Hisoka's Little Mood

After Gon woke up, he did go to settle scores with Illumi as expected... but this time, one of the people who planned to accompany him to Kukuroo Mountain was missing.

After obtaining his Hunter License, Kurapika left the party first.

Leorio was left with only a note.

The location Oboro gave Kurapika was Graham City, where he had once lived.

After arriving in his spaceship, Kurapika used a map to enter a desolate mountain area.

This mountain range was also where Oboro trained as a 'savage' before heading to the Heavens Arena.

The next day, Kurapika pushed aside a patch of waist-high weeds and walked onto a gentle hillside. Looking around, he saw lush green grass stretching out before him, a vast and open landscape with no trees to obstruct the view—a truly pleasant sight. But the first thing that caught his eye wasn't the beautiful scenery, but a person.

A man sat cross-legged on the ground, surrounded by many wild animals... Nearby were a pack of wolves, a lone tiger or leopard, a fox, and some strangely shaped small creatures. Strangely, these wild animals, like the man lying on the ground, were resting, enjoying the breeze and basking in the sun.

The scene was quite harmonious.

As he appeared... some ferocious beasts slowly rose and let out aggressive growls.

This immediately put Kurapika on alert, and he assumed a defensive stance.

"It's okay... come here."

At this moment, Oboro, who was lying on the ground, stretched, sat up, and smiled slightly at the blond boy.

Then, he waved.

Strangely, the wild animals seemed to understand Oboro's words and dispersed and went far away.

This scene was completely beyond Kurapika's comprehension.

"Is this the ability you were talking about... the ability called Nen?" Kurapika stepped forward slowly and asked.

"No."

He answered lazily.

"How long will it take? How long will it take me to acquire that Nen?"

Kurapika is in a hurry.

"With me here, it will be quick... Normally, it might take you half a year, or at the fastest a few months... I can greatly shorten this time, and at the same time help you develop your own trump card." Long took off his sunglasses and said easily.

Where is Hisoka?

Kurapika looked around.

He now knows Hisoka's identity and his connection to the Phantom Troupe.

"Isn't he also one of the participants in the game?"

"Hmm... he's already gone back."

"What?"

Kurapika's expression changed. "You've already spoken to him?"

"No, he doesn't need me to tell him anything; he can handle it himself."

"Long said casually."

"You trust him that much? Aren't you afraid he'll betray you or expose our plans?"

"I don't trust him!"

Kurapika's expression was serious.

"Don't worry, you don't know him yet... He's more eager to participate in this game than you are. He just loves to cause trouble, a real headache." Even if Oboro explained, Kurapika wouldn't understand.

A quote from Moritonio describing Hisoka back then couldn't be more fitting.

Childlike innocence... not the innocent kind of child, but a mischievous little devil who likes to play pranks and cause trouble.

In addition, he has a somewhat morbid madness... and his mental state may not be quite normal.

He changed the subject, "So, let's begin the practice of chanting... Are you prepared for death?"

"Certainly."

Kurapika's eyes were cold.

"Very good!"

On the other side, at the hotel where the Phantom Troupe was staying.

The Shalnark was talking to Hisoka on the phone. "The Hunter Exam is over, right?"

"Um."

"Now that you've got the license, why don't you come back?"

"I've arrived, I'm near the hotel," Hisoka a sinister smile.

"What's the meaning?"

Their conversation was played on speakerphone, so everyone present could hear it clearly.

"He's back, why isn't he at the hotel?" Chrollo reached out and held the Shalnark's phone to his ear, his expression calm. "Hisoka..."

"I am here."

"Did you do something bad?"

"Hmm... there is a little, but not much." Hisoka's voice made Chrollo's eyes narrow, but his expression remained unchanged.

At this moment, several miles away from the hotel, Hisoka was sitting in the middle of a bustling street, in front of a juice shop, drinking juice with a relaxed expression.

One hand held the phone, while the other gently stirred the liquid in the glass with a straw.

"But don't worry... even though I saw Oboro, I didn't reveal anything~~"

"I just suddenly feel like I've been framed... I'm a little unhappy."

"..."

Chrollo.

"That man is indeed as you said, exceptionally strong, terrifying... Killing him won't be easy! I originally wanted to find some opportunities to make contact with him, but... after confirming his danger level, I suddenly understood... your intention!"

"This makes me feel really bad..."

"Aren't you alright?"

Chrollo said calmly.

"But what if I die at his hands... Although I haven't been a member of the Phantom Troupe for long, I've always found it quite interesting to be with you guys... I risked everything to report all the information I observed to you, and this is how you treat me..."

Hisoka swung his toes, looking pleased, but his tone was quite resentful.

"If you are fine, the probability of something going wrong is zero percent."

Chrollo said.

"But... your actions have revealed your true intentions... If I'm not mistaken, you're planning to have Pakunoda test me again, aren't you?"

"..."

Chrollo did not answer.

"You see... this distrust is like a knife, pointed at me once again... Should I consider leaving you?"

"I'm very unhappy... extremely unhappy!"

"Oh... you should be able to guess, I can't guarantee what I might do if I'm unhappy! For example, I could tell him everything about my experiences joining you over the years and what I know about you. I'm Hunter x Hunter in the Association now, so it wouldn't be that difficult for me to contact him."

What do you want me to do?

Chrollo said calmly.

Apologize to me.

Hisoka for a while and then made a very naive request.

"Sorry."

Chrollo didn't hesitate for a moment.

"I forgive you."

Hisoka said something sinister, and then revealed his location.

After hanging up the phone, Chrollo remained silent, seemingly deep in thought.

"Is there something wrong with Hisoka?"

Shizuku asked in confusion.

"No, if he really had a problem, he would most likely pretend nothing happened and go back to the hotel. After all, revealing his true colors to us wouldn't do him any good; he would just get executed! This situation makes more sense, given his anger at realizing he was used as bait... If we had told him the truth from the beginning, he wouldn't have reacted this way. It's precisely because we kept it from him that this sense of rejection and suspicion makes him feel uncomfortable."

"And this very emotion proves his innocence... Since he understood the leader's intentions, if he were Oboro's pawn, he wouldn't have gone to his death; he was alone! Moreover, during the long Hunter Exam, he informed Oboro about us, including the hotel we were staying at. Given the Fills Family's actions, we would have been attacked long ago..."

Hehehe...

The Shalnark laughed and said, "Hisoka is just throwing a little tantrum!"

"That's just the kind of person he is, nothing strange about it."

Machi added that she was the member of the Phantom Troupe who had the longest contact with Hisoka and was also the one who knew him the best.

There's a general consensus about Hisoka: he's a madman... Sometimes, it's hard to understand what he's thinking, and his motivations are difficult to guess.

To be honest, apart from Machi, who was relatively close to him, the others in the Phantom Troupe didn't really like Hisoka.

It feels so unconventional...

Hisoka is undeniably strong, and as a partner, he's very reliable.

"Commander, shall we continue with the test?"

Pakunoda glanced at Chrollo.

In the current situation, if Hisoka is still tested... then their relationship will truly collapse.

Besides, the group leader has already apologized.

Should we still take the risk, even at the cost of sacrificing a member of the crew... provided Hisoka is innocent?

"Watch his reaction."

Chrollo gave a single sentence.

"Let's go see him."

"Another one, please."

On the other side, Hisoka remained seated and pointed to the empty cup in front of the clerk.

"Uh... okay."

The female clerk nodded and quickly brought him the second glass of juice.

Hisoka rested his chin on one hand, continuing to suck on the straw.

He looked at the people walking on the street with a contented expression.

He didn't really like drinking juice before, but before the Hunter Exam, he often drank it with Oboro, which made him think that juice... seemed pretty good.