Shizuku sat in front of the massive flight display board, sipping her drink and watching departure times scroll past. Half an hour ticked by. Then someone tapped her left shoulder from behind.
She turned left.
A finger poked her right cheek.
Shizuku blinked, turned right, and found Liam grinning at her.
He handed her a fresh drink and dropped into the seat beside her. "Well?"
Shizuku took a sip. "It tastes good."
"Doraemon. I meant the flights."
"Oh." Shizuku set the cup down. "No tickets to the Republic of Padokea today. You need advance booking. Flights to other parts of Everika Continent don't leave until 5 PM at the earliest. The fastest option with available tickets is to Kukan'yu Kingdom. Boarding starts in two hours."
Padokea. That was where the Heavens Arena was located, on the eastern side of Everika. The Zoldyck estate was on the western edge, but that was more tourist trap than destination.
Kukan'yu Kingdom, though. That was on the Sahams Continent, south of Everika. Home of the 287th Hunter Exam.
"Let's take the Kukan'yu flight," Liam said, straw between his teeth. "We can transfer to Heavens Arena later."
"Okay."
Liam pulled out his Hunter License and handed it over. "See if this gets us a discount."
Shizuku walked to the ticket counter. The process was absurdly fast. Professional Hunters had a dedicated express lane. No ID check, no questions, no hassle. She was back in under five minutes, tickets in hand.
When she returned to their seats, Liam was fiddling with a small box.
Ten rings sat inside, gleaming silver in the airport lighting.
Liam picked out two: Ring A and Ring B
Ring A had "Tendō" engraved on one side, the character 甲 on the other. Ring B was marked "Dora" and 乙.
Both had a crescent moon pattern etched on the inside.
Liam wrapped aura around his fingertip and pressed it against the crescent on Ring A. The engraving darkened to a dull gray. He repeated the process with Ring B.
Two Moon Marks, ready to go.
Shizuku watched, curious.
"Here." Liam handed her the box with the remaining eight rings, plus her own Ring B. "Let's test it, Doraemon."
Shizuku slid Ring B onto her index finger, adjusted it so the 乙 character faced outward, and positioned the inner crescent against her skin.
"How does it work?" she asked.
"Honestly, this is my first time trying it like this." Liam put on Ring A, adjusting it the same way. He focused on the Moon Mark touching his fingertip.
And felt it.
A faint connection. Like a phone line clicking open. He could sense the mark on Shizuku's ring, waiting.
Shizuku's eyes widened slightly. She felt it too.
Liam concentrated, selecting her mark in his mind like dialing a number.
[Testing. Can you hear me?]
Shizuku opened her mouth to respond, then stopped. She closed her eyes, focusing hard.
A moment later, Liam heard her voice in his head. Quiet, hesitant.
[I can hear you.]
Shizuku opened one eye, looking at him questioningly.
[Good. It works,] Liam thought back. [By the way, I saw the Phantom Troupe on my way here. Three members.]
Shizuku almost spoke aloud, caught herself, and closed her eyes again.
[I saw them too. Three people.]
[You don't need to close your eyes every time. That's a bad habit to form.]
Shizuku tried keeping her eyes open, frowning with concentration. She stared at the ring on her finger like it was a difficult math problem.
Several seconds passed.
[I forgot what I was going to say.]
Liam sighed internally.
[We've got two hours until boarding. Let's find somewhere to sit and eat.]
They left the waiting area and found a fast food joint on the second floor. Ordered burgers and fries. Sat down at a corner table.
And proceeded to stare at each other in complete silence.
"They must be so in love," someone whispered from a nearby table.
"Right? Look at them. They don't even need words."
"That eye contact. They're totally communicating telepathically. Relationship goals."
"How do you know they're in love?" another voice countered. "Maybe they hate each other and have nothing to say. Maybe they're siblings."
"Dude, shut up. You're ruining the vibe."
"But seriously, look at her expressions. That confused look is adorable."
"Kind of dumb, though."
The reality was far less romantic.
[What are the Phantom Troupe doing at an airport?] Liam asked. [Stealing an airship?]
[If they wanted to steal one, they'd have done it already.]
[Fair point.]
Liam tilted his head, studying Shizuku. [Aren't you curious about them? We're in the same building. You could just go say hi.]
Shizuku didn't answer right away. She just looked at him, chewing slowly.
Liam grinned. [Are you worried your boss will get jealous?]
[I'm curious about them,] Shizuku finally replied. [And they might be curious about me. But if we talk, things could get complicated. Blinky's a spatial ability. Very rare. They're thieves. If they like something, they take it.]
Liam set down his burger.
[In the past, if I had no other options, I might've joined them,] Shizuku continued. [But not now. The first rule of our organization is to listen to the boss. The second rule is that companions help each other, don't interfere with each other, and don't betray each other.]
She held up her ring.
[You're more cautious than I thought,] Liam said, raising his drink cup toward hers. [I admit you're smarter than me right now, Shizuku.]
They clinked cups.
[But you're all from Meteor City,] Liam added. [Just talking wouldn't hurt, right? As long as you don't summon Blinky, it won't escalate.]
Shizuku took a long sip of her drink.
[Because I'm from Meteor City, I know exactly what kind of people they are.]
[Good answer.] Liam kept staring at her.
[What?]
[Say something again.]
[What?]
[When you use the Moon Mark, the aura around your head fluctuates slightly,] Liam explained. [Does mine do the same thing?]
Shizuku activated Gyo, focusing on his head.
[Does mine?] Liam repeated.
She nodded. [Yes. Your aura shifts when you speak.]
[Interesting. We should test the range while we've got time.]
They stood, leaving the restaurant.
[I'm going east. There's a restroom over there. You go west. There's one on that side too. Put the ring box in Blinky while you're at it.]
They split up, walking in opposite directions.
The mental connection stayed open. Liam could feel it like a phone line stretching between them, growing thinner but not breaking.
[Still hear me?]
[Yes.]
[Good. Keep walking.]
Liam wove through the crowds, heading deeper into the terminal. Around him, travelers dragged luggage, checked phones, shouted at children.
Then, somewhere nearby, someone started yelling.
"My ticket! Someone stole my ticket!"
Liam stopped, glancing toward the commotion.
[Shizuku, you hearing this?]
[Hearing what?]
[Never mind. Keep testing.]
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