Half an hour later.
The black cat had completely shed the hard shell encasing it. It was now lying comfortably between Yuu's warm palms, quietly gnawing on the blue gem held tightly in its paws.
Yuu could clearly see... the life energy contained within the gem turning into wisps of mist, passing through the crystalline surface and being swallowed by the black cat.
Now, the black cat's form was fully revealed.
Yuu discovered that it actually had two tails, clearly different from an ordinary house cat. Its eyes were golden, occasionally flickering with a faint light that was particularly noticeable in the dark cave.
"Aside from the opposite fur color, this cat resembles me in many ways..."
"Also, this second tail... is probably a 'product' of evolution. I just don't know if it's a new ability, or if it's like the saying 'a cat has nine lives'... an extra life."
"If it's the former, testing it will be a bit troublesome. But if it's the latter, I just need to use this cat to block an attack later to find out."
Just as this thought arose in Yuu's mind, the black cat alertly looked up and hissed at him, letting out a threatening growl.
Clearly, it had sensed the unfavorable thought in Yuu's mind.
"Because it's a product manifested by my 'Nen', essentially one with me, can it sense my thoughts...?"
"Heh... what an interesting little guy."
Yuu smiled, silently watching the black cat in his palm, thinking to himself:
"Although it's just a Nen beast, it is an individual with self-awareness after all. It can also understand my words and my intentions... maybe I should give it a name."
Thinking of this, Yuu pondered for a moment and asked the black cat:
"How about I call you 'Kuro' from now on?"
"Meow~"
The black cat responded casually.
Judging by its relaxed expression... it probably agreed.
Ever since Yuu put away his malice towards it, Kuro quickly returned to a gentle and calm demeanor, not the unreasonable type.
Compared to some unruly creatures, Kuro was indeed likable. So Yuu wasn't stingy; seeing that it had almost finished gnawing on the gem in its arms, he threw another one to it.
...
Meanwhile.
Under a steep cliff, Hisoka stood in a dark cave, silently watching a scarred giant bear collapse to the ground in front of him.
"Thud!!!"
The giant bear's body was heavy, kicking up a lot of snow dust upon impact.
Several streams of blood slid down Hisoka's arm, dripping from the edge of the playing card at his fingertips, scattering red spots at his feet.
Hisoka licked the blood on his arm with the tip of his tongue, then walked deeper into the cave.
Moments later.
Hisoka walked out of the darkness from the depths of the cave carrying several blue gems, returning to the exit.
Just then, a crisp ringtone came from Hisoka's pocket.
"Ring ring..."
"Ring ring..."
Hisoka took out his phone, glanced at the caller ID on the screen, revealed an "unexpected" expression, and answered the call.
"Hello, Hisoka... are you busy?"
From the other end of the phone came a cold, young female voice.
"No, quite free actually," Hisoka said lightly.
"But I didn't expect you to call me on your own initiative. That's rare... Machi."
"I thought you hated me~"
"Tsk..."
The female voice on the phone, called "Machi," clicked her tongue in disdain, her voice finally showing some emotional fluctuation.
"You guy... really make it hard for people to like you," Machi said coldly.
"I'm calling you today for business."
"Remember... last time you said you wanted to join the 'Troupe', and hoped I would recommend you to the leader?"
"Of course I remember. Since you mention it... looks like there's a result."
Hisoka asked with interest:
"So, what does the leader say...?"
"The leader agreed to see you," Machi gave an affirmative answer, then continued:
"Next time we have a 'gathering', I'll invite you to come along. If you pass the interview then... afterwards, as long as you defeat any one of the members, you can take their place and officially join."
"That's really something to look forward to...
"But, is there a time limit for 'joining'?"
Hisoka continued to ask calmly, adding a sentence afterward:
"To be honest, if the 'gathering' is in the next few days, I might not be able to make time."
After all, although he was indeed looking forward to a duel to the death with the "Troupe" leader.
But that kind of thing couldn't be achieved in a short time. It required long preparation and careful planning to create a situation where the "leader has no choice but to fight him."
And right now, he happened to encounter "Yuu," a "fruit" that he couldn't stop thinking about.
If possible, Hisoka hoped to at least taste a bit of this "unripe fruit"... before talking about "joining the Troupe."
"Whatever," Machi said indifferently.
"As long as you are confident that you can defeat other Troupe members anytime, anywhere... I think with the leader's personality, he shouldn't refuse you."
Machi heard from Hisoka's tone that he seemed to have something he "couldn't get away from," but was too lazy to ask more.
"Next, just wait patiently for news from the leader. Based on past experience, the time of the 'gathering' will be announced a few months in advance.
"When the time comes, I'll contact you again. So remember to keep your phone on..."
Machi gave a few final instructions, then hung up the phone.
"Troublesome guy..."
Machi was standing in a deserted dark alley, looking at her phone screen, lost in thought.
Although she didn't want to admit it...
But Hisoka's combat ability and the use of his own Nen ability were indeed better than most members of the Troupe.
If Hisoka insisted on joining, with the leader's personality... it was probably only a matter of time before he entered the Troupe.
However, Machi always trusted her intuition.
From the first moment she saw Hisoka, Machi could feel that he approached her with a strong purpose.
But, even though she was certain he harbored some unknown purpose.
Through observation over this period, she hadn't found any hostility from Hisoka towards the "Troupe."
Not only was there no hostility...
After confirmation, Hisoka was actually obsessed with joining the Troupe with emotions like "excitement," "pleasure," and "thrill."
"If I had known, I wouldn't have accepted his commission..."
Thinking back, Machi couldn't help but regret accepting Hisoka's payment and using her "Nen ability" in front of him.
After all, in retrospect...
It was from that time on that Hisoka gradually entangled himself with her.
Despite his amazing strength, Hisoka would often get injured when fighting some pitifully weak enemies.
Machi suspected more than once that he kept adding wounds to himself just to observe her Nen ability—"Nen Stitches."
"Forget it."
Machi sighed and stopped thinking about it.
...
At the same time.
After listening to Machi's message, Hisoka suddenly looked up at the sky with an infatuated smile, unconsciously emitting a terrifying aura.
"Oh no..."
"Thinking about fighting the 'Leader', my body accidentally got 'excited'."
In this state of extreme pleasure, Hisoka's body trembled uncontrollably.
If taking the Hunter Exam and finding "unripe fruit" was like a captivating dessert before a meal for him.
Then "dueling with the Leader" was the most magnificent dish in the feast, requiring "extremely meticulous preparation" step by step from beginning to end to complete.
"Chrollo..."
Hisoka thought of the man who made him intoxicated.
The leader of the Phantom Troupe.
Also, the "fruit" Hisoka currently considered the most worth tasting in his life.
It was precisely to get close to this fruit that he chose to approach Machi and wanted to enter the Troupe through her...
Thinking that this day was getting closer and closer, Hisoka's physical reaction became more intense, and he unconsciously thought of that unique young man.
Shifting his thoughts from Chrollo, the "unfinished main course," to Yuu, the "pre-meal dessert."
"Really looking forward to it~"
"I have a feeling that the current me might not be able to resist killing that kid when the time comes..."
Hisoka thought so, letting out a laugh that bordered on madness.
...