Kaya darted nimbly between the trees, with the Shadowfang Beast right on his heels.
"Now!"
He sprang sideways into the air, slipping cleanly through a gap between the branches.
Just as the Shadowfang Beast was about to catch his ankle, it came to an abrupt halt.
Its massive body had wedged firmly between the branches.
Unable to back out or break free, it could only roar helplessly.
Kaya glanced back and grinned from ear to ear. "Holy crap! A trainee with two and a half years under his belt just outsmarted you, Fangy."
With that, he picked several vines and twisted them together, cinched them tightly around the Shadowfang Beast's neck, then tied the other end to a higher branch.
Once he was done, Kaya dusted off his hands and clothes, whistling as he flashed Kite a peace sign.
He looked so punchable that Kite could only shake his head.
Kite leaped down from the treetop and brought his hand down hard on Kaya's head.
Thump!
"That hurt! Didn't I finish today's training? You just can't keep your hands to yourself, can you?"
Kaya clutched his head.
Kite turned away, expressionless, leaving him with, "That's your special reward for being a trainee for two and a half years. Enjoy!"
"You old bastard. One of these days, I'll beat the cash out of you."
Seeing that Kite had no intention of turning back to wait for him, Kaya hurried after him.
"Hey, old... Master, wait for me!"
"Do Shadowfang Beasts taste good?"
"You really must be hungry."
"You'll eat anything."
The sunset stretched their shadows, one tall and one short, far behind them. Faint stars were already visible in the parts of the sky untouched by its glow.
It looked as though tonight would have fine weather too.
Night gradually deepened. The lingering heat of early summer had yet to fade, and the place where the forest met the cliff was especially peaceful.
Lights twinkled in the little harbor town below. Beside the campfire, Kite was mending Kaya's clothes.
Kaya sat cross-legged nearby, resting his fire-reddened cheek in one hand while poking the campfire with a branch in the other.
"Can't you buy me some new clothes? These have so many holes that when we went to the market the other day, the lady selling vegetables insisted on giving me four kilos of scallions. She said I'd been kidnapped at such a young age."
There was no Beggars' Sect in the Hunter world, of course, but plenty of organizations looking to make money without working still trafficked children and used them to beg.
When Kite said nothing, Kaya kept running his mouth. "Those ladies also said they could tell you were no good at a glance. A grown man with long hair and eyeliner."
"..."
Kite shot him a fierce glare, his expression daring him to say that again.
Kaya knew his master well, of course. He picked his nose and wiped his finger on Kite's hat. "But I told them off right there."
"What did you say?"
"I said, 'Are you blind? She's a woman!'"
A scream abruptly echoed through the valley.
Kite tossed the mended clothes to Kaya, whose face was now swollen like a pig's.
"I only bought this last month. You act like a savage every day, fighting monkeys for apples and leopards for rabbits. Worst of all, you fought a wild chicken for a worm. Are you even human?"
Kite was at his wits' end with this disciple. Rather than saying he had changed Kaya over those two and a half years, it was more accurate to say Kaya had softened his somewhat cold personality.
"Didn't I give it back in the end?" Kaya muttered.
"You did. But then the chicken was gone."
"Didn't you eat some too?"
"..."
By then, Kite had raised his clenched fist beside his face and quietly closed his eyes, letting his anger build.
When he opened them again, Kaya had already sprung up into a nearby tree and was leaning smugly against its trunk.
"Try something new. The moment you lift your ass, I know what kind of shit you're about to take."
"Is that so?"
Kite's gaze turned cold, and he vanished in an instant.
Before Kaya could react, pain shot through his backside, and he was dragged out of the tree.
Kite picked him up, tossed him beside the fire, and advanced on him step by step.
Clutching his backside, Kaya kept retreating. "If you're so damn badass, do you have the guts to let me off this time?"
"No."
"Coward!!!"
Looking at the young boy before him, Kite felt both annoyed and amused, with a touch of heartache.
He had always believed Kaya was a survivor of the Kurta Clan who had forgotten the massacre, which was why he could be so mischievous.
Kite didn't want him burdened with too much hatred either. Being shameless like this wasn't such a bad thing.
"I'm heading out to sea tomorrow to look for some leads," Kite said out of the blue.
Kaya lay on the soft grass, gazing at the stars. An evening breeze brushed through his soft hair, and it felt rather pleasant.
"More leads on that so-called master of yours?"
"Yes. This time, I'm going somewhere special. My master's hometown."
"And? Get to the point."
Kite answered, "It's also quite far away. I might be gone for three months."
Kaya stared hard at Kite and repeated, "Get. To. The. Point!"
"The point is, I'm not taking you this time. Stay here and wait for me to come back." After saying that, Kite turned his head away.
Looking completely unbothered, Kaya turned his gaze back to the sky and replied, "Oh."
He had already guessed while Kite was working up to it. In the past, Kite had never gone out of his way to explain when they were chasing leads. He had simply taken Kaya along.
Kite knew he was sulking. "It's not that I don't want to take you..."
"All right, all right. Just go by yourself. You're making it sound like I wanted to come."
With an indifferent look, Kaya kipped up to his feet and shot into the dark forest.
Kite watched him go and sighed helplessly.
Ging Freecss had given Kite the training task of finding him, but Kite had spent nearly three years training Kaya without finding a single lead on Ging.
That was why he had decided to try visiting Ging's hometown this time.
Less than five minutes later, Kaya came back, kicking pebbles along the ground and acting as though nothing had happened.
Kaya might not have been particularly hardworking, but he had one good quality: whenever he sulked, his resentment disappeared as quickly as it came.
Kaya walked up to him and held out his hand. "Living expenses."
Kite smiled at him. "Done being angry?"
"Not yet!" Kaya snapped.
Then he bobbed the hand held out in front of Kite, signaling for him to hand over the money.
Smiling, Kite swatted his hand away. "Then talk to me when you're done. I'm going to sleep." With that, he crawled into his sleeping bag.
Kaya crouched down and held out his hand again, refusing to give up.
"Then I'm done. Give me my living expenses."
Kite closed his eyes. "Don't have any."
At the cliff's edge the next morning, sunlight illuminated the dense forest and rocks below.
Unlike the stifling midday heat, the early-summer morning breeze carried a hint of coolness. It gently stirred the plants along the cliff, making them rustle softly.
Kaya slowly woke from his dreams, squinting as his eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness.
Once his eyes had grown accustomed to the light, he stretched gently, sat up slowly, and looked around. There was no one beside him anymore.
"You left without even saying goodbye. You've got some nerve," Kaya said through gritted teeth.
While packing his things, he discovered fifty thousand Jenny in banknotes beneath his sleeping bag, along with his mended clothes and a small note.
It read, "Wait for me in Erg ado Town down the mountain. I'll come back for you when I'm finished. Don't forget your daily training routine."
Kaya carefully folded the note and tucked it into a pocket close to his body, clutching the orange jacket tightly in both hands.
"Tch. Old bastard."
Over those nearly three years, Kaya had gained a rough understanding of Jenny's purchasing power. It was about equivalent to the Japanese yen.
Fifty thousand Jenny was roughly 2,500 yuan.
Judging by Kite's usual habits, although he had said three months, Kaya would actually need to budget for at least another half month, possibly even four months in total.
Still, Kaya wasn't worried, because prices in Ergado Town weren't very high.
Besides, he didn't need to stay at an inn or buy food often. Most of the time, he hunted to feed himself, only occasionally buying snacks and drinks.
Fifty thousand Jenny was more than enough. He could even save a little, and once he had enough money, he wouldn't have to put up with the old bastard's moods anymore.
Before you continue