Not Friends

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

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

The troupe members were somewhat astonished by the boy'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.

However, no one had the time to focus on a newcomer like Hisoka. They had to prepare for the performance three days from now. 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 performers: fire-eaters, acrobats, animal tamers—anything one could think of. But their most famous act was still ringmaster Moritonio's signature stunt, "Air Swimming." So-called Air Swimming meant that a performer could escape gravity, fly briefly, and walk steadily at great heights.

Now that Oboro understood the full story, he knew that, in reality, the ringmaster was using Nen to cling to buildings.

Moritonio's Nen affinity had a "magnetic force" effect.

At the same time, Oboro remembered... his ringmaster was not only a serial killer, but also one of the contestants who had taken the Hunter Exam alongside 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 had no way of knowing... In any case, Ging Freecss had left a huge shadow over the ringmaster. It seemed that the old man had later given up on becoming a Hunter, becoming a wandering performer instead and founding this Circus.

"Yo!"

The day before the performance, Oboro was washing clothes in his room when a familiar presence appeared behind him.

Without looking back, he knew it was Hisoka.

Hisoka leaned half his body against the doorframe. Seeing that Oboro ignored him, he smiled without concern. "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 sneaking around the venue to watch them perform and steal their techniques?"

Oboro's face was expressionless.

Ever since arriving at the performance venue, Hisoka had been observing every troupe member's techniques and methods.

Oboro knew perfectly well... this kid was learning!

Judging from Hisoka's future strength and accomplishments, his learning ability was monstrously absurd.

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

Hisoka shrugged.

Oboro's heart skipped a beat.

The implication was obvious... the other party had already learned it all. It was as though the special skills the troupe members had practiced for years held no technical value whatsoever in Hisoka's eyes.

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

Oboro spoke flatly.

His value in the Circus was logistical support. Since he had not been in the troupe for long, although he was learning to perform as well, he was not yet able 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 close as though they were old friends.

"You snuck out last night... didn't you?"

"!!!!!"

Oboro's pupils abruptly contracted.

He had gone out to train in secret... In Oboro's view, he had to arm himself every second he could, following the Chinese Martial Arts training provided by the system. For an ordinary person to build a foundation required an exceedingly 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 likely have to fend for himself.

"Living with you really isn't a good thing."

The disgust Oboro showed toward Hisoka became even more obvious.

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

"Hehehe..."

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

"How about this..."

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

His training methods were designed to strengthen specific parts of the body, such as the legs or arms... Their effects were astonishing, far beyond ordinary fitness training. Naturally, the aftereffects were severe as well... Even now, his hands and feet ached terribly.

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

"You're interested in where I came from?... I thought you hated me..."

Hisoka answered a different question, changing the subject. "It's fine... I've already remembered it."

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

With that, he waved and turned to leave.

"Not letting anything slip... Are you afraid someone might get something on you...?"

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

He was not worried about Hisoka telling anyone his secret, because it did not matter... The Circus would be finished soon anyway.

Besides... Hisoka had no friends in the troupe either. No one seemed to like the kid who constantly kept his eyes narrowed and smiled.

They instinctively rejected him.

As for Oboro himself, it could only be said that, because they were the same age, he had "helplessly" become somewhat close to Hisoka.

Graham was a city of pleasure. It was extremely prosperous and filled with entertainment venues.

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

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

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

The day of the performance arrived.

The venue, capable of holding several thousand people, was packed to the brim.

Amid the audience's cheers, the Moritonio Circus took the stage and performed one brilliant act after another.

The performance's climax, which drew the loudest cheers, was the sight of ringmaster Neo hanging upside down from the ceiling of the venue, cane in hand, walking steadily along the dome.

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

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

"This guy... could he have already sensed Nen?"

Oboro's eyelid twitched.

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

That included Moritonio, who was using Nen right now, but unfortunately... Oboro could not sense the flow of aura, namely Nen.

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

By the end of the day, the performance was over.

The Circus had earned the locals' applause. The performance had undoubtedly been a success.

"Oboro... how is your horseback riding coming along?"

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

"I can perform the basics."

Oboro replied.

"Then... make your preparations. You'll go on stage tomorrow." The ringmaster nodded.

"Alright."

Since Oboro had not been in the troupe long, he could only learn the simplest forms of performance. Horseback riding was the easiest act in the Circus to pick up, essentially a kind of equestrian trick riding. It involved performing all kinds of flashy and dangerous movements on horseback, as well as vaulting and other acts.

Oboro had lived two lives. Although his learning ability could not compare to a freak like Hisoka, it was still outstanding.

More importantly, he worked very hard... 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.

"There will be a first time sooner or later. Performing early 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."

Beside them, Hisoka nimbly spun the knife and fork in his hands, though no one knew what he was thinking.

Time passed slowly, yet quickly.

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

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

After he 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 followed. Gradually... the Moritonio Circus began making a name for itself in Graham.

The troupe's business improved considerably.

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

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

He was crazily squeezing every possible moment from his rest time.

Naturally... that also made his training progress particularly noticeable.

Late at night... in a secluded park in Graham City.

With sandbags tied to his limbs and heavy weights on his back, Oboro crawled forward close to 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 climbing tree after tree with his bare hands and feet.

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

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

Before he realized it, the horizon had begun to pale with dawn.

Finally stopping, Oboro removed the equipment from his body and panted heavily, parched and gasping.

His chest rose and fell like a bellows.

"The strength and flexibility of my bones and muscles... judging by the numbers, they've been tempered enough. It's time to begin practicing the methods of Chinese Martial Arts." After steadying his breathing, he spread open his callused palms and revealed a satisfied smile.

Compared to over 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 entire body had grown a full size... At a glance, he looked no different from an adult.

With a physique like that, anyone could sense the strength contained in his body with just one look.

To possess such a powerful physique in just over a month was nearly impossible by ordinary standards! Yet he had done it.

Besides the system's influence... Oboro believed much of it had to do with this world itself.

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

There were freaks everywhere.

Moreover, his current physical state had merely been enhanced to a level inconsistent with his age. He was still far from the pinnacle of the human body.

But achieving this much growth in such a short time already satisfied him greatly.

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

"Compared to traditional training methods, what the system provides can only be called devilish instruction... It's painfully brutal and torturous, but the focused results are obvious. It's all the essence!" Oboro felt that as long as he had the system, he would have a clear path forward.

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

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

His body temperature was very high.

"It's about time..."

Oboro muttered. Just as he took a step forward, he suddenly stopped.

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

Hisoka!

"When did you get here?"

Oboro frowned.

"A long time ago... You were 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 on your shoulders... You're different from the others in the troupe. As a friend, could I have the honor of hearing your secret? Maybe... I can help..."

The moment he said the word secret.

Oboro's gaze turned cold. He bared his teeth in a reckless grin and met Hisoka's eyes. "You really want to help me?"

After spending this time together, Oboro had more or less become familiar with some of Hisoka's personality.

This guy was definitely not that kindhearted... Calling it help would be more accurately described as wanting to dig up some "bait" that might entertain him.

More than anything... Oboro understood this guy's nature too well.

"Of course."

Hisoka smiled lightly.

"Fine... Can you die for me?"

Oboro said each word clearly.

"Are you angry?"

Hisoka raised his brows.

Ignoring him completely, Oboro strode away.

"Don't be so heartless... Don't worry, I'll keep your matters to myself."

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

"Mm... I understand, I understand."

Hisoka slowly caught up, answering in an utterly perfunctory manner.