Chapter 76: Wait, That Counts Too?
"Okay. But I don't think I'm as strong as you anymore," Shizuku's voice crackled slightly over the phone. "I'm not there yet, by the way."
She seemed to move the phone away from her ear, angling it toward her surroundings. Through the speaker, Kai could hear the distinct, rhythmic clack-clack-clack of a train in motion and the murmur of other passengers. Shizuku was still en route to the Republic of Padokea.
"Stay safe," Kai said, walking through the bustling town at the base of Kukuroo Mountain. "I'm about to head out, too."
"Mm," came the soft reply before the line clicked dead.
...
Kai found a small diner, devoured a quick lunch, and headed straight for the local train station.
He grabbed a stack of maps from a kiosk and sat down, cross-referencing them with the afternoon schedule. He needed the most efficient route to Heaven's Arena.
It was a straight shot of nearly 8,000 kilometers across the continent. If he took the train the whole way... it could take days.
As he traced a line across the map, he felt eyes on him.
He glanced up. Several people in the waiting area were sneaking furtive glances in his direction. They were pale, nervous-looking...
Ah. The tourists from the bus. The ones who had run away while he was pushing open the Testing Gate. They looked like they were waiting for him to sprout horns.
Bzzt.
His phone vibrated.
A text from Shizuku: [I'm almost there.]
[Roger.] Kai typed back. He folded his maps, stood up, and walked to the ticket counter, ignoring the tourists. As he passed, the young muscle-man from earlier looked like he wanted to say something, but ultimately just sighed and looked away.
...
[Heaven's Arena. (Photo). It's really tall.]
Kai's train was speeding along the tracks when the next message came through. He smiled at the photo—a dizzying, upward shot of the massive tower.
He typed a reply: [Remember, every floor has prize money. Don't rush. Hold back your strength and climb one floor at a time. Don't skip levels. We can milk more cash out of them that way.]
Bzzt.
[I'll wait for you to get here before I go inside.]
[Dora-D-Mon, I'm so touched.]
[Why?]
[...Never mind. The moment is gone.]
[Oh. Okay.]
[Boss's orders: Call me.]
No text reply this time. His phone rang almost instantly.
Kai grinned and answered, leaning back into the plush seat. He spent the next two hours chatting with Shizuku as the landscape blurred past the window.
By the time Shizuku had found a hotel near the Arena, Kai's battery was in the red.
"What are you doing this afternoon?" Kai asked.
"Shopping," Shizuku replied. Then she added, "And training. What about you?"
"Shopping for train snacks. And training..."
The call ended. Kai plugged his phone into the seat's outlet and closed his eyes.
Without needing the Star Marker's boost, he slipped effortlessly into his meditation. His Aura flared, stabilizing into a perfect Ken.
The constant grind was paying off. He could feel his "heart"—his core capacity—expanding, like a sapling drinking in water and sunlight, growing stronger with every pulse of Aura.
Passengers moved up and down the aisle, but Kai remained immovable, a stone in the river, lost in the world of Nen.
...
Night fell.
Kai had crossed the border out of the Republic of Padokea and entered the Minbo Republic, one of the V5 superpowers.
The long journey didn't faze him. He changed trains at a bustling border station, grabbed a quick dinner, and settled into a private sleeper cabin on the next leg of the journey.
He kicked off his shoes, sat cross-legged on the bunk, and spread his hand. He looked at the "Jia" ring on his finger.
With a thought, he activated the Crescent Moon mark.
Instantly, he felt the resonance. The connection was live.
Outside, the world was a blur of darkness.
'So, the "night" condition is based on my personal perception,' Kai mused. 'Just like Kurapika's Judgment Chain. The rule "Only on Spiders" works because Kurapika believes the target is a Spider. It's subjective.'
'But what if I'm somewhere where I can't tell if it's day or night? A windowless room? A cave? Would it fail? Or would it work based on my biological clock? Or maybe...'
{Kai, are you thinking about something?} Shizuku's voice drifted into his mind. He realized he'd opened the channel but hadn't spoken.
Kai snapped out of his reverie and explained his theory. Shizuku agreed it sounded plausible.
{But there's another problem,} Kai projected.
{What is it?}
{Time zones,} Kai said. He conjured a small ball of Aura and spun it on his finger like a globe. {If I'm in the day-hemisphere and you're in the night-hemisphere... for you, it's night. For me, it's day. Does the connection work? Or does it fail because one of us breaks the condition?}
There was a pause on the other end.
{That's impossible,} Shizuku replied.
{Why do you say that, Dora?}
{Because we can't be in different hemispheres,} she said simply. {And I've never heard of "day-hemisphere" or "night-hemisphere"...}
Kai froze. A realization hit him like a lightning bolt.
{You said it yourself, Kai,} Shizuku continued. {The known world—the six continents—is just a tiny speck in the middle of the massive Mobius Lake of the Dark Continent. If the entire Dark Continent is the 'planet'... then the known world is too small. We're all clustered together. There's no way one side is day and the other is night.}
The world... is too small.
Kai stared out at the pitch-black window.
Or rather... the real world is so incomprehensibly massive that our entire civilization fits into a single time zone. We have no idea what the sky looks like on the other side of the planet when it's dark here.
The Dark Continent.
Maybe it's not "Dark" because it's evil. Maybe it's "Dark" because... we're just in the dark about it.
Kai shook his head, clearing the heavy thoughts. {So, Shizuku. How was the shopping? Find anything fun?}
{I don't know,} she replied. {I decided to wait for you. Shopping alone is boring. Sitting on a train for days must be boring for you, too.}
Kai grinned. {You're so thoughtful. Alright, wait for me.}
{Okay.}
{Get some sleep.}
{Mm...}
Kai cut the connection. He twisted the ring on his finger, then pulled it off and set it on the nightstand. He pulled the blanket up over his head.
"Tch. Messing with my Dao heart... Sleep!"
...
The Minbo Republic was enormous. The train ride stretched on into the next day.
Kai spent the entire morning training.
He filled the small cabin with Flying Star Bubbles, letting them drift like dust motes in the sunbeams.
Then, with pinpoint accuracy, he flicked tiny beads of Aura, popping them one by one.
The bubbles sacrificed damage for utility. If they hit, they marked the target instantly. This meant that if an enemy noticed them and put up a defense, they were useless. They would pop harmlessly against Ten or Ken.
But their strength was stealth. They were silent, light, and unassuming. Perfect for a sneak attack.
Kai was deep in concentration when he felt it.
Ping.
A faint, mental tremor. A Star Marker had been activated.
"What is wrong with this girl?" Kai muttered, annoyed. "Did she cut herself again?"
He focused, projecting his consciousness across the vast distance. He switched to Mode 1.
"Shizuku, what are you—"
The thought died in his mind.
He was looking through "his own" eyes.
He was sitting.
He wasn't wearing pants.
He was holding a freshly opened wrapper of... a feminine hygiene product.
Wait.
Kai's brain short-circuited.
...Does THAT count as an injury?!
(End of Chapter)