Chapter 80: Leisure and... A Corpse
Ronin held out a black card. "I really shouldn't look into it?"
"I'm sorry, Brother!" Neon caved instantly. "When Kurapika was coordinating with Big Sister Miria, I snuck onto the call and added her contact info."
"Why?" Ronin looked at her suspiciously.
"I saw that you all knew her, and I wanted to be part of the group too," Neon shrugged, her reasoning simple and honest.
"Fine." Ronin tossed the card to her. "There's 100 million Jenny on there. That should be enough for your shopping spree."
"Thank you, Brother! You're the best!" Neon's face lit up with a fawning grin, bearing no resemblance to the spoiled, icy daughter of the Nostrade family from the manga.
"Stop that. I prefer you when you're acting normal," Ronin muttered, feeling a shiver of cringe run down his spine.
After spending months together, the girl's gloomy, morbid aura had vanished, replaced by a vibrant, lively energy.
She was completely different from the girl Ronin remembered from the source material. Sunlight, confidence, and a sense of belonging had smoothed away her jagged, willful edges. To Ronin, she truly felt like a younger sister now.
The two of them laughed and joked as they made their way to the bidding market.
While the Southernpiece Auction held the most valuable treasures, it was also a magnet for the Phantom Troupe today. Ronin had no desire to walk into a brawl just yet. The open-air bidding market was a much better way to experience the chaotic prosperity of the Yorknew Festival.
They parked outside the district. The entire market was cordoned off, filled with tourists wandering between stalls piled high with artifacts and curios.
The system was simple: if you saw something you liked, you wrote your bid on the sheet next to it. If no one outbid you by the deadline, the item was yours.
"Market Sniping" was a hallmark of the Yorknew season.
Although Ronin wasn't particularly interested in antiques, he focused Nen into his eyes—using Gyo—to scan the items. If he managed to find a hidden treasure, it would be a nice bonus for the day.
Neon started with high spirits, but her excitement faded quickly. Rare items that appealed to her "collector's taste" were few and far between here.
Ronin placed a few bids but soon lost interest himself. He realized that rather than wasting time here, he'd rather be at a cosplay convention or playing a long session of board games.
"Let's go."
They cut their market tour short and headed for lunch.
"So," Neon asked curiously while they waited for their steaks. "Once the Phantom Troupe business is finished... what are you going to do?"
"I'll probably become a Pro Hunter," Ronin shared his plan. "Then I'll go for Floor Master at Heavens Arena and wait for the Battle Olympia to take the championship. In my downtime? Manga, video games, fan conventions. Maybe travel the world a bit."
"Aside from the fighting, that sounds... surprisingly peaceful," Neon noted, a bit surprised.
"Fighting is just my new hobby," Ronin said, sipping his coffee. "Think of it as 'wearing silk robes at night.' If you have power but never show it off, what's the point of having it?"
Neon blinked. "What?"
"If you have something worth bragging about and you keep it hidden, you might as well not have it at all," Ronin explained with a grin.
Essentially: I have the strength, and I intend to flex it. He accepted that he was just that shallow.
"What about you?" Ronin asked.
Neon looked out the window. "Me? I haven't decided. Maybe I'll become a Hunter with you. I want to hunt for things that actually interest me—unique things to collect."
"That's a good goal. At least as a Hunter, you'll have targets worth your time," Ronin leaned back in his chair. "I wonder what I would hunt if I was a Blacklist Hunter..."
Visions of Kite, Netero, and even the Chimera Ant King flashed through his mind.
I'd hunt the strong.
It seemed he had a "warrior gene" baked into his soul. Being hunted by the Troupe hadn't terrified him; it had sparked a latent exhilaration.
The duel with Uvogin had released that repressed brutality. When he stomped Uvogin's head into the sand, he had felt a profound sense of catharsis.
Encountering Hisoka at the Cemetery Building had been the same. He hadn't used Ninjutsu—not because he feared being recognized, but because he was savoring the raw thrill of a melee struggle.
Even when he sensed Silva and Zeno in that hotel room, part of him had been itching for a confrontation.
How incredible would it be to go all-out against a Zoldyck patriarch? The thought made his blood boil.
He had restrained himself because the Troupe was still a problem and he wasn't 100% sure of victory, but the urge remained.
As for the Dark Continent or the Five Calamities? Ronin had zero interest.
Compared to leaving the known world for a wasteland of cosmic horrors, he preferred the neon lights of the city and the roaring crowds of the arena.
The food arrived.
Ronin ate absentmindedly, and Neon fell into a comfortable silence.
As the meal drew to a close, Ronin noticed a sudden surge of activity on the street outside. A fleet of police cars screamed past, sirens wailing.
Ronin frowned. The cars were heading directly toward the Adan Hotel.
A sudden, sharp premonition gripped his heart.
He pulled out his phone and dialed Kurapika.
Neon saw his expression and put down her fork, her eyes filled with worry.
The call didn't go through.
Ronin stood up. In a flash, he was outside the restaurant. The phone was still ringing, but he was already a blur of motion.
Arcs of electricity erupted around his body.
Lightning Style Chakra Mode.
In that instant, Ronin became a human thunderbolt. He streaked down the sidewalk, moving so fast that ordinary people didn't even see him—they only felt a sudden, violent gust of wind as he passed.
Long before he reached the hotel, he saw it: a thick plume of black smoke billowing into the sky.
The smoke was coming from the upper floors of the Adan Hotel.
Ronin's mind raced. He formed a cross seal.
Shadow Clone Jutsu.
The clone sprinted ahead at top speed toward the entrance. Ronin's main body, however, deactivated the Lightning Mode and slowed down, using the crowd as cover to approach the building discreetly.
A crowd had already gathered around the police cordon. Amidst the shouting and the sirens, Ronin heard the word: "Jumper."
He pushed through the mob until he reached the yellow tape. Looking past the busy officers, he saw a shape lying on the pavement, covered by a white sheet.
His heart hammered against his ribs.
Ronin raised a hand, subtly gathering aura, and made a sharp upward flick. A sudden, localized gust of wind whipped across the tarmac.
The wind caught the white sheet, flipping it back and exposing the body beneath.
His world shattered.
Lying on the cold concrete was the boy who called him "Brother."
Kurapika.
No... that's impossible!
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