"Exercising…"
Biscuit raised an eyebrow.
That was an obvious brush-off.
Or rather, he didn't intend to answer the question at all.
First, he shamelessly spouted insincere flattery without a hint of hesitation. Now, he was acting indifferent and dismissive.
It seemed that this whole chase hadn't put any real pressure on this brat.
Or maybe—did he have some kind of ace up his sleeve that could let him escape?
Biscuit considered the possibility.
Moro, unaware of her thoughts, remained calm as he said, "Your turn to answer—why are you chasing me?"
"Because I want to fall in love…"
That meaningless lie nearly slipped out, but Biscuit swallowed it back in time.
The reason she had dropped the whole adorable girl act was simple—she knew there was no more emotional amusement to be gained from it.
"A raw green gemstone."
Dropping all pretenses, Biscuit raised a slender finger and got straight to the point.
Moro's eyes twitched slightly in realization.
"Oh, so you're after the gemstone. No wonder you were chasing me so aggressively."
"Well, whose fault is that? You bolted for no reason."
Biscuit lowered her finger and clenched her fist slightly as if making a subtle threat, but her tone was already shifting toward business.
"Besides, don't make it sound so bad—I can afford to buy a gemstone."
"Is that so?"
Moro took that as confirmation that Biscuit intended to purchase the gemstone and immediately responded, "That's unfortunate. I already sold it that same day."
"Hm?"
Biscuit quickly pressed, "Who did you sell it to?"
"The gem appraiser Axel, from the Nampis Auction House."
Moro pulled a business card from his pocket and held it up.
"He's a collector of untreated gemstones. He really loved that green gem. But if you offer him a good enough price, I think he might be willing to part with it."
After speaking, Moro flicked the business card toward Biscuit.
She caught it effortlessly and smiled.
"…Why do I get the feeling you're subtly warning me not to strong-arm my way into getting it?"
"How could I? Someone as cute as you would never—"
"Stop."
Biscuit cut him off before he could finish.
"Sigh."
She let out a resigned sigh and waved her hand.
"A nickname that should bring me joy just sounds wrong coming from your mouth. Forget it, don't call me that anymore."
Moro remained silent.
Biscuit studied him for a moment before turning around. As she left, she casually remarked, "At first, I thought you had a pretty nasty personality, but it seems you do have some good points—you actually consider your previous business partners."
With that, she leaped off the rooftop, her petite figure vanishing into the billowing white sheets hanging out to dry.
Moro exhaled slowly as he watched the sheets flutter in the wind.
From what little he knew about Biscuit, he was fairly certain she wouldn't resort to outright robbery.
That was why he had deliberately framed it as stealing the gemstone—to prompt her to clarify her stance.
Once she confirmed she genuinely intended to buy it, he had no issue telling her where it was.
It was moments like this that proved his knowledge of the original story could still come in handy.
He was also relieved that this Two-Star Gem Hunter was at least somewhat honorable. Unlike some Hunters, she wasn't the type to use any means necessary to get what she wanted.
Moro withdrew his gaze and shook his head slightly.
For a moment, during their conversation, he had considered building a deeper connection with Biscuit.
But he was self-aware enough to know that compared to true diamonds in the rough like Gon and Killua, his talent wasn't nearly exceptional enough to truly catch Biscuit's eye.
If that meant he was underestimating himself, so be it.
He believed that not overestimating himself would help him avoid unnecessary trouble.
Still, at the very least, he had left an impression on Biscuit today.
"Tomorrow is the final day of the auction. I've already checked out every bidding market in the city—there shouldn't be any more merchandise left to move."
Standing at the edge of the rooftop, Moro gazed out over the distant cityscape.
Yorknew was a strange place.
The annual auction alone saw nearly a hundred trillion in financial transactions, fueling the rise of countless skyscrapers and bustling commerce.
Yet at the same time, there were clusters of old, rundown buildings, filled with filth and disorder.
The narrow sky between these buildings was crisscrossed by tangled electrical wires, breaking it into fragmented patches.
And even further away, entire districts of abandoned, half-built structures lay in decay.
"Just one more day to go."
Moro took a step forward—
And dropped.
Thud.
He landed steadily in an alleyway. Without hesitation, he walked toward the distant light shining from the end of the passage.
As he moved away from Downwater Street, the crowd density increased.
Moro blended in seamlessly, becoming just another faceless figure in the sea of people.
In the distance—
Among the throngs of pedestrians, a doll-like figure stood motionless.
Dressed in a dark purple kimono, with a bob cut and striking purple eyes, the figure looked no older than six or seven.
Holding a closed paper fan lightly against their lips, the child gazed emotionlessly through the gaps in the crowd, watching Moro disappear into the city.
Tiny white scraps of paper floated gently through the air.
"Found you."
This girl—or rather, boy—was none other than Kalluto Zoldyck, the fifth child of the Zoldyck family.
Recently, the Zoldycks had received two contracts.
One was an "eliminate immediately" order.
The other was a "locate first" order.
For professional assassins, killing was obviously important. But being able to find the target in the first place was an equally critical skill.
Kalluto's abilities made him particularly adept at tracking people.
So he had taken the tracking contract—while the actual assassination contract had gone to his older brother, Illumi Zoldyck.
Kalluto gazed coldly at the bustling street ahead. Clad in traditional wooden sandals, he took slow, deliberate steps forward.
The contract specified that he only needed to find the target.
But once he had done so—he was free to decide whether to attempt the kill himself.
If he succeeded, his payment would triple.
Moving gracefully through the crowd, Kalluto showed no concern about losing his quarry.
"I can do this."
He unfolded his paper fan, partially obscuring his face.
A glimmer of light flashed through his dark purple eyes.
Sky Arena
Hisoka walked through the corridor designated for fighters.
Suddenly, he stopped.
Leaning against the wall ahead was a tall figure.
"Hisoka… sorry, but I have to kill you."
The figure spoke, their voice calm and unwavering.
----------
50 Powerstones? (5 Bonus Chapters)
20 Advance Chapters: patreon.com/milezen