It had been over a month since they last saw each other. As they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Machi turned her head, her golden eyes glistening with moisture, her waist swaying gently without conscious thought.
Law didn't want to stop either, but hearing Machi say those words herself sent a rush through his spirit, creating an indescribable pleasure.
Thus, their pace increased dramatically, far exceeding any reasonable limit.
Even so, Law still released a minimal En, sensing the situation outside.
After getting a general understanding of the circumstances, Law withdrew his En.
For a time, the bathroom was filled with scenes of spring.
After the passion faded, Machi, with a trace of lingering pleasure on her face, curled up under the covers.
Law dressed and stepped into the hallway, where he could only see some bullet holes in the walls, but not a hint of bloodscent.
Just then, the door across the hall opened and Nobunaga leaned most of his body out, saying lazily, "You two are finally done."
Law ignored Nobunaga's teasing and walked straight into the room. His eyes immediately fell upon five corpses lying on the floor, while Uvogin lay on a bed, snoring loudly.
These five corpses had died from shattered hearts. The control of force was incredibly precise, causing death without a single drop of blood spilling.
"Bounty hunters?"
Law looked at the bodies on the floor and asked.
"Who else would it be?" Nobunaga closed the door, took a can of beer from the refrigerator, and said calmly, "No matter how brutal and terrifying the descriptions of us are in the bounty black markets, there will always be an endless stream of people foolish enough to come after us."
Click.
Nobunaga pulled the tab on his beer, raised it toward Law, and asked, "Want one?"
Law shook his head. He noticed that Uvogin and Nobunaga had little interest in the monkey wine, preferring beer instead.
Seeing Law refuse, Nobunaga took a large gulp of beer, then sat down in a single-seater sofa, glancing out at the night view as he said, "Even after leaving the Spider, this kind of thing won't stop."
"This guy Uvogin doesn't mind it at all. He's even hoping some strong bounty hunters will come find him. As for me, I don't care either. But for you two, it must be a bit of a hassle, right?"
The 'you two' he referred to were, of course, Law and Machi.
Law stepped over the corpses and sat down opposite Nobunaga, saying indifferently, "I haven't thought about it much, and I don't consider it troublesome."
"Is that so."
Nobunaga murmured softly, then finished his beer in one go.
Law looked at Nobunaga, who had untied his ponytail and let his hair hang loose. In the entire Spider, only Nobunaga looked older, exactly like a man in his thirties. In fact, Nobunaga was thirty this year.
"After leaving the Spider, what are your plans?" Law asked.
"Same as always, do whatever we want." Nobunaga casually tossed the empty beer can aside.
Law nodded, then turned to look at Uvogin sleeping soundly on the bed and said, "Sometimes I wonder, what is it you're pursuing?"
"Ha, do you need to think about something like that?"
Nobunaga laughed, stood up, took two more cans of beer from the refrigerator, sat back down on the sofa, and, like Law, looked at Uvogin as he said, "This guy is all brawn. You don't need to think to know what he's after."
"What about you?" Law asked.
"I don't have any particular pursuits. I'm fine as long as you guys are around. Just taking things as they come." Nobunaga said flatly.
Law smiled, chatted with Nobunaga for a while longer, then returned to his room to rest.
Early the next morning, Law and his group of four left the hotel, leaving the bodies behind.
For Uvogin and Nobunaga, such things seemed commonplace.
Over the next two weeks, the four of them traveled around, mainly focused on eating, drinking, and having fun. Occasionally, bounty hunters would track them down, all dealt with by the battle-hungry Uvogin.
Every time he saw Uvogin excitedly fighting the bounty hunters, Law couldn't help but recall how Uvogin had actually restrained his fighting spirit back then and didn't lay a hand on the Kurta Clan's members.
There was only about a week left until the agreed time with Kurapika. Perhaps because they kept moving around, they never caught sight of Kurapika.
On this day, Law parted ways with Uvogin and Nobunaga, planning to take Machi to Linne's home.
"When are you two going to take care of business?" Uvogin asked.
The 'business' he referred to was, of course, the wedding. Nobunaga joined in, egging them on.
It wasn't until Machi kicked Uvogin in the thigh that the topic was dropped.
Before parting, Law had suggested a place for Uvogin to go, asking him to consider it carefully.
That suggestion was to accompany Netero.
Law knew Uvogin loved fighting strong opponents, and Netero was often bored, so throwing Uvogin at Netero might be an interesting arrangement.
Two days later, Law and Machi arrived at Linne's home for a visit and ended up staying.
Every day they enjoyed the delicious food prepared by Shachmono, and when they had nothing else to do, the four of them would gather for a game of mahjong. Occasionally, Law would take Machi for walks in the forest.
The days passed like this until the final day of the agreed period, when Kurapika finally appeared.
Law went alone to the gate. Seeing the rather disheveled Kurapika, his first words were: "Follow me."
After saying this, Law headed in a certain direction.
Kurapika followed in silence.
There was a thin cut on his cheek, and his clothes looked as if they'd been torn by thorns or similar plants… a few more rips and they'd be reduced to rags.
They walked deep into the forest, with Law in front not saying a word.
Kurapika followed behind, noticing that all the creatures they encountered along the way automatically retreated, as if afraid of Law.
Though puzzled, he didn't ask.
Law brought Kurapika to a stream. About a hundred meters ahead was a waterfall with a small cliff.
Casually sitting on a rock by the stream, Law quietly observed Kurapika for a moment before saying, "After the Hunter Exam ended, Gon and Killua went to Heavens Arena. They've been training for almost a month now and have already mastered the four basic principles of Nen."
"Thanks to my anonymous funding, Leorio is now studying at Obin Tan Medical University. Even though he's working part-time, his grades are quite good."
"Why are you telling me this?" A flicker of understanding passed through Kurapika's eyes.
"No particular reason. I just wanted you to know. So, do you want information about the Phantom Troupe first, or do you want to begin Nen Training immediately?" Law asked calmly.
Kurapika clenched his fists, looked at Law, and asked, "You seem to know the Phantom Troupe very well?"
"Didn't I tell you before? Regarding the Phantom Troupe, whatever you want to know, I know." Law replied indifferently.
Kurapika fell silent for a moment. He wanted to ask the reason, but ultimately didn't. Instead, he asked, "How big is the gap between me and the Phantom Troupe right now?"
"The gap..."
Law touched his chin, then lowered his hand and patted the car-sized rock he was sitting on. "Let's say this represents the Phantom Troupe, then..."
As he spoke, Law telekinetically summoned a small pebble from the stream bank, holding it up in front of Kurapika. "...this is you."
"The gap is that big?" Kurapika's expression changed.
"Yes. But once you master Nen, this gap will narrow significantly." Law casually tossed the pebble away.
Kurapika slowly closed his eyes. After a moment, he opened them and said, "I want to train in Nen first."