Night gave way to dawn, and a faint glow shimmered through the thin sea fog.
As time passed, the light slowly parted the wall of fog like a pair of gentle hands. The sun climbed higher, little by little.
Biscuit had made do with a night on the sofa, whose springs seemed to be broken. Only now did she wake. Rubbing the corners of her eyes, she looked down and saw that the blanket she had wrapped around herself had been kicked beneath the sofa.
She nervously glanced at the other two in the cabin. They were both still fast asleep, and she let out a relieved breath.
She couldn't let anyone else see her sleeping so disgracefully.
Gelman was still stretched out on the bench, not having moved an inch. A blanket covered him, and his breathing was even.
Shizuku lay on the net hammock, facing up, her expression peaceful and her hands folded over her abdomen. She looked just like a dead person lying in a coffin.
"Mm... You're both sleeping so soundly. My Miss Cookie really is something."
Biscuit praised herself as she gazed at the cracked wall, where an old-fashioned clock ticked away.
"It's eleven in the morning. I should wake those two lazy pigs. But first, Miss Cookie can help me with my beauty routine. A lady must never neglect her daily care."
Half an hour later, Biscuit emerged from the washroom, looking radiant, and saw that Shizuku was already awake.
Like a lazy black cat, Shizuku unfolded herself from a curled-up position and stretched out with a long yawn.
"You're awake already, Shizuku."
"Mm, just woke up."
"Then Gelman's the only one left."
Biscuit nodded at Shizuku, then went over to the bench and crouched beside it. She reached out to pinch Gelman's cheek, but he opened his eyes the next instant.
"What are you doing?"
"Whoa!" Biscuit jumped, nearly falling onto the cold floor. Once she had recovered, she patted her chest and complained, "Don't scare me like that. If you're awake, get up already."
"I just woke up too."
Gelman sat up on the bench, glanced at the heavy blanket covering his upper body, then reached out to Biscuit, who was crouching on the floor, and pulled her to her feet.
"Thanks."
After pulling Biscuit up, Gelman let go and moved the blanket aside. He picked up the Hunter Robe, which had been neatly folded nearby, and put it on.
"I rarely sleep this well."
He wasn't being modest or polite; it was the truth. Since arriving in this world on November 21 of last year, he had only had a truly peaceful night's sleep a handful of times.
To deal with the Bounty Hunters and assassins who had flocked to him during his first month or two, Gelman had been forced to keep his sleep shallow. The slightest disturbance would jolt him awake.
The day he first got "Hypersomnia," his sleep had become deeper, but much too deep. His endless dreams were filled with all sorts of unsettling things.
Last night was the first time in all this while that he had truly relaxed, body and mind. He had slept without dreaming and woken naturally.
Shizuku hopped down from the net hammock and raised her hand like a student answering a professor's question. "I slept really well last night too. Little Biscuit's ability is amazing."
"Of course!" Biscuit proudly raised both hands and high-fived Shizuku as she came over. "Lack of sleep is the enemy of girls like us! I can't just stand by and let it happen!"
Gelman frowned as he watched the two of them interact.
"Little Biscuit"... He had forgotten to explain Biscuit's true circumstances to Shizuku. It would probably be awkward to bring it up now, so he decided to leave things as they were.
Had Shizuku not noticed anything unusual about Biscuit? Or had she noticed, but simply not cared?
"Don't rush to thank me. You paid, so of course I'll do the job."
Biscuit stood with her hands on her hips. Despite her words, her face was full of smug satisfaction.
"How about you, Gelman? That 'pressure' we talked about last night—did you release any? That's the most important thing."
"Let me check." Gelman reached out and materialized the Hunter Badge.
This was the first time Biscuit and Shizuku had seen the source of his ability in its true form: a chipped, crescent-shaped fragment, covered in rust and edged with a few sharp points.
The Hunter Badge projected something before them, but they couldn't see a thing. They could only sense that the Nen Energy had changed.
"Pressure": 65→41
Twenty-four points gone, he thought to himself.
Gelman couldn't help feeling much more invigorated. That was fourteen more points of Pressure Release than he got from a single Critical Hit. More importantly, it was a stable, sustainable way to relieve pressure.
"The effect's pretty good." Gelman turned and looked at Biscuit. "Could you do it again now?"
"I can," Biscuit said with a nod. "But it hasn't even been twenty-four hours since last time, so the effect will have diminishing returns."
"Doesn't matter. It'll be a good chance to test things further." Gelman gripped the hem of his robe, preparing to take it off.
This time, Biscuit couldn't bring herself to keep deceiving him and hurriedly stopped him.
"You don't need to take your clothes off this time. Miss Cookie knows your body well enough already, so she doesn't need to touch you directly."
"I see."
Gelman nodded, then lay facedown on the bench once more, resting his arms beneath his chin.
"Gelman really likes massages," Shizuku said, adjusting her glasses as she spoke to Biscuit. "Though I can understand why. It really is a pleasant experience."
"Gelman probably has his own reasons." Biscuit waved a hand. "He doesn't just like beauty treatments and massages. It must be important to him. I suppose I'll help him out."
She materialized the pink-haired Miss Cookie once more. For the next thirty minutes, Miss Cookie performed the dreamlike Peach Blossom Breath.
This time, Gelman stayed awake. As soon as Peach Blossom Breath ended, he had the Hunter Badge project his stats.
"Pressure": 41→26
Gelman considered the results. Fifteen points, nine fewer than last time. It must have something to do with the time elapsed.
Peach Blossom Breath had ended at around nine last night. It was now noon the following day, exactly fifteen hours later.
He could make the following deduction: Miss Cookie's initial Pressure Release was twenty-four points.
If Miss Cookie performed another massage immediately afterward, there would be some Pressure Release, but so little that it could be ignored. It was basically zero.
If he waited after the session, then one point of Pressure Release would recover every hour, until the maximum was restored after twenty-four hours.
"So, have you figured it out?"
Biscuit made Miss Cookie disappear, sat on a chair, and leaned forward with one hand propping up her chin as she studied Gelman's expression.
"Mm." Gelman got up from the bench. "Please have Miss Cookie use Peach Blossom Breath on me again in twenty-four hours, then once more two hours after that."
Twenty-six... Biscuit caught the implication at once. Her wine-red eyes narrowed slightly, like a fox that had just cornered its prey.
She concluded that the Hunter Badge let him see his own stats. That explained why he was so determined to lower his "pressure."
There was nothing strange about it. Nen abilities came in all sorts of forms. It was perfectly normal for someone to have one that worked like a game.
"I want one too." Shizuku raised her hand again. "I want another massage."
Biscuit froze, then waved her white-gloved hands. "Hey, hey, my Miss Cookie isn't your personal masseuse!"
Thanks to Mr. Watchmaker and reader 20230705125128091 for the reward.
Thanks to all the readers for the monthly and recommendation tickets.
Once again, happy New Year to all the readers! May everything go your way, may you have the Dragon Horse Spirit, and may wealth and prosperity come your way!
Before you continue