Chapter 33
I encountered a problem.
The brown-haired boy who claimed to be Kurapika and Killua's friend could easily defuse any difficulties I posed without a care in the world.
She'll come back when she's sent away, ignore when someone gets angry, and when asked, "Is it really necessary to go to this extent just for a friend?" she'll blink, think for a moment, and then give a clear smile.
“It’s not just for friends,” he said with a smile, “because I really like Sister Lei.”
His open expression of "liking" made him seem suspicious.
"Who cares if you like me—" Hearing this made me furious.
In Adrian Manor, there once lived a mixed-breed dog that wasn't purebred.
Its brownish-yellow fur is unevenly dotted with small black spots, its ears are slightly curved, its tail is short, and it whines when it sees people.
It was fed by the gardener's children and was semi-free-range. Because the owner's consent was not obtained, the matter eventually became a big deal, and the servants were clamoring to report it to their mother, causing the gardener to lose her job.
I was on vacation at the time, and because I was busy preparing for a match, I had to stop training with the Zoldyck team. Seeing this, I interrupted their argument.
“It’s just a dog,” I said. “Send it to me.”
Before that, I had only ever met Zoldyck dogs. Their dogs were quite different from ordinary dogs; they were cold and fierce, but I didn't know the differences.
At the time, I thought all dogs should be like Sanmao—the Zoldyck family's dog—a cold and cruel creature.
This little mongrel shattered my preconceived notions.
It first reluctantly tore at the furniture, curtains, and sheets in my room, and then it barked at me.
After I dismissed the maid and fed it two meals myself, things changed.
It quieted down beside me, but it still had to stay by my feet at all times, so much so that when I wanted to be alone, I had to be extremely vigilant, suddenly run out of the room as fast as I could, and then quickly close the door before it could react.
Their enthusiasm was so intense it was almost suffocating.
I haven't felt this way in a long time since my mother, who returned home after hearing the news, took the dog away.
The brown-haired boy next to me successfully reminded me of that suffocating feeling of confinement.
"...I don't want your affection at all." Frustrated, that was the only answer I could give.
He just smiled.
...
There was still some distance to go before the end of my journey, and I had to stay overnight in the transit city. Without an ID card, I couldn't check into a hotel and could only sit on a public bench at the bus station, lost in thought.
If we absolutely have to find a place to spend the night, it's not impossible... but it's too much trouble, and it wouldn't be good if something unexpected happened.
Anyway, I've been through hardship before. When Milluki forced me to go into the mountains to catch monsters, I also spent the night outdoors. So, after hesitating for a moment, I decided to make do and spend the night at the bus station.
But come to think of it, I haven't eaten for almost a day... This thought had barely crossed my mind when the boy who had followed me off the bus and had been standing behind me asked:
"There looks like there's some delicious food across the street... Let's go try it!"
I was tempted, but I was also really annoyed by his presence, so I said listlessly, "No, you go by yourself."
"Aren't you hungry?" he asked. "It seems like you haven't eaten anything for almost a day... You've only had a couple of sips of water in the car."
I expressed my attitude through silence.
Most people would have wisely left, or at least temporarily given in, but Killua's strange friend was so stubborn that it was frightening.
He remained silent, standing motionless behind me without uttering a word. To an outsider, he might have looked like a stone statue or something.
“…I told you I hate you!” I broke down again.
“I know,” he said, his expression showing neither hurt nor anger, only a matter-of-fact calm, and his tone was the same. “I heard you.”
"Then why are you still following me?" I couldn't help but turn around and glare at him again, venting all the anger I felt from being harassed for no reason on him. "Is it really necessary to go to such lengths for Killua and Kurapika... Ugh, anyway, I probably can't beat you, just tie me up and take me back! You're all the same, there's no difference!"
“I won’t do that,” he said, “not for Killua and Kurapika, but because you don’t like that.”
“I don’t like you either—” I shouted.
“It’s impossible for me to be liked by everyone,” he said calmly.
Me: "But I don't like you, so I don't want to see you."
“I can’t do it.” He said decisively, “You can continue to hate me, I’ll still follow you.”
...It's always like this.
My conversation with the stubborn boy had once again reached a dead end. I lowered my head in frustration, cursing Killua and Kurapika in my mind, then Hisoka, and then extending that to that guy named Chrollo... Milluki isn't a good person either!
The worst one was Illumi.
After I had finished berating everyone, just as I was agonizing over whether to also berate Kurt, who was completely unrelated to the matter, my stomach began to protest with pain and a burning sensation due to extreme hunger.
I closed my eyes, clutched my stomach, and bent over. After a moment, I gave up struggling and weakly asked the boy beside me:
"Hello."
he:""
I said coldly, "Didn't you insist on following me? I'm hungry. Go pack me some food. Otherwise, I'll turn into a corpse in front of you."
I have a history of running away, so I guessed he would never easily agree to my request.
I had already planned how I would criticize him, but after looking into my eyes quietly for a while, he suddenly nodded.
"Okay," he readily agreed.
I couldn't help but raise my eyebrows.
"Aren't you afraid I'm lying again, just trying to get rid of you?" I asked.
“It’s okay,” he said, “because you don’t like me…that kind of thing can happen.”
Then he left.
This time I didn't run away. I stood there hugging my knees and waited for a while before the brown-haired boy returned.
He handed me the food.
Perhaps because I was starving, and what was in front of me was a local delicacy I had never tasted before, I felt like I was eating something so delicious for the first time.
After I had almost finished eating, I put my utensils between my teeth and glanced at the food. The night wind was chilly, and the boy who had brought back the food somehow also bought a thin blanket, which he draped over my shoulders when I was halfway through my meal.
He was empty-handed, hadn't eaten anything or put on any extra clothes, and just stood there watching me, with the streetlights casting a warm orange glow behind him.
"Why are you just staring at me?" I asked.
He blinked.
“I was wondering if it would suit your taste,” he said. “It seems not.”
I put down my cutlery, straightened up, and resumed the dignified demeanor expected of Miss Adrian, announcing, "I'm full."
He took it upon himself to start cleaning up the mess.
I sat on the bench, staring at my toes, and kicked at the air.
"How did you meet them?" I asked.
It wasn't explicitly stated who "they" were, but he understood.
“We took the Hunter Exam together,” he said.
"Is it interesting?" I asked.
"Instead of 'interesting'..." he thought for a moment and said, "it might be better to describe it as 'special'."
I then asked, "Do you think I can pass the Hunter Exam?"
"I don't know, you can try participating once and you'll be able to confirm."
After chatting casually for a while, he finished dealing with the trash.
The temperature was dropping lower and lower at night, so I pulled the thin blanket around myself tighter and asked:
"Does a hunter's license entitle you to free accommodation...? You should be old enough to stay in a hotel by now."
He was stunned.
...
Once I nestled into the soft mattress, I became even more convinced that my question was worthwhile!
Nothing outside can compare to the warmth and happiness I feel right now.
“I didn’t bring my ID card with me… You’ve really helped me a lot, Mr. Hunter.” I smiled and thanked the boy who was sitting on the sofa with his backpack.
His expression looked conflicted; his large, bright brown eyes turned into beady ones, and his cheeks puffed out, as if he were sulking.
I can't understand the mind of teenagers, let alone the fact that he's a weirdo to begin with.
I decided not to ask him what he was thinking at that moment, so I squinted my eyes and lay down on the pillow, drifting off to sleep.
I don't know how much time passed. Half asleep, I turned my head and found that all the lights in the room were off, the window was open with a small crack, the curtains were open, and a brown-haired boy wearing a loose vest was sitting cross-legged in front of the French window, quietly enjoying the night breeze and watching the lights outside.
His phone screen flickered with a faint blue light in the darkness, and a familiar voice came from the other end of the screen, the volume low, almost inaudible under normal circumstances.
He probably turned on the earpiece mode.
But it was a quiet night, and being trained, I inevitably overheard their conversation.
That was Killua's voice, sounding anxious and uneasy:
"...so there's only one bed in the room."
Jay Freecss's voice was sullen: "I'm not going to do anything bad."
“You better be,” Killua said, “that guy is still Illumi’s fiancé for now!”
Jay: "Let's remain unmarried."
Killua: "What do you mean?"
Jay: "It's nothing special. But Killua, who clearly hates Illumi and even said he'd kill him and stop the wedding before coming here... why is he so earnestly upholding his engagement now?"
Killua: "What are you trying to say? Are you telling me you're going to oppose me like Kurapika? That guy—"
Jay: "Clearly what?"
Killua: "...Are you two crazy?"
Gon: "As for me and Kurapika, I don't know what he's thinking. As for me... well, Killua said before that she's just a troublemaker, at most just the daughter of a business partner."
Killua's voice sounded even more agitated:
"What the hell! What's wrong with you all?! Even so, it's so weird that you all suddenly come running over and telling me one after another that you like that guy! Why is that?!"
"Is it strange?" The seemingly innocent and naive brown-haired boy replied matter-of-factly in the same aggressive tone, "Because Lei is very beautiful."
Killua couldn't understand: "...Ha!"
"If you meet a really pretty girl who's charming... wouldn't you want to pursue her?" the brown-haired boy asked, puzzled. "Is it something that requires special permission to do?"
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There's a reason why we're so popular...
Um... there will be explanations later.
The idea that being loved because of beauty is not valid in my writing.
Lei's beauty is purely due to the halo effect she has as the female protagonist in a novel.
The core reason she is loved stems more from her personal charm or various other random reasons; her appearance doesn't really add to her appeal.
——
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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