Bewitchment

"Why choose me?"

Manster asked with a smile as he examined the business card in his hand.

"Because I think you can do it."

Coleman mumbled around his straw.

Tilting his head, Manster teased, "You trust me that much?"

"No."

"?"

Coleman turned around and looked straight at the boy, who was much taller than him.

He spoke calmly. "I trust myself more."

I trust my own judgment, so I trust you.

What an arrogant thing to say.

Manster was caught off guard by that answer. He blinked as he stared at the expressionless child.

Then he suddenly burst out laughing.

He laughed so hard he doubled over, completely overcome.

Coleman simply waited quietly for him.

Without saying a word.

Manster wiped away the tears of laughter and said with a grin, "All right. Since you're so confident..."

Only the person giving that offhand promise knew how serious he was.

He spoke meaningfully. "So, little boss, what exactly do you want?"

Coleman set down his cup and turned to look at him, his expression earnest. "I know you don't trust me, but that doesn't matter. It won't affect our cooperation."

The juice in the cup sloshed against the sides when Coleman set it down rather roughly.

Watching the red liquid continue to sway, Coleman went on, "I don't know where you come from, what your background is, or even your habits, but none of that matters. As long as you have the qualities I'm looking for, we can make this deal."

A deal was a matter of mutual consent. As long as both sides considered it fair and reasonable, that was enough.

There was no need to turn the other person's life inside out.

One party paid, the other put in the work. It all came down to whether they were a good fit.

If one side decided it wasn't right, they could simply walk away.

"So, what do you want?"

Manster didn't respond to that. He simply asked in a calm voice.

"Or rather, what do you need me to do?"

Coleman watched the smile on the other boy's face, then smiled himself and held out a gold coin.

"I don't need you to do anything. Just be yourself and grow into someone capable. Until then, you can treat the Layton Family as your backing. I'll also give you some money to cover your basic living expenses. Of course, I'd be very happy if you could manage without my help."

What Coleman needed was an information partner with sound judgment and a mind of his own.

Not a subordinate.

That rigid relationship between superior and subordinate wasn't suited to two people whose mental states could become unstable at any moment.

They needed a certain degree of freedom.

More importantly, Coleman wanted to see how things would unfold.

So far, every information broker he'd met had already grown up and established himself as a 'businessman.'

But Coleman didn't want that kind of rigid 'information broker.'

He wanted someone free and crazy, who gathered information for no amount of money.

Someone who collected information simply because it mattered, because he needed it to stir things up.

Not because he needed money or wanted to survive.

To be more precise, Coleman wanted to see someone who could throw the world into chaos purely out of personal interest.

Because he held information, he knew at least a little about most of the events happening or about to happen around the world.

And because of that, he could leak that information anytime, anywhere, to whoever he wanted.

Imagine Organization A planned to attack Organization B, and this person told Organizations B, C, D, and E.

A would likely be attacked by the other organizations.

Then, just before they attacked, he could leak that Organization C planned to frame A for attacking B, and that Organization E had given him the information.

There was no need to explain how chaotic things would get among those organizations.

And that was only five organizations.

What if there were ten, or a hundred major organizations?

What if there were five countries?

The consequences spoke for themselves.

Coleman had always wanted to be friends with someone like that.

He wanted to explore the way such a person thought and planned.

But unfortunately, even after living two lifetimes, Coleman had never met anyone like that.

Now, though, he thought the person sitting in front of him had the potential to become just such a person.

So, in order to meet the 'friend' of his dreams, Coleman decided to 'raise' that friend himself.

He thought he was merely giving things a little push.

Like watering and fertilizing a sapling on the verge of dying.

Just doing something harmless.

"But then you get nothing in return."

Manster shook his head in disagreement.

This was clearly a losing deal.

No businessman was willing to invest at a loss.

"What if I grow up, run off, or refuse to honor the deal?"

"It doesn't matter."

Coleman answered without hesitation as he drank his juice.

He didn't pause for even a second. "Do you cultivate a flower so it'll bear fruit and repay you?"

Not necessarily.

"Maybe you just want to see how beautiful it is when it blooms, right?"

As an artist by his own definition, Coleman had always been patient.

He believed that if an artist couldn't even wait for a flower to bloom, how could he appreciate the beauty of the world?

If so, his paintings would surely be meaningless and lifeless.

Nothing but a pile of wastepaper.

"Besides, trust me. You'll never choose to betray me. And you'll definitely repay me, too."

Coleman spoke with a smile, utterly certain.

After all, this wasn't an ordinary flower.

If Manster really developed in the direction Coleman had set for him...

Then he'd be nothing more than a vine with a great tree at his back.

How could a vine climb upward without a tree?

After living long enough on the edge of a knife, how could he enjoy a mundane life?

So if he wanted to keep provoking the nerves of other 'tigers,' he would have to rely on an even bigger tiger: the Layton Family.

That meant Coleman could keep him in line without much trouble.

Of course, if Manster truly grew to the point where Coleman could no longer control him, Coleman would only feel happy and excited.

Because then the experiment would have been a success, and Manster would be Coleman's finest successful experiment.

By then, Coleman would have brought a massive bomb into this world, one that could go off at any moment.

That would be quite interesting.

Wasn't it fun to live in a world where every day could bring you to the brink of life and death?

On the other hand, even if things didn't turn out that way, Coleman still wouldn't lose. He would have successfully nurtured a capable information broker.

Crazy, but obedient.

What was there not to like?

In short, no matter what happened, Coleman himself wouldn't lose.

Seeing that the other boy was still thinking it over, Coleman smiled faintly and casually tossed the business card onto the table.

"When you've made up your mind, go to this address and find someone. Tell them Coleman sent you, and they'll take care of you."

"Of course, if you refuse, just throw this piece of scrap paper away. You can pretend none of this happened today."

"That's all, young sir. Good night. I'll be going."

As he spoke, Coleman placed a bag of gold coins on the table, gave a slight bow, and maintained a perfectly measured smile. Without waiting for a reply, he left on his own.

Manster was left alone, staring blankly at the coins.

The moment Coleman stepped out of the tavern, all expression vanished from his face.

His expression turned cold.

His head hurt a little.

He scratched it, thinking to himself.

I really don't know if the thing Master taught me will work.

Well, he'd done the whole routine.

Acting vulnerable and friendly, finding a topic to discuss, bewitching with words, keeping an air of mystery, confidently provoking him, then abruptly cutting things off.

Finally, leaving without a second thought to create that push-pull effect.

Letting the other person's imagination run wild.

According to Master, it was a particularly effective negotiating tactic.

Anyone with even a little something wrong with them would take the bait.

But Coleman had only ever used this trick to catch fish.

And he had to admit, it worked beautifully.

Coleman walked slowly down the street, feeling a little sluggish.

I hope Master wasn't lying to me.

Otherwise, that promising sapling might take my money and run.

. Courtesy of Miao Shijiu, author of Hunter x Hunter: Ultimate Elegance