"—And that concludes the fundamental elements of Nen."
"…Ten, Zetsu, Ren, and Hatsu. The four major principles, huh?"
"Yes. With Ten, you keep the aura that normally leaks out of your body contained around you. It's the most basic of basics, but also the most important skill. Only after mastering this does the path to becoming a Nen user truly open."
"Is it something I can do as well?"
"Of course. Nen is a power everyone holds within themselves. With enough effort, anyone can learn to use it. …That is precisely why there's an unspoken agreement not to spread this ability to the general public."
If knowledge of Nen were to spread among ordinary people, it would cause an unimaginable situation. Chaos alone would be bad enough—but crimes would inevitably become more extreme, and incidents involving Nen would break out everywhere.
That's something most Nen users don't want. Even Nen users infamous enough to be on a blacklist won't recklessly spread Nen knowledge. Doing so could eventually come back to strangle them. There aren't many fools willing to throw away their own advantage.
"And next is Zetsu. It's the technique that cuts off the aura created by Ten, as well as any aura leaking from the body. It's useful for erasing your presence, and it can also help with fatigue recovery. By keeping aura from escaping and circulating it internally, your body recovers from exhaustion and injuries more easily."
"Hm. Sounds convenient."
"It's an essential technique for stealth. It also plays a very important role in combat."
In, an advanced application of Zetsu, requires a high level of skill, but it's extremely effective for catching an opponent off guard in battle. A master of In can remain undetected even against ordinary use of Gyo.
"Ren is the technique that amplifies the aura produced by Ten. It generates far more aura than Ten, so it consumes a large amount of latent aura—that is, the total amount of aura contained within the user—but the effects are well worth it. In many cases, the outcome of a battle is decided by how much aura one can increase through Ren."
No matter how superior your technique is, defeating 10,000 aura with only 100 aura is practically impossible. Increasing both latent and manifested aura is a fundamental principle for Nen users.
"And finally, Hatsu. The skill of freely releasing the aura you've produced. What you can do with it varies endlessly. There are Hatsu anyone can learn, and Hatsu that only the user themselves can perform."
Hatsu that anyone can learn includes attacks using Gyo or Ko, Nen bullets, and shape transformation of aura—techniques that differ in power and precision from person to person, but can be mastered by anyone with training.
Hatsu that not everyone can learn are Nen abilities born from an individual's ideology, personality, and aptitude—such as my [Angel's Veil], [Boss Attribute], or Netero's [100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva]. There are limits to what can be learned, depending on talent and difficulty. These Hatsu aren't absolutely impossible to replicate—someone else might conceive a similar ability, and if their aptitude matches, it could work. But when it comes to Specialist-type abilities… that's almost impossible.
"There are also applied techniques that use the four basic principles. Once you reach a certain level, how freely you can use those applications often determines victory. But for now, that comes after mastering the basics."
"I understand. …By the way, Aisha. Are we starting Nen training already?"
"Yes. Even a single second is precious. …Is something wrong? If you have unfinished business, I can wait."
"No, it's not that, but… if you're going to train me, should I be calling you 'Master'?"
…Huh? M–Master!?
"N-no! Please just call me Aisha like before!"
"But I'm the one asking for your guidance. Shouldn't I call you Master? No matter how close we are, shouldn't we draw a clear line?"
That might be true, but please spare me! Being called that by a friend is kind of painful. It feels like there's suddenly a wall between us…
"That's strange between friends. Please, just call me by my name."
"…Then how about only during training? I call you 'Master' while we're training, and 'Aisha' the rest of the time?"
"But then Kurapika-san, wouldn't you end up calling me 'Master' all the time?"
"Huh?"
"Huh?"
"That's terrifying."
…? Ah! I was unconsciously basing this on my past-life training days!
Yeah, that absolutely shouldn't be the standard. Only masochists could endure that… no, even masochists probably couldn't.
"Sorry, that was a slip of the tongue. Anyway, please call me Aisha. That's my condition for teaching you Nen."
"I-I see. If you insist, then I understand, Aisha. But in that case, could you stop calling me with '-san' and just use my name too? …We're friends, right?"
"—! Yes! Understood, Kurapika!"
"I look forward to working with you, Aisha."
Thank goodness. This is how friends should be.
"Now then, I'll explain in detail how to awaken Nen."
"Please."
"To awaken Nen, the first step is sensing your own aura."
"My aura? How do I do that?"
"Through meditation or Zen—states where you can focus your mind—and by feeling the aura within your body. Even those with talent usually need a great deal of time for this."
"Meditation… sensing the aura in my body… That sounds difficult. How long does it usually take?"
"For someone with talent, it might take about half a year."
"Half a year!? That long…?"
"Yes. But depending on your talent and concentration, you may awaken much sooner. What's important here is belief. Calm your mind, focus, and believe without doubt. Aura is a power everyone possesses."
That's the shortest path to awakening Nen. It's important to believe it's something you can naturally do—like snapping an HB pencil in half.
It took me many years to awaken because I couldn't focus back then, but Kurapika will almost certainly awaken Nen far faster than I ever did—so fast it's not even comparable. He might even master Ten in less than a week.
There is a way to forcibly awaken Nen, but it's not the proper method. It's fast, but awakening in the proper order is far better.
By practicing Ten through meditation—focusing the mind, introspecting, and setting a goal—Ten becomes stronger and more stable. Ten and meditation are deeply connected, because your mental state is reflected in Nen in great detail.
I don't go as far as full seated Zen, but even I try never to skip meditation and Ten.
"So while we're traveling, try to meditate as much as possible and sense your aura."
"Understood. …Traveling? Where are we going? From what you've said, it sounds like we could train here."
"Our destination is… Heaven's Arena."
There's a reason for going there.
All kinds of martial artists and brawlers gather there—apparently up to 4,000 people a day. With that many fighters, you can gain a decent amount of combat experience… well, to an extent.
From the 200th floor onward, all fighters are Nen users. Their skill level isn't especially high, but they're still Nen users, and that alone makes them valuable for real combat experience.
And there's a limit to human concentration. Staying in a constant Zen state isn't realistic. It's a perfect balance of training and taking a breather.
More importantly, Gon and Killua should be there too. If they reached the 200th floor without learning Nen, that would be dangerous. Killua probably wouldn't pick reckless fights, but Gon… Gon might do something stupid.
We need to go check on them as soon as possible.
And so, after another week-long journey through the skies via airship, we finally arrived at Heaven's Arena…
.
Talent really does exist, huh? Are these people chosen by heaven or something? It's been a long time since I've encountered someone this gifted. Even Riina took two weeks…
To think he actually mastered Ten in just one week… I'm not jealous or anything! …Damn it!
"So this is aura… What a strange sensation."
"…You'll get used to it quickly. Once you're accustomed to it, you can even maintain Ten while sleeping."
"Y-you don't seem to be in a bad mood, do you?"
Not at all~ I'm just a little bitter, that's all~
"Sorry. It took me many years to awaken Nen, so I couldn't help myself…"
"I-is that so? That's surprising. I thought someone like you would've awakened faster than me."
No, I've just trained longer than everyone else. In terms of pure talent, I don't even come close.
"Anyway, congratulations. You've taken your first step toward becoming a Nen user."
"Thank you. But the road ahead is still long, isn't it?"
"Of course. Nen is incredibly deep. Right now, you're no more than a toddler who's just learned to walk."
"It sounds like a harsh path. But I'll see it through."
With Kurapika's talent, he'll improve quickly—but arrogance is dangerous.
Even if you master Nen itself, it means nothing without real combat experience. I hope he can gain at least a little of that here…
If there's nothing left to learn here, maybe we can visit the Kazama-style dojo. If I ask Riina, she could probably lend us some Nen-using disciples.
"For now, let's register as fighters at Heaven's Arena."
"I believe everyone on the 200th floor is a Nen user, correct?"
"Yes. But getting there is training too. First, you'll reach the 200th floor—under certain conditions."
"Conditions?"
Given Kurapika's current ability, reaching the 200th floor would be easy. But I don't intend to make him fight unnecessarily. This is training too.
"Until you reach the 200th floor, you'll win every match without taking a single hit—by dodging all attacks. Blocking is not allowed."
"…And if I get hit even once?"
"Then you must forfeit. Also, keep Ten active at all times. It's training to maintain Ten during combat. Oh—and matches are three minutes long, so for the first two minutes, don't attack at all."
"Two whole minutes? That's pretty harsh…"
"The purpose is to familiarize yourself with all kinds of attacks. Some Nen abilities are fatal if you take even one hit. Observe your opponent's body closely, read their breathing, sense their intent—hostility, killing intent—and analyze and detect every attack."
"…Understood. I'll try."
"Do your best. …Oh, and running away for two minutes straight is forbidden, okay? Stay within your opponent's range."
Even against weaker opponents, dodging all attacks while restricting yourself is difficult. The higher the floor, the harsher this training will become. Reaching the 200th floor should take two to three months—half a year at most.
…Why do I feel like I just raised a flag?
"And during all non-match time, we'll dedicate everything to Nen training."
"Of course. By the way, Aisha—aren't you participating in Heaven's Arena?"
"Huh? I've participated before, but… I wouldn't really gain anything except money… so I'm not sure."
I don't particularly want money. I already have enough, and anything I earn here is insignificant compared to Greed Island.
But just waiting around would be boring. He can watch my matches, and observing others' fights is good experience too. And I probably won't come to Heaven's Arena again.
"…Alright. I'll participate too."
"I see. Then you'll dodge attacks for two minutes as well, right?"
"Huh? Y-yes, of course."
…I couldn't refuse after imposing it myself. Dodging for two minutes straight… what a pain. Well, if my movements serve as a reference, that's fine.
"When I'm fighting, make sure you watch. Observing is also training."
"Understood. Then let's go."
And so, our days of training at Heaven's Arena began.
Both of us won our first matches easily. Struggling against opponents at that level would be embarrassing. Though with extremely bad luck, you could face a strong opponent right away.
After his first victory, Kurapika advanced to the 10th floor. Showing your strength early can sometimes make you jump floors—but taking too long probably caused that.
I matched his floor and moved to the 10th as well. Since I'd once reached the 200th floor, they told me to go straight to the 100th—but staying on the same floor is more convenient.
"For now, that went smoothly."
"If you stumbled at the start, that would've been a problem. We still have time today, and we're uninjured. We'll probably get another match."
"Oh? I suppose opponents at that level shouldn't be an issue."
"There shouldn't be much difference. In fact, it's safer than the first match—because strong fighters skip floors like the 10th."
"…So the ones here aren't particularly impressive."
Exactly. Though you probably shouldn't say that out loud. The glares hurt… though my comment probably annoyed them enough already.
"Alright. After the next match, we likely won't have any more fights today. Then we'll train Nen… but before that, I have some personal business."
"Personal business? What is it?"
"Actually, Gon and Killua are here too."
"!? Really!?"
"Yes. I had the Zoldycks look into it, so it's reliable information."
"I see… They're probably here to train to defeat Hisoka. But if they reach the 200th floor without Nen—wait, isn't that dangerous?"
"Yes. Everyone on the 200th floor is a Nen user. It would be very dangerous if they reached it without knowing Nen."
I just hope they haven't reached it yet… Gon aside, Killua definitely has the ability. And Gon opened the Testing Gate—unless he faces an extreme opponent, he could reach the 200th floor too.
"…After the next match, let's go look for them. They stand out, so it shouldn't be hard to find them."
"Yes… Oh? It looks like it's my match. I'll be right back."
I won quickly, without much trouble… well, aside from having to last two minutes.
Kurapika won as well, easily. And he wasn't just dodging aimlessly—he was carefully observing his opponent's movements. Very good.
Alright then. Let's go find Gon and the others.
◆
Gon and Killua were found almost immediately.
It seemed they had already become fighters on the 200th floor.
Apparently, there weren't many fighters on the 200th floor to begin with. And given those two's age, there was no way they wouldn't stand out. After asking around, it only took a few minutes to find where they were.
And just as Aisha had feared, Gon had already fought a match on the 200th floor.
The result was a crushing defeat. He'd put up a fight, but hadn't managed to take a single point from his opponent and lost outright. Apparently, he was currently recuperating from the injuries he sustained in that match—but they were said to be quite severe…
"..."
"Aisha…"
"...Let's go. Gon and Killua are on the 200th floor."
"Yeah… Do you regret not teaching Gon about Nen?"
There was no need to worry that much. From what I'd heard, Nen truly wasn't a power that should be taught carelessly. Keeping it secret from us back then—when we didn't even have our pro hunter licenses yet—was only natural.
"…You're right. It is my fault that I lost the opportunity to tell them."
"You mean the final day of the Hunter Exam? …Don't dwell on it. This isn't your fault. This was Gon's responsibility alone—the one who chose to step into that match."
No one forced him. Those injuries were the result of a battle he chose of his own free will. Gon wasn't the type to blame someone else for that.
"Alright, we've reached the 200th floor, but… which floor is Gon on exactly? Should we ask at reception?"
"…No, that won't be necessary. I can sense Gon and Killua's presence a little higher up."
"You can tell that much? That's impressive. I can't sense anything…"
"Well… when it's someone you know well. Thanks to that, I can also tell that an unpleasant person is here."
An unpleasant person? It was rare for Aisha to speak of someone with such outright disgust.
"Who are you talking about?"
"A pervert."
"I see. That explains everything."
So Hisoka was here.
After the exam, he'd muttered something about telling me something interesting about the Spiders, then stopped me from chasing him by saying, 'Wait for me in Yorknew on September 1st.' And now that same man was here…
It felt a little anticlimactic. He said September, yet here we were meeting in March.
Well, whatever. It was something that had been bothering me. Meeting him sooner rather than later wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
…Though Aisha clearly wasn't happy about it. Honestly, neither was I.
While I was lost in thought, it seemed we'd arrived at Gon and Killua's room.
"Yeah, yeah—coming!"
A voice answered from inside after we knocked. No doubt about it—that was Killua.
I never expected to reunite with them this soon.
"Excuse us."
"Pardon the intrusion."
Inside, Killua was sitting on a chair, while Gon sat on the bed, wrapped in bandages.
Both of them looked shocked. Understandable—meeting us here, especially Aisha, was probably the last thing they expected.
"Aisha!? And Kurapika!? Why are you here!?"
…Perfect synchronization. They said it in unison.
"…It's been a while, you two."
"Considering how we parted, this reunion came sooner than expected."
"Th-that aside, Aisha! Where have you been all this time!? I've got tons of questions—tell me everything!"
"I'm glad you're safe, Aisha. You disappeared after the exam, so I was worried."
Ah, right. I remember Killua being concerned about Aisha when we reunited at the Zoldyck estate.
…He's not very honest, but he has a surprisingly sweet side.
"We'll talk about me later. More importantly… Gon, do you know about Nen?"
"Huh? You know about Nen too, Aisha!?"
"Seriously? Don't tell me you learned Nen too?"
"—! Did you guys learn Nen as well?"
Killua's words made it obvious—they had learned Nen.
And since they even knew the name, someone must have taught them.
"…So you do know about Nen. When did you learn it?"
…Scary. I could feel something like a chill coming from Aisha.
"Uh… about six days ago?"
"I see. Then I learned it slightly later. I only awakened today."
"Oh, really? Who taught you? What about you, Aisha—have you already learned it?"
"I see… And when was the match?"
…She completely ignored Killua's question and pressed Gon instead. That's exactly why this feels terrifying.
"…Five days ago… sir."
Why did Gon suddenly switch to polite speech? He was sweating, too.
…Actually, Killua and I were sweating as well.
"…So you fought the very next day after learning Nen. …Did you learn Nen on your own?"
"N-no! Um, a guy named Wing taught us…"
"Did this Wing person explain the dangers of Nen? Did he permit you to fight Nen users?"
"No, he explained everything! He told me to wait two months before fighting—"
"—THEN WHY COULDN'T YOU WAIT!?"
—!?
This was the first time I'd ever seen Aisha this angry.
It wasn't just anger—she was genuinely furious at Gon's recklessness, and even more than that, deeply worried about him.
"You took Nen too lightly! You were only lucky to survive with serious injuries! You could have lost limbs—no, you could have died!"
"…I'm sorry, Aisha."
"Yeah, this idiot knows he messed up. Wing chewed him out too—same stuff you said. So give him a break."
Gon apologized honestly. He clearly knew he was at fault. And from Killua's words, it sounded like he'd been scolded plenty already.
Aisha seemed to calm down a little after hearing that.
"…You're right. I went too far. I'm sorry, Gon."
"No, Aisha, it's not your fault. I did something stupid."
It's good to have someone who scolds you like this, Gon.
"Your determination is one of your strengths—but you need to learn to think sometimes, too."
"E-even you, Kurapika?"
"What are you saying? I learned Nen from Aisha as well, but I wouldn't even consider challenging monsters like that right after learning it."
Facing people who can shatter massive boulders with ease would be suicide for Nen beginners like us. We need far more training first.
"Huh? Kurapika, Aisha taught you Nen?"
"Yes. I reunited with Aisha about a week ago. That's when she taught me."
"What!? …Then when did you learn about Nen, Aisha?"
Come to think of it, I didn't know either. She already seemed to know it during the Hunter Exam.
"…A long time ago. So long ago that I've forgotten the details."
"You learned Nen at such a young age…?"
She was from Meteor City. Maybe she'd been taken in and raised by a Nen user.
Better not pry. Everyone has one or two things they don't want known.
"Then you were using Nen during the Hunter Exam!?"
"Only a little. I spent most of the time in Zetsu."
"That's not fair! If that's the case, you should've taught us back then!"
"I'm sorry. If I'd known this would happen, I wish I had taught you sooner…"
Aisha's shoulders slumped at Killua's words.
Seeing that, Killua panicked.
…Honestly, it's kind of entertaining to watch.
But it's about time I stepped in—otherwise I'd start feeling bad for Killua. Given how he grew up, he probably doesn't know how to deal with girls very well.
"Don't be too hard on her, Killua. Nen is something you're only supposed to be taught after becoming a pro hunter, to prevent misuse. Aisha couldn't just teach it lightly. Now that you know how dangerous it is, you understand, right?"
"…Yeah. Fine. If that's how it is, then… I'll let it slide."
"I'm glad to hear that."
Finally, the atmosphere in the room improved.
It'd be a shame if our reunion ended on a sour note.
"So, Aisha—what have you been doing all this time?"
"Yeah! Is it true you stole the ball from Chairman Netero!? Where did you go after the exam?"
"Well then… I suppose I should start by explaining what I've been up to."
◆
"So, that's how it is. The reason I came here was to see all of you, and also to help with Kurapika's training."
While glossing over my fight with Netero, I explained to everyone what I'd been up to since the exam.
Honestly, I don't have the courage to tell them everything. If they started avoiding me after hearing the truth, I'd probably be so shocked I'd end up bedridden.
"…So basically, you didn't steal the ball. The chairman attacked first, so the other side lost by disqualification."
"Yes. Thanks to that, I passed."
Looking back on it now, that really was Netero's disqualification. At the time, I was too shaken after taking a hit from the [100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva] to realize it. This time, I made good use of that fact in my explanation.
"And after that, you went for revenge against the chairman, got seriously injured, and ended up hospitalized for about a month?"
"Yes. That's exactly it."
…Well, I'm not lying. I really did go for revenge, and I really did get badly injured.
"Sorry, Killua. I couldn't make it in time to pick you up…"
"It's fine. I get the reason now, anyway."
"Back then, Killua looked pretty dissatisfied because Aisha wasn't anywhere to be found."
"That's not true! I—I just wanted to know how Aisha passed the exam!"
"Hahaha. Well, no need to be so embarrassed. You should be more honest—"
"Shut up!"
"…Good grief."
Hehe. Talking like this with everyone together really is fun.
Though… it's a little lonely without Leorio here.
"Still, I'm surprised you went to my family's place and came back alive."
"They were surprisingly reasonable people, you know? I even became tea-drinking buddies with Zeno-san, and I talked with Silva-san from time to time. He told me to take good care of you, Killua."
"With Grandpa and Dad? Just how far did you go…?"
"Milluki helped me out with a lot of things too."
"Milluki!? …Hey, Aisha, he didn't do anything weird to you, did he?"
Milluki…? If anything, I was more worried about Kikyo-san…
"He didn't do anything. In fact, we were able to meet up like this because Milluki tracked down your location for me."
If I had to complain about anything, it'd be the clothes he made me change into. I'm back in my usual outfit now, but… yeah, never again.
"…That pig, huh."
"We really were indebted to the Zoldyck family."
"I can't imagine going through something like that there…"
"Man, I wish I could've met Killua's family and talked with them."
Gon saying that is something else entirely.
"So, Aisha, how much do you know about Nen?"
"I believe I've mastered both the basics and the applications."
Nen runs deep. Even so, it's impossible to know everything—especially people's unique abilities. Even among applications, there might still be things I don't know.
The technique I developed, "Kai" (廻) (make aura "flow" in a controlled loop), is one such application. There could be others out there inventing new ones even now.
"I see… hey, Gon. What if we learned from Aisha instead of Wing—"
"No, Killua. I know what you're thinking. You're just trying to pretend your promise with Wing never happened, right?"
"Tch. You're so stiff."
A promise with someone named Wing? What's that about?
"What promise is that?"
"Gon broke his promise with Wing and fought on his own. So for the next two months, he's banned from matches—and not just that, he's forbidden from training Nen or even researching it. If he doesn't keep that rule, Wing said he won't teach him Nen anymore. All because of this idiot."
"I see. Wing sounds like a very good instructor. He properly understands how dangerous Nen can be."
Maybe I should meet him and talk in person. Gon and the others seem to rely on him, and I'd like to see what kind of person he is.
"Do you know where Wing is staying? I'd like to speak with him."
"Mm, he's at a nearby inn. But you sure you want to go? There's kind of an annoying guy there too."
"You mean Shion? But he only ever says the right things."
Shion…? That name sounds familiar. Could it be—? No, Shion is a pretty common name.
"Who exactly is this Shion? Is he a Nen user too?"
"Yeah. He was with Wing. He keeps telling us it'd be better not to learn Nen yet, that we're doing things wrong—just a bunch of annoying stuff."
"But he was saying it because he was worried about us, right? Even Wing said forcibly awakening Nen isn't really a good idea."
"Whether Shion is there or not, I'm going to meet Wing. Kurapika, please stay here and talk with Gon and the others."
"Then I'll guide you. You don't know where the inn is, right?"
For now, I'll just meet him and see what he's like. If Gon trusts him, he should be fine...
"This is it. Looks like they're inside."
"Yes. I can hear voices."
"Hey, Wing-san, we're coming in!"
"Killua-kun? Go ahead."
"Excuse us."
When we entered, there was a man who appeared to be Wing-san, a child about the same age as Gon and the others… and someone who carried the likeness of that child I once knew.
"Welcome. Oh? And who might you be?"
"Nice to meet you. My name is Aisha."
"How polite. I'm Wing. A pleasure."
"Osu! I'm Zushi!"
"I'm Shion. …Nice to meet you."
Hmm. So that man is Wing-san. And that child must be Zushi-kun. And that person over there… Yes, they really resemble the Shion I know. If that child had grown up, they would probably look like this. It might really be her.
"Thank you very much for taking care of Gon and the others."
"Hey, are you our guardian or something?"
"What are you saying? Your father asked me to look after you, you know. Besides, I'm older than you."
"It's only one year!"
Haha. In truth, I'm over 130 years older.
"Oh my, having a girlfriend at your age… Killua-kun, you're full of surprises."
"More than that, I'm shocked she's only one year older than me…"
Girlfriend? Why? Who? Whose?
"S-She's not my girlfriend! She's just a friend!"
"Just a friend…"
A friend… Killua called me his friend…
"Why the hell are you so happy about that?! And what kind of happy are you talking about?!"
"This is the first time I've seen Killua-san this flustered."
"Hahaha. No, I'm relieved. It's good to see Killua-kun is a boy his age."
"Shut up!!"
Killua seems busy snapping back at everyone.
"Noisy. So what exactly did you come here for?"
"…We don't have any business with you. We came to see Wing-san."
Killua's reply to Shion-san was sharp. He really does seem to dislike her…
"With me? What is it?"
"I'm the one with business. I came to apologize for the trouble Gon and the others caused, and I also wanted to speak with Wing-san, who taught them Nen."
"…Do you wish to learn Nen as well?"
"No. I have already mastered it. If I may ask, which school do you belong to, Wing-san? Or are you self-taught?"
If he were self-taught, I would have asked him to stop teaching Gon and the others. This is the most important stage for them. It would be unacceptable to give them half-baked knowledge and then abandon them.
"No, I studied Nen under a master of Shingen-ryu. I have been entrusted with guiding disciples as an assistant instructor."
"I see. That's good to hear. If you're from Shingen-ryu, then I can leave them in your care with peace of mind. Please look after Gon and Killua."
He seems like a very upright and sincere young man.
His aura is strong and steady, warm as if gently enveloping those around him. I'm relieved he's someone trustworthy. And as an assistant instructor, there shouldn't be any issue with his knowledge of Nen.
"Yes. It would be a shame to let talents like theirs go to waste."
"Then all the more reason you should have allowed them to awaken gradually. For someone like you to awaken their Nen in such an unorthodox manner…"
Shion stepped forward, protesting to Wing. It seems she has complaints about how their Nen was awakened. Well, I also oppose forcing someone to awaken Nen through irregular methods. But in this case… perhaps it couldn't be helped.
"That… I do feel apologetic. However, if I hadn't awakened them at that time, they might have fought ability users without Nen."
"Then you should have made them give up that fight. You could have stopped them, even if you had to be forceful. I know very well they have talent. But precisely because of that, you must give them proper instruction, shouldn't you? That was the result of treating Nen lightly."
"…This is why I didn't want to come here."
I see. So that's why Killua was reluctant.
What he's saying is correct. He isn't wrong. But his words push correctness too strongly forward, without considering the other person's circumstances or feelings. Shion-san genuinely cares about Gon and Killua. But that doesn't mean Killua can accept it.
Killua often acts on emotion. He's probably not good with people like him.
Still… when I look at Shion-san, I feel a strange sense of discomfort. What is it?
"Excuse me… are you also from Shingen-ryu?"
"No. I'm a disciple of Kazama-ryu. Not Shingen-ryu."
I knew it. I'm probably not mistaken—this must be the Shion I know.
Ah, how nostalgic. They've grown so much… The last time I saw that child, they were around twelve or thirteen. So now they must be about twenty-six? They admired Riina and trained diligently despite their small stature. I remember Riina sensing their talent and putting great effort into guiding them.
"Shion is an old friend of mine. We often refine our martial skills together."
"Hmph. Don't misunderstand, Wing. You and I are rivals. We are by no means friends."
"There you go again… Yes, we are rivals, but since our masters are close, and we've known each other for so long, surely we too—"
"Don't spout such nonsense! Do you think I would listen to such drivel?!"
Shion shouted, face flushed red. Why is she that angry? Does she dislike that Riina and Wing-san's master are so close?
…Hm? A Shingen-ryu practitioner close to Riina? Could that possibly mean Bisky?
"…Excuse me. I'll step out to cool my head."
With that, Shion turned on her heel and left.
Hmm. That short temper hasn't changed. When excited, she used to stammer and panic too.
"My apologies. He scolds me like that from time to time. We've known each other a long time, but I still don't quite understand what triggers his anger…"
…Hm? Something about that just felt off.
"Man, I hate guys like that. Though I also hate hysterical women like my mom."
"Haha, please don't say that. He isn't a bad person."
"Shion-san sometimes gives me guidance in Nen! He's a good person!"
…Yeah. I think Wing-san—and Killua and Zushi-kun too—are mistaken.
"Um…"
"What is it, Aisha-san?"
"Well, about Shion-san…"
"What about him?"
"Aisha, stop hesitating. Just say it."
"Yes… about Shion-san…"
"Did something happen to him?"
Is this something I should say? Maybe that child is keeping it a secret…
But then again… she's rather unfortunate in that department. It might just be that Wing-san and the others are mistaken.
"So what about him?"
…Ah! Whatever. I'll just say it!
"Shion-san is a woman."
"…Huh? …Wait… what?"
…Well, the misunderstanding is understandable. She's grown up, but her chest is rather unfortunate. I almost want to share some of mine. Honestly, I don't even need this much. And they're still getting bigger…
◆
Ahhh—idiot, idiot, idiot!
Why do I always say things in such a nasty way!? Ugh… what if Wing hates me now…?
Storming out like that… if he ends up disliking me, what should I do…?
But this is Wing's fault! He said we were close!
…C-close… Wing and me…
Ah—no, nosebleed!
Calm down, calm down. Count prime numbers, Shion.
2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19…
Phew, I'm calm. This mental stabilization method Ryusho-sama taught me when I was young really works. As expected of Riina-sama's master!
But… it still doesn't help with my stage fright when I'm in front of Wing… I get so flustered I end up saying ridiculous things…
"D-don't misunderstand, Wing. You and I are rivals, not friends," snap—what was that!?
He even called me his friend… and I rejected it… But it's true that I don't want us to be just friends either, and—l-l-l-lo—KYAAAH!
No! I'm too embarrassed to think about this any further!
If I could end up in that kind of relationship with Wing, I could die happy!!
No—wait, that's bad! If I die, I can't have a happy married life with Wing!
How many kids should we have? I want at least five. Wing probably likes kids too—you can tell just by how he talks with Zushi.
Come to think of it, I've been helping Zushi with Nen training too.
The two of us raising children together—c-could this be considered a rehearsal for parenting!?
Training together with Gon and Killua too, enjoying family time together—
Gah! No good, my imagination's running wild—nosebleed again!
Cool! Be cool! Be kool!
23, 29, 31, 37, 41, 43, 47, 53, 59…
Phew… somehow it stopped. I really wish I could do something about this nosebleed habit.
But this is Wing's fault too! Because Wing is—s-so cool!!
Why is Wing so incredibly cool?
That dignified face, that trained body. A healthy mind paired with a slightly sloppy appearance. The bedhead, the untucked shirt—they're charming points! And when it really counts, he's so manly… like he'd protect you. He's gentle normally, and even in matches, he fights me seriously despite me being a woman. Holding back would be an insult to a martial artist, after all.
Ahhh… everything about him is wonderful. Wing is so wonderful it hurts to live…
If only I could stay with Wing forever…
But Riina-sama has been urging me to return to headquarters as soon as possible…
Even if I delay it, maybe a month at most.
At least until then, I need to soak up as much Wing as I can!
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