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Chapter 126: Ronin's Thoughts
Not long after Hisoka left, Milia also made her way into the estate.
The recent battle had brought her massive profits as well, but while her wealth continued to soar, she had managed to lend out very little of her Nen. This left her feeling somewhat frustrated.
Anyone capable of becoming a Nen user—unless they were a complete novice—was bound to be incredibly cautious.
Her method of renting out Nen always made people suspect she had ulterior motives.
This was especially true when dealing with Transmuters, Conjurers, and Manipulators; the personalities of people in these categories seemed inherently wired to distrust others.
That was exactly why Milia preferred dealing with Enhancers and Emitters.
"Oh, right. Kastro, the guy you asked me to contact, reached out on his own after watching your fight with Hisoka. He wants to meet you." Milia handed over a slip of paper with the address of a martial arts dojo.
It was the place where Kastro trained.
Ronin tucked the paper away, planning to meet Kastro before he left.
"Are you planning to just hole up here and make money forever?" Ronin asked, looking at Milia seriously.
Given the growth potential of Milia's ability, she definitely had to have some ambition.
But from Ronin's perspective, staying cooped up at Heaven's Arena might build her a massive network and bring in immense wealth, but waiting for people to agree to rent her Nen was simply too slow a method for increasing her aura capacity.
"Are you inviting me to join your team?" Milia immediately caught on to his intentions.
Even though she currently held the title of a logistics and support member, she knew very well that her relationship with Ronin was strictly a partnership. She wasn't an actual member of his squad.
"Yeah, that's the idea," Ronin admitted openly.
If Milia's aura capacity could be significantly increased, the amount of aura she could lend out would naturally increase as well.
While this temporarily rented aura wouldn't increase the user's Actual Aura Power, it would boost their Potential Aura Power—effectively increasing their stamina and endurance.
However, when Ronin used his ninjutsu, the power of the jutsu wasn't restricted by his AAP. Instead, his PAP was far more crucial.
The more PAP he had, the more Chakra he could convert. And the more Chakra he could output, the more devastating his ninjutsu would be.
Therefore, to him, Milia was the absolute best support he could ask for.
"But I have zero interest in what you guys are doing right now," Milia replied, having her own life plans.
Seeking revenge against the Phantom Troupe, collecting the Scarlet Eyes, or rebuilding the Kurta Clan—none of that was on her agenda.
Because of that, Ronin's squad really didn't hold enough appeal for her.
Staying at Heaven's Arena and slowly finding suitable targets to rent her Nen to might be a slow way to improve, but it was steady and safe.
As long as she followed her routine step by step, not only would her strength steadily increase, but the risks she faced would remain minimal.
Ronin didn't push the issue. Milia was right; the team he was putting together really didn't offer much to entice her right now.
Joining would make her more of a dependent—a tool to help him boost his own strength.
Looking at it that way, there really wasn't much in it for her.
But how can I change that?
Unless he could expose Milia to a large number of Nen users who actually needed to borrow aura, he wouldn't be able to convince her to tag along.
But doing that would just be an investment in Milia, and it wouldn't bring Ronin enough immediate benefits.
After thinking it over, it seemed that having Milia stay at Heaven's Arena to handle the team's logistics was actually the biggest help she could provide. It was the best partnership model for both of them.
Realizing this, Ronin dropped the invitation.
Thinking carefully, he also realized something else: his invitation wasn't just about her ability. He definitely had some selfish personal motives mixed in as well.
But I should just let nature take its course with that kind of stuff!
"Alright, my apologies for being presumptuous," Ronin said, having cleared his thoughts.
Kurapika and Neon watched from the sidelines, feeling anxious. Neon, in particular, was very supportive of Ronin and Milia getting together.
Sure, Ronin acted like a reckless brute most of the time, but Milia was calm and level-headed. Didn't that make them a perfect match!?
Plus, from the way Ronin had extended the invitation, she could clearly sense he had ulterior motives. How could he just back down like that!?
But she couldn't think of a good reason to jump in and persuade Milia herself.
Besides, did her fortune-telling even predict anything about this?
Kurapika stood by, having no intention of speaking up. It wasn't that he didn't want to say anything; it was just that this was something Ronin had to handle himself. He couldn't help.
He would be happy to see it happen, but the contents of his fortune-telling poem had given him a rough idea that the time just wasn't right yet.
The atmosphere seemed to freeze at this point, and even Ronin sensed that something was slightly off.
He cleared his throat. "My next match at the arena will probably have to be pushed back. We have quite a few things to take care of, but I'll be back before the three-month deadline is up."
"No problem," Milia replied, taking a seat next to Ronin as if completely oblivious to the awkward tension.
The group chatted while eating fried chicken and fries, slowly washing away the weird vibe.
Shizuku wasn't particularly active in the conversation, but whenever she did speak, it was always at exactly the right moment. The only issue was that her words tended to be brutally blunt.
Therefore, Ronin silently concluded that she should talk less and just stick to being a quiet, artsy girl. That suited her much better.
Neon, on the other hand, hit it off instantly with Milia. She spoke eloquently about everything from various collectibles to jewelry and fashion.
And Milia was even more of an expert in that area. Just her outfit alone—which Ronin simply thought looked nice—incorporated several major luxury brands.
It was safe to say Milia was an absolute fashionista.
Kurapika had zero interest in any of that, so he spent most of the time discussing training matters with Ronin.
Towards the evening, Ronin headed out alone and met Kastro, who was training hard in his martial arts uniform at the agreed-upon dojo.
There was no need for complicated words. The two started with a sparring session, which ended with Ronin effortlessly crushing Kastro using purely close-quarters combat.
During the spar, Ronin explained the different Nen categories to Kastro and gave him a live demonstration.
Drenched in sweat, Kastro lay on the dojo floor and voiced the question that had been bothering him. "Why are you helping me?"
"I want to see what you can do when you're on the right path. I want to see if you can defeat Hisoka in the ring three years from now."
Ronin's answer was incredibly simple.
Kastro was a very stubborn person, just like Ronin.
And someone like that, having agreed to a fight with Hisoka, wouldn't be swayed by external factors.
So, as long as Hisoka didn't die, a rematch between him and Kastro was inevitable.
Ronin didn't actually think Kastro could win, but he wanted to see a spectacular fight.
As for whether Kastro could keep his life? That would be entirely up to his own fate.
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