Chapter 69: Meteor Dream

I had a dream.

A dream of a winter day at the end of February, making you think this was the last time for cold and snow.

I passed by meaninglessly; the dream I should have run past was once there.

"Thank you for your hard work, Killua and Gon."

Gon had taken revenge on Kido, and Killua had finished his match against Lierbert at dinner that day.

For Gon, Sensen and Sora had won their first victory... to be precise, Sadamune's first victory was due to his forfeiture, but he remembered "just in case," gained recognition on the sidelines, and played his first match in a proper manner. Celebrating his victory, I ate the feast he had prepared for me and answered with a smug smile: "Thank you!"

As usual, Killua turned away to hide his slightly red face and said, "That's enough time." The corners of his mouth were definitely turned up.

Sora watched the two completely opposite but equally comfortable reactions with a smile, but even though they had received permission from the league from the start, they should have applied for the last day of the battle preparation period. The match day. He pursed his lips, as if remembering why it was early.

"Even so, those rookie Hunters really make me angry."

"Oh."

Regarding Sora's dissatisfied words, Killua agreed while munching on fried chicken.

Sora agreed with this too, chewed the rice well, swallowed it, and with an angry momentum, began to talk about how angry he was.

"That's right! You misjudged your own abilities, and you didn't expect that you hadn't even gotten close to your own feet; you really are selfish!"

First of all, do you really think you can become a Floor Master and win just by fighting those who haven't awakened or have just awakened? 10 wins is the right to challenge the landlord, not the qualification to become the landlord. In that case, even if you become the landlord, you will be dragged down immediately, you idiots."

Not only taking Zushi hostage and threatening to fight them, but also betraying Killua to negotiate for Gon, he could win one by one. It didn't look like it, so Sora cursed them and politely continued eating. Keeping silent.

Killua and Gon were a bit stunned, thinking Sora's elegant eating habits were a good thing, but the rhythm alone wasn't enough to show it here and now.

"... But in the end, we learned 'Ren' and 'Hard' earlier than planned, and with Sora congratulating us like this, I feel a bit lucky."

After finishing the tofu Miso soup, Gon said a few slightly rude words, but when he was hijacked by Zushi and held hostage by Sadamune and others, Sora regretted leaving the Arena. Sora answered with a smile: "We are also lucky."

"Think about it, what are you doing now? Collecting jewels, soaking them in your own blood, and then muttering to yourself; it's really creepy."

Killua also changed the subject, asking about Sora's recent quirks.

I can imagine what Sora is doing is "Magic," which hasn't been explained, so I don't find it eerie. I often go out to look for jewels that are easy to cast Magic on, so I am dissatisfied that they didn't care about me, even though I didn't tell the truth.

"Well, it's just that I don't have much work to do, so I'm just replenishing and filling jewels full of Magic."

Sora answered after taking a sip of the tea in his cup.

A few months after the Hunter Exam ended, I had a lot of connections with the spirits of the dead; although it wasn't a request or a job, first of all, there were almost no capable people whose Nen was too powerful, but there were very few dead people's Nen that needed to be discarded or could be discarded, so Sora's work was basically very little.

Dead spirits are usually called "ghosts" or "curses," but in reality, they are not rare, and most are almost harmless.

That is because the existence ratio of "Nen Users" is basically 10% of the world's population, and "Dead's Nen" is more common among ordinary people than those who possess Nen at the moment of death or in a fire. Many things express thoughts with their foolish power.

And in that case, it's not like he trained well, nor did he have any talent, so even if he was buffed by "Dead's Nen," he could only remain in a state of "Clay" in this world. Becoming.

This is what is called a "ghost," and since it can only hold onto "mata," 90% of people can't even walk from the place where they died, and their aura is weak, in a state of innate "Yin," so even a Psychic can't see it unless you do "Hard."

In very rare cases, it can be seen by people with the same wavelength, or those who possess so-called "spirit," whose eyes are more open than others, and are unknowingly in a state of "Hard." Usually, it's just a small thing, and unless there are many unlucky things, it is rare to fall into an irreversible situation, so you just need to wait for the day when the Aura disappears.

And regarding "Curse," whether it is cultivated or self-taught, it is a pattern where the dead person's "Fire" is activated, so it is not limited to Sora; if the Exorcist does not have time to intervene, that is most of them.

Thanks to the "Deadly Evil Eye," although Sora has some conditions, in most cases, he can kill Nen immediately. Since many of the Nen applied to it take effect immediately, it is not a "Dead's Nen" that has long-term effects, such as whether there is another purpose like Kiyohime, or whether the dead person is eager to kill slowly. As long as the opponent dies normally before the request, the abolitionist has no turning point.

Moreover, like that dead person's soul, the souls of the seven people including Kiyohime and Kastro merged together; he did not lose his sanity and wisdom as a person, nor did he cause the mistake of "swapping purpose and means." As long as the dead person's soul completes its purpose, such as killing someone it hates, it will automatically disappear.

Perhaps, in many cases, the Constraint is an ultimate wish: "Please let me keep this power until I reach this purpose!"

So, the work and troubles related to the minds of the dead that overlapped after the Hunter Exam were just an unpleasant Coincidence, and now Sora has more time and often goes out to Collect jewels.

Even Killua knew about it, so there was no need to explain it again.

Sora's Jewel weapons are basically disposable, so it is natural that if you have free time, you should stock up on as many jewels as possible.

And since those weapons are extremely expensive, to buy high-quality items at a low price, you shouldn't mind walking around with second-hand dealers and pawnshops, as well as antique markets related to jewels.

However, perhaps dissatisfied that Sora didn't give him any instructions about "Nen" even though they were Together, Killua bit down on the huge fried chicken and cut it into pieces.

However, Gon's curiosity was aroused not only by Gon but also by Sora's constant lines, and his dissatisfaction disappeared.

"Also, I am currently developing new Magic."

"'New Magic?'"

Sora's magic was changed into a Nen Ability under Biscuit's guidance, but it is still a technique from another world. Sora has an organ in his body that other humans do not have called "Magic Circuit," called Pseudo-Nerve. So, because the body structure is indeed different, some parts cannot be reproduced with Nen Ability, and from the perspective of a Nen User, it seems even more mysterious than an ordinary person.

So, it seems that Sora's "new Magic" is to make the curious child attracted to the cat again and again; Gon and Killua were tense until Sora elegantly ate the potato salad and drank it down.

"No, you think about it carefully, it's not particularly fresh. I want to transform it in my own way to reproduce my sister's specialty."

This is not just inventory, because you can't do it without time. Even so, my sister and I had completely different Magic Attributes before becoming mages, and it is completely impossible to reproduce it perfectly, but I am working hard."

"Sister?"

"Sora's sister?"

However, the words Sora swallowed after the potato salad were nothing more than a few sentences that contradicted and corrected the previous statement, but the information was as interesting as the "new Magic," or even more interesting.

This was not so painful for Sora, but the dead still remained deep in his heart.

I rarely talk about my younger sister.

Both of them knew in what form the sister was still engraved in Sora's heart, so they hesitated whether they could ask about the sister, but although they would never forget, it was not a later trauma. Well, so it was clear to some extent. I don't know if he was there because he had a very suspicious look on his face, so, because it was a good opportunity, Gon, who does not forget to consider the opponent, asked directly.

"By the way, you said your sister was an excellent mage; what kind of person is Sora's sister exactly?"

Killua was a bit impatient, as if saying: "Wait, you! You're going too fast!!"

"This is relatively stupid."

"You say that!?"

The answer that came back was too unexpectedly affirmative, so Killua rushed in before Gon could ask.

Sora answered Killua with a straight face.

"Killua, think about it, you are my sister, right? Unlike me, you have always been a beautiful woman, and you have a strange tendency of not knowing whether you are a man or a woman; she has been an unparalleled beauty since she was born."

"Don't say that you, including yourself, are an idiot!!"

Killua had never heard of Sora's older sister, aside from the story of Sora's entire family being wiped out, and he thought it unreasonable to accept the image he had formed so far. Sora was angry at the situation, but Gon knew how marriage worked; the proposal had failed completely, and even Sora's political marriage was impossibly cute, so he gave his thoughts with a wry smile.

"No, my hobbies and values are completely opposite, but my childhood friends often told me, 'You two look too much alike.'"

"……Seriously, what kind of older sister is she, exactly?"

"In a word, overbearing but kind."

Gon's impression reminded Sora of his childhood friend's words, and he kept answering his younger sister's riddles.

It wasn't a single sentence, nor was it an incomprehensible statement, but she was indeed very much like Sora, yet the exact opposite of Sora.

"Ah. Now that I think about it, she might be a bit like Illumi."

"……Huh? Like the older brother?"

The most miserable older brother in the family was brought up to save Sora's life.

However, the favorability that had dropped due to Sora's explanation of the parts that felt "similar" was restored.

"Basically, her facial muscles don't move, and I have no idea what she's thinking; it's about the same. Plus, her hair is smooth and straight, which makes me angry."

It wasn't a personality issue, but mainly an appearance issue; it was just that it was easier for Killua to imagine Sora's sister's appearance, so in his mind, he felt she looked like his older brother, which made him dislike her.

Of course, I won't apologize to my brother.

"Ahaha, Sora is indeed the complete opposite, but it's just a strange similarity."

Convinced that Sora wasn't talking about his sister as painfully as he had imagined, Gon smiled and let him talk about Sora's sister. No one knew if the reason Sora's sister was usually teased was ultimately due to Gon's cruelty, his own sister's cruelty, or something she had caused herself.

For the time being, the younger sister didn't seem to want to follow her at all.

"Excuse me." Sora stood up from his chair to answer the phone, but when he realized who the caller was, his expression was somewhat puzzled.

When Gon and Killua noticed this, they asked, "What's wrong?" and "Who sent it?"

"……Somehow, I received a call from Silva."

"Huh? Father?"

Upon learning it was a call from his father, Killua instinctively checked his Mobile Phone, but there were no messages or missed calls on it. Without a doubt, this wasn't "I tried to contact Sora because I couldn't reach Killua," but rather that Sora himself might have something to do.

Knowing that family business was family business, and knowing why his father liked Sora, Killua glared at Sora's Mobile Phone with an uneasy look, reached out his hand, and said: "Lend it to me, I'll take it." "Don't fight with me. If the content looks dangerous, I'll refuse it myself, and I'll honestly tell you what was said."

Although I wasn't satisfied with what Sora said, I gave up and decided to keep eating with Gon while listening.

He realized that the two of them were eager to eavesdrop, but he didn't care, because Sora intended to tell him the details later, and finally answered the call he had temporarily stepped away for.

"Yes, hello. What's wrong, Silva? If you're Killua, you're eating a healthy meal, aren't you?"

"Indeed. More important than anything, but I would like to ask you about Killua's story later."

Except for Gon, who was hearing Silva's voice for the first time, Sora and Killua noticed that Silva's voice on the phone was unusual, as if Silva were somewhat weary; Sora tilted his head, and Killua felt the unease of the situation and glared at his phone.

Then Silva spat out lines that matched Killua's unsettling premonition.

"……Sora. I would like to request an exemption."

At Silva's request, Killua almost stood up to take Sora's phone.

The situation with Killua's father and his request to Sora only left a bad impression on Killua.

Imagining the zombie attack by Kastro that happened at his house about two months ago, or his family being attacked, flashed through his mind.

Although he ran away from home and was always arguing, he didn't understand what he really wanted and kept pushing him away, but even so, Killua's family was important to him, so he didn't care if he lost or was taken away. It was disgusting.

But when Killua snatched Sora's phone and asked: "Father, what is this about! Who had what happen to them?!" When I told him this, Killua stopped and struck a pose as if he wanted to steal Sora's phone, and Gon, who was listening, froze with wide eyes, and Sora also raised his voice in surprise: "Ah!? That guy!? Why!?"

"……I protected Kalluto, and instead, I acquired a Nen Ability."

"Hmm? But in that case, shouldn't you just grab the person with the ability and cancel it? If he is a Manipulator, he could do it too, right?"

"That is…… for some reason, as soon as she is attacked, I kill her immediately. Therefore, it is highly likely that it is the spirit of the deceased."

"Wait a minute! What happened to him!?"

Silva was so surprised he couldn't speak; he himself knew very well why he was so surprised, so I briefly explained how he had been cast with a Nen Ability that needed to be removed. Even if he was convinced, he wasn't satisfied with the reason why he needed Sora. When he asked further, the more he inquired, the more unbelievable it was, and the more he knew about the other party's personality, the more unbelievable the situation became.

"It's a harassment-type ability; it doesn't have the ability to kill directly, but it seems 'harassment' is really effective. It seems she can't calm down either."

"……That guy, even if he were with me, would calculate profit and loss with reason, right?"

The more Silva explained, the less he understood how it had turned out like this.

"That is what I am saying. When I asked Sora to ask him to delete it, I thought he would say something reluctantly, but I refused and shouted that I would rather die than show you mercy. Even so, I never said anything about 'harassment.' It is still continuing."

I don't know if it's that I don't want to say too much, or if I don't want to say it because I know it can only be removed by your hand, but regardless, I am in trouble in this unprecedented situation."

Silva sighed while talking to Sora about the current situation.

Although there is the "Arka" method in an emergency, the risk of using that "thing" is too great.

A well-trained Maid can reach the level of a "request" in response to the "request" of Miruki, who is currently in a suspended state, but the Nen hanging on Illumi is the Nen of the dead. Since that is the case, the "begging" after removing that feeling, even for the sake of a reset, is extremely troublesome.

If you don't choose the victim carefully, even if you aren't close to them, "Together" time will satisfy the conditions for Arka's failed "begging" partner, so there is no need to question it. And even if it is a Nen Ability, it is an inexplicable, miserable death.

This is why Sora, who only pays money, is the most convenient for the Zoldyck Family, but everyone in the Zoldyck Family knows that this is the least convenient for Sora.

Even if he refuses, he cannot be blamed for being disqualified, and on the contrary, he is well aware that this is a situation where he would be criticized for disqualification, but even so, even for an elite family of assassination and Nen Ability with a history, she is the only one who knows that an abolitionist can abolish the thoughts of the dead.

This is the reason for Silva's plea, hoping to convey her sincerity as much as possible.

"Sora……. Honestly, I completely understand why you don't want to accept it, but please. Please help my son."

Sora immediately answered the weary voice on the other end of the phone.

"That's fine."

"<>"

"I understand. I knew from the first contact that he didn't feel he owed me. Hmm? He isn't the first one? Hmm, no."

"Putting that guy aside, if it happened while protecting the sect, then the sect has a responsibility, right? If it's for the Kalluto, I will move."

"……Ah. Debt-ridden."

Unable to believe Sora's immediate understanding, Silva insisted on canceling the work he had painstakingly approved, but Sora knew this too, so he didn't hide his disgusted voice, but still did it. Accepting it wouldn't change, and Silva expressed his gratitude for this affirmation.

The two chatted about the bounty for a while, but since the Assassin family's fame was enough to make them a national-level tourist attraction, they proposed a bounty that Sora could easily recapture, and the negotiation itself ended quite smoothly.

After finishing the phone call with Silva, Killua still had the posture of wanting to snatch the Mobile Phone from his hand.

"Hmm..., what is... it looks like Illumi has a strange Nen Ability."

"Big brother."

Killua was still in shock and hadn't had time to think of anything, yet Killua's true feelings were spoken from Killua's mouth.

"Hmm... it's been a long time since I slept in a room without Gon and Killua, but I can't sleep. After all, I intended to go out of my own will, rather than an unpleasant unexpected incident. Maybe that's the reason."

Sora was hugging a pillow in his private room on the Airship, tossing and turning on the bed while continuing to mutter to himself.

After receiving Silva's request, I still continued to eat as expected, but immediately after, Sora decided to buy an Airship ticket and head straight to Kukuroo Mountain in Padokea.

Killua said: "I don't care if it's tomorrow or three days later."

Illumi's "Harassment" style Nen Ability still hadn't faded. Because Illumi never spoke, it was unknown what kind of specific effects it had, but regardless, that iron-mask-like skin was as calm as a lie; he seemed unable to remain calm and confused, and the surrounding environment seemed even more dangerous than Illumi himself.

This person himself seemed to stubbornly stick to "it's fine" and "you can ignore this," but he seemed to have forgotten the risk of becoming "stubborn," killing the other party's ability, and doing chores at home. He had just killed several Maids entrusted to him, which could only be said to be a momentary twitch, but even the Kalluto who came to apologize for protecting himself, harboring responsibility, immediately launched an attack on him, and that was all.

Sure enough, her love was twisted, but even the younger brother she protected because of such deep affection was probably shocked himself when she almost attacked him. Illumi had an ability placed on her; he suggested that he remain in solitary confinement until the harassment disappeared, but even so, he would not say the content of the "Harassment."

Killua was also a brother he didn't like, so if he didn't have to worry about dying, he would hurt him a little. He honestly said he was fine, but if the servants and his younger brother were affected, he would be amused, dragged away, and unable to speak, so he had to reluctantly send Sora away.

For now, he said "thank you" to Sora for immediately approving the job, so I think he doesn't want Illumi to die.

Or rather, Sora thought Killua's "thank you" was most likely because he didn't want Kalluto to feel a sense of responsibility, but it was a fact that he could die for his brother.

However, if you have nothing to think about, you cannot fall asleep. On the contrary, all bad things will come to mind. Think.

However, the reason I left Gon and Killua and took the Airship to Kukuroo Mountain was this, so my thoughts always went in the direction I didn't want to think about.

"... Why am I so afraid of becoming an exemption target?"

Once again, I started to feel that I was stupid, worrying that the person I should help would kill me, but it was certain that this was not Sora's illusion, so I didn't know how many times Sora let out a sigh of disgust. I got it.

I didn't mean to give her any benefits, but I thought I at least hoped she would think I was "useful," but Sora knew very well that this was an unreasonable request.

If I could think of it as business, if I could have a harmless relationship even if I hated it, then I would have done it a long time ago.

A year ago, Sora "repented" to Illumi.

I have no intention of asking you or helping you. However, I can only say that I did it because I was there, but even if it should be enough to estimate its utility value, Illumi would say, "Hello, die." No change.

Sure enough, even if I didn't mean to thank you, I couldn't understand why Sora tried so hard to kill me. I was angry, and I regretted my actions.

I am doing this, but I still have a lot of dissatisfaction.

Forgetting might be my fault, but I still couldn't accept the fact that Illumi and I met when we had a dispute at work the day before.

No matter how much I hated myself, I didn't think I would deliberately tell such a lie. I pointed out that Sora's hair was two-colored to prove that this was not a lie, but no matter how many times I looked back on the past, Sora still didn't. I had no impression of that handsome man wearing a Noh mask.

"Well, if you really met him the day before, you would notice him the next day; your face is unique."

Sora hugged the pillow tightly and groaned, not knowing how many times he had repeated it.

Hoping that Illumi's words "If I remembered, I wouldn't have killed you" would come true, Sora fell asleep while digging into his memory, falling into a Dream World.

Sora couldn't tell if the scene behind his eyelids was a memory from a year ago or a Dream World.

"... It's been almost three years."

Sora whispered while looking at the twilight visible through the gaps in the clouds covered by thick white snow, using a hot canned coffee to keep warm because of the cold weather.

Sora had been in this world for several years, and at the same time, he had not parted with the beloved person he met in this world for several years.

Although the days without him were longer than the days spent with his beloved long ago, Sora walked with an emptiness that could not be filled.

There was no evidence, I didn't know enough about him, I couldn't produce evidence, but Sora was still my beloved, my family even without blood ties, and there was no paper talk, but he did not give up looking for him with Kurapika and his brother, as much as possible, as much as possible.

Part of the reason was that I came to this town, and why I had been working as a Bodyguard since tomorrow.

Otherwise, you wouldn't get a Bodyguard job that didn't fit your personality or eye function.

... If the client was a Human Body Collector, that was even more so.

Sora's purpose was to find out if the client possessed the "Scarlet Eyes," a cruel souvenir of his compatriots.

Sora had no motivation to seriously protect the client. If Kurapika's relative's Scarlet Eyes were in his hands, he would spare no means to take them away and return them to Kurapika.

Most importantly, that self-deprecating brother, after the Phantom Troupe and the equally hateful Human Body Collector, was clearly willing to kill his own heart to win back his brothers' eyes.

Therefore, like Kurapika, I didn't want to communicate with such heretics and lukewarm subordinates, but Sora still chose the same attitude. In order to reduce the chance of him having even one encounter with such a person.

Save the heart instead of killing it. In order to survive, in order to hope to reunite with his beloved, Sora realized that appearing in front of the Human Body Collector was as dangerous as Kurapika, and even using it was more dangerous. I accepted it.

... I don't think it's possible for my beloved to appear in that Human Body Collector's Collection.

I didn't have a calm heart, and I couldn't notice this possibility. Born and raised in a crazy magician family, Sora's normal values were to stuff rare Magic Attribute into a real child, or use it as Material for the dress he wore himself, that was all. There was no reason not to notice the cruel but easy-to-imagine possibility.

Nevertheless, Sora ignored it.

Because if you face this possibility, you know it will lead to your death.

Whether it's true or false, I can't live because there is such a possibility.

Because it lost the reason for living and became an existence that didn't die.

That was why Sora dared to only think about trivial things, so that his thoughts wouldn't go that way.

If that canned coffee was thrown into the trash can at once, something good would happen tomorrow. My hair is annoying, so I'll cut it tonight. I was just thinking about some irrelevant things.

At the same time as these trivial things, I went crazy, collapsed, burned, but my thoughts continued to accelerate and move.

Tsumeshogi to avoid one's "death."

A crazy calculation mechanism that imagined and fantasized about dozens or hundreds of ways of "death" in a second, and how to avoid them.

The act of calculating and deducing such a "future" too mechanically was just a reflection for her; she kept imagining that when someone passed by her, they would swing a knife at her.

Of all the people on the street, I felt that the most troublesome one to resist was him, so I unconsciously raised my head to see what kind of person he was.

And immediately looked away.

Assuming one's own death, thoughts continue to shatter it, but the mind calculating one's own death and the rapidly changing win rate per second, "my own death" has passed. "Possible death future" is immediately thrown into the least used part of the brain.

It falls into an Abyss that is remembered but never recalled.

This is the reason Sora did not notice.

I did not even realize I had raised my head to check the other person's face, so I did not notice that I remembered it, and I would pass by that memory many times.

I did not realize someone had eyes with me.

When I passed that person, I did not even know that person was tracking me with their eyes.

I could not imagine that I would be dumbfounded until a wave of people swam past me from behind.

I did not notice.

Sora passed by, but did not know that the person who made eye contact with him was a human face.

I did not know that I looked like a child seeing a Ryu for the first time in their life.

Because this is a scene in daily life, it has no meaning.

Just for my own purpose, even if it is Burning myself, it is only a moment of running.

That was a Ryu dream, passing in an instant.