"Who?"
Illumi immediately tensed, eyes sharp.
He turned in the direction of the noise—and spotted two figures approaching.
One was Ponzu.
The other... was Kaizen.
Kaizen walked up to Siper and casually plucked the number plate off her chest. Then, with a flick of his fingers, the needle that had embedded itself in her body zipped back into his hand.
For the past few days, Kaizen had been letting Siper move freely, like a fish on a long line. Giving her room to act was part of his plan—to raise the "quality" of the exam.
And the higher the quality, the more features he'd be able to harvest.
"Good thing I made it in time."
He glanced down at Siper, still collapsed on the ground.
Because Sally was struggling to keep up with the rest of the team, Kaizen had been scouting a potential replacement for the sniper role. Siper had been one of the candidates under evaluation.
If her Nen potential was decent, she'd make a fine addition. If not, she'd simply be a failed experiment. No harm done—Kaizen had merely made a convenient move during the exam. It hadn't cost him anything.
Meeting Ponzu during the Hunter Exam had already been a stroke of luck. Her ability, Queen Bee, was extremely useful.
If Siper's talent turned out to be sufficient, she could take over as the team sniper and Sally would shift roles. But if someone like Illumi got annoyed, it would take him less than a second to kill Siper. Kaizen didn't want that.
Which was why he moved when he did.
Illumi had almost fired.
Kaizen had struck first.
"Ponzu, check her condition. I'll be right back."
"Yes, Captain."
Ponzu didn't dare delay.
Just moments ago, she'd sensed something through Queen Bee—someone across the field who terrified her.
It was Gittarackur.
...
With a flash, Kaizen reappeared in front of Illumi.
"That your target?"
Illumi gave a slight nod. "Yeah."
Kaizen asked, "What number are you after, Cousin?"
"Number 80," Illumi replied. "I remember the guy. He's decent—should still be up and moving. His number plate's probably still on him."
A beat passed.
"Oh, right. Kaizen—how's Killua doing?"
Kaizen gave a small nod. "He's locked in with one of the Amori brothers. They've got a mutual target thing going. But they're no threat to Killua."
"Good. Thanks for the update. I'll go find mine now. Catch you later."
"Sure."
Kaizen watched Illumi vanish into the forest shadows, then turned and headed back to Ponzu.
Siper was still lying on the ground, completely immobilized. Her aura hadn't stabilized yet.
"Ponzu, carry her."
"Alright."
Kaizen led the way.
Ponzu helped Siper up, letting her lean on her shoulder. It looked awkward—Siper was clearly taller—but Ponzu, despite her small build, was well-trained. She didn't struggle.
They made their way to a nearby cave.
...
"Damn it!"
Siper clenched her teeth, frustration heavy in her voice.
She had been so close—just a second away from pulling the trigger on Gittarackur. She could've snagged his number plate and completed her task.
But Kaizen had beaten her to the punch.
And he'd used poison, too.
In the blink of an eye, she'd lost all mobility. Worse yet—there had been two of them.
"Kaizen... Ponzu…"
She glared at them. "So you were working together. You really hid it well. I didn't notice a thing. I lost to the two of you fair and square. I'll admit that."
She took a deep breath.
"Can we make a deal?"
"You've already taken my number plate. Could you at least cure the poison? I can help you get another plate. Let me go, and we work together."
Ponzu opened her mouth but didn't say anything.
He hadn't even seen Kaizen make a move—just a blur, and Siper was down. That alone spoke volumes.
Siper was no weakling. Among the examinees, she ranked high in combat strength. Yet Kaizen had taken her out like it was nothing.
Ponzu had always respected Kaizen's strength in theory, but seeing it up close changed everything.
Maybe joining this team isn't such a bad idea after all...
If I'm part of it, maybe I really can solve the mess back in the village... even if I have to give something up.
Let's be honest—I probably wouldn't have been invited if it weren't for Queen Bee.
Kaizen looked down at Siper, expression unreadable.
"I never said I'd restrict your movement. I just wanted your number plate. I've got it now. You're free to go once your body starts working again."
"Really?"
"Of course. Or do you think you're valuable enough for us to bother holding hostage?"
Siper went quiet.
Kaizen pulled out some food—fruits he'd foraged from another part of the island. They were ripe, sweet, and safe to eat.
He took a few for himself and handed the rest to Ponzu.
The aroma hit Siper hard. Her stomach growled, and she instinctively turned her face away in embarrassment.
After a moment's pause, Ponzu held out one of the fruits to her. Halfway through the gesture, she glanced at Kaizen—who didn't say anything.
So Ponzu passed it to her.
"Thanks."
"You're welcome."
After eating, Siper felt her head clear up a little. The poison was wearing off.
She looked up at them again.
"Thanks for the food... and for not killing me. I appreciate being allowed to stay in the game."
"You were my target. You attacked me. I can accept that."
"I lost. You got my number plate. That's how this exam works."
"But still..."
She sighed, rubbing her temples.
"It would've been nice if you'd waited just a bit longer before shooting."
"I was so close... If I had gotten Gittarackur's number plate, I'd only need three more from non-targets."
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