Nen, This Thing...

Late at night.

Monica woke up to find herself lying on a single bed.

She sat up, her expression dazed.

Everything that had happened tonight flashed through her mind like a slide show.

The homicidal maniac who attacked her and her companions for no reason, the desperate flight through the mountains, the dawn appearing in the distance, and finally—

That calm, composed boy, and the wretched corpses.

As the images flickered back and forth in her mind, fear quietly emerged, forming shadows that coiled around Monica's heart.

Even if she had escaped this disaster—

The shadow that followed would surely take root in the depths of her soul like a ghost, accompanying her for the rest of her life.

The room was very quiet.

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

In the silent atmosphere, Monica slowly broke free from her emotional state and tried to calm her mind.

Perhaps she should feel sorrow or anger, but more than that, she should feel the joy of having escaped a life-or-death crisis.

"Where is this..."

After struggling to adjust her mood, Monica finally had the presence of mind to examine her surroundings.

It was a room of about 20 square meters, fully furnished with items like a wardrobe and a desk, with no other conspicuous decorations.

The first impression the room gave was one of simplicity and cleanliness.

What caught Monica's eye most was the bookshelf next to the desk by the window.

The shelves were packed with books, and the owner of the room seemed to have deliberately categorized them, arranging them by the color of their spines.

The uniform and orderly colors looked like a solved Rubik's Cube, very pleasing to the eye.

Monica stared at the bookshelf.

This must be that boy's room.

"I... hm?"

Monica suddenly noticed something and raised her arm before her eyes.

Her arms, which had been covered in scratches, had already been properly treated and bandaged.

This was clearly the work of that boy.

Monica remained stunned and speechless.

Thinking that she had actually fainted from fear in front of her savior made her feel deeply ashamed.

"Creak—"

The wooden door was suddenly pushed open.

Moyu walked into the room and saw Monica sitting up at a glance.

"You're awake."

"Thank you for saving me..."

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

If it weren't for this boy saving her from the quagmire of death, she would have undoubtedly died at the hands of that demon just like her companions.

"No need to thank me; after all, thanks to you, I was able to obtain something important."

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

Obtain... something important?

Monica was stunned for a moment, completely failing to understand what Moyu meant by that.

Moyu didn't care about Monica's reaction, nor would he take the initiative to explain. He suddenly took out a phone that looked quite expensive from his pocket.

This was, of course, not his phone, but one he had searched for in her inner pocket while Monica was unconscious.

"Your phone."

Moyu controlled his strength and tossed the phone toward Monica, who caught it reflexively.

Seeing her catch the phone, Moyu continued, "After you fainted, I took the liberty of borrowing your phone. You don't mind, do you?"

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

Monica gripped the phone tightly, nervously expressing her stance on Moyu "borrowing" her phone.

Then, she naturally thought that perhaps this dilapidated Temple built on the mountain lacked modern communication equipment, so the boy had likely taken her phone to call the police.

But in fact, although Moyu didn't have a phone, the Temple had a landline installed.

Moyu had searched Monica's phone partly to check the identity of the man outside, and partly to confirm whether Monica had already called the police.

Monica didn't know any of this. She looked at the boy sitting casually in the chair and said softly, "You... uh, I still don't know your name."

"Moyu."

Moyu stated his name casually upon hearing the question, then said calmly:

"About five hours have passed since you called the police. Although it's unclear how much longer it will take for them to arrive, it should be soon. You can just wait here for them in peace."

"Huh?"

Monica was a bit dazed.

Seeing Monica's reaction, Moyu explained: "I checked your call logs and knew you had already called the police."

"So that's how it is."

Monica realized.

She was quick-witted and immediately considered that the corpse outside might cause trouble for Moyu. She took a deep breath and stated her position:

"After the police arrive, I will explain the situation in detail as a witness. I won't cause you any trouble, no matter what."

Having escaped danger and calmed down, this woman displayed a demeanor completely different from before.

Moyu glanced at Monica with some surprise, then shook his head: "That won't be necessary."

"Hmm?"

Hearing this, Monica's pupils constricted slightly. In an instant, she imagined Moyu disposing of the body while she was unconscious.

This was enough to show that Moyu was the type who hated trouble.

Originally, she had intended to use a "large donation" to exempt Moyu from the obligation of cooperating with the investigation, but now it seemed...

"I understand."

Monica forced herself to remain calm: "When the police arrive, I will tell them that the perpetrator has already fled."

"..."

Moyu looked at Monica in silence, realizing that she probably thought he had already disposed of the body.

However, the words and behavior Monica was showing now were somewhat beyond his expectations. Compared to his initial impression, it felt like she was a different person.

"As I said before, it's not necessary. Besides, the body is still outside."

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

His answer left Monica feeling somewhat confused.

Moyu adjusted his sitting posture slightly and said in a flat tone: "In existing medical cases, there is a type known as Homicide Addict. The guy outside is, in all likelihood, a typical Homicide Addict."

"Huh?! I've never heard of such a medical case..."

Monica's eyes widened in surprise.

"Simply put, they are animals who ignore the constraints of the law, are addicted to killing, and disregard life."

Moyu lowered his eyelids.

In truth, there was a phenomenon he hadn't explained.

Nen...

While it brings extraordinary power, it also subtly amplifies the good or evil existing in human nature, and more clearly highlights the various strengths and flaws in one's personality.

In fact, after awakening Nen, Moyu had also vaguely felt that certain changes had occurred within himself.

However, he didn't consider this a bad thing.

And a Homicide Addict who has awakened Nen is simply the most troublesome and difficult existence for society as a whole.

"If you think about it for a moment, you'll understand. How could such a reckless animal have a normal identity? So I used your phone to check the information on wanted criminals. It took some time to narrow down the scope."

"That means..."

Monica began to understand.

"Exactly."

Moyu nodded and said calmly: "The guy outside is a wanted criminal. The police will only... hmm?"

His words stopped abruptly mid-sentence.

Moyu's gaze shifted slightly. He grabbed a pencil from the desk with lightning speed and threw it.

Swish—

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

Click.

The room plunged into darkness instantly.

"Someone is here. It's not the police. Be quiet."

With those brief words, Moyu forced Monica to swallow the question she was about to ask.