Chapter 60: Simply Blissful
"AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!"
A blood-curdling scream from down the hall shattered the morning calm.
In the next room, Shizuku jolted awake, blinking sleepily. She reached for her glasses, slid them on, and saw that Kai was already sitting up on his own bed.
"What is this, a Detective Conan episode?" Kai muttered, rubbing his chest.
Shizuku saw the gesture. "The man bitten by the fish... he's dead?"
"Yeah." Kai nodded grimly. "About thirty seconds before that scream. Someone must have opened Ojiesky's door. The 'sealed room' condition broke, the Indoor Fish vanished, and all the damage hit him at once. Instant death."
He checked his phone. 5:00 AM.
They were still three hours away from landing.
Shizuku's hair was sticking up in a messy bedhead spike. "So... Chrollo didn't steal the ability?"
"Or," Kai said, his eyes narrowing, "he's stealing it right now."
He looked at her. "Get washed up. If we hurry, we might catch a good show."
They scrambled out of bed, taking turns in the tiny bathroom to brush their teeth and splash water on their faces.
When they stepped out into the corridor a few minutes later, the airship was already buzzing. People were rushing past, whispering excitedly.
"Someone died!"
"I heard it was a celebrity..."
"It was Ojiesky! The wife-killer!"
"Really? Good riddance!"
"Let's go see!"
Kai and Shizuku followed the flow of rubberneckers toward the observation lounge. Across from it was the luxury suite section, which was now swarming with passengers. Flight attendants were desperately trying to maintain order, looking harried and stressed. They were lucky the flight was only half-full due to the ticket thief; otherwise, this would have been a riot.
Most passengers were crowded around the crime scene, leaving the observation lounge nearly empty.
Except for two people.
Machi, with her distinctive pink hair, was staring out the window at the sea of clouds.
Kortopi, a mound of hair with a single, visible eye, was sitting next to her, fiddling with a phone.
Kai didn't stare. Kortopi, the Conjurer, wasn't too worrying. But Machi... the Transmuter with the razor-sharp intuition... she felt dangerous.
In just over two months, Kai had ground his P.O.P. up to 9,000. It was an insane rate of growth, proof of his talent and hard work. But it also proved a theory: in the early stages, talented Nen users could grow exponentially.
So, what about them? Kai wondered. Are they talented? How long have they been training? What's her P.O.P.? 20,000? 30,000?
Aura capacity wasn't everything in a fight, but it was a damn good indicator of the mountain he still had to climb.
Avoiding the predators in the lounge, Kai and Shizuku checked out the crime scene from a safe distance. Security guards were sweating buckets, radioing for ground support and talking about checking the surveillance tapes.
Still no sign of Pariston or Chrollo.
"Let's get breakfast," Kai said.
They headed to the entertainment area, which was also deserted.
Except for one table.
Sitting there, chatting like old friends at a fan meet-and-greet, were Pariston Hill and Chrollo Lucilfer.
Kai couldn't see Chrollo's face, but Pariston was beaming, looking absolutely delighted. This guy...
Kai and Shizuku sat at a nearby table and ordered food. They watched out of the corner of their eyes until Pariston pulled out a pen, signed a book Chrollo handed him, and then closed his hand over Chrollo's.
Chrollo stood up, gave a polite nod, and walked away.
Done? Just like that?
Kai kept his face neutral, but his mind was racing.
Shizuku, unfazed, finished her meal properly. "I'm done," she announced, then turned to look. "Oh. He's gone."
Pariston, who had clearly known they were watching the whole time, waved at Kai with a bright, sunny smile.
Kai rolled his eyes and went back to his empty plate.
But Pariston wasn't done. He stood up and sauntered over to their table.
He could have just sat down. Instead, he leaned over, his voice dripping with smarmy charm. "Do you mind if I join you? You two look like such a cute couple... or are you siblings? I wouldn't want to interrupt a forbidden romance. Haha, just kidding."
"What do you want?" Kai asked, not looking up.
"Just now," Pariston said, his smile serene, "my Indoor Fish was stolen by that man."
Kai narrowed his eyes. Shizuku looked at Pariston with wide, curious eyes, then turned to Kai and made a circular "cuckoo" motion with her finger by her temple. Is this guy crazy?
Pariston's smile deepened. "Ah. So you do know about the Phantom Troupe's abilities."
He leaned in. "And it seems you were already quite certain he was a member."
"Shizuku, stop reacting," Kai scolded gently. "You're giving away all our intel to the weirdo."
"Is it my fault?" Shizuku asked, genuinely innocent.
Kai reached out and pinched her cheek.
Pariston watched this interaction with a look of pure, unadulterated delight.
Seeing that smile, the hairs on the back of Kai's neck stood up. He glared at the Vice-Chairman-to-be. "You don't think we're 'beautiful' too, do you? Planning on destroying us next?"
Shizuku's hand instantly raised, ready to conjure Blinky.
Kai slapped her hand down. Too honest! Don't start a fight with a Zodiac in a cafeteria!
Pariston's smile faded slightly, replaced by a thoughtful, philosophical look. He leaned back, staring at the ceiling. "I only want to destroy beautiful things because I'm... different. I only feel happiness when people hate me..."
Blah, blah, blah... Kai rolled his eyes again.
Beside him, Shizuku made the "cuckoo" sign again. Kai nodded solemnly. Shizuku looked enlightened.
"What's your point?" Kai interrupted Pariston's monologue. "You knew that guy had bad intentions. But you played along. You let him fulfill his conditions. You let him steal your ability."
Kai stared at him with dead-fish eyes. "Are you trying to say that getting played, getting robbed, potentially ruining yourself... that being hated by yourself... is just so blissful that you might die of pleasure?"
Pariston looked at him. His smile was suddenly, terrifyingly genuine. It was a smile full of shadows. "See? I knew we had a connection."
You sick freak! Kai wanted to punch him.
But he couldn't.
Because at that moment, a ship security officer walked up to the table.
"Excuse me. Mr. Kai? Mr. Pariston? We need you to come with us."
(End of Chapter)