The room stayed quiet for a few long seconds.
Ponzu stood near the door with her hands clasped tightly in front of her, shoulders stiff, eyes flicking from Yuzuki to the window and then back to Yuzuki again, as if she were calculating escape routes.
Yuzuki, meanwhile, had already pulled his phone out.
He sat up on the bed, stretched once, then tapped Bisky's contact name.
Ponzu's spine straightened even more.
'He's calling someone… is it an accomplice?'
The phone rang twice before it was answered.
"Hello?" Bisky's voice came through, bright and cheerful as always. "Did you make it?"
Yuzuki relaxed a little when he heard her voice. "Yeah. I made it."
"Good," Bisky said. "And? Did everything go smoothly?"
Yuzuki glanced around the room, then answered, "Pretty much. There's a big underground port, a giant ship, a lot of weird people, and one very annoying clown."
There was a pause.
Then Bisky laughed.
"Ah. So you ran into Hisoka."
Ponzu, still standing by the door, felt her blood run cold.
'Hisoka!? He casually knows people who casually know Hisoka!?'
Yuzuki clicked his tongue. "Ran into is a nice way of putting it. He tried talking to me."
"Oh?" Bisky sounded amused. "And?"
"And I told him to get lost."
Bisky laughed even harder at that. "You really have no sense of self-preservation, do you?"
Ponzu swallowed.
'He told Hisoka to get lost? And he's still alive?'
Yuzuki leaned back against the headboard. "I think that's rich coming from you."
Bisky hummed smugly through the phone. "Fair point."
There was a beat of silence before Yuzuki said, "Anyway, I just called to let you know I got here."
"Aww," Bisky cooed theatrically. "How sweet. You called your dear Bisky just to report in."
Yuzuki's eye twitched. "Don't make it weird."
Ponzu's eyes narrowed slightly.
'Dear Bisky…? Is she his handler? His boss? His older sister? His… terrifying mentor?'
Bisky, of course, continued enjoying herself. "So? Did you make any friends yet?"
Yuzuki looked across the room at Ponzu, who immediately stiffened so hard she looked like a statue.
He blinked.
Then he answered honestly, "I don't think so."
Ponzu nearly exhaled in relief.
Then Yuzuki added, "There's a girl in my room, though."
Ponzu froze.
Bisky was immediately interested.
"Oh? A girl?"
Yuzuki nodded even though Bisky couldn't see him. "Yeah."
Ponzu's brain started spinning.
'Why would he tell her that so casually!? Why does that sound threatening!?'
Bisky said, "Well? What's she like?"
Yuzuki glanced at Ponzu again.
Ponzu tried to look normal.
This only made her look more suspicious.
"She's…" Yuzuki began slowly.
Ponzu's heart leapt into her throat.
'What is he going to say!?'
"…quiet."
Ponzu blinked.
"That's it?" Bisky asked.
Yuzuki shrugged. "She hasn't really said much."
Ponzu didn't know whether to feel relieved or insulted.
Bisky chuckled softly. "Maybe you're intimidating her."
Yuzuki looked genuinely baffled. "Me?"
Ponzu stared at him in disbelief.
'How are you confused by that!?'
"Yes, you," Bisky said. "You've got that whole calm murder-child aura."
"I do not."
"You absolutely do."
"I really don't."
Ponzu silently nodded to herself.
'Yes. Yes, you really do.'
Bisky laughed again. "Anyway, as long as you made it safely, that's what matters. Don't do anything stupid before the exam starts."
Yuzuki gave a dry smile. "I'll try."
"You say that like it's hard."
"It usually is."
Bisky made a thoughtful noise. "Hmm. Fair enough."
Then her voice softened just a little. "Get some rest, okay?"
Yuzuki nodded. "Yeah. I will."
"And Yuzuki?"
"What?"
"Try not to scare your roommate too much."
Yuzuki frowned. "I'm not scaring anyone."
Ponzu almost made a noise.
Bisky, clearly unconvinced, only said, "Right. Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
The call ended.
Yuzuki put his phone down.
The room was quiet again.
Ponzu still stood there.
Yuzuki looked at her.
She looked back.
Then he frowned slightly. "You can sit down, you know."
Ponzu startled. "R-Right! Of course!"
She hurried to the other bed and sat down so stiffly that the mattress barely dipped.
Yuzuki watched her for a second.
'She's weird.'
Ponzu sat with her hands on her knees, back perfectly straight.
'He's definitely weird.'
Another few moments passed in silence.
Then Yuzuki said, "So."
Ponzu almost jumped.
"S-So?"
"You're Ponzu, right?"
Her eyes widened. "Y-You know my name?"
Yuzuki nodded. "Yeah."
Ponzu's mind went blank again.
'Why does he know my name!?'
Yuzuki continued, completely unaware of her panic. "I saw you earlier."
Ponzu swallowed hard.
'I was right. He noticed me. Of course he noticed me. He notices everything. This is how people disappear.'
Trying not to sound terrified, she said, "Ah… I see."
Yuzuki tilted his head. "Why do you look nervous?"
Ponzu forced a smile so strained it looked painful. "N-No reason."
He studied her for another second, then decided not to press.
'Maybe she's just shy.'
Ponzu, on the other hand, was having the opposite realization.
'He noticed I'm nervous. Great. Now he knows I know he knows I'm nervous.'
Yuzuki leaned over and opened the small bedside drawer. He pulled out a bottle of water and held it toward her.
"You want some?"
Ponzu stared at the bottle.
Her eyes slowly moved from the water… to his face.
'Is it poisoned? No, no, why would he poison me? That's way too elaborate. Unless that's exactly what he wants me to think.'
Yuzuki noticed she wasn't taking it and looked down at the bottle.
Then he unscrewed the cap, took a sip himself, and held it out again.
"It's just water."
Ponzu blinked rapidly.
'He drank it first… so it's probably safe.'
She reached out with both hands and accepted it carefully.
"T-Thank you."
"No problem."
Ponzu took a tiny sip.
Then another.
The cold water did help.
A little.
Yuzuki stretched his arms behind his head and looked up at the ceiling. "This exam is going to be annoying."
Ponzu lowered the bottle. "You think so?"
"Probably." He turned his head toward her. "A lot of people here seem weak."
Ponzu stared at him.
'He says that so casually.'
Then again, after seeing him earlier… maybe it wasn't arrogance. Maybe it was just true.
Still, the way he said it made her uneasy.
Trying to steer the conversation somewhere safer, she asked, "So… why are you taking the exam?"
Yuzuki answered immediately. "Because apparently if I want to legally collect bounties, I need to become a Hunter."
Ponzu blinked. "Legally…?"
"Yeah."
"You were collecting them illegally before?"
Yuzuki frowned. "Apparently."
Ponzu's hands tightened around the water bottle.
'Apparently!? What do you mean apparently!?'
Yuzuki sighed. "No one tells you these things."
Ponzu didn't know how to respond to that.
After a few seconds, she said carefully, "I'm taking it because I want to become stronger."
Yuzuki nodded. "Makes sense."
That… was surprisingly normal.
Ponzu relaxed a fraction.
Then Yuzuki suddenly asked, "Are you good with bees?"
Ponzu nearly dropped the bottle.
"My bees?" she said, startled.
Yuzuki sat up slightly. "So I was right. You do use bees."
Ponzu's face paled.
'I said too much!'
Yuzuki, meanwhile, looked mildly satisfied, like he had just solved a puzzle.
"That's useful," he said. "Bees are cool."
Ponzu stared at him.
"…Thank you?"
Again, silence.
This time, however, it was less suffocating.
Not comfortable.
But… less actively terrifying.
Then a faint chime echoed through the hallway outside, followed by a voice over the ship's speaker system:
"Attention all candidates. A welcome buffet prepared by the Hunter Association is now open in the main dining hall. All examinees are welcome."
Yuzuki's ears perked up instantly.
"A buffet?"
Ponzu blinked.
That was the most openly excited he had sounded the entire time.
Yuzuki got off the bed in one smooth motion. "Well. I'm going."
Ponzu looked up at him. "Right now?"
"It's food."
That was apparently explanation enough.
He grabbed his hoodie, adjusted the cloth over his eyes, and headed toward the door.
Halfway there, he paused and looked back at her.
"You coming?"
Ponzu froze.
Was that… an invitation?
'Or is he making sure I don't stay behind and report him to someone?'
Yuzuki saw her hesitation and shrugged. "Or don't. Up to you."
Then he opened the door.
Ponzu watched him, still unsure what exactly he was.
A killer?
A prodigy?
A socially strange child with terrifying strength and oddly normal eating habits?
Maybe all three.
Yuzuki glanced back one last time.
Then he stepped into the hallway, preparing to head toward the Hunter Association's welcome buffet.
---
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