"I object! Moritonio… to think you'd take in some brat of unknown origins!"
"Hisoka is different from Akira and Abaki. At least Akira and Abaki can be of some use in the troupe and are very obedient… As for Hisoka, even though that kid wears a smile every day, whenever I look at him, I feel inexplicably annoyed!"
"Don't be like that, Boritze… You know, back in the day I was nothing more than a thief disguised as a shoemaker. Besides, didn't you also have no fixed address and even slept in public restrooms?"
In a room, the troupe leader sat on a sofa, discussing something with one of the troupe's core members.
The man called Boritze was a fat man with a ridiculous hairstyle and extremely flamboyant attire, perfectly fitting the image of a circus performer.
"That was ages ago. Besides… we've now received an invitation from the Royal Gramm, which is incredibly important to us! We might even become famous overnight and resonate throughout the entire Ubian continent… The guests include not only the mayor but many nobles as well… They scrutinize the qualifications of performers very strictly! If… I mean if, because of that Hisoka fellow, our invitation gets canceled…"
Boritze snorted.
"The Royal Gramm show will be held in two months. You're worrying about this a bit prematurely."
The troupe leader interlaced his fingers, trying to placate him.
The fat man was about to say more when Moritonio's eyes behind his glasses shifted, glancing toward two figures that appeared in the upstairs corridor.
It was Akira and Hisoka.
The two boys stood side by side, one expressionless, the other wearing a smile.
Clearly, they had overheard the entire conversation.
"You really aren't the least bit likable… and you've been with the troupe for so long." Akira said flatly, hands in his pockets.
"Can't help it… these people are too hostile toward me."
Hisoka smiled faintly, unfazed.
"You should look for the reason within yourself." Akira pointed out bluntly.
"I really envy you… everyone treats you so well."
Hisoka looked at Akira's profile, as if completely oblivious to the meaning behind his words.
"Behind you…"
Just as Boritze was about to continue speaking, the troupe leader coughed, reminding him.
The fat man's body froze, and he turned his head, finally seeing Akira and Hisoka.
Hisoka met his gaze, leaning over and resting his arm on the railing, waving enthusiastically, "Your performance just now was amazing!"
"Hmph!"
Hisoka's praise seemed to have no effect on Boritze; instead, he spat lightly and got up to leave.
"Oh my, did I interrupt you…
Hisoka didn't look at the fat man but instead knowingly asked the troupe leader.
"Hisoka…"
Moritonio looked up and suddenly asked, "Do you know magic tricks?"
Akira's heart tightened.
As a Nen user, the troupe leader's observation was undoubtedly meticulous… Although Hisoka hid it extremely well, he had been constantly watching other troupe members' performances, and moreover… from some of his daily behaviors and mannerisms, it was evident that Hisoka was different from ordinary people.
This boy maintained an extremely high level of vigilance… whether this was related to his upbringing and experiences remained unknown.
This was also one of the reasons Neo was interested in Hisoka.
Furthermore, although Hisoka's build was slender, his physical flexibility and reaction speed were both top-tier, and his overall physical constitution was very strong…
Just because Hisoka didn't show it didn't mean Moritonio couldn't detect the clues.
In fact, besides Hisoka, there was also Akira!
Akira's transformation… was also astonishing.
However, from the first time he met Hisoka, Neo had a gut feeling, an intuition as a Nen user, that this boy was no ordinary person! As for Akira… he only began to grow after arriving in Gramm Garance… it was very clearly traceable.
He didn't know who was teaching Akira, nor did he understand why Akira had suddenly transformed… at least for now, Akira showed no signs of leaving the circus troupe.
Perhaps because they lived together, the two boys seemed to be relatively close in their daily interactions… In a situation where Hisoka was unpopular, Akira was the only troupe member willing to interact with him.
Facing the troupe leader's inquiry, Hisoka's arm flashed in an afterimage as he suddenly pulled out a deck of playing cards.
Immediately after, as his fingertips danced, the cards flew up and down, dazzling to the eye.
"Like this?"
With a swoosh.
Hisoka stopped his performance, holding five playing cards between his fingers. With a flick of his hand, the card faces all disappeared.
"…"
Seeing this, Moritonio fell silent.
Clearly, he was amazed by Hisoka's skill.
"Impressive… even more skilled than me. Who… who did you learn from?"
"My mother, her fingers were very nimble…"
Hisoka said with a smile.
Akira remained impassive… but he caught the scent of a lie coming from Hisoka…
"Very good, keep practicing."
"Yes."
At this moment, Abaki came up, glancing at Akira and Hisoka, "You two…"
Then, ignoring the two, she looked directly at Moritonio, "Troupe leader."
"Let's go!"
Neo got up and left with the girl.
Watching this, Akira knew in his heart… the troupe leader was taking Abaki to practice Nen.
"It seems… you can finally perform on stage. Congratulations."
Akira withdrew his gaze, said coldly, and walked away.
Hisoka didn't respond, only pulled out a two of spades from the deck and placed it near his lips.
In the empty room, he let out an eerie laugh.
…
Most of the members of the Moritonio Circus Troupe had been taken in by the troupe leader… including Abaki.
However, as a girl with an introverted personality, she rarely communicated with Akira and Hisoka.
During this time, Akira never gave up on tempering his body. Now, in addition to body refinement, he had also begun practicing martial arts… Every day he would be exhausted to the point of collapse, barely able to sleep a few hours, and he still had to rehearse when he returned to the circus troupe. This high-intensity lifestyle left him in extreme pain.
But Akira was clear that he had to grit his teeth and endure.
If he couldn't even handle this much suffering, there was no point in talking about becoming a strong person in the future.
Perhaps due to these harsh days, the smile on Akira's face grew increasingly rare… and he became more and more aloof.
The only good news was… Hisoka, that voyeur, was gone… At first, he followed and watched for a few days, but later he seemed to lose interest and stopped tailing him.
This suited Akira perfectly.
Honestly, with Hisoka gone… Akira breathed a sigh of relief.
Before long… Hisoka's chance to perform came.
One circus troupe member made a mistake during a performance and injured his ankle, so… the troupe leader personally designated Hisoka to replace him.
This caused the member to look at Hisoka with eyes full of hatred.
He had clearly said this minor injury would heal in a few days with rest, but from the troupe leader's tone, it was obvious he intended for Hisoka to replace him.
"Bastard!"
The man threw off his hat, cursed at Hisoka, and left unwillingly amid his companions' consolations.
As a result, everyone seemed to dislike this newcomer Hisoka even more.
Hisoka himself was completely unaffected. His first stage performance was flawless and masterful… the cheers he received were even more enthusiastic than his predecessor's.
…
"Troupe leader… Hisoka… could he have connections with the mafia… After all, he was just dumped on the roadside covered in blood…"
"If Boritze's guess is correct…"
The next day, in the room.
Moritonio held a wine glass, pouring wine and slowly savoring it.
In front of him, the girl Abaki was drenched in sweat, hands clenched into fists, conducting basic Nen training.
She controlled her aura while speaking to the troupe leader.
"Abaki… calm down, your 'Ten' is unstable."
The troupe leader reminded her.
Clearly, the girl was also worried about the upcoming Royal Gramm grand show.
This opportunity was extremely important to all members.
Others cared more about money and reputation, but Abaki was only worried that something would happen to the circus troupe…
She was very grateful that the troupe leader took her in and taught her Nen.
She didn't dislike Hisoka; she was just afraid that Hisoka would ruin the circus troupe's career. After all, the circus troupe was the troupe leader's foundation and everyone's home.
"I can't bring myself to drive away someone who has nowhere to go."
Hearing this, Neo showed a kind smile, "Abaki… you and Hisoka are the same age. Try to get along with him."
"His magic tricks… are quite impressive."
"…"
Abaki was stunned.
She rarely heard the troupe leader personally praise troupe members.
At least regarding their craft, even the earliest core members who joined the circus troupe had never been praised by Moritonio for their skills.
"Get along… with him?"
Hisoka's face surfaced in the girl's mind.