The early morning sun slowly started to break through the mist that hovered over the sea, its rays gradually illuminating the surroundings. As the light grew stronger, the sea fog began to thin, and the day started to unfold.
Bisky had spent the night on a rather uncomfortable sofa with a broken spring. When she awoke, she rubbed her eyes and noticed that the blanket that had covered her was now crumpled on the floor under the sofa.
She glanced nervously at her two companions, who were still sound asleep in the cramped cab, and breathed a sigh of relief. She definitely didn't want them to see her like this.
Germain was stretched out on a bench, completely covered by a blanket, breathing evenly. Meanwhile, Shizuku lay in a hammock, her back to the ceiling, her hands neatly crossed on her lower abdomen, looking like someone in a coffin.
"Look at you two sleeping so soundly," Bisky murmured to herself, "I guess she is really worthy to be my 'Ms. Cookie.'"
She looked at the old wall clock that was ticking away. It was almost eleven in the morning. It was time to wake the two lazybones up, but Bisky wasn't about to rush.
She had her own morning beauty routine to attend to first. "A woman can't neglect her daily skincare," she said to herself.
Half an hour later, Bisky emerged from the bathroom, positively radiant. She saw that Shizuku was already awake and stretching like a lazy cat, her body unfurling from its coiled position.
"Good morning, Shizuku," Bisky greeted her.
"Morning," Shizuku replied with a slight yawn.
"That just leaves Germain," Bisky said as she walked over to the bench where Germain was still sleeping. She bent down and playfully pinched his cheek, but his eyes snapped open in an instant.
"What are you doing?" he said, startling Bisky so much that she nearly fell backward.
"Whoa!" she exclaimed, clutching her chest as her heart raced. "Don't scare me like that! If you're awake, just get up already."
"I just woke up too."
Germain sat up on the bench, noticing the heavy blanket draped over his upper body. He looked down to see Bisky squatting on the ground and reached out to help her up.
"Thanks," he said as he pulled her to her feet, then let go and slid the blanket off to the side. He grabbed his hunter's robe, neatly folded beside him, and slipped it on.
"I rarely sleep this well," he remarked, not trying to be humble but stating a fact. Since arriving in this world on November 21 last year, he'd slept deeply only twice. The rest of his nights had been fitful, filled with tension.
To stay on alert, he'd trained himself to sleep lightly, always ready to wake up at the slightest noise. But when he first got "narcolepsy," his sleep grew deep—so deep that his dreams were filled with unsettling elements.
Last night, however, he slept soundly, without a single dream, and woke up feeling rested.
Shizuku jumped down from the hammock, raising her hands like a student eager to answer a question in class. "I slept great last night. Little Bisky's ability is incredible!"
"Of course!" Bisky replied, beaming with pride as she high-fived Shizuku. "Lack of sleep is a nightmare for girls like us! I can't let that happen!"
Germain frowned as he watched them interact. "Little Bisky"... He had forgotten to tell Shizuku about Bisky's true age. Bringing it up now could create complications, so he decided to leave things as they were.
Had Shizuku not noticed anything unusual about Bisky? Or maybe she noticed and didn't mind?
"Don't thank me too soon. After you paid me, I was bound to do the job," Bisky said, putting her hands on her hips with a confident grin.
"Germain, where are you? Have you managed to release the 'pressure' you mentioned last night? This is crucial."
"Let me check." Germain extended his hand, and a "Hunter Badge" materialized.
Both Bisky and Shizuku watched with interest as they saw the true form of his ability for the first time. It was a broken fragment of a crescent, covered in rust and with sharp edges.
The "Hunter Badge" projected an image in front of them, though they couldn't see it directly. Instead, they felt the impact on their minds.
"Pressure": 65 → 41
"24 points decreased," he silently mused.
Germain felt a rush of relief. This was 14 more points of stress reduction than his "critical hit." The key was that this method was reliable and sustainable.
"That's a great effect," Germain said, turning to Bisky. "Can we do it again now?"
"Yes, we can," Bisky replied with a nod, "but it's been less than 24 hours since the last session."
"It doesn't matter. Let's keep going." Germain grabbed the hem of his shirt, preparing to take it off.
Bisky quickly stopped him, unable to let him continue in his confusion.
"No need to take off your clothes this time," she said. "'Ms. Cookie' is familiar enough with your body that she doesn't need direct contact."
"Got it," Germain replied, lying back down on the bench with his arms under his chin.
"Germain really enjoys massages," said Shizuku, adjusting her glasses as she spoke to Bisky "But I understand why—it really is a comfortable experience."
"Germain probably has his own reasons," Bisky added with a wave of her hand. "It's not just about beauty or massages; there's something more meaningful to him. I'll help him out, but reluctantly."
Bisky then summoned her pink-haired alter ego, "Ms. Cookie," to perform the dreamlike "Piano Massage" technique, which took about 30 minutes.
This time, Germain stayed awake, focused on the process. As soon as the "Piano Massage" was over, he immediately used the "Hunter Badge" to display the latest data.
Pressure: 41 → 26
Germain was calculating in his mind, "The pressure dropped by 15 points since last time, now at 26. Seems like it might be related to time."
The "Piano Massage" massage ended at about 9 PM last night, and now it's the following day at noon, approximately fifteen hours later.
This leads Germain to estimate that the initial pressure reduction from "Ms. Cookie" is around 24 points.
After the initial massage, any subsequent massage by "Ms. Cookie" resulted in minimal additional pressure reduction, so insignificant that it was almost negligible—essentially zero.
If you wait after the massage is over, the pressure reduction restores at a rate of 1 point per hour until it reaches its limit after 24 hours.
"Did you figure it out?" Bisky asked, dismissing "Ms. Cookie" and sitting down, one hand resting under her chin as she watched Germain's expression for any signs of comprehension.
"Yeah," Germain stood up from the bench, looking confident. "Please ask Ms. Cookie to use 'Piano Massage' on me in 24 hours, and then again two hours after that."
Bisky's eyes narrowed slightly as she caught on to what Germain was thinking—like a fox sensing its prey. It made sense now why Germain was so focused on reducing his Pressure. He could see his stats, thanks to his "Hunter Badge." No wonder he was obsessed with lowering Pressure.
In the world of "Nen," weird abilities are the norm. Some people have "Nen" abilities that resemble those in video games, so this wasn't too surprising.
"I want a massage too!" Shizuku chimed in, raising her hand with a playful expression. Bisky was taken aback for a moment, then waved her hands dismissively, her white gloves fluttering.
"Hey, hey, hey! 'Ms. Cookie' is not your personal masseuse, you know!" she exclaimed.
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