[Still hear me? Crystal clear.]
Shizuku pushed open a bathroom stall and stepped inside, summoning Blinky as she walked. The vacuum cleaner materialized with a soft pop.
[The aura consumption is barely noticeable,] she continued, testing the Moon Mark's connection while feeding the ring box into Blinky's mouth. [Though honestly, a phone could do the same thing.]
She waited for a response.
Nothing.
[Liam?]
Still nothing.
Finally, his voice crackled through. [Sorry. Got distracted. There's chaos out here. A bunch of people got their airship tickets stolen.]
East side of the terminal. Liam stood amid a growing crowd of angry passengers. Some were yelling at airport security. Others frantically dialed their phones, trying to get replacement tickets. A few just looked shell-shocked, like they couldn't believe someone had pickpocketed them in broad daylight.
[Did the Phantom Troupe do it?] Shizuku asked.
[Maybe.]
Liam frowned, weaving through the crowd toward the men's room. The thefts didn't make sense. Why would world-class criminals bother stealing cheap airship tickets? They could just intimidate someone into handing theirs over. Or hijack a plane. Why play pickpocket?
He pushed open the bathroom door, glanced around, and immediately regretted every life choice that had led him here.
Pariston stood at the sink, studying a business card. When he noticed Liam, his face lit up with that insufferable smile.
"Oh, it's you again!" Pariston tucked the card into a silver case and pulled out a pen. "Did you follow me all the way to the airport? I have to say, I'm flattered. Want an autograph?"
Liam kept his expression neutral. "I need to piss. Want to come watch, idol?"
What is my luck today? Liam thought bitterly. First the Phantom Troupe. Now Pariston Hill, professional chaos agent and walking disaster. Meeting him twice in one day felt cosmically unfair.
He could shout right now. "Hey everyone, the scumbag lawyer from the wife-murder case is here!" But that would draw Pariston's attention, which was the absolute last thing he wanted.
[Ran into a weirdo,] Liam muttered through the Moon Mark to Shizuku. [Be right back.]
When he emerged from the stall, Pariston was gone.
Which made sense. To Liam, Pariston was an "acquaintance." Someone he knew from the manga, whose entire personality was burned into his memory. But to Pariston, Liam was just a random kid he'd bumped into twice. No reason to care. No reason to remember.
Good.
Near the boarding gate, Shizuku stood in the crowd, checking her phone.
Someone tapped her left shoulder from behind.
She turned left.
A finger poked her right cheek.
Liam grinned. "Fell for it twice? I literally did this two hours ago."
"I remember," Shizuku said. "But I fell for it twice anyway."
Liam opened his mouth, closed it, then gave up trying to understand how her brain worked.
"How did you find me so fast?" Shizuku asked. "Did you learn En?"
Liam pointed at her left thigh. "Star Mark. I can sense it from anywhere nearby."
"Oh." Shizuku nodded. Then she held up her ring. "Why put the Moon Mark on a ring? You could've just put it directly on my body, like the Star Mark."
Liam thought about it. "I guess... subconsciously, I wanted you to be able to 'hang up.' If you take off the ring, the connection breaks. You're not stuck listening to me 24/7."
Shizuku looked at the ring, considering this.
"Come on." Liam patted her shoulder. "Let's board before something else goes wrong."
They headed toward the gate.
On the way, they passed another cluster of angry passengers arguing with security. Liam recognized a few of them. These were people who'd already gotten replacement tickets.
They got robbed again?
Liam activated Gyo and focused aura into his ears. His hearing sharpened instantly. Not Melody-level, but good enough to eavesdrop from across the terminal.
"There's gotta be a ticket-stealing gang! We weren't even on the same flights!"
"I got robbed twice!"
"It was a tall guy! Hood up, face covered!"
"Airport security is a joke. How'd he even get in here?"
"I saw his eyes before he knocked me out. Huge eyes. Deep sockets. Like a corpse."
"There he is! Get him!"
Chaos erupted. Security guards sprinted after a tall, thin figure darting through the crowd. The man moved like a ghost, shoving people aside, disappearing into the men's bathroom.
The guards followed. Searched every stall.
Nothing.
"Should we check the women's room?" one guard asked.
They hesitated. The crowd dispersed. The thief was gone.
Pariston watched from a distance, leaning against a pillar. The thief's aura had been almost nonexistent. Barely visible. Definitely a Nen user, and probably a terrible one.
He glanced down.
An airship ticket lay on the floor near his feet, probably dropped by the thief or knocked loose from a victim.
Destination: Kukan'yu Kingdom.
Pariston checked the departure board. Boarding now.
He picked up the ticket and smiled.
"That was the ticket thief, wasn't it?" Liam said, already through security.
"Who?" Shizuku asked.
"That guy from the restaurant. Tall, skinny, hood, dead eyes. Said he wanted to kill the Phantom Troupe. His name was, uh... Roland? Gowan?"
Shizuku frowned. "We met someone like that?"
"Yes. A few days ago."
"If it was related to spiders, I'd remember."
Liam sighed. "Forget it. Never mind."
Shizuku tilted her head, confused. Did I say something wrong?
They boarded the airship. Liam felt a small thrill of excitement. First time flying in this world. The novelty lasted exactly as long as it took to find their seats.
Then he saw Pariston board.
The blond man noticed Liam immediately and waved, grinning like they were old friends.
Shizuku tapped Liam's arm and pointed forward.
Machi stood at the far end of the aisle, pink hair unmistakable, staring directly at Shizuku.
Liam's eye twitched.
You have got to be kidding me.
Somewhere in the crowd, a passenger whispered, "I heard O.Zee's on this flight. Saw him all covered up, trying to hide. Fat bastard's probably fleeing the country."
Pariston's smile widened.
This ticket just keeps getting better.
In the airship bathroom, Rowan sat in a locked stall, muttering under his breath like a broken record.
"Phantom Troupe... Phantom Troupe... Phantom Troupe..."
His sunken eyes stared at nothing.