Chapter 51 The Circus Fruit Farmer Clown 01 Joker
[Host, welcome to the next world.]
Ayana gradually regained consciousness.
She frowned, a pungent smell filling her nostrils.
The animal odor mixed with the smell of cheap perfume is quite unpleasant.
She appeared to be sitting on a rough wooden plank, which creaked and groaned with a rhythmic swaying.
Ayana gasped involuntarily as a severe headache and body aches over her.
She struggled to open her heavy eyelids, her blurry vision slowly focusing.
What comes into view is a crowded and cluttered space.
Ayana lay in the corner of a mobile caravan, with some musty-smelling hay beneath her.
She was surrounded by all sorts of strange and unusual props.
Brightly colored spheres, gleaming throwing knives, stacks of empty wooden crates, and several cheap costumes covered in sequins hanging haphazardly on hooks.
The area outside the covered wagon was bustling with noise.
Cheers, hawkers' cries, and the growls of wild beasts mingled together, creating an unusually noisy atmosphere.
Through the gaps in the slightly ajar tarpaulin, Ayana could see the flickering lights and the throngs of people outside.
Where is this place?
The system seemed to have thrown her into a completely unfamiliar place.
[Host, this is a circus.]
Ayana paused for a moment, about to ask about the situation in this world, when she suddenly heard a slightly high-pitched voice from behind her.
"Hey! You're finally awake?"
Ayana turned her head and saw a thin man with exaggerated clown makeup on his face looking at her with a frown.
"Get up now if you're awake! What are you doing hiding here slacking off? Our turn is coming up soon, and if we mess it up, the troupe leader will skin us alive!" the man said, impatiently kicking the wooden board next to her feet.
Ayana, supporting her almost broken body, managed to sit up.
She found herself dressed in an ill-fitting, rough-made clown costume, and her face appeared to have been smeared with paint.
It seems that the people here have mistaken him for a member of the group.
"I..." She opened her mouth, her voice terribly hoarse, "Where is this?"
"Where? The Dream Circus! Are you still half asleep?" The clown chuckled, then looked nervously out of the wagon. "Damn it, it's almost our turn! That kid Hisoka took your place for a while, we can't let him keep doing that forever, get up now!"
Hisoka?
Ayana frowned, about to ask for more information, when the clown man rudely grabbed her arm and tried to pull her up.
"Hurry up! If we keep that person waiting, we'll all be in trouble!"
That sir?
Ayana stood up with his help, her steps still a little unsteady.
She was half-pushed and half-forced out of the dimly lit wagon.
In an instant, the noise and bright lights overwhelmed her like a flood.
Before Ayana was a huge tent with red and yellow stripes, and the entrance to the tent was crowded with people.
The air was filled with the sweet smell of popcorn and the stench of the livestock shed.
People in all sorts of outlandish costumes moved around her—acrobatics, animal trainers, snack vendors…
The place was bizarre and fantastical, a stark contrast to the deathly stillness and desolation of Meteor City she was familiar with.
Ayana was indeed transported by the system to a completely unfamiliar world, and is currently in a touring circus.
At that moment, she was being pushed by a strange clown into the noisy center, to report to the so-called troupe leader or that important person.
Ayana was half-pushed and half-shoved by the clown man through the noisy crowd and headed towards a relatively quiet area behind the large tent.
There were many performance equipment piled up here, and the air was filled with a stronger smell of leather and metal.
"Master! Master! She's awake!" the clown shouted to a burly figure who was facing away from them and tidying up a pile of ropes.
The figure turned around at the sound.
He was a middle-aged man with a fleshy face and a thick beard, wearing a circus owner's uniform stained with oil. His sharp eyes swept over Ayana with obvious impatience.
"You dawdling good-for-nothing!" the troupe leader hissed. "Now that you're awake, get to work! The 'human cannonball' segment needs a target, and you..."
Before he could finish speaking, his gaze suddenly passed over Ayana and looked behind her.
The troupe leader's anger vanished instantly, replaced by a barely perceptible hint of apprehension.
“Hisoka,” the troupe leader’s voice unconsciously lowered, “you did a very good job of filling in just now.”
Ayana's heart stirred, and she turned around following the troupe leader's gaze.
A tall, well-proportioned red-haired boy was leaning against a prop box not far away, casually playing with a playing card with his fingertips.
He wore a cautious clown costume adorned with diamond patterns, his face painted with teardrops and stars. He looked quite young, perhaps thirteen or fourteen, but his golden vertical pupils possessed a penetrating power beyond his years, as if they could easily see through people's hearts.
[The good boy has appeared!]
Please actively interact with your darling to officially begin your story together. The system will monitor this in real time!
Ayana was taken aback.
Upon hearing the leader's words, Hisoka merely raised his eyelids lazily, his gaze lightly sweeping over the leader before finally settling on Ayana.
The corners of his mouth seemed to curve upwards slightly, as if he were smiling, but the smile didn't reach his eyes; instead, it made him seem even more enigmatic.
"Hmm?" Hisoka let out a nasal sound with a unique tremor that was hard to decipher, as he deftly flipped the playing cards between his fingers. "Looks like... I don't need to fill in anymore~"
His voice had the clear, youthful quality, yet it also possessed a strange, viscous quality and allure.
The troupe leader, clearly not wanting to cause any more trouble, quickly scolded Ayana, "What are you standing there for! Go change your clothes and get ready! Hisoka, this is none of your business. Go check if the trapeze ropes for the aerial acrobats are properly checked!"
Hisoka shrugged indifferently, and the playing card between his fingers disappeared with a "whoosh".
He glanced at Ayana again, then turned around and disappeared behind the mountain of props with a languid gait.
The troupe leader's orders were not to be questioned, and the clown man who brought Ayana immediately pushed her toward a huge, exaggeratedly shaped wooden cannon.
Several equally ridiculously dressed assistants were already waiting there, their faces blank with indifference.
"Hurry! Get in!" the clown urged, pointing to a narrow seat at the muzzle of the cannon that could only accommodate one person.
Ayana's gaze swept over the rusty wooden cannon in front of her.
The rough repair marks on the cannon were particularly glaring under the flickering lights, and a few loose bolts hung over the edge of the gun carriage, making a slight clicking sound with the vibration of the ground.
The target, hanging high in the distance, swayed incessantly in the airflow above the tent, and the ropes creaked and groaned against the crossbeams.
She had no idea how to perform the show, and felt that the artillery company's basic safety measures looked extremely rudimentary.
Given Ayana's current physical condition and her ignorance of the program, going on stage would be tantamount to suicide.
“I…I don’t know how to do this,” Ayana tried to explain, her voice trembling with weakness.
"Can't do it?" The clown laughed shrilly, as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world. "Once you're in the Dream Circus, there's no such thing as 'can't do it'! If the ringmaster tells you to go on stage, you'll die on stage, even if it means your own death!"
He roughly shoved Ayana into the seat, while the assistants around her expressionlessly began to fasten the makeshift seatbelt around her waist, even though it looked more like a rough cloth strap.
Ayana struggled, wanting to resist, but worried about whether it would affect the development of the world's plot.
Just then, the system's cold voice spoke up.
[The host has been detected to be facing a performance task that cannot be completed independently. Assist mode will be activated shortly.]
Please rest assured, host.
At the same time, Ayana felt that she could no longer control her body; some external force seemed to have taken over her body.
She was forcibly pressed onto the launch pad by her assistants. The "creak" of the mechanical winding came from behind the cannon, and a powerful thrust accumulated behind her.
"emission!"
As the troupe leader shouted from the sidelines, Ayana felt a tremendous force coming from behind her, and she was instantly launched into the air like a real cannonball.
A strong feeling of weightlessness washed over her, and the wind whistled in her ears.
The audience below erupted in huge gasps and cheers.
The system controlled Ayana's body, causing her to tighten her core, spread her arms, and slightly bend her legs, completing a very dangerous flip in the air before accurately crashing into the center of the high-hanging net target.
"puff!"
The huge, elastic netting enveloped Ayana, cushioning most of the impact, before it began to shake violently.
After a moment of silence, thunderous applause and cheers erupted from the audience.
Ayana, still in shock, gasped for breath inside the net.
Just now, she felt like a puppet on strings, her body completely controlled by the system to complete that series of difficult movements.
Although she landed safely, the feeling of being powerless sent chills down her spine.
The assistants quickly untied Ayana from the net.
The troupe leader stood not far away, watching the audience's reaction. Finally, a look of satisfaction appeared on his face, and he didn't bring up Ayana's previous absence from the performance.
Ayana stood on the ground, her legs weak, and subconsciously looked around.
In the shadow of the prop box not far away, she saw that red-haired figure again.
Hisoka reappeared there at some point, leaning against the box, a playing card between his fingers, his golden vertical pupils staring intently at her, the half-smile on his lips seeming to deepen slightly.
He beckoned to Ayana with his finger, as if calling her over.
Ayana hesitated as she walked toward the corner shrouded in the shadow of the prop box.
Hisoka remained languidly leaning against the box, his golden vertical pupils fixed on her as if locking onto prey.
He flipped the playing cards between his fingers at a dazzling speed, and slowly opened his mouth, his voice deliberately drawn out and sticky, as if he were being coquettish, yet it carried a dangerous undertone.
"Because you were lazy..."
Hisoka suddenly stretched out his arm, reached into a half-open prop bucket next to him, and scooped up a handful of sticky, colorful glue.
That appears to be a special glue used by clowns to hold their exaggerated wigs in place, possessing extremely strong adhesion.
Before Ayana could react, Hisoka flicked his wrist at a tricky angle.
"It made me act in an extra scene!"
The colorful splatter of glue was precisely splashed onto the ground in front of Ayana's feet, quickly spreading to form a sizable sticky area.
She instinctively stepped back, but some of the residue on the sole of her left shoe was still unavoidable.
Ayana tried to lift her foot, but the glue stubbornly stretched out thin, tough silver threads, making an unpleasant hissing sound.
Hisoka tilted his head, observing her actions with great interest, and said in a drawn-out tone with obvious teasing in his voice.
"Don't rush me~"
He reached into a bulging little cloth bag at his waist and pulled out a handful of colorful sequins that shimmered with a cheap luster.
With a flick of his wrist, Hisoka scattered sequins onto the still-wet glue, instantly transforming the sticky area into a dazzling display.
“This is beautiful~” He looked at his work with satisfaction, his golden eyes sparkling with childlike innocence and joy, yet filled with malice.
Just then, the troupe leader's angry roar came from afar.
"Hisoka, you brat! Wasting gadgets again! That's the last batch of special glue. If you keep messing around, I'll shove you inside a cannon and launch you!"
Upon hearing this, Hisoka pursed his lips, a hint of boredom flashing across his face.
But he clearly wasn't going to stop there. He suddenly lifted his foot and casually kicked the prop box next to him.
The box crashed to the ground, and several brightly colored training balls rolled out of it.
It rolled around precisely at the edge of the glued area, forming a somewhat comical encirclement that restricted Ayana's freedom.
Hisoka then bent down and leaned close to Ayana's ear, his warm breath carrying a sweet, candy-like sensation as it brushed against her earlobe.
His voice was very low, like the whisper of a demon.
“This was just a little reminder. Next time…” He paused deliberately, leaving room for imagination, “I’ll prepare even more interesting and longer-lasting games, guaranteed to leave a lasting impression.”
After saying this, Hisoka straightened up, humming a strange little tune, and turned to walk into the tent.
Under the flickering lamplight, that bright red hair looked like an ominous flame.
The system suddenly spoke.
Name: Hiso Moro
Age: 14
[Identity: Member of the Dream Circus]
[Please actively interact with the little one. The little one's favorability is currently at 0%.]
What... what an adorable child!
This guy is a total devil!
Ayana looked down at the masterpiece created by Hisoka at her feet.
Colorful glue mixed with cheap sequins formed a sticky area on the rough ground.
The scene was both funny and infuriating.
Is this revenge against her?
Ayana twitched her lips, somewhat unable to comprehend the red-haired boy's thought process.
She carefully peeled the shoes off the glue, inevitably getting sequins stuck to her trouser legs and shoes, making her look quite comical.
Ayana emerged from the sticky area, dusted off her clothes, and, feeling exhausted and helpless, turned and headed towards the large tent where the actors were resting.
She lifted the heavy curtain and could clearly feel that the noise had subsided slightly.
The tent was dimly lit, and the air was filled with the smells of sweat and cosmetics. Several tired actors sat scattered on wooden crates or folding chairs, talking in hushed tones or resting with their eyes closed.
Ayana's gaze almost immediately fell upon the conspicuous red-haired figure.
Hisoka was not resting.
He sat alone on an overturned barrel, intently building a pyramid of playing cards.
The boy's slender fingers were unusually steady as he precisely stacked the playing cards, already forming four or five layers that looked precarious yet possessed an eerie balance.
The dim light fell on the boy's lowered profile, and his long, thick eyelashes cast a faint shadow under his eyes.
He looked unusually quiet at this moment, even with a captivating focus, as if the wicked demon from before was just Ayana's illusion.
Seemingly sensing her gaze, Hisoka suddenly raised his head.
Those golden vertical pupils accurately captured Ayana's gaze, which was now blank, devoid of the previous malice and mockery.
Ayana immediately looked away.
She didn't want to make any eye contact with this unpredictable and eccentric guy at all.
Ayana kept a straight face, deliberately avoiding the area where Hisoka was, and found a corner with piles of old cushions at the edge of the tent, where she sat down silently.
She leaned her back against the cold tent fabric, closed her eyes, and tried to shut herself out of everything outside.
[Brain resources are about to be loaded. Please prepare to receive them.]
A deluge of information flooded Ayana's mind in an instant.
Your identity is Ayana.
A month ago, you were found by the ringmaster of the Dream Circus and brought back to the circus, becoming a member there.
[The Fantasy Circus is the world's largest circus, but its interior is incredibly dark.]
Main Quest: Find out who's behind the Dream Circus and take them down.
[This is a mandatory task; you must accept it.]
Ayana continued reading.
Please select the "well-behaved child" training route.
…Why are there still only these three routes?
Isn't there anything new or any other options?
We haven't developed any other routes yet.
[However, this system has received the host's feedback and will work harder to develop new routes to provide a better experience for the host.]
After a moment's thought, Ayana chose the second route.
After all, she simply couldn't imagine what that red-haired boy would look like when he tried to act cute.
And she was even asked to beg that red-haired boy to act cute towards her...
Ayana felt she could never do it, even if she died.
[The "Wild God of War" route has been selected; system language is being updated accordingly.]
"Kid, I'm about to give you a task, and you'd better complete it!"
Ayana's lips twitched twice.
[Mission Objective: Get Hisoka into a fight with someone. Time limit: three days.]
[Due to route selection, this is a mandatory task and cannot be refused.]
…Um?
Hmm?
How come this is even more outrageous than the mission Kuroro was given in the previous world?
Just as Ayana was about to complain, she suddenly saw the troupe leader lift the curtain and stride in.
His imposing figure immediately tightened the previously relaxed atmosphere inside the tent.
The troupe leader glared at the children in the tent, his voice hoarse: "Get up, all of you! Today's performance is over, but your training has just begun! Do you think you can make a living in the Dream Circus with just a little bit of skill? Don't dream!"
He yelled and herded the children to the back of the tent.
Various training equipment are displayed here.
The well-worn balance beam, the climbing net with its old safety ropes, the heavy balls and sticks that need to be constantly thrown and caught, and some leg stretchers used for flexibility training.
"What are you standing there for? Start!" the troupe leader urged mercilessly. "First, everyone get on the balance beam and walk around fifty times!"
Training began immediately.
The air was soon filled with the heavy breathing of the children, as well as the occasional shouts and threatening sounds of the troupe leader cracking his whip.
He didn't directly whip the child, but the sound was enough to send chills down one's spine.
Ayana was also forced to join.
The system took over her body again, preventing her from becoming so exhausted.
Ayana deliberately observed the other children, including Hisoka, during this time.
The children's faces mostly showed numbness and forbearance, clearly having long been accustomed to this high-intensity training.
While Hisoka was doing these training exercises, his face remained expressionless, yet his movements were remarkably precise.
The training lasted a long time, until all the children were exhausted and barely had the strength to stand. Only then did the head teacher grunt in satisfaction.
"That's it for today! Go back and rest, everyone. If anyone dares to slack off tomorrow, I'll teach them a lesson!" the class teacher roared, his gaze sweeping over the children's exhausted faces.
Just then, his gaze settled on a little boy who looked exceptionally thin.
The boy seemed to have performed the worst during the balance beam practice, falling several times, and was now hanging his head, trembling.
“You,” the troupe leader pointed at the little boy, his voice leaving no room for argument, “come with me.”
The little boy's body trembled violently, his face drained of all color, and his eyes were filled with terror.
He looked around at his companions for help, but the other children avoided his gaze, either looking down at the ground or dragging their tired bodies away silently. No one dared to speak or look at him.
The little boy walked desperately toward the headmaster, taking one slow, deliberate step at a time.
Ayana watched this scene and felt a sudden, inexplicable weight lift from her heart.
It's definitely not a good thing for the class teacher to call away one of the worst-performing students.
The dark side of this circus seemed to be slowly being revealed to her.
She glanced at Hisoka again, only to find him casually tidying his somewhat messy red hair.
Hisoka seemed to have no particular reaction to the little boy who was taken away, as if he was already used to it.
Exhaustion enveloped the entire tent.
The children huddled in their corners and soon fell into a deep sleep from exhaustion, their snores and soft sobs echoing in the dim tent.
Ayana, however, found it difficult to fall asleep.
As night deepened, the noise outside the tent had long since subsided, leaving only the sound of the wind and the occasional low growl of wild beasts in the distance.
Just then, a barely perceptible sound reached Ayana's ears.
It wasn't the sound of wind, nor was it snoring; it sounded more like someone deliberately walking lightly, and the rustling of fabric.
Ayana cautiously opened one eye and, by the faint moonlight filtering through the tent cracks, saw a red-haired figure.
Hisoka rose silently from his humble bed like a cat that roams the night, his movements light and swift, without disturbing anyone.
He didn't light a lamp, nor did he walk towards the tent entrance. Instead, he went straight to the deepest part of the tent, to the corner where old props and miscellaneous items were piled up.
Ayana held her breath and observed more carefully.
Hisoka squatted down in front of the clutter and reached in to rummage through it.
After a moment, he seemed to have found something. He paused for a moment, then carefully moved aside several old wooden crates that looked extremely heavy and a roll of discarded canvas.
A narrow gap that had been cleverly concealed was now exposed.
The gap was so small that it was barely enough for a child to squeeze in sideways. It was hidden deep within the clutter and would be hard to find unless you were looking for it.
Hisoka, like a slippery eel, shrank back and disappeared silently into the crevice.
Ayana waited a moment, making sure Hisoka didn't return immediately and that the children around her were all fast asleep, before she followed Hisoka's example and carefully got up, avoiding the sleeping people on the ground, and tiptoed towards that corner.
Upon closer inspection, she could sense an indescribable, stale smell emanating from the crack.
The inside of the crevice was pitch black and bottomless, as if it led to some unknown space.
The system notification sounded abruptly.
[New mission unlocked: Explore the secret passage.]
[Mission Details: Follow the key figure [Hisoka] to uncover the secret hidden at the end of the passage. This mission may be extremely dangerous; please make your decision carefully.]
[Mission Reward: Increased World Exploration Progress, 500 Points.]
Ayana took a deep breath, no longer hesitated, and like Hisoka, turned sideways and carefully squeezed into the narrow, cold crevice.
The tunnel was dark and damp, filled with a strong earthy smell and a pungent odor similar to disinfectant, a stark contrast to the noisy and joyful atmosphere of the circus above ground.
Ayana slid down the narrow, steep slope using both hands and feet for a while before finally reaching relatively flat ground.
Before me was a man-made underground passage, only wide enough for one person to pass through. There was a dim wall lamp spaced far apart on the wall, casting swaying and distorted shadows.
Not far ahead, Hisoka's striking red hair appeared and disappeared in the dim light. He moved silently, like a ghost.
Ayana dared not get too close and could only cautiously trail behind.
The passage was not straight, but winding and twisting, as if leading deep underground.
The further you go in, the stronger the smell of disinfectant becomes, and there's even a faint hint of blood in it.
After walking for about a few minutes, they could faintly hear suppressed voices coming from ahead.
Hisoka's figure stopped at a corner. He didn't seem to intend to show himself directly, but instead chose to hide in the shadows and quietly observe.
Ayana immediately stopped, pressed herself tightly against the cold, damp wall, and held her breath.
She peeked out half her head and looked around the corner.
The space there opened up suddenly, like a simple underground stone chamber.
The troupe leader's imposing figure stood in the center of the stone chamber.
He was speaking in hushed tones with a man dressed in a dark robe.
At their feet were several sturdy-looking metal cages, mostly covered by black cloth, but faint sounds of whimpering and scratching could be heard coming from inside, sounds unlike those of ordinary animals.
"...This batch of goods is of good quality," the troupe leader said with a fawning tone. "Especially that new kid, he's got a good bone structure and good flexibility. With a little polishing, he'll definitely fetch a good price."
The person in the long robe seemed to nod, his voice hoarse and deep: "Same as always, pay the balance after you inspect the goods. Remember, they must be alive, and their bodies must be basically intact."
"Don't worry!" the troupe leader assured him, patting his chest. "Our Dream Circus always does things cleanly and efficiently. Those disobedient, talentless good-for-nothings have to make some contribution, right? Haha..."
Ayana instantly understood everything.
Beneath the glamorous exterior of the Dream Circus lies a dark and sordid tale.
Their so-called training is not just for performance, but also for selecting products.
Children who misbehave or are disobedient are sold like commodities.
And the little boy who was taken away…
Ayana clenched her fists instinctively, her nails digging deep into her palms.
Just then, she caught a glimpse of Hisoka, who was hiding in the shadows on the other side, and seemed to tilt his head slightly.
Those sharp, vertical golden pupils, even in the dim light, swept subtly over the direction where she was hiding.
Hisoka found her!
Ayana was startled and immediately shrank back, her heart pounding.
She wasn't sure how Hisoka would react.
However, the expected commotion did not occur, and Hisoka did not seem to have any intention of exposing her.
He simply stood there quietly, continuing to listen to the transaction between the troupe leader and the mysterious man, his face expressionless.
Ayana breathed a sigh of relief, then heard the system say something.
[New mission unlocked: Investigate the trading partner and the whereabouts of the "goods".]
[Warning: The host has accessed core secrets, and the danger level has been greatly increased.]
Please be extremely careful and avoid alerting the enemy.
The conversation between the troupe leader and the mysterious man could still be faintly heard, and its contents were chilling.
Ayana knew she couldn't stay here any longer and had to leave before their transaction was complete. She carefully retraced her steps.
But just as Ayana was about to retreat to the bottom of the steep slope she had initially slid down, a figure silently blocked her way.
It's Hisoka.
He didn't know when he had left his original position, and now he was leaning lazily against the earthen wall with his arms crossed.
Those golden, vertical pupils gleamed with an unpredictable light in the dim light, watching Ayana with great interest.
Ayana's steps froze instantly.
Hisoka didn't speak, but tilted his head, observing the lingering fear and wariness on the girl's face.
He had somehow managed to hold a playing card between his fingers. The card was blurry in the dim light, yet it inexplicably gave off a sharp, threatening feeling.
The two stood silently facing each other in the narrow, quiet passage, with only the faint sounds of conversation and their barely audible breathing coming from afar.
After a few seconds, perhaps feeling bored, Hisoka slowly smiled.
He finally spoke, his voice extremely low and thick.
"Hmm~ A kitten that's too curious can easily get into danger~"
His words sounded like a warning, but also more like a casual jest.
Ayana pursed her lips and did not answer.
Hisoka didn't seem to be expecting her answer either.
After he finished speaking, he straightened up, stopped looking at her, and stepped aside to give her some space. Although it wasn't enough for her to pass easily, his attitude was clear.
He has no intention of intervening for the time being, or rather, he disdains to do so.
Without hesitation, Ayana seized the opportunity, almost hugging the wall, and quickly squeezed through the gap between him and the earthen wall. She then climbed up the steep earthen slope using both hands and feet, and crawled back into the corner of the tent where miscellaneous items were piled up.
She leaned against the wooden crate, her heart still pounding, and looked back at the dark slit. Hisoka hadn't followed her out.
Ayana didn't dare linger. She quickly returned to her simple bed, pulled a thin blanket over herself, and pretended to be fast asleep.
*
The morning sunlight streamed into the tent through the gaps in the walls.
The children in the tent woke up one after another, silently got up, and silently tidied their respective beds.
An invisible heaviness permeated the air.
Ayana barely slept a wink all night, and her eyes were tinged with dark circles.
She mingled in the crowd, keeping an eye on her surroundings.
The troupe leader appeared at the front of the breakfast line as usual, with that familiar greasy smile on his face, clapping his hands loudly.
"Cheer up, everyone!"
"A new day begins! Train hard for the glory of the Dream Circus!"
The troupe leader's gaze swept across the crowd, pausing slightly as it passed over the location of Ayana and Hisoka.
Training proceeded as usual, but the atmosphere was noticeably different.
Several familiar faces have disappeared.
The trainers were also more irritable than usual, the cracking of whips on the ground was unusually frequent, and shouts were constant.
Ayana continued to let the system take over her body and complete the various training sessions.
The flexible limbs perform a variety of difficult movements under the control of the system.
Taking advantage of this brief moment, Ayana began to think about how she could complete her mission.
【Host, you can form a partnership with [Hisoka]!】
That is indeed a good suggestion.
But the question is, is Hisoka really willing to cooperate with her?
During a break, Ayana leaned against the high performance ladder, pretending to adjust her leg wraps, but her gaze was fixed on the distance.
Hisoka was sitting alone on an abandoned wooden barrel, a playing card between his fingers, which he flipped and played with deftly.
Sunlight fell on the boy's striking red hair, but it couldn't dispel the lazy yet dangerous aura surrounding him.
“Hey, Ayana,” a faint voice sounded beside Ayana just then.
Ayana looked towards it.
Standing in front of her was a little girl from the same tent named Lizzie.
She was petite, with a hint of fear on her face, and asked in a low voice, "Have you heard? They say that Mario was taken in by a passing nobleman and taken away to live a good life."
Mario is that missing little boy.
Looking at the innocent hope and fear in Lizzie's eyes, Ayana knew that this was clearly a lie used by the troupe leader to comfort and numb them.
"Maybe," Ayana replied vaguely, without giving a definitive answer.
Lizzie felt a little relieved, then leaned closer, lowering her voice even further: "But last night I seemed to hear some strange noises coming from the storage tent..."
Ayana's heart tightened, but she remained outwardly calm: "It might be a rat, or it might be the wind."
Lizzie nodded skeptically, said nothing more, and ran away.
Immediately afterwards, a soft sound of footsteps approached Ayana.
Ayana looked up abruptly and saw that Hisoka had somehow gotten up and was standing under the ladder.
He continued to toy with the playing card, his golden vertical pupils gazing up at her, a faint smile playing on his lips.
He didn't speak, but simply raised his hand and flicked the playing card between his fingertips.
The playing card spun and flew precisely towards Ayana, landing perfectly on her knees as they were brought together.
It was a brightly colored Joker card with the word "Joker" written on it.
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