Liam held the rose-gold sphere of aura between his fingers and waited.
If I were in his position, I'd tell me to go to hell.
Letting someone plant a Manipulation mark on your body was insane. It was handing over total control of your life to another person. One command and you'd be a puppet. No free will. No resistance. Just a meat robot doing whatever your controller wanted.
Kurapika would refuse. Obviously. Anyone sane would.
Except Kurapika didn't refuse.
He stood there for a long moment, silent. His scarlet eyes faded back to gray as he considered. Then he nodded.
"All right. I accept."
Liam blinked. "Seriously?"
"If you wanted to control me permanently, you would've done it already." Kurapika's voice was calm. Matter-of-fact. "When you awakened my Nen, I was completely helpless. You had a Star Mark on my forehead. I didn't even know what Nen was. If you'd kept the mark there after the awakening, I couldn't have stopped you. But you removed it. Immediately."
He met Liam's eyes. "I choose to trust you."
Liam opened his mouth. Closed it. Then shrugged. "Fair enough."
He let the explanation sink in while Kurapika processed the details. The Star Mark granted accelerated healing. The three control methods didn't damage the brain or erase consciousness. It was cooperative, not parasitic.
And honestly, Kurapika had a point. Liam's entire fighting style reflected his reluctance to use the Star Mark offensively.
Kurapika had watched every single one of Liam's matches on the 200th floor. Not once had Liam used the Star Mark on an opponent. Weak enemies didn't deserve it. They went down before the Star Mark became relevant. Strong enemies like Wing? Liam had developed an entirely new ability rather than rely on Manipulation to secure the win.
Buy Now, Pay Later was an Emission technique. Flashy. Public. Risky. But Liam had chosen to create that instead of using his guaranteed win condition.
Sure, part of it was strategic. Hiding his Manipulation ability kept his trump card secret. But the fact that he was willing to risk losing rather than expose it said something about his character. If he truly prioritized winning above all else, he'd have worked on "how to use the Star Mark covertly" instead of "how to win without using the Star Mark at all."
Nen abilities reflected the user's personality. Conscious restrictions and unconscious habits both shaped how abilities developed. Liam's style seemed to be: I'll only use the Star Mark if I have no other choice. If it's life or death. Otherwise, I fight head-on.
That unconscious self-restraint was probably what made the Star Mark so powerful in the first place. The stricter the limitation, the greater the boost.
These thoughts flashed through Kurapika's mind in seconds. He looked down at his hands. "Where should I put it? Somewhere that won't be visible. Not the back of my hand."
"Obviously it goes on the—" Liam paused. He reached up and touched the back of his own neck through his collar. His original Star Mark was there. Putting Kurapika's in the same spot would be boring. Repetitive. "Actually, forget that. Let's go with the chest mark instead."
"The chest." Kurapika nodded. He tugged his collar open.
Liam pressed his fingertip against Kurapika's sternum. Aura flowed. The rose-gold pentagram etched itself into the skin, glowing faintly before settling into a permanent mark.
"All right. Let me show you how the three modes feel."
Liam snapped his fingers.
Snap.
Kurapika's vision went dark. His body vanished. He felt like he'd fallen through ice into freezing water. Distant. Disconnected. Then Liam's voice echoed from somewhere far away.
"First mode. I take over your body completely. First-person perspective. Full possession."
Snap.
The world rushed back. Kurapika could feel his body again. Arms. Legs. Chest rising and falling with breath. But none of it responded to his commands. His legs moved on their own. His arms lifted. He walked three steps to the left, turned, and sat down in the chair. All without his input.
"Second mode," Liam's voice said. "Remote control. I see you from outside. Like a video game character. The difference from first mode is that if I lose line of sight, you might be able to break free for a moment. Theoretically."
Snap.
Kurapika's hand moved. He watched his own fingers curl. His nails scraped across the Star Mark on his chest. Under Gyo, the nails became sharp as razors. They carved a thin line through the mark.
The pentagram flickered. Then dissolved.
Sensation flooded back. Kurapika gasped. Full control returned instantly.
Liam smiled. "Third mode. Verbal commands. You obey specific orders. And as you just saw, you can remove the Star Mark by destroying it. A scratch with your nails. A needle. Anything that damages the symbol."
The shallow cut on Kurapika's chest sealed itself. The skin knit together in seconds, like an invisible eraser wiping away the wound.
Kurapika touched the spot. Smooth. Unmarked.
"Wait." Kurapika's expression went flat. Deadpan. "You just removed the mark to demonstrate. So now you need to put another one on me."
"Yep." Liam pressed his finger to Kurapika's chest again. The pentagram reappeared. "There we go. Good as new."
Kurapika sighed. "You could've explained first."
"Where's the fun in that?"
They stood in the internet cafe's private room. The flickering monitor cast blue light across their faces.
"All right," Liam said. "See you at Sensui Mountain on June sixteenth."
Kurapika nodded. He adjusted his collar, covering the Star Mark. "I'll find a mission that gets me inside."
Shizuku tilted her head. "Good luck."
They parted ways at the door. Liam and Shizuku headed back toward Heavens Arena. Kurapika turned in the opposite direction.
After a few steps, Kurapika stopped. He pressed his hand against his chest through his shirt. The Star Mark pulsed faintly under his palm.
Liam had deliberately shown him what being controlled felt like. The coldness of the first mode. The detachment of the second. The autonomy of the third. He'd made it obvious. Clear. So Kurapika would always know if he was being manipulated.
A Manipulator who's afraid people will think he's controlling them.
Kurapika almost smiled. It was absurd. Paranoid. And somehow reassuring.
He turned and walked toward the nearest Thousand-Ear Society office.
Liam and Shizuku stepped through the massive glass doors of Heavens Arena. The lobby stretched out before them, bustling with fighters, tourists, and staff. The noise was overwhelming. Hundreds of conversations overlapping. Footsteps echoing off polished marble. Announcers calling matches over the PA system.
Liam had ten consecutive wins on the 200th floor. His fighter alias, "John Smith," was plastered on promotional posters near the elevators. People glanced at him as he passed. Some pointed. Others whispered.
Celebrity status. Fantastic. Just what I needed.
He walked up to the front desk. A staff member recognized him immediately and straightened. "Mr. John Smith! How can I help you today?"
"I need information about the Sensui Mountain Conference," Liam said. "Details. Schedule. How to register."
The woman smiled. Professional. Practiced. "Of course! The conference runs from June sixteenth to the twenty-sixth. Attendees from Heavens Arena will travel via a dedicated airship departing on the fifteenth. As for eligibility, you must have at least eight wins on the 200th floor and no more than three losses."
"So Wing qualifies," Liam said. "Is he attending?"
The woman's smile didn't waver. "Mr. Wing declined the invitation."
Of course he did. Bisky probably told him to stay home and train.
Shizuku stepped up beside Liam. She spoke to the staff member directly. "I'd like a match application form."
The woman blinked. Surprised. Then recovered smoothly. "Ah, yes. Of course."
She pulled a blank form from beneath the desk and handed it to Shizuku.
Shizuku had only been out of competition for three months. She'd forfeited once after the ninety-day preparation period expired, which counted as one loss. Technically, she could still compete. She had three losses remaining before disqualification.
Shizuku filled in the form quickly. She checked the box marked Available for matches at any time.
Liam raised an eyebrow. "You sure about this?"
Shizuku looked at him. Her expression was blank. Unreadable.
"I want to fight more," she said simply.
Liam shrugged. "All right. Your call."
She handed the form back to the staff member and turned toward the elevators.
They rode up in silence.