Chapter 32: The Heavenly Stems
Shizuku paused, her eyes fixed on Haru. "What do you want?"
Haru grinned. "If I win, you'll join me. From now on, you're in my crew. Deal?"
Shizuku considered this for only a moment. Feeling the immense strength emanating from his hand, she nodded. "Okay."
"Alright, then. Ready?" Haru said, smiling. "One… two… three… go!"
The match began instantly, with both their arms and hands wrapped in a dense layer of aura.
Nen, the life force or spiritual energy that fueled their abilities, was inseparably tied to both body and mind. For a Nen user, there was no need for excessive physical training. Strengthening Nen inherently enhanced the body, making it a more efficient path to physical prowess.
Since arriving in this world, Haru had relied solely on Nen to strengthen himself. Through rigorous training, he had pushed his total aura to 6,000—a feat that had naturally enhanced his physical attributes. While he couldn't compare to Killua's poison-resistant and electricity-enduring body, Haru's strength couldn't be judged by his small stature.
Shizuku, too, relied on her Nen, gathering her aura into her arm. She generated an incredible amount of force despite her slender build. But even so, she couldn't overpower the boy across from her. Instead, she felt mounting pressure as the match continued.
Is his strength greater than mine?
In this fierce contest, the vibrations between their arms and auras grew more intense. Slowly, Shizuku's arm began to tilt under the pressure, her hand inching closer to the table.
Finally—bang!—her hand hit the table.
"I lost…" Shizuku murmured, rubbing her sore arm.
The crowd surrounding them erupted in astonishment. It was the first time anyone had lasted close to a minute against Haru's sheer strength.
"This is insane… I think the table almost broke—wait, it did crack!" someone exclaimed.
What kind of superhuman is this girl? a merchant thought, begrudgingly handing over money for a lost bet.
Shizuku flexed her hand experimentally. She noticed Haru's aura flowing back into him. Using Gyo, she could see that he had wrapped part of his aura around the table.
"Did you really have to protect the table?" she asked.
Haru smiled. "Can't have the table breaking mid-match, can we?"
"You're amazing," Shizuku admitted. Then, with a hint of curiosity, she asked, "I feel like I should've been stronger than you. Why did I lose?"
"Fundamentals." Haru raised his hand.
Shizuku watched as his aura, which had been evenly distributed across his body, surged into his arm and hand like a flowing river.
Haru explained, "Your aura reserves are probably larger than mine. But my control over Nen is better. That's why I won."
Both were equally far from the enhancement-focused Reinforcement Nen type, leaving them at no inherent advantage or disadvantage. Haru estimated that Shizuku's aura capacity was slightly over 7,000—greater than his—but she lacked the finesse to match his control.
"Ah, I see." Shizuku nodded in understanding, accepting her loss with grace. "I lost fair and square."
Haru grinned. "So, I'm your boss now?"
"Yes."
"And you'll listen to your boss?"
"Yes."
"Great. Let's go!" Haru stood, addressing the gawking crowd. "Show's over, folks. Move along!"
---
"Here, it's a gift from your boss."
As they strolled through the neon-lit amusement park, Haru handed Shizuku the blue Lunar Gem. She accepted it without hesitation, examining it closely. Her usually expressionless violet eyes sparkled with newfound fascination.
"I'm putting together a little group," Haru began. "We'll call it 'Akatsuki.' The Hunter Association has the Twelve Zodiacs, so we'll go with the Ten Heavenly Stems. Since I'm the leader, I'm 'Jia.' You're the first member, so you'll be 'Yi.'"
Shizuku tore her gaze from the gem, tilting her head slightly. "You're already part of the Hunter Association. Why start another group?"
"What's the problem?" Haru shrugged. "Being a Hunter is just one identity. A lot of professional Hunters have side gigs—lawyers, judges, top-tier doctors… This is just a small group for fun. Nothing serious."
"Oh." Shizuku nodded.
Haru smirked, asking knowingly, "So, why did you want my Hunter License so badly?"
Shizuku blinked. "I saw the Ferris wheel earlier. Someone told me you need a Hunter License to ride it."
Haru had expected this answer, given that his crows had led her here. "Is it that one?"
He pointed to the dark, inactive Ferris wheel in the distance. "I haven't ridden it either. Let's go."
Pocketing the Lunar Gem, Shizuku followed him with a spring in her step.
---
At the Ferris wheel's entrance, two Blanchett staff members scrutinized Haru's Hunter License, their skepticism growing.
"Is this… really a Hunter License?" one muttered, astonished by the boy's age.
The Hunter License was notoriously impossible to forge, so once its authenticity was confirmed, the staff stepped aside.
"Please, right this way." One staff member led them to the Ferris wheel, while another moved to activate it.
With a low hum, the massive structure began to turn. In the darkness, the Ferris wheel resembled a colossal windmill. Of the roughly 30 passenger cars, only one was illuminated.
"That's the only operational cabin due to certain restrictions," one staff member explained. "It's rare for anyone with a Hunter License to come here."
"Fair enough," Haru replied.
When the illuminated cabin descended and came to a halt, the door opened, and Haru and Shizuku stepped inside.
The cabin began its ascent with a faint hum.
Inside, Haru and Shizuku simultaneously made curious noises—"Huh?"
As the cabin gently rose into the night sky, Shizuku looked at her hands, perplexed. Something felt… different.
Haru, meanwhile, scanned the interior of the cabin. Taking a few steps back, he looked down at the floor and let out an enlightened sigh.
---
Haru could feel his aura rapidly recovering, as if being nourished by an unseen force. His gaze fixed on the intricate black symbols covering the cabin floor—a complex arrangement of runic patterns.
It's not just a Ferris wheel—it's a mechanism powered by Nen!
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