Ronin spread his hands with a disappointed look. "Then I'm sorry—I still prefer facing every challenge with my own strength."
Milia disliked this kind of pure brawler, a battle maniac.
But she had to admit: only someone that "pure" could pair with her ability and pull off those dramatic, play-weak-then-flip-the-table comeback wins.
And only that kind of victory could maximize her profits.
Ever since Ronin started making a name for himself in Heavens Arena, she'd been observing and evaluating him.
She was highly confident Ronin was an Enhancer, and that was exactly why she stopped him today—right when he qualified for the 200th floor.
She wanted Ronin, though she didn't need him. Still, just as she said, working together would be a win-win.
"Ronin-san, don't reject me so quickly." Milia steadied herself. "It's true I can't help much with directly increasing your strength, but I can be extremely useful when it comes to making money, gathering information on opponents, blocking off-ring interference, and so on.
With my help, you can devote more of your energy to training—and improve faster."
What Milia said was, in fact, largely true.
Ronin wanted to be like Gon and Killua—ignoring everything else—but the simplest way for him to get stronger was still to collect Scarlet Eyes.
A gold-level agent like Milia had connections and channels.
If he built a good relationship with her—especially if they became partners—could he get her to keep an eye out for Scarlet Eyes?
Milia saw his hesitation and her eyes brightened. She continued:
"You're the same kind of challenger above the 200th floor as everyone else, but some people finish a match and earn nothing—only a bit of fame. Others come out with both fame and money. That's the difference between having an agent and not having one. If you're putting in the same effort, why not get a better return?"
"You've convinced me," Ronin relented. "So what do you want?"
He had to admit—he wasn't good at negotiation.
He was an engineer who drew plans and did inspections in a workshop. Maintaining an upper hand in a bargaining match was hard for him.
So rather than keep pretending, he decided to get straight to the details.
"Money." This time Milia's answer was extremely short.
But Ronin could see intense hunger in those dark eyes.
She wasn't lying.
She really was doing this for money.
"How do we split it?" Ronin asked the key question. He needed money too. If Milia tried to take a ridiculous cut, he'd refuse.
"Fifty-fifty. I'll handle everything outside your training. You only need to set aside time occasionally for necessary events. Even if you lose a ring match, I can still guarantee you a generous payout." Milia's face was overflowing with confidence.
Ronin didn't just have strength—he had the look and presence of someone born to be a star.
"One last question." Ronin asked again. "I need information—information unrelated to the arena. Can you get it?"
That was the real point.
"Like what?" Milia didn't agree immediately.
Ronin thought for a moment, then spoke slowly. "Special… collecting hobbies."
"Be specific."
"Human organs." Ronin didn't hide it.
Milia pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. She looked at Ronin with surprise, but after a brief silence she still nodded.
"I can keep an eye out. If necessary, I can even buy them for you—but you'll need to pay extra."
"Fine." Ronin agreed at once. Then he stood and extended his hand.
"Then here's to a good partnership."
Milia stood as well. She glanced at Ronin's strong, knuckle-defined hand, then slowly reached out and shook it lightly.
Ronin's gaze lingered on Milia's hand a moment longer—because he thought it was beautiful.
Her fingers were long and pale, painted with pink nail polish. There was no obvious hair. When he touched her, her skin felt smooth and fine—cool and soft, almost boneless.
A jade hand—beautiful enough to outshine the person.
Ronin's eyes showed clear appreciation.
But to Milia, that look made cold creep up her spine.
This guy… wouldn't happen to be eyeing her hands because he wanted to "collect" them, would he?
She discreetly pulled her hand back quickly—though Ronin still noticed how she moved it behind her.
Is she a germaphobe? Ronin wondered.
After that, everything was straightforward.
Ronin followed Milia to her office, and they signed a formal contract.
The revenue split was fifty-fifty, just like they'd agreed. Ronin's obligation was simply to cooperate with Milia in taking promotional photos when needed.
Milia, meanwhile, would quietly keep watch for organ-collector trades.
But most of her effort would go into shaping Ronin's image and selecting his opponents.
Milia's office was on the 192nd floor of Heavens Arena.
There was a large office district there, filled with companies—agencies, advertising firms, and small personal studios.
Ronin wasn't surprised at all. He also knew that on the 195th floor, there were clubs, hot springs, and other entertainment facilities.
Heavens Arena was practically a world of its own—anything appearing here felt strangely normal.
"Most ability users in Heavens Arena are self-taught amateurs," Milia said, sliding a file straight across the desk to Ronin.
At the same time, she looked at him seriously.
"I know a little," Ronin said as he opened it. Inside were profiles on 200th-floor fighters.
"Good." Milia nodded. "Otherwise I'd have to start by explaining the six Nen categories and all that. A lot of people here don't even have the concept of 'category.' They survive being forcibly awakened, then never bother learning properly. They just develop Nen however they feel like."
Her tone carried a hint of mockery. "They treat Nen like a superpower—like whatever you 'awaken' depends entirely on imagination, not on whether it fits your type. It's stupid."
Ronin nodded in agreement.
And he could think of classic examples immediately—whether it was the trio of rookie killers who treated Gon as an easy mark, or Kastro, who fought Hisoka—both had only a shallow understanding of Nen.
As a result, their abilities either had major flaws… or wasted their natural talent outright.
If he wanted a complete understanding of Nen, Ronin felt the best route was still taking the Hunter Exam.
Once you had a license, the Hunter Association would arrange professional guidance.
Pass that stage, and you could truly learn everything about Nen.
What Ronin was curious about now, instead, was which of the six categories Milia belonged to—and whether she was also a professional Hunter.
~~~
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