Chapter 72: Line Busy
"...Like the Kakin princes," Kai transmitted, his mental voice casual. {Most of them, especially that psycho Fourth Prince, don't know a thing about Nen. Even though they're practically gods in their own country.}
{For people at the top, Nen is something you hire, not something you need to learn. If they know it, great. If not? They just find a specialist. Isn't that exactly what the Hunter Association is for?}
And so, separated by thousands of kilometers, Kai on the west coast and Shizuku on the east, they chatted through the night. They talked about Pariston, about Nen theory, about Shizuku's favorite books. When Kai mentioned her codename again, he even ended up mentally recounting a few classic Doraemon episodes to explain the reference.
Before they knew it, the night had deepened.
{Time to sleep,} Kai projected, lying back on his pillow. {Goodnight.}
{Oh. Okay.}
{Remember your daily training...}
{I know.}
The connection snapped shut. The mental hum of the Crescent Moon faded into silence.
Kai lay alone in the cheap motel room, staring at the unfamiliar, water-stained ceiling for a moment before his eyes drifted shut.
...
Kai's eyes snapped open.
Morning light streamed through the window, accompanied by the muffled roar of morning traffic.
"Hah!"
He sat up in a single, fluid motion, crossing his legs. He wiped his face, then threw his arms out.
Ren!
His Aura exploded outward, a massive burst of 9,000 P.O.P. radiating from his body like a shockwave, before he instantly snapped it back, containing it within a tight Ten.
"Whoo!"
He planted his hands on the footboard of the bed and vaulted into the air, flipping forward. Just as his bare feet were about to touch the floor, he blasted a jet of Aura from his soles.
The recoil launched him backward, hovering three feet off the ground, and he drifted, wobbling slightly, into the bathroom.
Splash!
He turned on the tap, splashing cold water on his face. As the water ran over his fingers, he focused. A droplet was caught in a tiny bubble of Aura. Inside the bubble, the water swirled, forming a perfect five-pointed star.
Splash... splash...
As he washed his face, more bubbles drifted from the wet towel. Each one contained a shimmering, water-thread star. They floated around him like a swarm of magical soap bubbles.
He tossed the towel aside and leaned against the sink, watching himself in the mirror. He raised a hand, conducting the swarm of Flying Star Bubbles as they danced around his reflection.
After a few minutes of practice, he flicked his wrist.
Pop-pop-pop-pop!
The bubbles slammed into the mirror, leaving behind a constellation of rose-gold Star Markers.
Kai was about to turn away when he paused. "Wait. Does this mean I can mark objects?"
He tried to activate the markers on the mirror. He understood the difference immediately.
He could "control" the mirror... but unlike a living creature, the mirror had no Aura of its own to hijack.
To move it, Kai had to use the markers as anchors and channel his own Aura into it remotely.
It was basically his original telekinesis ability—wrapping an object in Aura to move it—but with a permanent lock-on. The cost was proportional to the mass. Moving a heavy mirror would drain his Aura significantly.
"So my ability really is a cohesive system," Kai muttered. "The core is Manipulation. The Star Marker is just one expression of it."
He wiped his hand across the mirror, dissolving the markers.
He glanced at the "Jia" ring on his finger.
She's not up yet?
He didn't dwell on it. He packed his meager belongings—which was easy, since "Dora-D-Mon" had all his stuff in her vacuum—and checked out.
He bought a backpack and a few changes of clothes, then headed to the train station. He bought a ticket to the Dentora Region, home of Kukuroo Mountain.
Departure in 30 minutes. Arrival in 1 hour and 40 minutes.
Kai sat on a bench in the waiting area, watching the morning commuters. Idly, he rubbed his thumb over the ring.
He tried to sense the other Moon.
Nothing.
There was no response. No hum. No connection.
Kai frowned, sitting up straight. He focused all his attention on the ring.
I can feel my own Moon perfectly.
Since it was his own Hatsu, he didn't even need the ring to sense the mark. The ring was just a receiver for Shizuku to call him.
But right now... he couldn't feel her mark at all.
Is it the distance?
He looked up at the skylight, where the morning sun was blazing down.
No... I bet it's the sun.
His subconscious had shaped this ability. "Moon Mark."
Did I seriously make it so it only works at night? Am I a Pale Moon Tiger now?
If his intuition was right, his next ability, Sun Mark, would only work during the day. Great.
He pulled out his phone and dialed Shizuku's number.
Beep... beep... beep...
"The line is busy."
He redialed.
Beep... beep...
"The line is busy."
He was about to try a third time when a sudden sensation hit him.
Ping.
It was a mental notification. Faint, distant, like a phantom cough in the back of his mind.
He looked east.
Far, far away, a Star Marker had just been activated.
Whoosh! The train to Dentora pulled into the station, a gust of wind sweeping over him.
Kai ignored it. He focused on that distant signal, projecting his consciousness across the continent. He switched to Mode 1: Remote Control.
His vision shifted.
He was looking at a bathroom sink.
He saw "his own" hand holding a fruit knife.
He felt a sharp, stinging pain as the knife sliced across "his" palm. Blood welled up, dripping into the sink and swirling down the drain.
The wound had triggered the Star Marker's healing.
Kai sighed internally.
He looked up into the mirror.
Shizuku was staring back at him.
He relaxed his control slightly, allowing her thoughts to reach him.
{Kai... your Moon Mark... it seems the range isn't enough during the day...}
"Yeah, I figured that out," "Kai-Shizuku" said aloud to her reflection.
Shizuku's mental voice continued. {I tried calling you, but the line was busy...}
"Kai-Shizuku" watched as the cut on her palm began to knit itself back together, the rose-gold light fading. "Yeah. Because I was calling you at the exact same time."
{Oh...} Shizuku thought.
"Kai-Shizuku" flexed her now-healed hand. He sighed again, shaking her head.
"Are you stupid? Why did you cut your own hand? You have three birds right there! Hurt them!"
(End of Chapter)