Hunter x hunter: I’m interested in Nen abilities

Chapter 31: Shizuku: Can We Change the Bet?

Watching Haru, Shizuku, and Menchi's retreating figures, Dago and his companions were left with a mix of emotions.

We were hired alongside Shizuku from the beginning, so how come it's these two newcomers who get to team up with her?

Should they shamelessly try to join the group?

…It wasn't impossible. But what excuse could they use?

"Strength in numbers"? That wouldn't work; splitting up would be more efficient.

"To protect the two girls and the kid"? Yeah, right. That "kid" nearly killed one of them with a single finger earlier. Who was protecting who, exactly?

"Are you all forming a team or splitting up?" asked one of Blanchett Company's staff members.

Since the company had officially allowed the investigation, they had assigned personnel to accompany the hunters. At the very least, they needed to protect the Crescent Tigers and ensure the hunters didn't cause too much damage.

Dago and the others exchanged glances. "Do you have any recommendations?"

"Our recommendation is that there's nothing here worth investigating. You'd be better off calling it a day."

"Then we'll split up," Dago decided quickly. "The five of us will act separately, and we'll need five separate escorts."

The group divided, with two heading to the outer perimeter, two to the buffer zone, and Dago himself making for the core area, where they had spent the least time over the past few days.

---

In the core area of the Crescent Tiger Reserve, where the forest was more pristine and untamed, Haru, Shizuku, and Menchi moved slowly through the dense underbrush, accompanied by two security personnel from Blanchett.

Technically, none of the three had the professional skills or experience typically associated with hunters, but as Nen users, their enhanced senses—sight, hearing, and touch—were far beyond normal human limits. When they focused their aura on their eyes using Ren, their vision became razor-sharp, allowing them to spot even the faintest traces of energy.

Menchi, employing Ren to sharpen her vision, casually glanced at Shizuku, who seemed to be observing her surroundings in a rather lackadaisical manner.

"Have you never practiced maintaining Ren at all times?" Menchi asked.

"Oh," Shizuku blinked in realization and immediately focused her aura on her eyes. She scanned the area and then fixated on Haru's ears.

"Does it work on ears too?" she asked curiously.

That stumped Menchi—this wasn't something Ginta had taught her.

Haru chuckled. "Try it and see."

Both women attempted it. After several tries, they successfully gathered aura at their ears, significantly enhancing their hearing. The forest came alive with amplified sounds—the rustling leaves, the scurrying of small animals, and the distant calls of birds.

"It's not as useful as focusing on your eyes," Menchi remarked. "With your eyes, Ren can reveal hidden energy…"

Shizuku covered her ears briefly, then asked, "But could there be energy that can only be heard using Ren?"

Menchi frowned, confused, then her expression shifted to one of surprise.

"See? She's sharper than you," Haru teased. "You need to think outside the box, Menchi. What if you encounter an opponent using sound-based Nen techniques?"

"What sound techniques? This is Nen, not ninja tricks!" Menchi retorted.

Shizuku, ever the curious one, asked, "Why does he call you 'little sister'?"

Menchi snorted. "Good question."

Haru grinned. "It's a term of endearment. I'm sort of her mentor. Be glad I didn't call her my niece."

"You're asking for it!" Menchi growled, clawing at him like a wild animal. She then shifted the topic. "Shizuku, as an amateur hunter, you haven't taken the Hunter Exam, right?"

"Right." Shizuku nodded absentmindedly, her focus still on her surroundings.

"And you—" Menchi hesitated and glanced over her shoulder. The two security escorts from Blanchett were keeping a respectable distance, likely unable to hear their conversation.

Haru interjected, "She means, how did you awaken Nen? And since you can use Nen, why haven't you mastered the basics like Ren? Didn't you have a teacher?"

He was genuinely curious.

While not all members of the Phantom Troupe hailed from Meteor City—some, like Killua's family, joined later—Shizuku and several founding members shared that origin.

Meteor City was said to be a massive garbage dump dating back 1,500 years, taking in the world's trash, weapons, corpses, and even abandoned infants. Today, it reportedly housed eight million residents, though that number had never been verified.

But if the number couldn't be verified, where had the "eight million" figure come from in the first place? Haru often found this part of the manga's lore particularly thought-provoking.

Shizuku looked at them but offered no answer.

"You're getting cocky just because Ginta's gone," Haru scolded Menchi. "Don't you know better than to ask someone about their abilities? What if she doesn't want to share?"

"Oh, sorry!" Menchi apologized, then glared at Haru.

"Do you get a teacher if you pass the Hunter Exam?" Shizuku asked.

"Yep, but not everyone can actually learn…" Menchi explained.

The trio wandered the core area for hours, spotting several Crescent Tigers along the way. However, their mystical aura was less apparent during the day.

Eventually, Shizuku exclaimed, "Oh, so those are Crescent Tigers?"

"You're only realizing that now?" Menchi sighed.

By nightfall, they had found nothing significant.

With only four days left before their contract expired, failure to produce results would leave them with the base reward of 2 million Jennies—roughly equivalent to $10,000 USD. While not a bad payday for five days of minimal effort, the thought of potentially doubling or even multiplying that amount several times over was tempting.

At the edge of the core area, the trio encountered Dago, who looked just as defeated as they felt.

"Well, see you tomorrow, Shizuku," Menchi waved as she and Haru turned to leave.

Though the Ochima officials didn't interfere with the hunters' work, Dago hesitated for a moment before calling out, "Want to continue searching tonight? Splitting 2 million feels—"

When he turned back, Shizuku was already gone, following Menchi and Haru toward the same exit.

Above him, two crows cawed before flying off into the distance. Dago stood there, baffled, before reluctantly heading back into the forest.

The Blanchett security team sighed. Fine, if you want to skip dinner, we'll skip it too…

---

Under the glow of the neon lights in the Spirit Amusement Park, Haru was back at the fountain square, once again setting up his arm-wrestling stall with the now-famous blue-glowing "Lunar Gem" as the prize. The security guards were already familiar with his antics and turned a blind eye.

As usual, curious tourists gathered around, debating their bets.

"I'll bet this musclehead lasts three seconds!"

"Three? He's gotta last at least five."

"I'll put my money on one second," a merchant chimed in, laughing.

Bang!

In the blink of an eye, Haru slammed the muscleman's arm down, leaving him stunned.

"You're up next," Haru said as a familiar girl approached the table. Dressed in her signature black sweater and jeans, Shizuku calmly stepped forward.

"Caw, caw…"

Overhead, two crows circled once before flying away, their job done. Shizuku, of course, paid them no mind. Her violet eyes were locked onto the Lunar Gem on the table.

"Don't even try it," the defeated muscleman warned. "That kid's got freakish strength—"

"Move along, mister," Haru interrupted. "If the lady wants to try, let her. Make room."

The muscleman grumbled but stepped aside. Shizuku took his place and sat across from Haru.

"Don't just stare at it," Haru teased, waving his hand over the Lunar Gem. Shizuku had yet to look at anything else. "Win, and it's yours."

He set his arm on the table and flexed his fingers. "You can even use Nen if you want."

A stream of aura encircled Haru's arm, visible only to those who could see it.

Finally, Shizuku looked up at Haru. "Can we change the bet?"

"To what?" Haru asked, intrigued.

Shizuku wrapped her hand around his, her aura flaring faintly.

"Your Hunter License," she said.

"Deal," Haru replied without hesitation. "But a Hunter License isn't worth a mere 1,800 Jenny entry fee. So, what are you putting up if you lose?"

(Chapter end)