The sound of the shower stopped.
Ponzu stepped out of the bathroom.
Tonight, she was wearing blue pajamas.
Yesterday's were pink. She liked changing it up.
Her long green hair shimmered softly in the light.
"Captain…"
Ponzu looked at Kaizen with a pleading expression.
He nodded.
A smile immediately bloomed on her face. She carefully lifted the blanket and slipped into the far corner of the bed.
"I promise I won't move around tonight."
Kaizen was busy working on building the manga platform. He was also dealing with matters involving Raiken and Akutagawa Ryunosuke.
Soon, soft and steady breathing could be heard.
Kaizen glanced at Ponzu next to him.
She said she wouldn't move, but it was clear she was still a little scared.
Only being close to Kaizen made her feel truly safe.
He checked the time and turned off the lights.
...
The next morning, Kaizen opened his eyes.
Ponzu was curled up against him, hugging him tightly.
And his own arm had somehow wrapped around her neck.
He could feel the softness of her body.
Small and warm.
A faint, sweet scent drifted into his nose.
"Captain… don't leave me alone…"
"I don't want to be alone…"
She murmured in her sleep, her voice fragile.
Probably having a nightmare.
Kaizen understood how she felt.
It was much like what Kurapika had gone through.
The only difference was that Ponzu hadn't witnessed the brutal massacre of her village.
But her grandmother, who was on the phone while watching the security monitors, had been taken over by a parasite.
That kind of trauma left a mark too.
"No!"
Ponzu jolted awake from her nightmare.
Her eyes opened wide.
She saw the position she was in—and immediately turned bright red.
But the fear from her dream still lingered, and she couldn't bring herself to let go of Kaizen right away.
She took a deep breath, then quietly pulled back.
"Captain… I'm sorry~"
"It's fine."
"By the way, Captain… yesterday you said you'd tell me what Nessley said about Oster after training…"
She tried to shift the conversation.
"Ah… right. Sorry, I forgot."
Kaizen nodded. "Nessley said Oster's death might have been faked. That he's actually still alive, and the Saherta royal family didn't execute him after all."
"She told me to be careful."
Ponzu's brow furrowed.
"Oster… still alive?"
"That's just her speculation. Could be true, could be false."
Kaizen said calmly, "Whether it's true or not, Ponzu, our goal stays the same—keep training, get stronger."
"When the time comes—if Oster really does show up again…"
"We won't have to fear him."
"You'll even have a chance to take him down yourself. And get your revenge."
Ponzu was silent for a moment, then gave a firm nod.
"Got it, Captain. Thanks."
She stretched, getting ready to get up.
"I'm gonna go wash up."
Kaizen stopped her with a glance.
"Stay for a bit. Let's talk."
Ponzu paused but slowly settled back in.
"What do you want to talk about?"
"Your past."
She was quiet for a while, then began slowly.
"Okay."
She spoke about the village she grew up in—her grandmother, her friends, and the odd things that had seemed normal back then. Like the parasites that lived in their bodies.
Back then, she hadn't thought much of it. Just felt curious.
Before she left the village, her grandmother had given her a hat. The queen bee lived inside.
From that moment on, Ponzu had used the queen bee's ability to command other bees as her own power.
The journey out of the village had been tough.
But step by step, she grew stronger.
She traveled far, saw many places.
Eventually, she took the Hunter Exam.
This wasn't her first time taking it, either.
Back then, two things were on her mind: growing stronger to save her village, and the bittersweet memories of her childhood.
And then, she met Kaizen.
As she spoke, her mood shifted.
She started with joy.
Then came sorrow.
Then anger.
Then… uncertainty.
"You know the rest, Captain."
She looked at him seriously.
"What about you?"
Now, Kaizen had become her emotional anchor.
Naturally, she was curious.
"I've been training ever since I was a kid," Kaizen said.
"By nine, I learned Nen."
"Left the Zoldyck estate. First place I went was Heavens Arena."
"Then to Yorknew City."
"Had some run-ins with underworld organizations."
"Also ended up in Meteor City. A place the world calls a dump."
"After that, Taris Kingdom."
"Then Fiora."
"And eventually, the United States of Saherta."
"I spent over three years there. The longest I've stayed anywhere."
"So yeah, I know Saherta really well."
"I actually tried to talk Tucker out of it."
"But he was set on his path. He really believed in Saherta."
Ponzu shook her head.
"I don't get it."
"I'm from Saherta too, but the only thing I care about is my village. The country itself? Doesn't mean anything to me."
Kaizen shrugged.
"Different people, different lives. That's what shapes us."
"No two people in this world are exactly alike."
"Tucker had his reasons."
"And you have yours, Ponzu."
"The Revolutionary Army, Saherta, Zotan… all of them failed Tucker."
Ponzu gave a small nod.
"Captain… do you have a dream?"
"A dream?"
She nodded.
"It's hard to say," Kaizen said after a pause. "There are a lot of things I want. But I wouldn't call most of them dreams."
"If I had to name one… I guess it would be to live freely."
He turned the question around.
"What about you, Ponzu?"
"My dream is your dream, Captain. I… only have you."
Her voice was suddenly serious.
Kaizen looked into her eyes.
Their gazes locked.
Something unspoken seemed to stir in the air between them.
After a long silence—
Kaizen reached out and pulled Ponzu close.
"Ponzu… can you?"
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Fanfic is completed on patreon.com/FanficsHub (1047 chapters in total)