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"'Ten,' 'Zetsu,' and 'Ren' are all covered. So what about the last one—'Hatsu'?"
Maybe it was because Shuya had finally untied the heavy knot she'd carried in her heart for so long.
Or maybe it was the kiss they'd just shared that had quietly shifted something between them.
Either way, Saeko Busujima dropped her usual reserved demeanor around him. She took the initiative and asked about the final one of the Four Major Principles.
Shuya smiled. "You've already seen it."
"I have? When?"
Saeko looked genuinely confused.
Had he secretly used Hatsu right after showing her Ren? She hadn't noticed anything at all.
"Last night," Shuya said simply.
He raised his hand. A sheet of old parchment gradually materialized in his palm.
"This is…?"
Saeko recognized it instantly. It was the exact same contract scroll Shuya had given her last night—the one she had taken home and signed.
The thing that had completely rewritten her fate and bound her so tightly to him. Even if ten, twenty, or fifty years passed, she would never forget it.
But… this was his Hatsu?
Did "Hatsu" mean the ability to awaken other Nen users?
She had only been able to sense the aura inside her body so clearly because of the contract.
Still, something felt off. She glanced again at the parchment that had just appeared out of thin air in front of her.
Then she remembered last night—how Shuya had instantly created an identical white oak practice sword to fight her.
Or maybe Hatsu was the technique of forming weapons with Nen?
Shuya had no idea about the whirlwind in Saeko's head, but he didn't drag it out. He explained directly:
"Hatsu isn't a specific technique. It's more like a finishing move—or a personal skill."
"It's the ultimate technique every Nen user develops on their own after they master free control of their aura."
"Because everyone's talent, personality, background, and experiences are different, the abilities they awaken are completely unique."
"This right here… is the Hatsu I awakened."
He gave the parchment a little shake.
Honestly, it was a bit embarrassing. He had been in this world for over a year since awakening Nen, yet aside from the contract ability that branched off his original Specialist-type "Equivalent Exchange" through Vows and Limitations, he still hadn't developed anything new.
Specialist-type Nen really was… hard to put into words.
In Hunter x Hunter, Nen is divided into six types arranged in a hexagon. Each type sits on one corner.
The chance of mastering your own type is 100%. Adjacent types: 80%. Two steps away: 60%. The opposite corner: only 40%.
Specialist is the absolute weirdest category. It's basically a catch-all. Any ability that doesn't fit the other five—whether innate, awakened later, or straight-up superpowers—gets tossed into Specialist.
Worse, while Specialists can learn other types at the usual decreasing rates, no other type can ever learn Specialist abilities. Zero percent. Period.
That's why Specialist abilities are all over the place and have no real "system" for development. No one can teach you. You're on your own.
So Shuya had mostly been training in the adjacent Conjuration-type and the Emission-type he synced from Shizuka.
After listening to his explanation of Hatsu, Saeko thought for a moment and guessed, "Shuya-kun's ability isn't just about helping others awaken Nen, is it?"
It was obvious. If the contract was his awakened ability, how could it be completely one-sided?
Humans are selfish creatures by nature, after all.
"Correct," Shuya admitted without hesitation. "Since it's called a 'contract,' both sides benefit."
"Anyone who signs it—even if they've never touched Nen before—can quickly sense and control their aura and awaken their own Nen."
"And as the one who created the contract, I naturally get something out of it too."
"For example, no matter how much Nen you increase through training from now on, I'll receive the exact same boost. And once you awaken your own Hatsu, I'll be able to learn it instantly as well."
"Eh?!"
Saeko's eyes widened in shock.
Wasn't that ability a little too broken?!
Just by signing contracts he could sync and steal the results of other people's hard training?
If he signed enough people—even if none of them ever awakened a proper Hatsu—he could just stack their Nen growth and turn himself into a superhuman, right?
But she quickly dismissed the thought.
She remembered the ridiculously generous terms written in the contract she had signed last night.
Too generous!
If she had awakened an ability like this, she would never dare offer other people such favorable conditions.
Just what kind of life had Shuya-kun lived before he gained this power…?
Saeko clicked her tongue inwardly, but she kept her expression calm. Instead, she gave him a slightly resentful look and said playfully:
"Isn't your ability kind of cheating? You can sync with your contractors' Nen abilities… Does that mean I'll never be able to surpass you?"
Shuya looked surprised. "Saeko-senpai actually wants to surpass me that badly?"
She had won two consecutive national high school kendo championships, but she had never struck him as the overly competitive type.
"That's right," Saeko answered with a bright smile, not denying it at all. "After all, I just swore in front of you that I would use my life to protect you from now on. If I stay weaker than you forever, how am I supposed to protect you?"
"No need!"
Shuya felt a little awkward hearing her say something that sounded like a gender-reversed protector line.
"True," Saeko said, tucking a strand of purple hair behind her ear with an alluring smile. "After all, Shuya-kun is a man. Protecting a man's dignity is a woman's pride."
She tilted her head cutely.
"So from now on… I'll be counting on you to protect me, okay?"
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