to establish a business relationship with her, she does not seem to be doing business in a destructive way.

Therefore, the method Chrollo came up with was "to make her think she is a legitimate Hunter coming to help him, and temporarily gain her trust."

He is confident in his ability, acting, and speech. Even if it were a lie that would be exposed the moment he joined Biscuit, there is no need to deceive me in the long run, so I just lined up the most natural lies for this place without thinking about anything in particular.

What he needs is for this woman to show the power of Elimination in front of him and answer questions about this power.

If he has this, he can use any number of openings to knock out this woman who is running around clumsily on the Puppet manipulated before Shalnark.

Chrollo believes that once he does this, he can steal Sora's ability.

Even if I steal it, I know I might not be able to use it.

Based on what happened during the day, it approaches the opponent in a desperate state and stabs the other party with an item containing Aura; for Chrollo, who has the restriction of holding it in his hand, it becomes a useless item.

However, the power to disable someone else's Nen Ability in one hit is undoubtedly a threat if it becomes an enemy, no matter how difficult the conditions for use are, so even if Chrollo cannot use it, there is no loss in stealing it and neutralizing it.

Besides, even if I walk on a straight path, the bright side, it is impossible for me to be a straight person without a household registration, although I am not from Meteor City.

Without stealing the ability, it is possible to establish a business relationship with someone who seems to agree with them, so I think it is worth understanding what kind of person they are for the time being.

That is why I disguised myself as the "black curtain" that friends mocked, but I was quickly discovered. That is because the first half was too unexpected for the second half.

"Are you really a girl?" Chrollo said, stunned in his heart.

No one said anything there. Why are you speaking so openly? As expected, Chrollo had no energy to rush in.

By the way, Shalnark is squatting on the spot laughing.

"I mean, seriously, who are you people!

If you want to guess the exhibits, use a quiet method! Why are you so full of wanting to shoot me down with a Bullet! I don't hate handsome guys, but I don't particularly like them either, so if you're going to come, go find an old hag instead of me! Because I'm drooling and happy!!"

As expected of Chrollo, a woman blew up a serious flower bud from birth for the first time, let alone breaking it.

"Make it clear whether your purpose is to harass the owner of the Jewel in the exhibition, or to harass the owner of the Jewel!

Meeting an emergency here, it's really hard for me to escape!!"

"You don't want to work, do you?"

Sora accomplished a feat that no one could be proud of.

However, from Sora's words and deeds, I understood one thing that gave me a headache.

Understanding that this would be a bargaining chip to get what Chrollo wants, he placed his finger between his brows and told her with a headache.

"…There is no need to move or run away.

Sora Shikiori. Do you want to do business with us? If you agree to this deal, we promise not to cause you any harm."

"That's good, please accept it."

"At least listen to the details of the deal to the end!"

We have known each other for a long time, but when Shalnark saw Chrollo leave and insert him for the first time, he burst into laughter again.

After Chrollo knocked on the head of the laughing Shalnark to make him shut up, he managed to regain his composure and talk about the details of the deal.

"Well, we only have one simple request.

The 'Elimination' when we cast a certain Nen Ability. That's it. I won't tell you not to forget me and the members when we make a reservation like this time. We just need a specialized pest exterminator.

Therefore, if you accept this deal, we will never automatically become your enemy. How can a patient kill a doctor who can definitely cure him?"

If Chrollo's hypothesis is correct, I can understand from his words and deeds just now that I cannot expect a woman named Sora to have business professionalism.

So the Material for bargaining is life, not money.

It is clear that she is prioritizing her own survival. That is why there are so many stupid words and deeds.

"But if you don't agree to this deal, I will kill you. If it doesn't work on you, you are nothing more than a troublesome enemy.

If you accept this deal, we will leave quietly today. Well, the Jewel doesn't want to give up, but keep your head up and won't attack when hired.

…Now, what should we do?

I know the answer. Or rather, he answered immediately, but even so, Chrollo tried to say the answer from Sora's mouth again.

Chrollo cannot understand Sora's obsession with her own life.

Chrollo and all his companions know that "death" is always by their side, even before they learned the word.

It is not that he does not avoid "death"; if a comrade dies, if it is an old friend from when the Brigade was formed, or a childhood friend like family, it is conceivable that the loss will never be buried.

That is why I don't want to jump into "death" alone, but even so, it is always by my side, so there is no fear when it comes. I am sure you will think you are unlucky and you failed.

So, Chrollo simply cannot understand Sora's "obsession" with her own life, not even thinking about it.

However, for some reason, I am strangely close to that clumsy struggle and the obsession with things that seem meaningless from the outside.

It is not as close as it sounds. But it is definitely close.

Chrollo did not give up his attachment to his own life, but was obsessed with the existence of the Phantom Troupe; he wanted to protect and preserve it rather than his own life.

Even if you leave, even if your childhood friends all leave, what would happen if only the giant spider known as the Phantom Troupe existed and survived? When asked, Chrollo could answer nothing. Originally, I was not good at expressing my own motives, but that was no longer the issue.

In an obvious, greatest contradiction, if you are born, you will die, which may be the same as the initial desire for survival and struggle.

That is why I know the answer.

Nevertheless, I still wanted to hear it clearly from his mouth.

Chrollo did not realize that he saw himself abandoning the framework of an individual, seeking eternal existence in a woman who tried to survive by insisting on her existence as an individual.

"... Before that, may I ask you one thing?"

That woman, although far away from Chrollo, was so close to Chrollo, and somewhat similar; although she had accepted the answer immediately before, for some reason, when she heard this story, she was still a little worried about the parts that did not appear. "It's okay, go to school." She raised her hand and asked like asking a teacher.

"First of all, who are you people?"

This question came too late; not only Chrollo, but even Shalnark, who was amused by Sora's words, softened.

It seems that this woman, who did not know her opponent was an A-rank Bounty Hunter, had been sleeping until now.

"………………Ah, so that's how it is."

Somehow, Chrollo regained the strength he had lost and squeezed out his voice.

"We are the Phantom Troupe."

"I am the leader, Chrollo Lucilfer."

The words Chrollo said with a suppressed voice would not be easily dismissed as "hmm," unless it was a fuss caused by the nervousness of meeting an idol.

Judging from her previous words and actions, Chrollo had expected the woman to react in one of two ways, but he did not expect Sora's reaction to be correct.

"……………………'Phantom Troupe Spider'?"

I opened my midnight blue eyes and just muttered to myself.

＊＊＊

Unexpected, but I thought he just didn't have the courage to joke about the name of an A-rank Bounty.

I thought he was just surprised.

Moreover, if he knew, he no longer doubted that the answer was already determined.

"！?"

In an instant, Chrollo and Shalnark jumped backward, and Shalnark ran over to the Puppet that had been standing upright, using it as a shield.

"Burn."

To the woman Sora, the voice was quite low, issuing a short command.

That was the detonation word.

He cast his Aura into the Mana-filled jewels Chrollo and Shalnark had, and spoke a Switch to activate the Magic fixed there.

Those jewels scattered in the air flashed with light for an instant, then exploded one after another, unable to withstand the explosion triggered by that Mana and Aura, quickly turning into a fireball.

But this would not make him retreat or become immobile, so he was a Puppet.

Accompanied by Shalnark's high-speed keystroke commands, the puppet, engulfed in flames, used its own fire as a weapon and advanced toward Sora.

But all of this was within expectations.

It is hard to believe that she was the one who kept screaming and running around until a few minutes ago, when she was attacked by a melee Bullet that even her childish Hard could not block. The thing I took out, I cut off the arm that was about to give me a scorching embrace.

A burning arm danced in the air.

Before the arm touched the ground, Sora stabbed it.

The moment Sora stabbed the thing into the puppet's left eye, the screen of Shalnark's Mobile Phone went black, just like the puppet during the day.

The puppet's Aura vanished, collapsing powerlessly.

"... What do you mean?"

While asking, Chrollo looked calmly at the situation before him.

Unexpectedly, the negotiation did not go through, but it could not be helped. While thinking that it would be fine to just steal the ability by passing one condition, I recalled the possibility that I thought was "possible" but "impossible."

"... Regardless of whether you are criminals or something like that."

Sora muttered, not knowing if it was a question for Chrollo, a simple monologue, or some kind of declaration to Chrollo and the others.

I cannot see my eyes. Because while looking down, he was rubbing his eyebrows with his left hand to relieve eye fatigue.

Even if he didn't do that, Shalnark and Chrollo did not notice Sora's eyes at this time.

The two were just looking at Sora's hanging right hand.

Shalnark saw the thing in his hand and muttered with a wry smile.

"... Seriously?"

What she held was a cheap, mass-produced Ballpoint Pen, the kind you can buy in a set of three at a coin shop.

If so, the surveillance camera during the day had already received the vibration, and the disposable stirrer was stuck in his thigh, so it was no surprise.

The problem, of course, was that the Ballpoint Pen had no Aura when it cut off the puppet's arm, and when he disabled Shalnark's Nen Ability, making the puppet stop working.

What I considered "impossible" from the surveillance footage and Shalnark's words became a completely Fixed concept; even if I noticed other possibilities, I cut them off as "impossible" before I even realized them, let alone considered them.

All so-called "Magic," "Spiritual Power," "Miracle," and "Spiritual Power" in this world are premised on the fact that they are all "Nen."

The woman who possessed the power to destroy, ruin, and kill their world from the ground up lowered her head and continued her story.

"Because I don't want to die, I feel very emotional about other people's 'I don't want to die' or 'I want to live.' That's why I don't want to kill criminals or whatever... fundamentally."

If someone told me that if I didn't kill them now, the number of casualties would increase, I wouldn't want to be offended. I live because I don't want to die, but I don't want to live in painful emotions, so I decided not to do anything I don't like."

Sora covered her eyes with her left hand and said indifferently, like stupid nervousness.

"That is the reason I accepted your deal. I don't have any complaints."

"But not."

The left hand left.

But Sora's eyes remained closed.

"Only you are useless."

I remember, behind my closed eyelids, it seems something is meant to be sealed.

Three years ago, I had just arrived in this world.

I just didn't want to die.

I have always held onto that kind of instinctive, primitive, hollow hope.

No pride,

worthless,

meaningless,

I don't want to live, I don't want to die.

Carrying that single-mindedness, I fled from the Source, Chaos, Abyss, the End, also called "", fled from that nameless beginning and end, and came to a world far from the mundane. I was born and lived. Despite being reminded of the fragility of the world, Sora continued to struggle.

Knowing this was nothing more than buying time in an empty space, she crawled on the ground, drinking muddy water, struggling, never dying, never resting.

"Let go! Let go!! I'm going to kill you!!"

The person who said they were going to kill is about to be killed.

His eyes burned with hatred and killing intent, but at the same time, they were mixed with despair and helplessness.

If he didn't want to die, he should have left Sora alone.

I don't know where I was, so I pretended not to see a child about to be pinned down by two strong men, their eyelids pried open, their eyeballs gouged out, and then I ran away. I should have run away; I did.

The child and Sora had nothing to do with each other.

Because we were not supposed to meet.

However, I did meet him.

And then I realized.

Despite being filled with hatred and killing intent in his heart, he still accepted death with an attitude of despair and helplessness.

Even if you lose everything, even if you try as hard as you can, you will end at some point.

"I don't want to die," I noticed the boy say.

As soon as I noticed, I ran.

Thinking the body at its limit was too light, stingy and poor, and unable to use the Treasure without hesitation, I threw it to the man present.

This was the first time Sora used the power of the "eyes".

They were afraid of Sora and fled; Sora cut off the strong man's arm with bare hands, as smoothly as cutting butter with a knife.

Likewise, I should have run away.

Frightened by Sora, who was too close to "death", the boy forgot the gratitude for being saved by Sora, and Sora thought he would run away.

But he did not run away.

When she was pinned down by the man, her eyes were reminiscent of the Fire of the Abyss, wanting to burn the whole world, including herself.

The fire in the eyes of the boy who had not run away and was looking up at Sora lost its warmth; although it was the same scarlet color, the impression had changed drastically.

To the boy, those warm scarlet eyes reminded him of twilight, reflecting what or who Sora was looking at, which Sora could not understand and could not know.

One thing was certain.

Sora met a boy who shed tears from his scarlet eyes and clung tightly to Sora.

No pride, no value, no meaning. The sky is from the opposite; it is what fills your heart.

I want to live.

The boy gave Sora the reason he wanted to live.

The memories that scattered after finishing the eyelids, the eyes opened.

"I don't hate you. You are interesting.

But according to my priority, that girl might always be first."

It is the sky and the void.

"So I cannot tolerate you, I cannot forgive you for letting that child 'die'."

That is, sky sky to sky from.

"... I won't let him kill him, nor will I let him kill anyone."

But it did create pride, value, and meaning.

A mage from another world, a disciple of the Treasure, a daughter who escaped from "".

"That child... enemy of Kurapika little brother, you Spiders, I will kill you."

The Death Magic Eye for Direct Death was opened.

Character Profile

Name: shikiori

Height: 169cm

Weight: 50kg

Blood Type: A

Date of Birth: February 12

Magic Circuit: (Quantity) Small / (Quality) Good

Attribute: Void Element / None

Remarks: Deadly Magic Eye frame