Tonpa’s smile did not fade as he followed the path Gon had taken.
The boy’s footsteps had disappeared into the fog long ago, but that did not worry him much.
He did not need to see Gon when he already knew where the boy was headed, and Gon did not need to see Leorio to find him.
‘With that nose, the kid could find a needle in a haystack…
provided the needle had sweated a little.’
Tonpa moved cautiously between the trees, benefiting from the upgrades to his Strength, Speed, and Flexibility.
He had not suddenly transformed into a superhuman fighter, but his legs felt lighter, and his body responded to sharp turns more smoothly.
Even his belly seemed less determined to arrive everywhere before the rest of him.
The improvement was noticeable enough to please him, yet modest enough to remind him that he was still Tonpa.
Out of the hundreds of bodies available in this world, he had somehow started with this one.
Several minutes later, he caught sight of Gon’s small figure between the trees.
The boy moved quickly, occasionally stopping to inspect the ground or sniff the air before changing direction.
Tonpa watched him from a safe distance.
‘He’s really doing it.’
He could not decide whether he should admire Gon’s sense of smell or be deeply concerned by its existence.
In his previous world, the police had needed bank records and surveillance footage to track him down.
This child might only need to smell his shirt once.
‘Better not make an enemy of him.
A fake identity won’t fool a nose like that.’
Gon continued forward while Tonpa maintained the distance between them.
He did not want the boy to see him yet.
Arriving at the wrong moment might ruin the scene he was waiting for—and worse, his presence could attract the attention of the other person at the end of this trail.
Hisoka.
The moment sounds of fighting began drifting through the trees, Tonpa slowed down.
He ducked behind a thick trunk, then crept through the undergrowth until he could see part of a small clearing whose edges were swallowed by fog.
Leorio stood there, gripping his wooden staff with both hands, his face tight with anger.
Hisoka stood across from him with perfect calm, as though the man waving a weapon in his face were merely demanding repayment for an overdue loan.
Gon was approaching from the opposite side, unnoticed by either of them.
Tonpa retreated farther behind the tree.
He did not know whether Hisoka was using En at that moment or simply possessed some sixth sense unique to psychopaths.
He had no intention of getting closer to discover the difference.
‘My plan is to earn the main characters’ trust, not attend my own funeral.’
He peered around the trunk with half his face.
Hisoka was speaking calmly to the survivors, as though the bodies scattered around him had nothing to do with him.
He told them he would give them a chance to escape.
Once he gave the signal, they were to run in different directions.
Leorio kept a tight grip on his staff, anger clear across his features, while Kurapika silently studied their opponent.
He appeared to understand the difference between their strength and Hisoka’s, which was why he made no attempt at pointless heroics.
When the signal came, the applicants scattered in different directions.
Kurapika fled into the trees without hesitation.
Leorio initially ran with him, but he did not get far.
His pace slowed before he came to a complete stop.
Tonpa closed his eyes for a moment.
‘And there goes his survival instinct.’
Leorio turned back toward Hisoka and tightened his grip on his staff before marching back with furious steps.
He could have escaped and survived, but his pride would not allow him to leave the man who had humiliated them standing behind him.
Or perhaps he simply could not resist the urge to strike that smiling face.
Tonpa could not entirely blame him.
Hisoka’s face possessed a rare talent for inviting punches.
Being capable of accepting that invitation was another matter entirely.
Gon noticed Leorio turning back and shifted inside his hiding place, but he did not reveal himself yet.
Leorio stopped in front of Hisoka and raised his staff, declaring that he had returned to finish their fight.
The magician greeted him with a slightly wider smile, as though he had been waiting for someone to make precisely that terrible decision.
Leorio charged and swung his staff with all his strength.
Hisoka leaned aside and avoided the blow with ease, then slipped past him before Leorio could recover his balance.
At that exact moment, Gon emerged from hiding.
He planted his feet firmly against the ground and swung his fishing rod with all his strength.
The line shot across the clearing, its weighted lure tearing through the fog at high speed.
It did not wrap around Hisoka’s hand.
It struck him directly in the face.
A dull impact rang out, and the magician’s head snapped sideways from the force of the blow.
Leorio’s eyes widened while the lure rebounded and dropped to the ground.
Tonpa’s mouth fell slightly open despite knowing exactly what would happen. This story is hosted at novelping.com.
‘He actually caught Hisoka’s face.’
Hisoka slowly raised his head.
A mark from the impact had appeared on his cheek, but his smile had not disappeared.
If anything, it had become more pronounced, as though being unexpectedly struck in the face had delighted him.
He looked at Gon and praised his accuracy before turning his attention back to Leorio.
Leorio seized the opportunity and rushed at him again, raising his staff.
Hisoka, however, closed the distance between them in a flash and struck him with tremendous force.
Tonpa could not even follow the movement of his fist.
He only saw Leorio’s body lift off the ground before being thrown backward and crashing into the grass.
He rolled once, then lay motionless, completely unconscious.
“Leorio!”
Gon tightened his grip on his fishing rod and charged toward him.
But Hisoka was faster.
He appeared in front of Gon in an instant, circled behind him, and closed one hand around his throat.
Gon’s feet rose slightly off the ground, and his fishing rod slipped from his grasp.
Tonpa’s fingers dug into the tree bark.
He knew Hisoka would not kill Gon.
He had watched this scene before and remembered how it ended, but that knowledge did little to make the sight of the magician’s fingers around the boy’s throat less terrifying.
On a screen, Hisoka had been an interesting character.
From this distance, he was a compelling reason to choose a profession that did not involve meeting other human beings.
Hisoka studied the boy for several moments before asking whether he had come to save his friend.
Gon did not answer, but his defiant stare remained firm despite the obvious difference between them.
Hisoka told him that he would not kill Leorio because the man had proven himself worthy of further observation.
He added that Gon had passed as well, then loosened his grip.
Gon dropped to the ground and rubbed his throat while catching his breath.
Hisoka walked over to Leorio and effortlessly hoisted him onto his shoulder.
He pulled out a small communication device, listened to the directions leading to the site of the Second Phase, then told Gon they would meet again there.
After that, he disappeared among the trees with Leorio over his shoulder.
Tonpa remained inside his hiding place.
He waited ten seconds after Hisoka vanished.
Then another ten.
He added five more out of respect for his survival instinct.
Once he could no longer hear the magician’s footsteps, a slow breath escaped his chest.
Everything had happened exactly as he remembered.
Kurapika had escaped, Leorio had returned, Gon had struck Hisoka, and the magician had carried Leorio toward the site of the Second Phase.
His earlier interference had not altered the course of the story.
His knowledge of the future remained useful.
‘Excellent.
The script hasn’t caught fire yet.’
Tonpa stepped out from behind the tree and began adjusting his expression as he ran.
He relaxed his eyebrows, widened his eyes, and forced his breathing to emerge in broken gasps.
The scene required visible concern.
“Gooon!”
His voice echoed between the trees.
Gon turned toward him in surprise.
Tonpa charged through the bushes and nearly tripped over an exposed root, but he recovered his balance and turned the awkward step into a convincing part of his performance.
“Gon!
Are you all right?!”
He stopped in front of the boy and bent over with both hands on his knees, pretending to struggle for breath.
Not all of the panting was fake, which granted his performance some free credibility.
Gon blinked several times.
“Tonpa?
What are you doing here?”
Tonpa raised his head and examined him from top to bottom, then looked around at the traces of battle.
“I was searching for all of you.
I heard fighting coming from this direction.” He swept his worried gaze across the clearing.
“Where’s Leorio?
And what happened to Kurapika?”
“I’m fine,” Gon said.
“Hisoka took Leorio with him to the site of the Second Phase.”
Tonpa’s eyes widened as though he were hearing the news for the first time.
Gon nodded, then began explaining what had happened.
He told Tonpa how Hisoka had allowed Kurapika and Leorio to escape, how Leorio had returned to confront him, and how Gon had intervened and struck Hisoka with his fishing rod.
Tonpa maintained his astonishment throughout the explanation.
“Is Leorio alive?”
“Yes.
Hisoka said he wouldn’t kill him and that we passed.”
Tonpa looked toward the path where the magician had disappeared, then released a relieved sigh.
“That’s good…
or at least as good as being carried around unconscious by Hisoka can possibly be.”
That was not entirely an act.
His expression changed a moment later, as though he had suddenly remembered something important.
“What about Kurapika?
You said he escaped, but where is he now?
Did you make sure he was safe?”
Gon shook his head.
“I don’t know.
He ran in a different direction and hasn’t come back yet.”
Tonpa furrowed his brow and stared into the trees.
His concern appeared genuine, but the truth was that he knew exactly what would happen.
Kurapika would return to Gon.
He had escaped from Hisoka, but concern for his companions would compel him to turn back.
The question was not whether he would return, but how much longer it would take him to arrive.
‘Probably a few seconds.’
A faint chime sounded inside Tonpa’s head.
[Deception Registered.]
[Gon Freecss has been convinced that the Host’s concern for him and his companions is genuine.]
[Nen Points +10]
[Experience Points +10]
A smile nearly appeared on Tonpa’s face, but he concealed it behind a worried look toward the fog.
‘Only ten points?’
Last time, he had received thirty Nen Points and thirty Experience Points.
This time, he had run, shouted, and produced the most concerned expression Tonpa’s face was capable of, yet he had earned only a third as much.
The reason was not difficult to understand.
Previously, he had allowed himself to be swallowed and deceived both Gon and Killua.
This time, he had waited until the danger was over before appearing to play the concerned friend.
‘Thirty points for entering a frog’s stomach, and ten for a bit of shouting.’
The pricing seemed fair in a way that irritated him.
Another window appeared.
[Gon Freecss’s Trust Level has increased.]
[3% → 5%]
Tonpa’s thoughts froze on the final number.
Five percent.
He had not even reached half the amount required from Gon, while the Trust Levels of the other three main characters remained close to nothing.
Even so, genuine satisfaction spread through his chest.
Only a few hours ago, Gon had viewed him as the man who had tried to poison him with laxatives.
Now, the boy trusted him by a full five percent.
For an ordinary person, that would hardly qualify as an achievement.
But a good con artist never underestimated the first crack in his target’s defenses.
The sound of branches shifting came from behind him.
Tonpa knew who the footsteps belonged to before their owner appeared, but he spun around and pretended to brace himself.
Gon grabbed his fishing rod and watched the fog cautiously.
A human figure emerged between the trees.
Kurapika stepped out of the mist, dirt staining the edge of his clothes, but otherwise unharmed.
The moment he saw Gon, the tension on his face gave way to relief.
“Gon!”
The boy’s face lit up.
“Kurapika!”
Tonpa concealed a small smile as he watched him approach.
He had returned right on schedule.
‘Good…
It seems the world is still following the script.’