Testing Each Other

Joey raised his hand again, but stopped it in front of his mouth. He glanced indifferently at the blood on his fingertips, then looked away.

Ten seconds.

That was how long Joey figured it would take them to appear before him, and how long Sheer Heart Attack needed to return to his side after completing its mission.

As a professional Hunter, Pokkle would notice the tracks left by the Skeleton Chariot even if he couldn't see Stands.

Besides, could Nen users really not see Stands? Joey had serious doubts about that.

Ten seconds passed in a flash. The sound of snapping branches came from nearby as the Skeleton Chariot returned from its mission. Killer Queen extended its hand, and the chariot returned to its rightful place on the back of it.

At the same time, four figures appeared in the distance, spread out to surround him.

Without a moment's hesitation, Joey raised both hands in surrender and stepped out of the bushes where he had been hiding.

Meanwhile, judging by how Pokkle's eyes, shrouded in a hazy, aura-like energy, shifted from the chariot to Killer Queen, Hunters who knew Nen could indeed see Stands.

Wait, I can see Nen? Joey froze for a moment.

"Yoshikage Kira?" Pokkle gave Joey no more time to observe. His very first words exposed Joey's identity.

Joey instantly snapped out of it. All the things he had prepared to say caught in his throat, and his speculations about Nen and himself came to an abrupt halt, leaving only one thought: He knows me?

Countless thoughts flashed through Joey's mind in the next instant, but his expression remained calm, his downward-slanting brows tightly furrowed. His low, slightly hoarse voice gave a direct answer. "That's me."

"What are you doing here?"

"Monsters attacked the village. Everyone was either killed or taken away. I was the only one who escaped here."

Joey spoke slowly, casting a lingering, frightened glance in the direction of the Chimera Ant Pokkle had killed earlier.

Pokkle suddenly calling out his name had caught him completely off guard.

Still, whatever relationship Pokkle and Yoshikage Kira might have, there was nothing wrong with telling him what had happened to the village.

Joey even suspected this wasn't Pokkle's first time seeing Killer Queen. The lack of surprise in his eyes when he looked at Killer Queen supported that conclusion.

And based on that, Joey had another theory.

From what Joey knew, Pokkle and the others had come to investigate after discovering that there were monsters in NGL. That meant their most likely point of contact with Yoshikage Kira was the village!

And there was a good chance they knew Yoshikage Kira because of Killer Queen.

That analysis was based on Yoshikage Kira's personality.

Yoshikage Kira disliked standing out. He took it so far that he controlled his scores on every exam to place third in his class.

It was a ranking that drew little attention while still being sufficiently impressive.

Yoshikage Kira had behaved the same way after entering the workforce. He neither competed for first place nor fell to the bottom, instead hovering just at the threshold of the elite.

That convinced Joey that Yoshikage Kira would have concealed himself in a similar middle-of-the-pack position in the village.

Which also meant that, although Yoshikage Kira might have secretly observed Pokkle and the others, he wouldn't have approached them himself. They were Hunters, and clearly the sort of people who would bring him trouble.

At the same time, Yoshikage Kira, who had always lived in the isolated confines of NGL, had few opportunities to encounter Hunters. That made it highly likely he didn't know that people who had mastered Nen could see Killer Queen.

Based on that, Killer Queen accidentally revealing itself to Pokkle became a plausible possibility.

This was the most reasonable explanation Joey could come up with on the spot. There might have been some simpler or more melodramatic way they had met, but he didn't consider it very likely. If that turned out to be the case, he could only blame his bad luck.

Of course, he would have to try to get more information from Pokkle and the others before deciding whether he really was unlucky.

For now, he had given his answer. All that remained was to wait for their reactions and responses.

Joey focused intently, because every subtle change in their expressions from this point onward would give him something to base his judgment on.

If he judged correctly, he would gain a major advantage. If he got it wrong, his life might be at stake.

Ponzu, a rather cute girl with green hair and a yellowish-brown hat like Pokkle's, first gave Pokkle a puzzled glance. Then, upon hearing Joey's answer, she clapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes filled with disbelief. "How could that happen?"

"Was it the same kind of bug that was chasing you earlier?" The short, baby-faced Pokkle frowned, remaining fairly calm. "What do you plan to do now? Where are you going?"

The two bystanders fully lived up to their role at that moment. Neither showed much reaction to Pokkle's words or Joey's answer, instead keeping a careful watch on their surroundings.

They looked tense, though, as if the Chimera Ant from earlier had frightened them.

Judging by the bees flying nearby, however, Ponzu hadn't let her guard down either.

Ponzu's earlier glance at Pokkle had already helped Joey understand a few things.

But Joey realized that his own behavior seemed to have revealed something to Pokkle, too!

Was it because I acted too calmly when Pokkle called my name?

But it had all happened too suddenly. Keeping his expression calm was already the best response Joey could think of in that instant.

Still, Pokkle's choice suggested another possibility to Joey: he had deliberately called out "Yoshikage Kira."

While Joey was trying to analyze him, Pokkle had also tested Joey the moment they met.

But why had he done that?

Joey rapidly weighed the possibilities while delivering the explanation he had prepared during those ten seconds.

"I've been investigating Zaiyilo, and there's a Drug Plantation about an hour's journey from here.

After the village was attacked, I decided to go take a look there. After all, only the organization has weapons that can deal with those monsters."

As he spoke, Joey pointed at the Assault Rifle hanging across his chest.

Pokkle's gaze swept over the rifle. After a brief hesitation, he adjusted the direction of his fingers slightly before speaking. "An hour's journey? That's not too far. Would you mind sharing what you know with us on the way there?"

Although Pokkle's tone was polite, Joey heard-or rather, sensed-an undertone that brooked no refusal.

Clearly, Pokkle had absolute confidence in his own strength and his companions, even after seeing Killer Queen beside Joey and the earlier Sheer Heart Attack that had blown the Chimera Ant apart.

Joey wasn't surprised by that. Although he had Killer Queen, if they actually fought head-on now, he would undoubtedly be the one to die.

There was a gap in combat experience, instinct, ability, and their current condition.

It wasn't that Killer Queen's ability was weak. Joey himself was simply far too weak compared with Pokkle.

Without a sneak attack or preparations made in advance, he stood no chance against a professional Hunter like Pokkle, who had also mastered a Nen Ability.

Fortunately, Joey had intended to go with them anyway. After Pokkle spoke, he furrowed his handsome, downward-slanting brows and slowly nodded, his expression somewhat stiff.

As Joey nodded, Killer Queen slowly vanished, giving the impression that it had disappeared automatically after sensing there was no threat.

Joey had done this deliberately, both as a test and as a way of conveying his attitude.

He was testing how much Pokkle and the others knew about his relationship with Killer Queen, while showing that, although he wasn't entirely pleased with Pokkle's threatening methods, he would cooperate.

What Joey didn't notice was that, upon seeing his slightly displeased attitude, Pokkle secretly made a hand signal to Ponzu.

From Joey's perspective, however, that gesture merely looked like Pokkle lowering the hand he had been using to threaten him.