Chapter 65: Suggestions

It has been three days since Sora arrived at Heaven's Arena.

After three days, he should have gotten used to it.

"I can't find it. At times like this, I barely use 'Ren', which is very inconvenient."

Sora sat on a simple bench in the Arena lobby and complained to himself.

Of course, both the reason for his complaint and its content were related to the Dead's Nen he had discovered three days ago.

As I explained to Wing, because the Dead's Nen—whose personality and aura system have become blurred due to the fusion of multiple people—can be used by other Nen abilities regardless of whether one uses "Fixed" or "En", it is difficult to grasp because it is hidden within a type of aura, possessing no reason, no intelligence, and no beastly instinct. Moreover, since it is absolutely impossible to predict where he is or what he is doing, even after three days, Sora still cannot find the "knowledge" to escape, let alone dispose of it.

However, it is not just the particularity of the afterlife that I cannot find; if I wander around this arena, especially in the 200th-floor class area, I am very likely to encounter Hisoka, one of Sora's natural enemies, so I cannot actively search for it. Because it is too big.

Up until now, perhaps influenced by my prayers of "Please don't let that perverted, crazy clown notice my existence," Sora has not yet encountered Hisoka, nor has he noticed or made contact with him. I hope such good luck continues until Gon's training resumes and he has his match with Hisoka.

I will certainly pray, but I am not looking forward to it.

"Ah, that hurts. Hey, Sora!"

"Hm? Killua. What's wrong?"

The relatively futile prayer came to an abrupt end with Killua's arrival.

"Sora, how do you have free time? Do you want to go watch this?

Since Gon is still banned from training for a month, he isn't even allowed to watch matches."

Sora gave a bitter smile to Killua, who rudely assumed Sora was free and invited him.

Although Sora had a bitter expression, he was not angry at Killua's remarks.

Of course, Sora did not tell Killua or Gon about Deadmind, so Killua naturally did not know what Sora was doing. Never.

Gon (who has already recovered) is undergoing treatment and, as punishment for not listening to Wing's orders, cannot train Nen for another month. Their match.

Then Killua knew without asking why he had a bitter face. The ticket he showed... today's match was Hisoka's, which made him show an indescribable bitter smile.

"... I thought there were many guests today, is it this guy's fault?"

"Oh, this is very popular, Hisoka's match.

When Sora looked around and said, "Don't you want to watch this kind of perverted fight?" Killua looked over with a smile. Heaven's Arena told Sora the information about Hisoka here.

11 matches, 8 wins, 3 losses, 6 KOs, the number of KOs equals the number of deaths. The 3 losses were all walkovers I just signed up for, because I didn't have time to prepare and hadn't found a good opponent yet.

Therefore, in 11 matches, the opponent's score was 4 points, 1 behind, 3 clean hits. P. Points only.

He is definitely a Floor Master here."

"... Now that I think about it, Gon, who wants to fight such an opponent, is even more dangerous than Hisoka."

Killua seemed to recall Sora's words again, and with a bitter smile that seemed to attract his good friend a little, he humbly replied: "So that's how it is."

However, knowing the news that Gon and Hisoka were of the same kind, or rather, relatives, made him feel uneasy, so Killua ignored it and returned to the topic of Hisoka.

"So, Kastro... this time he is my opponent, but he is the only one who has knocked Hisoka down."

"! Hmph. Let's do it, that guy."

Perhaps Sora himself did not want to see it, just like Killua, and honestly praised the other party on the topic Killua brought back.

"Ah, by the way, the full house 2P is also one of them.

Explaining this, Killua pointed to the monitor installed near the ceiling.

Just then, a video of an interview with Hisoka's opponent, Kastro, appeared.

Seeing this, Sora widened his eyes in surprise.

Even Killua, who was pointing, must have seen Kastro for the first time. "If you think about what kind of gorilla you are, you're a gentleman," he said frankly.

As Killua said, although Kastro is not as young as children like Killua, Gon, or Zushi, he is clearly a gentleman who stands out in this Heaven's Arena, a sanctuary for barbarians.

Saying he is an actor or an entertainer is more convincing than a martial artist or a fighter, because he has a well-proportioned, gentle face and does not have the typical appearance of a martial artist. Because of his robe-like clothes, and he looks very used to interviews.

Perhaps because of his looks and his ability to win nine consecutive matches after losing to Hisoka, he is used to many interview opportunities, but the more he gets used to interviews, the more he fits the title of a martial artist. Sora and Killua watched the interview video for a while and felt that he might be a flashy, attention-grabbing person.

'If there is no chance of winning, I won't fight. I will let you know that you are a different person than you were two years ago.'

Responding to Kastro's line, Killua smiled fearlessly and muttered to himself: "That's a lot of confidence." While Sora's face turned slightly pale.

"I mean, if their match was two years ago, did Hisoka come after I left?

Wow! I was in danger! If I wasn't good enough, I would have been noticed by that pervert at that time!"

Realizing that the time Hisoka was a fighter at Heaven's Arena did not overlap with the time he was a fighter, Sora was overwhelmed by his luck at the time.

Two years ago, Sora breathed a sigh of relief, not having to meet Hisoka, but he didn't expect this possibility, so Killua brought it up.

"He was originally a fighter here, so he likely knew about you and found you, right?

Hey, 'Snow-Haired Battle Princess'!"

"Ahhh!!"

When Killua called him with a smile, Sora couldn't help but scream.

The surrounding gazes were all drawn to him, but Sora grabbed Killua's shoulder without hesitation and pressed him down with a flushed face.

"Killua! Where did you learn that!?"

"At most two years ago, when I searched for videos, I found many of your matches. If it was a match below the 200th floor, you let me watch Wing, no complaints."

"Wait! Did you see Gon and Killua!?"

"I saw it."

Responding to Killua's answer, Sora covered his face with both hands and sat on the chair with his head down.

Sora's appearance at Heaven's Arena was so much like Hisoka's "restless Death God" that Gon and Killua's reactions were the same as when Gon saw him three days ago. Her name, probably the only female fighter, and her two—a head of snow-white black hair piled on the ground like snow, "Snow-Haired Battle Princess" seemed embarrassed, so Sora said: "... To clarify, I didn't call myself that."

No need to explain, when he was first called by his nickname in a live commentary, he shouted: "What an embarrassing nickname! Who are you talking about!?" So neither Killua nor Gon misunderstood.

By the way, remembering Sora's fighting in the video, I understood how this woman became such a popular fighter that she kept bothering fans.

"You, why do you use so many professional wrestling techniques?"

This woman's wrestling moves were so flashy that I couldn't believe she was really a woman.

Originally, he did not become a martial artist to become stronger, but to learn composure, so his rank was different from other martial artists from the very beginning. Just like that, the game was completely dominated by Sora.

Although he is a fighter, and even if he hides his face he could be considered a good-looking combatant, he attracted people's attention; but it was not a simple and dirty punching and kicking match, but a match that decided the Germans and the Wizard who shone in an artistic and beautiful way. It was fun to watch. This is total entertainment. Well, it wouldn't be strange if a lurker-level person mixed in with the fans.

And if a strong person is watching Sora's match, because Sora has a very strong performance aspect, he can not only show techniques that cannot be so easily and neatly performed in an actual match or fight, but depending on the match, I also noticed the handicap given to Biscuit, such as not using one hand at all.

If you realize that Obstacle, you will naturally realize that Sora's ability is much higher than that match; those who want to be stronger than they are now, and those who want to fight strong people, go without saying.

Killua thought, if Hisoka could see Sora's match at Heaven's Arena, he would definitely register Sora and then run to the 200th floor.

Well, no matter how I hide my face and change my hair from two-toned to white, I didn't notice it during the Hunter Exam, even though my name in the game is normal, so it's just a fantasy. Thinking so. Or rather, I wish it were a fantasy.

"……Professional wrestling is a hobby for ladies."

"When you enjoy it, you are not a lady."

Sora's question, originally the answer to a doubt, was answered with an extremely distant look, but frankly speaking, this was not an answer.

If it were for self-defense, admitting it is a lady's taste would be fine, but no matter how you look at it, professional wrestling is not suitable for self-defense. Clearly, they are hunting without protection.

However, Killua's further thrust was meaningless; Sora saw further and attacked further.

"I said the same thing, but apart from her hobbies and her rivalry with Tohsaka Rin, the perfect lady insists on saying so."

"Well. The ladies in your world are synonymous with the Amazons of this world."

Without listening to Sora's answer, he reached an unpleasant conclusion and ended the meaningless topic; Killua showed the ticket in his hand again and asked Sora again.

"So, what exactly are you going to do? Decide whether you are going to watch or not."

"Hmm? Of course I'm going."

Sora answered quickly, took out one of Killua's tickets, leaving Killua looking dumbfounded.

I didn't expect him to like watching matches because he is my opponent, and I didn't expect him to accept it so easily. First of all, this is why Killua only got tickets for himself and Gon.

Perhaps Sora did not understand Killua's reaction, tilted his head and asked: "What's wrong?"

"Ah... to be honest, I don't want to watch, I don't want to watch, he won't have a good impression if he watches, I really think he will find me. The audience. I don't like it."

Under Killua's Stick, Sora understood, smiled awkwardly, and imagined himself being discovered in the audience and being sent away by that kind of disgusting bloodlust.

Although he didn't like it very much, Sora still answered with a smile.

"But if it's your date invitation, I believe I would be very happy."

"What!? So, this is not a date!! Gon is not here, I had to invite you!!"

Killua, who turned bright red for a moment, denied Sora's answer.

While denying it, thinking "Wing's head is a good job!", I felt sorry for Gon, so I decided to keep it a secret for the rest of my life.

＊＊＊

In front of the Arena staff guarding the fighter's waiting room, Killua threw a pebble picked up from a potted ornamental plant around to distract him, and passed by in the "Extreme" state.

Sora's "date" remark made him very embarrassed; he didn't want to go to the audience with him, so I climbed to the front.

Killua looked at Kastro's door, somewhat surprised, feeling that the security was too lax, even though the opponent was a fighter far stronger than the staff. The door was half-open from the beginning, so there was no need to open it.

Kastro was sitting on a chair in the room, looking relaxed, with long hair and a cape fluttering, not looking like a martial artist.

Although it was because of his "Absolute", it was most likely because he didn't seem to notice Killua's presence when the door was opened.

Killua was disappointed by this, and when he was thinking about what to do after this, whether to return to Sora or try to mess with him...

"Do you need anything from me?"

Suddenly, a voice sounded from behind.

Immediately after, Killua turned his gaze to the owner of the voice behind him, and then turned his gaze to Kastro who should have been sitting in the room.

(Not there!)

The suave man who should have been there, giving the impression of not being a martial artist, had disappeared.

After confirming, when Killua faced the man calling him from behind, he excluded the highest possibility and only highlighted the impossible.

It must be Kastro calling Killua from behind.

Moreover, he was exactly the same as the person Killua saw in his room. The angle of his face was not very good, but he couldn't play an eye-twitching Assassin that would make people misunderstand, so the man sitting in that room's chair looked very much like Kastro. I must rule out the possibility that it is someone else.

However, what Kastro did, if you don't mention the madness of teleportation, would be impossible. Nen Ability is possible, but Killua doesn't know how crazy Nen Ability is yet.

(This guy must have been sitting in that chair!!

I didn't pay attention, he quickly opened the door and slipped past me from behind!? Absolutely not!

After he called me from behind, I moved my gaze away from the door. I don't like that!! How...)

Killua even spat out a deceptive remark to cover his inner impatience.

"Well, I think I'll get your autograph."

"Mine? That's an honor, Killua."

"Hmm?"

However, it was soon discovered that Killua's deception was obvious.

Kastro said with a gentle smile on his face: "I have been checking the opponents in the same class as me on the 200th floor. Isn't Gon the same girl?" As expected of Killua, it goes without saying that when the children enter the 200th floor, they should naturally know their faces and names at least, and admit defeat.

"It's all obvious, isn't it?"

Knowing that he was not just a child, Kastro did not seem to blame Killua for sneaking in, so Kastro asked: "Are you conducting a hostile check today?"

Sure enough, Killua denied this and honestly answered his curiosity.

"No, I just wanted to see you up close."

To this, Kastro smiled slightly and asked Killua again.

"——So, what is your impression of me?"

Killua paused for a moment at Kastro's question, thinking about what kind of answer could hint at his mysterious movements, but first of all, there was little information about Kastro's personality, let alone his ability. I think it is also a lot, so I gave up and kept my honest impression.

"You did a lot"

"Thank you."

"However, if you want to erase your presence, it is meaningless unless you come to this floor. If the tracks of a user like you were to suddenly vanish, even if it weren't me, I would be on guard."

Kastro smiled again and praised Killua's ability, perhaps because he was truly satisfied with Killua's answer.

But at the same time, he pointed out Killua's immaturity, so the arrogant Killua looked frustrated at that point, and added a supplement to the point.

"That's right. Or, rather than shutting off 'Zetsu', it's better to gradually weaken your aura. As long as you can do that, it's fine."

Hearing Kastro's sudden words, not only did Killua's smile vanish, but Kastro's expression also stiffened.

However, when he saw the owner of the voice, his expression turned to disappointment, because this person had no Malice or anything of the sort.

Sora, devoid of Malice and fighting spirit, leaned against the Wall and smiled, waving at the turning Killua.

"!? Sora! Why are you here too!?"

"No, I was just a little curious."

When Killua asked, Sora said with a puzzled look, and Kastro interrupted the conversation with a wry smile to ask.

"... Are you Killua's older sister? No, I didn't notice your presence at all. How long have you been here?"

"Just now. It was almost impossible for me to gradually fade my aura as mentioned before, so I went all the way down to the 190th floor, and then 'cut it off'."

"I see. I'm glad I didn't notice you coming with Killua.

If that were the case, I would have lost my confidence all at once."

Kastro gave a wry smile at Sora's answer, then said to Killua: "You are not only beautiful, but also very talented; I envy you." What a waste.

"She's not my sister!!"

"Oh? Is that so? You look very much alike..."

Hearing Killua's denial, Kastro turned to face Sora again with a truly surprised expression, perhaps because he had completely believed Sora and Killua were real siblings, as if he had realized something.

Not only Sora, who was staring at that reaction, but even Killua, who was acting tsundere, tilted his head suspiciously.

It is hard to say whether it was lucky or not, but before the two could ask Kastro "What's wrong?", Kastro seemed to have come up with an answer himself, pointing at Sora to confirm.

"... Sora... Sora... Could it be that you are the 'Snow God Battle Chronicle'?"

"Zhihu."

While answering Kastro's question, Sora denied it with the eyes of a Death God and a level of reading that is rare even in lighting. This is how much I hate those two names.

But Sora's denial was purely a lie, just like Killua's tsundere act, so Kastro ignored Sora's answer and suddenly became excited.

"! So that's it! You really are that 'Snow God Battle Chronicle'!"

It's a pleasure to meet you! I've been allowed to watch your matches on video many times! It's a pity I couldn't watch them in real-time, but it's an honor to meet you! I knew she was beautiful, even if she hid her face or the video quality was rough, but I didn't realize she was such a cute beauty!

Actually, I watched your matches and became a fighter here because I really wanted to fight you! But I arrived just after you retired, and I was depressed, but I'm glad I didn't give up and leave!!"

Judging from his appearance and his attitude toward Killua, I thought his personality was similar to Wing's—gentle on the outside, but an idiot on the inside like Gon and Zushi. Surprised by the fact that we met, I unilaterally rolled it.

Killua was momentarily stunned by Kastro's unexpected move, but when he happily realized what Kastro was doing, he emitted an easy-to-understand aura of anger and said:

"Hey! You're pulling! Get off!!"

"Hm?"

Kastro finally regained his composure after being scolded by Killua, noticing Sora, who was clearly breathless from his own high tension, and just as Killua said, he apologized awkwardly while letting go of his hand.

Of course, such an apology did not make the disobedient but extremely possessive Killua any less drunk.

"Hey, Sora! Let's go!!"

There were no more questions in Killua's mind about when and how Kastro left the room and was behind him; he pulled Sora's arm away from him.

However, after Killua said "Sorry, please wait a moment," Sora asked Kastro without concealment, still somewhat hesitant.

"Well, is it Kastro? You're going to fight Hisoka later, right?"

"? Ah, that's right... If possible, I wanted to fight you, so it's a pity that today is over.

'Snow Hair Battle Maiden', what do you think? Why not re-register and win on the 200th floor? You could surely be the first female floor master."

Answering Sora's question, Kastro's plan was too obvious, so for a moment he looked as if he didn't know what he was being asked, then affirmed, and then smiled and invited Sora to join the warriors again.

Killua raised his eyebrows in disgust, but he ignored the invitation and continued speaking.

"Yeah... Then, as a senior here, if you really think highly of me, I would like to give you a Suggestion."

No matter how you looked at it, Sora said indifferently with an expression that wasn't very happy even though Kastro craved his face and voice.

"Give up on your revenge against Hisoka. You can't win. You will die."

So obvious, Kastro was speechless.

Killua was also looking up at Sora with a confused face, wondering where the hostility toward Kastro had just gone.

Sora didn't care about these two reactions, just saying: "Well, that's all."

"! Wait! What does this mean?"

"? Thank you very much, that is all."

Sora, who was about to leave with Killua, answered Kastro's question with a puzzled look.

Seeing this, Kastro erased his gentle smile for the first time and looked back at Sora, even though he was a warrior he admired... no, perhaps because of his admiration, his pride was hurt.

"... To be clear, I haven't gone all out in the nine battles since losing to Hisoka, but is it still the same?"

"Anyway, I learned your name and face for the first time today; I have never watched your matches, and I have no interest."

Sora spat out lines that should have been malicious provocations, and Killua asked Kastro with sympathy:

"Because this is a problem that precedes ability.

You are a 'martial artist', and at heart, you are a 'martial artist'. In the end, he lives within the framework of good sports, so his playing field is different to begin with. If you are going to make him enter your ring to fight, but fight on his ring, you should first pull out your bones and replace them with bones as crazy as his.

You failed to do that, and now you are talking about Guanshan being able to play."

Sora answered Killua's question truthfully.

From that voice, what I felt was not sympathy or pity for Kastro, who was fighting a battle he could not win, but a pale voice that sounded like boredom and distraction.

Not only Killua, but Kastro must have also noticed the emotions in that voice.

He countered Sora with a gaze of humiliation and anger, reversed from admiration, in a way that suppressed it.

"Of course, his madness has already gone too far. Before the first fight, I knew that if I clung to morality and ethics, I wouldn't even be able to catch him, let alone defeat him. I'm coming!

Don't lick me, I have no intention of killing the innocent, but I had long ago made up my mind, prepared to kill him!!"

Kastro, who interpreted Sora's words as "you don't have the courage to kill," insisted, but Sora scratched his head and said: "In terms of the logical reasoning that led to this thought, it's impossible. I don't know. I don't know," he muttered.

Killua also had the same interpretation as Kastro, so when Sora muttered that it was different, he tried to ask "What do you mean?", but before that, Kastro spoke.

"I don't know what you're trying to say.

But if you say it without watching my matches or anything, if you are going to deny and insult me up to this point, I want you to accept one thing.

In this match... if I win against Hisoka, I will fight him. If you want to apologize for underestimating my ability, I want you to accept this offer."

For Kastro, it was probably because he wanted Sora to be recognized by the person he admired that he made this offer. I kicked him out with his voice.

"Impossible. I told you to stop because I didn't want to see something that doesn't even have an aftertaste, but why do you have to be the reason you have to fight more?"

This was a statement that left Kastro in awe, causing Kastro's face to change drastically, and he was about to shout something, but before that, Sora continued, making him shut up.

"Ah, but I have no intention of denying or insulting your past.

As for me, I gave you a Suggestion because it is a waste to let your life end with such an eccentric battle maniac, and if this sounds like an insult, I am sorry."

Sure enough, Kastro was followed up by saying he didn't do what the person he admired most didn't want him to do; he seemed dissatisfied, but apologized, saying: "... No, I was also short-sighted."

However, Sora dismissed the apology lightly, saying "It's fine," and gave Kastro another "Suggestion."

"Kastro. If you really want to fight, remember this."

With eyes the color of the night sky full of helplessness, Sora looked at Kastro and gave Kastro his final advice.

"The future is invincible because it is formless.

Don't stop thinking that a stationary person cannot compare to the speed of a moving person, right?"

When Kastro was once again confused by this overly abstract Suggestion, which had no meaning other than "don't fight Hisoka," Sora pushed Killua's back and left his waiting room.

After the two slipped past the security guards again, Killua said: "Hey, what does that mean?" Killua asked.

But Sora just replied: "Whatever it means, that's what it is. There's nothing twisted about it."

Killua changed his question while pouting.

"... Are you not going to watch the match anymore?"

"Ah? Why?"

Killua felt he was worried because he himself said: "I don't like seeing things that aren't even worth fighting."

"You don't want to see it, do you?"

"When it comes to Hisoka's matches, I don't want to watch any matches either."

After reacting to Killua's jab, Sora immediately placed a Finger on his lips to add.

"Also, I'm sorry Kastro, but I think Killua and Gon might be more suitable."

"? Is it because you might find a clue to beating Hisoka?"

When I asked myself and Gon the reason for recommending them to "watch," Sora shook his head to deny it.

"Mm-mm. It's not..."

The night-sky-colored eyes had nothing.

"The way Kastro loses might be good teaching material as a teacher."

I had advised you. However, she didn't want to listen to that advice, treating those who died without knowing their own stupidity as "people," as if it were a waste of pressure. "People" did not appear.

To her, he was already nothing more than "study material" for Killua and Gon.

I don't want to die.

I want to protect those I love.

Killua sympathized with the "irrelevant opponents" who were interrupted by these two madmen, but walked to Sora's side without saying a word.

While sympathizing with Kastro, feeling fear at Sora's madness, and thinking that if I could correctly see myself as a "person" in that person's eyes, it would be fine, perhaps I am also crazy.

Nevertheless, Killua still walked by his side.