Not Friends

After arriving in Gram Galans City, the Circus settled into the venue where it would soon perform.

The ringmaster, Moritonio, had originally planned to take Hisoka to the hospital for treatment. But seeing that Hisoka seemed capable of moving on his own, he merely found a clinic to have his wounds simply bandaged.

The troupe members were all somewhat astonished by the young man's tenacious vitality.

After all, when they had found Hisoka, he had looked like he was on his last breath.

And it had only been a few days.

Still, no one had the mind to spare for a newcomer like Hisoka. They had to prepare for the performance three days later. The troupe members had already begun rehearsing in the venue according to the ringmaster's instructions, striving to avoid any mistakes on the day of the show.

Their circus had many kinds of performers: fire-breathers, acrobats, animal tamers—anything one could think of. But the most famous act was Ringmaster Moritonio's signature skill, Air Swimming. So-called Air Swimming allowed the performer to cast off gravity for brief flight and walk across great heights as though on solid ground.

In Oboro's eyes, now that he understood the full story, it was actually the ringmaster using Nen to cling to the building.

Moritonio's Nen power possessed a magnetic effect.

At the same time, Oboro remembered... his ringmaster was not only a serial killer, but also a contestant who had taken the Hunter Exam in the same batch as Ging Freecss. Unfortunately, Ging Freecss had been the only one from that year to stand out.

As for what had happened during that time, outsiders did not know... In any case, Ging Freecss had left a deep shadow over the ringmaster. It seemed the old man had later abandoned his dream of becoming a Hunter and instead became a wandering performer, eventually founding this circus.

"Yo!"

The day before the performance, Oboro was washing clothes in his room when he heard a familiar sound behind him.

He did not need to turn around to know it was Hisoka.

Hisoka leaned half his body against the doorframe. Seeing Oboro ignore him, he smiled without minding it. "Everyone in the troupe has one or two special talents. What about you? What can you do? Wash clothes?"

"..."

"Do you have nothing better to do? Why aren't you still at the venue secretly watching them perform and stealing their techniques?"

Oboro's expression remained blank.

Ever since they had arrived at the performance venue, Hisoka had been observing every troupe member's methods and style of performance.

Oboro knew very well... this kid was learning.

Judging from Hisoka's future strength and performance, his learning ability was monstrously terrifying.

"Mm... I've seen enough already."

Hisoka shrugged.

Oboro's heart skipped a beat.

The implication of those words was obvious... the other party had already learned everything. It was as if the skills the troupe members had painstakingly practiced for years contained no real technical difficulty in Hisoka's eyes.

"I'm busy... If you have nothing else to do, please leave."

Oboro spoke flatly.

His value in the circus lay in logistics support. Since he had only joined the troupe not long ago, although he was learning to perform, he was still unable to take the stage. If he wanted to survive in the circus, find a suitable place for himself, and make outsiders dislike him less, Oboro had to work harder and do odd jobs.

"Hey..."

Suddenly, an arm reached over from behind and draped itself across Oboro's shoulder.

Hisoka leaned his head closer as if they were old friends.

"You slipped out secretly last night... didn't you?"

"!!!!!"

At those words, Oboro's pupils contracted sharply.

He had gone out to train in secret... In Oboro's view, he had to arm himself every second he could, training in Chinese Martial Arts according to the system's guidance. For ordinary people, laying a foundation required an extremely long time, but with the system, he could greatly shorten the time needed to grow stronger.

Because he knew what would happen next... the ringmaster would die at Hisoka's hands, and the circus would fall apart. After that, he would most likely have to fend for himself.

"Living with you really is no good thing."

The disgust Oboro showed toward Hisoka became even more obvious.

Yes, when rooms had been assigned, the ringmaster had placed him and Hisoka together.

"Hehehe..."

Hisoka smiled. "I've never seen that kind of training method or technique before... It seems pretty interesting. How about teaching me?"

"How about this..."

Oboro raised one finger. "If you tell me your true origins and background, I'll teach you."

His training methods were all designed to specifically strengthen particular parts of the body, such as the legs or arms... The results were astonishing, far beyond ordinary fitness exercises. Of course, the aftereffects were severe as well... Even now, his hands and feet ached terribly.

He had merely endured it without showing it, so outsiders could not tell.

"Interested in where I came from?... I thought you hated me..."

Hisoka answered without addressing the question, changing the subject instead. "It's fine... I've already memorized it."

"Go on with your work. I won't disturb you."

With that, he waved his hand and turned to leave.

"Not letting anything slip... Are you afraid someone might get hold of something against you...?"

Oboro continued scrubbing the clothes, letting out a cold laugh.

He was not afraid of Hisoka telling others about his secret, because it did not matter... the circus would be finished soon anyway.

Besides... Hisoka had no friends in the troupe either. Everyone seemed to dislike that kid who always kept his eyes narrowed and wore a smile.

They instinctively rejected him.

As for Oboro himself, he could only say that, because they were around the same age, he had "helplessly" ended up somewhat close to Hisoka.

Graham was a city of pleasure, bustling and filled with all kinds of entertainment venues.

Especially casinos, luxurious high-end clubs, and hotels...

Such an environment had also given the city a rich entertainment culture, making it a holy land for performers.

All kinds of artists and entertainers often stayed there long-term, and circuses were among them.

The day of the performance arrived.

The venue, which could hold several thousand people, was packed to capacity.

The Moritonio Circus took the stage amid the audience's cheers and performed one spectacular act after another.

The peak of the show, and the moment that drew the loudest cheers, was Ringmaster Neo hanging upside down from the ceiling of the venue, cane in hand, walking steadily across the dome.

The crowd below whistled and threw all kinds of gifts onto the stage as tips. Oboro and several other troupe members gathered up the presents, Jenie banknotes, and some coins. Then they bowed to the audience and silently withdrew.

As he left the stage, Oboro spotted Hisoka sitting cross-legged on one of the venue's beams. He was studying Moritonio, who was walking upside down, with considerable interest.

This guy... has he already sensed Nen?

Oboro's eyelid twitched.

Ever since learning the ringmaster's identity, Oboro had been consciously and unconsciously observing him.

That included Moritonio, who was currently using Nen power, but unfortunately... Oboro could not sense the flow of aura, that is, Nen.

That required talent! And clearly, Hisoka's talent was at a monstrous level!

At the end of the day, the performance came to an end.

The circus received the local residents' praise, and the show had undoubtedly been a success.

"Oboro... how is your horsemanship training going?"

That night, while everyone was dining together, the ringmaster looked at Oboro and asked.

"I can perform the basics."

Oboro replied.

"Then... get ready. You'll go on stage tomorrow." The ringmaster nodded.

"Alright."

Since Oboro had not been in the troupe for long, he could only learn the simplest kinds of acts. Horsemanship was among the easiest circus acts to pick up, essentially a form of horse training. It included performing various flashy and dangerous movements on horseback, as well as three-dimensional vaulting and so on.

Having lived two lives, Oboro's learning ability could not compare to a freak like Hisoka, but it was still quite outstanding.

More importantly, he worked hard... and Neo, as the ringmaster, had seen all of that.

"Isn't it too soon?"

Abachi, the orange-haired girl with a ponytail, spoke up.

There were only three people in the troupe around the same age.

Oboro, Hisoka, and Abachi.

"Sooner or later, the day will come. Performing earlier to gain experience is a good thing too. Don't be afraid of failure. You're still young." The ringmaster smiled warmly at Oboro.

"Mm."

Nearby, Hisoka deftly spun the knife and fork in his hands, though no one knew what he was thinking.

Time slowly passed, yet it went by quickly.

Oboro's first performance was ordinary and caused no stir.

He was neither responsible for the opening nor the finale. He merely warmed up the crowd between acts, so naturally there was little pressure.

After Oboro began performing, the idle Hisoka took over his duties and began handling the troupe's logistics, such as... washing clothes and organizing props.

Performance after performance went by, and gradually... the Moritonio Circus began to make a name for itself in Graham.

The troupe's livelihood improved considerably.

As for Oboro, aside from rehearsing and performing during the day, he continued training himself every night.

Even under the same roof as Hisoka, he no longer bothered to hide it. When the time came, he simply got up and left.

He was ruthlessly squeezing every bit of time out of his rest.

Naturally... this also made his training results improve even more noticeably.

At night... in a secluded park in Graham City.

Oboro had sandbags tied to all four limbs and heavy weights on his back as he crawled on the ground... His clothes were already soaked through, and sweat continuously dripped from his face onto the dirt.

After crawling back and forth more than a dozen times, he began using both hands and feet to climb trees barehanded.

Then, following the system's instruction, he began striking the tree trunks...

Every set of exercises was completed strictly according to the system's arrangements, without the slightest carelessness.

Before he knew it, a pale hint of dawn appeared on the horizon.

At last, Oboro stopped, removed his equipment, and gasped heavily with his mouth dry and parched.

His chest rose and fell like a bellows.

"My skeletal strength and flexibility... judging by the numbers, they've been tempered enough. It's time to start cultivating the methods of Chinese Martial Arts." After steadying his breath, he spread open his callused palms and revealed a satisfied smile.

Compared with more than a month ago, he had undergone a complete transformation.

The change was astonishing!

Most noticeably, his body had developed clear muscle definition, and his physique had become sturdier and tougher. His whole body had grown a full size... At a glance, he looked no different from an adult.

With a physique like that, anyone who looked at him could sense the power contained within.

To gain such a strong body in little more than a month was practically impossible by ordinary standards! Yet he had done it.

Aside from the system's effects... Oboro believed a large part of it was connected to this world itself.

After all, this was not Earth... The living environment and power system were different.

There were freaks everywhere.

Besides, his flesh and blood had only been enhanced to a level that did not match his age. He was still far from the limits of the human body.

But to have grown this much in such a short time, he was already very satisfied.

"It seems this body of mine... at the very least, has some talent and potential in terms of physique..."

"Compared to traditional training methods, what the system provides could be called a devilish teaching approach... Though it is exceptionally painful and torturous, the specialized results are obvious. It's all the essence!" Oboro felt that as long as he had the system, he had a clear path forward.

Combined with his familiarity with the plot, he could profit from it quite effectively. That was like adding wings to a tiger on top of already getting twice the result with half the effort!

After taking off his soaked clothes, Oboro's muscular body gave off wisps of heat in the night.

His body temperature was high.

"It's about time..."

Oboro muttered. Just as he took a step forward, his stride suddenly halted.

Directly in front of him, a familiar figure sat on a park bench with one leg crossed over the other. "Going back?"

Hisoka!

"When did you get here?"

Oboro frowned.

"A long time ago... You were just too focused on training to notice me."

Hisoka stretched lazily. "I couldn't sleep either. Being alone was boring..."

"..."

Oboro fell silent.

Being watched like this did not feel good.

Especially when... the one watching him was Hisoka. It made his skin crawl.

"Hey..."

Hisoka tilted his head, propping his cheek up with one hand. His smiling eyes opened slightly, and his tone differed from usual. "You seem to have something on your mind... I always feel like you're carrying something. You're different from everyone else in the troupe. As a friend, could I have the honor of hearing your secret? Maybe... I could help."

The moment the word secret came out.

Oboro's gaze turned cold. He bared his teeth in a grin and stared directly at Hisoka without restraint. "You really want to help me?"

After spending this time together, Oboro had gotten somewhat familiar with Hisoka's personality.

This guy was definitely not that kind-hearted... Calling it help, he was more likely trying to dig up some "bait" that could entertain him.

More importantly... Oboro knew this guy's nature far too well.

"Of course."

Hisoka smiled lightly.

"Fine... can you go die?"

Oboro said each word distinctly.

"Are you angry?"

Hisoka raised his eyebrows.

Oboro ignored him and strode away.

"Don't be so heartless... Don't worry, I'll keep your matters completely secret."

"I hope you understand... you and I are merely colleagues, not friends."

"Mm... understood, understood."

Hisoka slowly followed after him, answering in an utterly perfunctory manner.