42 Tacit Understanding X Shared Path X Fortune

If I must choose, Kurama’s favorite part of the Hunter Exam arc at this stage is undoubtedly the segment set in the Trick Tower. During this sequence, a wealth of hints tied to future events are gradually unveiled—such as Kurapika’s status as a member of the Kurta Clan, Killua’s exquisitely executed “heart-stealing” technique, and Gon’s straightforwardness and penchant for defying expectations, which never fail to inspire a smile and a sense of wonder, no matter how many times one witnesses them.

Moreover, the Trick Tower arc serves as a crucible in which the bonds and understanding among the four main characters are deepened, and each of their personalities is further refined and illustrated. As an avid fan of shounen manga, Kurama believes that few can resist the allure of such scenes—even if such moments are a staple, bordering on ubiquitous, in this genre’s vast sea.

He watched as Chairman Netero’s airship carried off the devastated, weeping avenger girl and the exasperated mastermind of the Phantom Troupe, vanishing slowly from view. Kurama turned back, only to unexpectedly meet a contemplative pair of dark eyes.

It was Chrollo.

Kurama was not at all surprised to find himself the object of such scrutiny. After all, he had just dealt Chrollo two successive blows, and even forced the Troupe’s leader to retreat in disgrace. Kurama was fully aware that Chrollo’s level of vigilance toward him had surely heightened considerably.

The demon fox himself cared little about being added to the Troupe’s watchlist—he could leave this world whenever he collected what he wanted, and until then, shaking off the Troupe’s pursuit and troublemaking was hardly a challenge for a master thief of his caliber.

Yet, for some reason, though he could have resolved things in a more discreet manner, Kurama refused to compromise. It had been a long time since someone had so brazenly schemed against him; his irritation was tinged with a rare, piqued interest.

In truth, the demon fox was a rather capricious and reckless creature, and he didn’t mind at all whether he would end up clashing with the Troupe.

He curled his lips in a faint smile, perfectly conveying his careless attitude. Ignoring Chrollo’s raised brow at his sudden change in demeanor, Kurama turned to look at Illumi, who was standing not far away.

“Jittalag, did you notice?”

Since Netero’s departure and the announcement of the third phase’s content by the examiner, Lippo, the number of candidates pacing atop the tower had noticeably dwindled.

Illumi wordlessly nodded.

“I saw someone slip through a hidden door,” he said quietly.

Kurama blinked, smiling, “So did I.”

So… what now?

Neither said more; instead, they tacitly set off in opposite directions—then, as if by an unspoken agreement, both stopped simultaneously.

“I choose here,” they both said—almost in unison.

This caught both off guard. Kurama and Illumi paused, raising their eyes to meet each other once more.

“Enough. This is as far as it goes.”

Before their gazes could lock, a flash of red intervened—Hisoka, without hesitation, cut off their line of sight.

“I’ll take this spot,” he declared brightly.

“It would be wonderful if we could all meet up, little Illu.”

He clicked his tongue.

“What’s this? You’re so unwilling to be with me? Illu, you’re playing favorites—”

His tone was its usual blend of jest and flirtation. The only difference this time was that, as he spoke, he no longer radiated killing intent toward Kurama.

The demon fox was rather pleased by this.

Yet, at the same time, the look Hisoka gave him—a knowing, almost uncanny glint—made Kurama feel as though he’d been thoroughly misunderstood.

So magicians are truly impossible to fathom, he thought silently.

Kurama and Illumi exchanged a glance, and in the next instant, the three of them vanished from the tower’s summit.

***

Fortune smiled upon them: the moment they dropped through the hidden door and reopened their eyes, Kurama, Illumi, and Hisoka found themselves together in the same room.

In the wall nearby, a massive glass display case was embedded, within which three ivory-white, finely crafted dice gleamed under the dim lights.

Kurama suddenly had the odd impression that those dice might have been made from some animal’s bones.

As the trio landed and the room’s lights flickered on, the examiner Lippo’s voice came through a speaker in the corner, its tone somewhere between distinctive and downright eerie:

“Welcome to the Trick Tower, three lucky candidates. The route you’ve chosen is called ‘Lucky Bill’—don’t ask me who Bill is; just know that every challenge you’ll face along this path will be tied to your luck.”

“See those three dice on the pedestal? Those are the tools you’ll need to pass. I trust you’ve already guessed the gist of it?”

“That’s right. Once my explanation ends, the door on the other side will open. You will enter the passage beyond and strive to reach the tower’s base by overcoming various trials.”

“At times, you may encounter choices and find yourselves divided. When that happens, each of you will roll your die, and the highest number will decide.”

“Of course, if you’re planning to kill the other two and go it alone, I won’t object.”

“In this Trick Tower, candidate infighting… is not forbidden.”

With this final, provocative remark, Lippo’s voice faded away.

But Kurama knew the mischievous examiner was even now watching every group from behind banks of monitors, a look of delighted amusement on his face.

Why do I suddenly feel like punching him?

The demon fox, who had no love for performing for others’ entertainment, pursed his lips, comforted the white furball on his shoulder, and took the lead, walking up to the case.

The glass cover slid open easily at his touch. Without much thought, Kurama picked up one die and turned to the still-motionless Illumi and Hisoka.

“Jittalag, Hisoka, aren’t you coming?”

Illumi, without hesitation, walked over to claim a die. Hisoka, however, stood where he was, chuckling softly, before striding straight to the conspicuous door.

“I’ll pass. I’ll just follow Illu’s lead, whatever he decides.”

Kurama was left at a loss for words.

But before he could speak, Lippo’s voice sounded again from the speaker:

“Candidate 44, the dice aren’t just decision-making tools—they’re your tickets forward. Without all three dice, you can’t proceed along this path.”

Kurama could feel Hisoka’s killing aura flare the moment Lippo finished speaking—the flamboyant, unrestrained magician loathed being told what to do.

The bloodlust vanished as quickly as it had appeared, as if nothing had happened. Hisoka sashayed back, plucked up the last die between two fingers, and as he did, the tightly sealed door slowly swung open.

“Best of luck in the exam, candidates.”

Lippo’s voice rang out one last time, brimming with glee.

***

Setting aside Lippo’s mean-spirited amusements, the trials he devised were genuinely interesting.

As they journeyed on, Kurama increasingly found this to be true.

Their path was one of constant decisions at first—much like the one Gon’s group took: left or right at a fork, circle or X at a pair of doors, and so on.

Kurama’s luck was extraordinary, but Illumi’s and Hisoka’s was not far behind, so each earned their share of choices.

But midway through, things began to go awry. Puzzles and obscure trivia questions started cropping up. Whoever rolled the highest die answered; a right answer allowed progress, a wrong one meant a penalty—namely, a battle against a prisoner within the tower.

Kurama had anticipated this, but after Hisoka deliberately answered incorrectly several times just to fight, both he and Illumi grew annoyed.

So, when they once again stood before a riddle door, Kurama shed his former nonchalance and focused intently on rolling the dice.

The result was disastrous for Hisoka.

The difference between the demon fox’s efforts to win and his casual approach was stark, and Hisoka, sulking with a perpetually puffed face, didn’t get a single chance to answer questions for the rest of the way.

This left the magician in a sour mood. Even when they encountered a self-styled avenger at the route’s end, Hisoka showed no excitement, simply lashed out with his flexible, extendable love, bound and gagged the man, and proceeded to pummel him mercilessly.

Even Illumi and Kurama couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for the victim. Kurama guessed that Lippo, watching from behind the monitors, was probably dumbfounded—he thought he even heard a suspiciously tea-splattering sound…

In the end, the three, after a journey not without its bumps, reached the tower’s base. Barely a dozen hours had passed since the exam began (and that’s counting the time wasted on Hisoka’s deliberate detours for fights), and now they had over two days to wait for the others to arrive before the next round could begin.

Bored, the three took up Hisoka’s suggestion and played cards. But it wasn’t long before Hisoka was pouting again—he didn’t win a single game.

Even trying to use his Nen ability to see through tricks, he found that Kurama wasn’t cheating at all, which frustrated the magician even more.

At last, he decided to go on strike.

Kurama and Illumi, in truth, were not especially passionate about cards either. With the game abandoned, each found their own way to pass the time.

Illumi tried to dig a big pit to rest in, but was vexed to find the floor was solid stone—too much effort, and the tower’s overseers would hardly ignore such behavior.

Kurama, under the astonished gazes of the others, began pulling out item after item from his spatial grass—tents, cookware, portable stoves, ingredients…

Spatial-ability Nen users weren’t unheard of in the Hunter world, but no one had ever seen someone fill their space with so many seemingly trivial items.

Honestly, are you here for a picnic?

Watching from behind the monitors, Lippo could barely contain his laughter.

Stroking his chin, he decided to call the Chairman after the exam was over—

That red-haired kid—is anyone set to recruit him if he passes? If not, with such an interesting personality, he might just get along with Lippo.

As he watched the progress of the other candidates, the warden plotted in secret, a sly smile on his face.

Kurama, of course, was oblivious to these backstage machinations.

At that moment, he was sitting on a soft, waterproof mat with Mokona in his arms, pausing his conversation with Illumi to turn toward the entrance that was slowly opening.

Beyond the gradually widening doors stood a refined, elegant young man with black hair—serene as the first meeting. As Kurama’s gaze met his, he curved his lips in an unexpectedly gentle smile.

Author’s note: So, Kurama’s third exam (part one) was actually completed with Illumi and Hisoka… [quietly looks away]

Tsk, some readers said I was being too harsh on the Troupe leader, but that’s honestly not the case! You see, Chrollo’s obsession with Mokona and Mokona’s importance to Kurama means conflict between them is inevitable, and Chrollo’s interest in Mokona is key to the main plot, not something I forced just to connect Kurama and the Troupe. So, in these early chapters, Kurama and Chrollo are naturally at odds. As the protagonist, Kurama has regained much of his strength and initially holds the advantage. This doesn’t mean Chrollo is weak—it’s just that the information and intelligence each holds are vastly unequal. Kurama knows nearly everything about the Troupe, while Chrollo and Shalnark know nothing about Kurama’s abilities or background. Kurama’s memories of the plot also give him an edge. So in this phase, with the Hunter Association controlling the show, it’s only natural for Kurama to have the upper hand. I’m not deliberately bullying the Troupe leader, I promise! Please believe me, qaq [hides face and flees]

So, next up is a bonus illustration for this chapter: Hisoka with a permanently puffed-up face (lol)—unable to enjoy the thrill of battle or preserve his pride as a magician, poor Hisoka! Come here for a hug, silly author! [dies]

As always, a preview of the next chapter: Conversation x Reconciliation? x Temporary Truce. When they face each other again, what attitude will Kurama and the Troupe leader choose? Will they ignore each other, start a fight, or… sit down and have a peaceful (maybe?) conversation? Will they really reach an agreement, and will a temporary truce lead to true reconciliation? Stay tuned for the next chapter of “Demon Fox Kurama”: Conversation x Reconciliation? x Temporary Truce!

P.S. Thank you, dear Panda moderator, for the landmine! Tackle and kisses =3= Rolling on for bookmarks=w= I’m easy to please and take care of, promise→