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Chapter 108: Unfulfilled Wishes Are Meant to Be Fulfilled
As Suyan's words lingered in the air, an invisible flock of crows seemed to fly over the training ground, leaving a trail of awkward ellipses in their wake.
Sabito's laughter died instantly.
He glanced at Suyan, then turned to look at Makomo, who was still perched on the giant boulder nearby. For a moment, he genuinely wondered if there was something wrong with his hearing. How else could he have heard such an absurdly specific rejection?
At that moment, Makomo quietly raised her hand and offered a weak, airy interjection. "I think the lord did mention earlier that he came here specifically for me, didn't he?"
Sabito slowly turned his gaze back to Suyan.
To his horror, the man actually nodded, shamelessly confirming Makomo's words.
Sabito completely shut down.
"Are you okay, Sabito?" Makomo asked, looking at him with genuine concern.
"I'm fine. Don't mind me. Just... let me be alone for a bit," Sabito waved her off weakly. He turned around, crouched behind the massive boulder, and began drawing gloomy circles in the dirt with a broken twig.
"My lord, is there any way you could take Sabito in as that... Nen Beast thing too?" Makomo asked softly, unable to bear the sight of her comrade sulking so pitifully.
"Are you two a couple?" Suyan asked curiously.
"No, no, no, we're just friends!" Makomo waved her hands frantically, terrified of the misunderstanding. She quickly elaborated, "It's just... I don't understand. If you're choosing a Shikigami, shouldn't Sabito be the most suitable choice? He's the strongest out of all of us."
"Besides, I don't possess the same burning passion for combat that he does. The main reason I learned Breathing Styles and entered the Final Selection was simply because I didn't want to disappoint Mr. Urokodaki."
Makomo tilted her head, her cyan eyes looking up at him. "So, I'm really curious. Why did you choose someone like me to be your Shikigami, my lord? Have we met before?"
Behind the boulder, Sabito discreetly perked his ears up, eager to hear Suyan's answer.
He didn't disagree with Makomo's assessment. They really were just ordinary friends; he just interacted with her the most because her skills were second only to his own. In truth, Makomo got along well with all the Water Disciples.
Suyan rubbed his chin. Knowing she was being entirely honest, he didn't hesitate to give her the blunt truth. "Because my ability only allows me to take in female souls as Nen Beasts."
Snap!
Both Suyan and Makomo turned toward the sound.
Behind the rock, the twig Sabito was using to draw circles had been violently snapped in half by a sudden spike in grip strength. It was safe to say his mood was currently in the gutter.
"Boring!"
Sabito tossed the broken twig aside. His ghostly form began to flicker and turn translucent as he prepared to leave.
"Wait! Sabito!"
Suyan called out directly, stopping the boy in his tracks. "Compared to becoming a Shikigami, shouldn't there be something else you want to do even more?"
"What do you mean?" Sabito turned back, looking at him in confusion.
"Before you 'cross over'—I believe that's what they call it here in the island nation?—anyway, before you fade away completely, don't you want to talk to your family and friends? To say a proper goodbye?" Suyan asked calmly. "For example, to your teacher, Urokodaki Sakonji? Or to your former comrade, the current Water Hashira, Tomioka Giyuu?"
"Y-You can do that?"
Sabito stared at Suyan in shock, his eyes flickering with desperate hope.
Of course he had a mountain of things he wanted to say to Mr. Urokodaki and Giyuu. But for years, no one had been able to see them until Suyan arrived. Not even Mr. Urokodaki, who lived in seclusion on this very mountain and possessed the closest bond with them, could perceive their presence.
If he could, they wouldn't have let the Hand Demon survive on Mt. Fujikasane for so long, allowing it to systematically slaughter generation after generation of their master's disciples.
"I can," Suyan said gently. "It's actually not difficult for me at all."
It might be an impossible miracle for anyone else, but for Suyan, it simply required expending a portion of his Conjuration Nen. Conjuration was the art of turning formless aura into physical, tangible constructs.
Just like Kastro from Hunter x Hunter. Kastro used Conjuration to create a physical double of himself, then used Manipulation to fight alongside it. That conjured double was entirely visible to ordinary people. Wing had even used standard video camera footage to analyze Kastro's fight with Hisoka for Gon and Killua.
"Help me!" Sabito pleaded, his voice resolute.
It wasn't just Sabito. Makomo, along with the eleven other fox-masked figures who had silently manifested behind her, were all staring directly at Suyan.
"Makomo, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and offer yourself as the lord's Nen Beast!"
Sabito glanced at Makomo and threw her under the bus without a second of hesitation. He had even seamlessly switched from calling Suyan "you" to "the lord."
"Eh?" Makomo blinked, staring blankly at Suyan. "O-Oh, right. My lord, I am willing to become your Nen Beast."
"No rush. Read the contents of this parchment carefully first. See if you have any objections. We can finalize it after I help them out."
Since this was his goal all along, Suyan didn't refuse. He materialized a parchment out of thin air and handed it to Makomo.
This was the physical manifestation of his Equivalent Exchange ability. Activating it was much simpler than his Contract ability; the target simply had to read the conditions, feel satisfied with the trade, and verbally agree. Once the ability triggered, Suyan only needed to fulfill his end of the bargain, and the ability would automatically seize the target's offering.
The only prerequisite was absolute, conscious consent. It couldn't be done if the target was mind-controlled or unconscious.
Suyan had listed two conditions in exchange for Makomo's ownership:
First, he would provide Sabito and the others with enough Conjuration Nen to temporarily materialize their bodies so they could bid farewell to their loved ones.
Second, he would go to Mt. Fujikasane and eliminate the Hand Demon that had killed them.
Honestly, even if they hadn't explicitly asked, Suyan would have offered these terms anyway—otherwise, he wouldn't have stopped Sabito from leaving.
After all, what was the point of an unfulfilled wish if not to fulfill it?
Suyan opened his palms and began gathering swirling spheres of Conjuration Nen.
At that moment, Makomo pointed to a specific line on the parchment. "My lord," she asked in her airy voice, "could we modify the contents of this clause?"
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