HxH: Ryomen... Satoru?

"Rawr—"

A small, fluffy creature with a white coat and black stripes leaped in front of the blonde-haired girl, shaking its tiny head and letting out a baby-like growl.

It was clearly trying to display a fierce posture to intimidate her.

But Biscuit only thought—

"What an adorable little thing!" She scooped up the fluffy cub in one motion and began shamelessly squeezing and rubbing it.

The white tiger cub, dizzy and disoriented from all the squeezing, looked dazed before desperately biting the hem of Cyr's shirt in a plea for help.

Cyr glanced at the cub but didn't intervene.

Too weak—of course, it was only natural for it to become someone else's plaything.

Instead, his attention drifted to someone sitting quietly in the corner…

That person's life energy was significantly higher than a regular human's. Among everyone in the tavern, they and Biscuit stood out the most. Though, in comparison to Biscuit, the person's energy was much weaker.

"With someone as irresistibly cute as me here, you still have the nerve to focus on someone else?" The blonde girl stood, dusted off her dress, and sat down gracefully. Her hands rested neatly on her lap, and when she wasn't speaking, she carried herself with the elegance of a refined young lady.

"What are you doing here? Do you know that person?" Cyr pushed the untouched rainbow-colored cocktail in front of Biscuit, his gaze flickering briefly toward the man in the corner before returning.

Maro had already figured out that the white-haired boy and the blonde-haired girl were acquainted, so he kept his head low and didn't say a word.

"Not telling you." Biscuit sipped from the glass delicately, taking small, ladylike sips.

Of course, even her drinking posture was incredibly cute!

"You—" Maro raised his head and glared at Biscuit angrily.

"You can't beat her, Maro," Cyr reminded in a light tone.

If you can't win, you'd better stay quiet.

The strong have the privilege of acting as they please.

But that rule only applied to Maro.

"Your hair's gotten a lot shorter, hasn't it? Thinking about cutting it even shorter?" Cyr asked lazily, with a faint smile. It was unclear whether it was genuine concern or provocation.

It was definitely provocation!

And whose fault was it?!

Biscuit furiously kneaded the tiger cub to vent her frustration. Then, as if a thought crossed her mind, a sly smile appeared on her face. "You're in trouble now. Someone's got their eye on you."

"It's not just me who recognized the Crystal Feather Bones."

"Why don't you hand it over to me? That way, no one will bother you anymore." Biscuit's smile seemed full of genuine concern and kindness, as though she truly had Cyr's best interests in mind.

She really was such a kind and lovely young lady.

"Is the person you're talking about that one?" Cyr brazenly turned to look directly at the man in the corner.

Blonde hair, wearing either glasses or sunglasses… The lenses were semi-transparent, shaped like sharp triangles.

The man, noticing Cyr's bold and undisguised gaze, quickly looked back.

Meeting his gaze, Cyr smirked and mouthed deliberately:

"What are you looking at, trash?"

His tone was calm, but his expression was full of amusement.

The blonde man froze, clearly not expecting to encounter someone like this.

"Cough, cough—" Biscuit, who had been sipping her drink in small, ladylike sips to appear cute, couldn't help but choke.

This kid—knowing full well that someone might be targeting him, he still went out of his way to provoke them?

"You've alerted him," Biscuit remarked.

She couldn't understand Cyr's reasoning.

Based on the strength she had seen from him during their encounter in the desert, Cyr's abilities were… decent at best. Strong? Not exactly. At least, the aura he displayed at the time wasn't particularly overwhelming.

What had been impressive was his sheer presence.

And yet, the boy had managed to destroy the underground labyrinth beneath the desert—a feat she couldn't figure out how he achieved.

For someone clever, the logical course of action would be to play dumb, wait for the opponent to make the first move, and then strike back at the right moment, flipping the situation in their favor.

Battles between Nen users were about strategy and intellect.

But this reckless move of Cyr's made Biscuit think—he had no brains.

"What's the big deal?" The white-haired boy nonchalantly ordered another overpriced drink.

"I prefer letting my prey know—"

"That I've already spotted them."

"Now, find a way to keep hunting me." Cyr propped his chin on one hand, his tone full of anticipation.

How would they react once they realized they'd been discovered? Would desperation drive them to act rashly?

The blonde-haired man, however, seemed unfazed by the provocation, remaining seated. Moments later, the tavern door opened again, and a group of people walked in. They headed straight toward the man, exchanged a few silent glances, and then he stood up and left with them.

"…Not very direct," Cyr sighed.

Well, that was expected. After all, this wasn't some action-packed battle-centric world.

In Hunter x Hunter, Nen users were all incredibly… restrained? Or cautious?

And the stronger they were, the more cautious they seemed. They rarely got into reckless fights without reason.

Of course, exceptions existed—battle maniacs and criminals, for instance.

"Maybe they're plotting something behind the scenes," Biscuit teased in a mockingly sinister tone. "Like planning to ambush you."

But Cyr had already turned his head toward the entrance.

After the blonde-haired man and his group left, more people entered the tavern.

This was the first time something caught his attention enough to make him turn his head.

"What, is it someone you know?" Biscuit asked, also turning to look.

A man with black hair, a bandage wrapped around his forehead, and dressed in a black suit walked through the door.

Biscuit's eyes lit up immediately.

Of course, it wasn't because of his handsome face—though admiring attractive men was one of her hobbies—but because something even more captivating had caught her eye.

The pale blue earrings dangling from his ears.

The color was so clear, so mesmerizing that it made her heart flutter.

Liquid Ore! That must be Liquid Ore!

It was beautiful. She wanted it!

Without hesitation, Biscuit rushed toward the man as he entered.

"Why is he here…" Cyr muttered, staring at the black-haired man. His gaze lingered on the bandage on the man's forehead and the earrings for a moment before his tone grew uncertain.

This guy… wasn't he Chrollo Lucilfer? A professional thief, leader of the Phantom Troupe, and the brain of the Spider?

Oh, and also the secret "philanthropist" of Meteor City.

"Do you know him, sir?" Maro suddenly chimed in.

"I guess you could say that. He's a well-known good Samaritan," Cyr replied with a straight face.

Of course, that title was known only to a select few in Meteor City.

Maro scrutinized the new arrival but didn't sense any threatening aura. Satisfied, he turned his attention elsewhere.

Meanwhile, Biscuit was nearly at the doorway, about to collide head-on with the man. He subtly shifted his shoulder, ready to sidestep her.

At that exact moment, a deafening explosion erupted outside the tavern.

The violent tremor knocked drinks off tables, sending them crashing to the floor. Many people, unsteady on their feet, fell over.

"Ahhh—how scary!" Biscuit screamed, covering her face with her hands. She stumbled, dramatically altering her path to fall straight toward the black-haired man.

The man politely extended his hands, catching her by the shoulders and steadying her before quickly letting go.

"Are you alright?" he asked with a gentle smile.

Every move he made radiated elegance and gentlemanly charm.

Internally, Biscuit was squealing with excitement, but outwardly, she maintained the façade of a shy, innocent young lady.

"T-Thank you…" She blushed appropriately, lifting the hem of her dress in a demure gesture of gratitude.

"I'm glad you're okay," he replied courteously.

Completely ignoring the gunfire and explosions outside, as well as the swearing and shouting of the tavern's other patrons, this scene felt straight out of a shoujo manga—pink bubbles of dokidoki floating everywhere.

Watching this unfold, Cyr silently turned away, burying his face in his arms as muffled laughter escaped him.

"Pfft—"

"Hahaha—"

Two drama queens had finally crossed paths.

°°°

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