A super cute and irresistibly adorable girl trips and falls right in front of you.
Even if you don't want to help her up, asking if she's okay wouldn't take much effort, right?
Fine,
You don't ask, that's your choice.
But why the hell are you running away like you've seen a ghost?!
The blonde-haired girl—none other than Biscuit—watched in disbelief as Moro's figure disappeared into the distance.
This turn of events was completely beyond any scenario she had imagined.
She froze for just a moment, and in that brief instant, Moro's silhouette had already vanished from her sight.
Biscuit took a deep breath and mentally shredded the carefully crafted script for their fateful encounter.
In the distance, Moro weaved through the crowded streets at lightning speed. Suddenly, he leaped onto the roof of a food stall.
Gasps of shock erupted from the people around, but Moro ignored them. Taking a shortcut, he ran along the tops of the stalls, avoiding the congestion below, heading straight for the streets outside the auction market.
"That was definitely Biscuit..."
"Damn, my reaction was way too instinctive."
"But that kind of lousy acting—well, that's exactly the kind of twisted fun Manipulators love, always thinking about how to 'toy' with others."
Frowning, Moro dropped toward the ground.
But just before landing, he channeled aura through his feet, blasting out a burst of energy that propelled him upward again. It was as if he had stepped on air itself, allowing him to land steadily on the roof of a three-story building ahead.
Without slowing down, he kept running.
In the original story, Biscuit had indeed helped Gon and Killua strengthen their abilities. But before that, she was completely fixated on how to mess with them for her own amusement.
Manipulators were always so unpredictable.
Moro wasn't confident that he could handle such a cunning old fox.
Using his familiarity with the area, he made a beeline for Downwater Street.
That place had a maze-like residential area—perfect for shaking off pursuers.
And if all else failed, he could always rely on an old trick: using a Star Marker placed on a bird to teleport away.
That's right.
Back at the plaza near the auction market, he had casually placed a Star Marker on a pigeon before entering, just in case.
Even if he didn't end up using it, he could always remove it later.
More importantly, marking a pigeon required almost no effort and barely consumed any aura.
That was his ace in the hole for escaping pursuit.
Of course,
Teleporting via Star Marker would only be useful if he could first put some serious distance between himself and the pigeon.
Meanwhile, back in the plaza, Biscuit stood atop the clock tower, her sharp eyes glowing with aura as she enhanced her vision to track Moro's small figure in the distance.
"Not bad fundamentals… a Enhancer?"
Watching Moro use his aura-powered air jump technique, Biscuit rested her chin on her hand, intrigued.
Releasing aura externally to propel movement—
That was a technique often practiced by Enhancers.
With enough mastery, it could even be used for high-speed movement.
However, most Enhancers prioritized refining their aura control in their hands first, as that was crucial for quickly executing their abilities.
Lowering her hand, Biscuit suddenly kicked off, shooting through the air like an arrow. She traced a graceful arc before landing on a rooftop further ahead.
Yet, the clock tower behind her remained completely undamaged.
That was because, before bursting off, she had instinctively directed a small portion of her aura to protect the surface of the tower.
A seemingly simple trick—one that required years of refinement to master.
Biscuit continued her pursuit.
The gap between them was slowly shrinking.
At first, she had been dead set on catching up immediately. But after witnessing Moro's technique, she decided to observe him a little longer.
"So he specializes in nimble, evasive footwork… Oh? He's using aura to correct his force application, compensating for a lack of raw power. Clever."
Watching Moro's gazelle-like movements, Biscuit couldn't help but acknowledge his skills.
His technique was still a little rough—he probably hadn't been using it for long.
And footwork as structured as this usually originated from a specific martial arts school.
Realizing this, Biscuit finally decided to pick up speed.
The chase continued, one in front and one behind, across multiple streets until they arrived at the less populated Downwater Street.
Seeing Moro charge straight into the residential area, Biscuit immediately understood his plan.
"Downwater Street, huh?"
She glanced at the nearly tourist-free shops lining the street.
This wasn't her first time here.
Before tracking down Moro, she had already visited the antique shop owner who posted the blog and confirmed some details.
That unpolished green gemstone—judging by quality alone, it wasn't valuable enough to make her come all this way.
But its sheer size and shape made it incredibly versatile.
That's what truly intrigued her, making her eager to carve it herself.
Leaping into the labyrinth-like residential district, Biscuit used her enhanced hearing to lock onto Moro's every move.
En (Focus), when concentrated in the eyes, could significantly enhance vision. When applied to the ears or nose, it naturally improved hearing and smell.
Tracking a target by sound was nothing special for a veteran like her.
Moro zigzagged through the residential area, but when he realized Biscuit wasn't losing him at all, he decisively stopped wasting energy and aura on running.
He climbed onto a rooftop, where clothes and blankets were hanging out to dry.
When he saw Biscuit land gracefully on the other side, his gaze immediately focused on the aura concentrated around her ears.
It was obvious how she had kept up with him so easily.
"If you ran a little longer, you might've actually lost me, little Enhancer."
Biscuit placed her hands on her hips, looking at Moro with an amused expression.
Moro's face remained unreadable, but internally, he scoffed. Cut the act, you sly old fox.
However, he kept his expression neutral and casually replied, "You look younger than me. With a face that cute, why put on such a mature front?"
"Huh?"
Biscuit blinked, then laced her fingers under her chin, pretending to be puzzled.
"I wasn't paying attention. Mind saying that again?"
Moro calmly repeated, "I said, you're very cute—like a princess straight out of a painting. No need to act all senior-like."
"Mmm."
Biscuit smiled. "But… you're just saying that to butter me up, aren't you?"
"Just speaking the truth."
Moro responded naturally.
Saying the right thing to the right person was one of his talents.
But against an old Manipulator with a knack for deception and spotting lies, it was practically useless.
Biscuit studied Moro's face carefully, then smirked.
"With the way you talk… I'm starting to wonder if I was wrong. You seem more like a Manipulator than an Enhancer."
Moro said nothing.
Getting old really is a pain.
With that thought, he smoothly changed the subject. "Why are you chasing me?"
"Huh?"
Biscuit crossed her arms, exasperated. "I should be asking you—why the hell did you run?"
"For exercise."
"…"
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50 Powerstones? (5 Bonus Chapters)
20 Advance Chapters: patreon.com/milezen