A lilting voice came from deep within the alley, a trace of anticipation in its tone.
Cordis looked inside curiously, only to see a playing card flying straight toward him.
He instinctively dodged to the side.
Even so, the sharp card left a bloody cut across his cheek.
Bright red blood trickled from the wound.
A low grunt came from deep within the alley. "Looks like a promising little apple~"
The rising lilt of his voice betrayed his excitement.
He sounded like a child who had gone ages without a toy, only to suddenly receive an entertaining new one.
Excitement and anticipation-anticipation of all the fun his new toy could bring him.
A tall, slender figure appeared, dressed as a clown. Even the ridiculous clown makeup on his face couldn't hide his handsome features.
Hisoka emerged from the alley with a sway of his hips and a smile on his face.
The playing card he had thrown at Cordis miraculously floated into the air and flew back toward him.
Once the card returned to his hand, Hisoka brought it to his lips and slowly licked the blood left on it.
"Ah~ So this is how my little apple tastes!~"
"This is just~"
"So sweet!"
After licking the remaining blood off the card, Hisoka couldn't stop his body from trembling.
His eyes rolled back, as though he truly savored Cordis's blood.
Cordis could feel the aura of a powerful fighter emanating from Hisoka. Its pressure was so intense that he could barely breathe.
This... this was simply wonderful!
How long had it been since he'd felt someone overpower him?
It felt so good!
So incredibly good!
Cordis instinctively squeezed his legs together, feeling as though some sensation had surged up between them.
Overwhelmed with excitement beneath Hisoka's aura, he bit his thumbnail. The flush across his face plainly revealed his exhilaration.
He took two deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. This wasn't the time to play; he had something more important to do.
But Hisoka clearly didn't feel the same way.
He wanted nothing more than to devour Cordis whole right then and there. Still, the fact that Cordis hadn't used Nen at all left him a little puzzled.
"Oh my~ My little apple seems very confident~ You haven't even bothered to use Nen. You must be quite sure you can beat me~"
Cordis tilted his head in feigned confusion and asked curiously,
"Nen? What's Nen?"
Rather than disappointing Hisoka, those words only stoked the flames of his desire.
"Oh dear~ It seems you're a cute little apple who hasn't ripened yet~ Hehe~ That's nice, too~"
As he spoke, he formed a heart with his hands toward Cordis.
"I'll let my little apple go today~ But in exchange, you have to fight me once you've learned Nen~"
"My cute little apple ❤~"
As soon as he finished speaking, thick mist drifted in around them.
By the time it cleared, Hisoka was nowhere to be seen.
Only then did Cordis slump to the ground in relief.
"That felt incredible!"
Back in his original world, he had already stood at the very top. No one could threaten him anymore.
With no one left who could match him, he had grown so lonely that he wanted to die.
That was why he had deliberately revealed his location to the police and let them arrest him.
He had thought his life would simply end there. He had never expected this turn of events.
What an unexpected delight!
Feeling that heart-racing, blush-inducing pressure again, Cordis couldn't imagine anything more wonderful!
He took another deep breath.
Once he had calmed himself down, Cordis rose and left the alley.
Even though evening had fallen, plenty of people were still wandering the streets.
Cordis walked barefoot down the street in a hospital gown, while the people around him murmured warily.
"Is this guy an escaped mental patient?"
"I think he might be. Should we call the police?"
Seeing that someone nearby had already raised their phone, ready to "kindly" call the police on his behalf, he made up his mind.
Cordis decided to sort out his appearance before worrying about anything else.
Inside a clothing shop.
Cordis had none of this world's money on him, only a few fairly expensive pieces of jewelry.
But to the people here, those things were only worth about 1,000 J.
The shopkeeper brought out a few cheap shirts, pairs of dress pants, and a pair of boots that had been sitting in storage for who knew how long.
She offered them to Cordis with words she didn't mean.
"Sir, these are the latest styles! They'd suit you perfectly!"
The shopkeeper put everything she had into her sales pitch.
But Cordis wasn't an idiot. The shirts were covered in dust. Who knew how long they had been sitting there?
With the money he had now, cheap goods like these were all he could afford.
Cordis changed into the clothes and stood in front of the mirror.
"Oh my! Sir, you look so handsome in those!"
Only three words could describe Cordis now.
So! Damn! Ugly!
Cordis was intensely devoted to fashion, but right now he looked like a child who had sneaked into his parents' clothes.
Absolutely, utterly hideous!
He undid the top two buttons of his shirt, revealing his smooth neck and collarbones.
Then he tucked the shirt into his dress pants, showing off his rounded backside, and rolled the sleeves up to his elbows.
His dazzlingly pale skin was left fully exposed to the air.
With Cordis's adjustments, the hopelessly tacky clothes gained a touch of elegance and refinement.
The next morning.
Cordis arrived at the Hunter Exam registration desk.
"I'd like to register for the Hunter Exam."
A pretty young woman's voice came through the clear window.
"Of course. Please show me your ID."
ID?
How was Cordis, someone who had crossed over from another world, supposed to have an ID? He answered honestly, "I don't have one."
A trace of sympathy entered the young woman's eyes, and her voice instinctively softened. "You must be a resident of Meteor City."
"In that case, you can take the Hunter Exam first. Once it's over, we'll arrange an ID for you."
The young woman left her seat and led Cordis over to a blank wall.
She tapped the smooth wall twice.
The floor trembled, and a crack appeared in the wall. It opened to reveal an elevator before them.
The young woman led him into the elevator.
Joining them was a man whose face was covered in pins, his features contorted.
Gittarackur-or rather, he should be called...
Illumi.
Illumi, disguised as Gittarackur, entered the elevator with his face twitching.
The young woman had seen plenty of people over her years on the job, but never anyone as strange as Illumi.
Once inside the elevator, Illumi glanced at the young woman operating it.
She shuddered twice under his gaze, then forced down her fear. "We're about to enter the Hunter Exam venue. Is everyone ready?"
No one answered. Left in awkward silence, she pressed the button for the exam venue.
Meanwhile, Cordis was staring at Illumi's pin-covered face with hearts in his eyes.
He clasped his hands together and gazed at Illumi in admiration.
He... he was so handsome!
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