This Thing Called Nen...

Late at night.

Monica woke up and found herself lying on a single bed.

She sat up, looking dazed.

Everything that had happened that night flashed through her mind like a slideshow.

The murderous madman who had attacked her and her companions for no reason, their desperate flight through the mountains, the first light of dawn in the distance, and finally—

The calm, composed young man, and the corpse in a gruesome state.

As the images flickered through her mind, fear quietly surfaced, spreading like shadows across Monica's heart.

Even if she had escaped with her life—

The shadow left behind would surely take root deep within her, like a haunting spirit, and remain with her for the rest of her life.

The room was very quiet.

A wall lamp hung not far from the bed, filling the room with a soft yellow glow.

In the silence, Monica slowly pulled herself free from the grip of her emotions, then tried to steady herself.

Perhaps she ought to feel grief or anger right now, but more than anything, she should feel joy at having escaped the threat of death.

"Where is this...?"

Only after she had managed to compose herself did Monica have the presence of mind to look around.

The room was about twenty square meters, with all the usual furniture, such as a wardrobe and a desk. Beyond that, there was nothing particularly eye-catching.

The room's first impression was one of simple cleanliness.

What drew Monica's gaze most was the bookshelf beside the desk by the window.

It was packed with books. The owner of the room seemed to have sorted them by the color of their covers, deciding where to place each one accordingly.

The orderly arrangement of colors looked like a completed Rubik's Cube, and was quite pleasing to the eye.

Monica stared at the bookshelf.

This must be the young man's room.

"I... Hmm?"

Monica suddenly noticed something and raised her arm in front of her eyes.

Her arm, which had been covered in scratches, had now been properly treated and bandaged.

The young man must have done it.

Monica sat there, speechless.

She felt mortified at the thought that she had fainted from fear in front of the person who had saved her life.

"Creak—"

The wooden door suddenly swung open.

Moyu entered the room and immediately spotted Monica sitting up.

"You're awake."

"Thank you for saving me..."

Monica looked toward Moyu at the sound of his voice. Her own voice was hoarse, and her face was full of gratitude.

If the young man before her hadn't pulled her out of the mire between life and death, she would surely have died at the demon's hands, just like her companions.

"Don't mention it. Thanks to you, I got something important."

Moyu walked over to the chair in front of the desk and slowly sat down.

Got... something important?

Monica paused, completely at a loss as to what Moyu meant.

Moyu paid no mind to her reaction and made no attempt to explain. Instead, he suddenly took a phone that looked quite expensive out of his pocket.

It wasn't his phone, of course. While Monica was unconscious, he had searched the pocket she kept close to her body and taken it.

"Your phone."

Moyu tossed it toward Monica, carefully controlling his strength. She caught it on reflex.

Once he saw her catch it, Moyu continued, "After you passed out, I took the liberty of borrowing your phone. I hope you don't mind."

"How could I? I, I definitely don't mind..."

Monica gripped the phone tightly and nervously made it clear how she felt about Moyu having "borrowed" it.

Then it naturally occurred to her that this run-down Temple, built on a mountain, might not have any modern communication equipment. The young man before her had probably taken her phone to call the police.

In reality, although Moyu didn't have a phone, there was a landline installed in the Temple.

He had taken Monica's phone partly to find out who the man outside was, and partly to check whether she had called the police.

Monica didn't know any of that. She looked at the young man lounging in his chair and said softly, "You... Uh, I still don't know your name."

"Moyu."

Moyu gave his name casually, then said in an even voice:

"It's been about five hours since you called the police. I don't know how much longer they'll take to get here, but they should be here soon. You can stay here and wait for them."

"Huh?"

Monica was a little dazed.

Seeing her reaction, Moyu explained, "I checked your call history. I know you called the police."

"I see."

Monica understood.

She quickly realized that the corpse outside might cause Moyu trouble. Taking a deep breath, she made her intentions clear:

"When the police arrive, I'll give them a full account as a witness. I won't let you get into trouble, no matter what."

Now that she was out of danger and had calmed down, this woman was showing a side of herself completely different from before.

Moyu glanced at Monica in some surprise, then shook his head. "There's no need."

"Hm?"

At Moyu's words, Monica's pupils constricted slightly. In an instant, she imagined him disposing of the corpse while she was unconscious.

That was enough to show that Moyu was the sort of person who hated trouble.

She had originally planned to get him out of having to cooperate with the investigation by making a "large donation," but now...

"I understand."

Monica forced herself to stay calm. "When the police arrive, I'll tell them the attacker got away."

"..."

Moyu watched Monica in silence, realizing she probably thought he had disposed of the corpse.

Still, the way she was speaking and behaving now took him by surprise. Compared to his first impression of her, she seemed like a completely different person.

"As I said, there's no need. Besides, the corpse is still outside."

Moyu shook his head, clearly rejecting Monica's offer.

His answer only left Monica confused.

Moyu adjusted his posture slightly and spoke in a calm voice. "There's a case in the medical literature known as Homicide Addict. That guy outside is most likely a textbook example."

"Huh?! I've never heard of that medical condition..."

Monica's eyes widened in astonishment.

"Simply put, they're animals who ignore the law, become addicted to killing, and have no regard for human life."

Moyu lowered his eyes.

There was one phenomenon he hadn't explained.

This thing called "Nen"...

While granting extraordinary power, it also subtly magnified the good or evil already present in a person's nature, and brought the various strengths and flaws in their personality into sharper relief.

In fact, after awakening Nen, Moyu had vaguely felt that he had changed in certain ways.

But he didn't think it was a bad thing.

And a Homicide Addict who had awakened Nen was the most troublesome, most difficult kind of person the whole of society could face.

"It doesn't take much thought to see that a lawless animal like that couldn't possibly have a normal identity. So I used your phone to search for information on wanted criminals. It took a while to narrow down the results."

"Does that mean..."

Monica began to understand.

"That's right."

Moyu nodded and said calmly, "That guy outside is wanted. The police will only... Hmm?"

He cut off mid-sentence.

Moyu's eyes shifted slightly. He snatched up a pencil from the desk as fast as he could, then hurled it.

Whoosh—

The pencil sliced through the air and struck the wall lamp's switch.

Click.

The room plunged into darkness.

"Someone's here. Not the police. Stay quiet."

Moyu then silenced Monica's question with the briefest words possible.