Episode 45: The Hunt Game x Pursuit x The Leader in Peril?

To be honest, Chrollo was no longer certain how to define Kurama’s character.

He realized that this young man before him seemed to constantly challenge and upend his understanding—from the initial impression of a composed, steady, and astute youth, adept at handling situations with the finesse of an old hand, to the later display of what appeared to be impulsiveness, yet every move struck home with perfect calculation, never revealing any information connected to himself. From the calm, pointed exchange at the bottom of the Wicked Well Tower, where not a hint of hostility surfaced yet the back-and-forth was sharp as ever, to last night...

Thinking of how, by chance, he had passed by the window of Kurama’s room last night, and through the tightly shut glass—so unusual for such a stiflingly hot and humid ocean night—he saw the boy lying quietly in the center of the bed, lips curved in the contentment of deep sleep, Chrollo could not help but sigh inwardly.

In the midst of such unrest, panic, and the ominous signs of impending disaster, the young man could still sleep so peacefully—a feat Chrollo knew he could never accomplish.

Even he, a headstrong and freewheeling bandit leader, had chosen to temporarily cooperate with weak examinees who knew nothing of Nen when faced with a disaster on the scale of nature’s wrath. He had used all his intelligence and charm to pull everyone through the crisis. But Kurama...

This boy, who appeared polite, gentle, harmless, his entire being glowing with a soft and flawless luster like the finest jade, exhibited a style utterly different from Chrollo’s own.

It made the bandit leader all the more uncertain of his true nature.

Was it that Kurama was so confident, so fearless, that even if disaster swept everyone else away, he believed he could still survive alone? Or... did he simply not care about life and death?

Whichever it was, Chrollo knew, either would make Kurama a terrifyingly troublesome opponent.

With that thought, the leader sighed quietly to himself, choosing not to respond to the other's words.

"Did you sleep well last night?"

He asked with a graceful smile, as if making casual conversation.

The red-haired youth responded with a gentle smile.

"Not bad at all." His tone was light and cheerful, but his next question was harder to interpret.

"And you, Chrollo?"

The black-haired young man gave a wry smile—whether genuine or feigned was unclear.

"If you ignore the damp, cold, and hard deck, I suppose I slept pretty well too."

At this, the two exchanged a glance and suddenly both burst out laughing...

***

Several dozen minutes later, the Hunter Association’s airship landed right on schedule before the now-awake examinees.

There was no time for them to complain about or vent their dissatisfaction and anger at having been deceived and "abandoned" earlier, for the exceedingly cruel rules of the fourth phase of the exam immediately ratcheted up the tension and unease among them.

A solitary island in the sea. One week for the hunt. Each person was both prey and predator in this deadly game. The examinees had to keep their own badge from being taken—becoming prey that escaped the hunt—and also obtain the badge of their randomly assigned target, thus becoming a successful hunter.

Of course, if one was strong enough, taking out any three other examinees and collecting their badges for points was also an option.

In short, this was a contest of hunting.

Kurama personally found the idea of joining forces only to later turn on one another quite delightful. It was a true test of the examinees’ mindset and will—a perfect elimination round!

He, however, had no interest in hunting down three people for points. From the start, the fox spirit’s plan was to identify his target and seize their badge at the first opportunity.

This time, the examinees did not take an airship, but rode with the proctors on the repaired warship, slowly approaching the target island.

The order for disembarking and entering the island was the same as the order in which they had arrived at the bottom of the Wicked Well Tower, so Kurama, Illumi, and Hisoka were among the first to enter the forest.

At the forest’s entrance, the three exchanged no greetings, simply dispersing in unspoken agreement—each clearly had their own plans.

With his perfect memory, Kurama recalled his target’s face the instant he drew their badge number—a character eliminated earlier in the original story, so unremarkable that Kurama didn’t even know his name.

He remembered the number only as a precaution for the exam, never expecting he would actually need it.

Upon entering the forest, he immediately sent out countless Demon World Dandelions and Eyes of the Sea Wave, moving swiftly and quietly through the dense undergrowth. Soon, when a dandelion stationed at the harbor relayed back that Chrollo—the second to enter after Kurama—had passed, and the seventh examinee was now preparing to disembark, Kurama stopped before a well-hidden cave.

According to the dandelions’ reconnaissance, this was an abandoned beast den, unexpectedly clean and dry inside. The entrance was shielded by plants with a natural ability to blur vision, making it easily missed—if not for Kurama’s dandelions, even he might have overlooked it.

Given that he would be living on the island for seven days, pitching a tent would be far too conspicuous and invite trouble, which Kurama disliked. Yet, not setting up a tent meant Mokona would suffer, and that, too, he couldn’t bear. This cave was thus the perfect base for the two of them.

Cradling the white fluffball, Kurama entered the cave. The interior was spacious, not at all cramped or oppressive. He encouraged some luminescent plants to cling to the walls, bathing the cave in a soft, gentle light. The dry air made the place quite pleasant. Mokona, beaming, hopped out of Kurama’s arms, chirping, “Kurama made it so pretty!” and tried to touch the glowing plants.

The fox spirit watched with a helpless yet doting smile.

“Well, that solves the base issue. Now, I have to start ‘hunting’. Mokona, do you want to come along?”

The white fluffball nodded enthusiastically, “Let’s go together! I’ll wait quietly in a safe place while you act, Kurama. I won’t ever be a bother!”

This adorable obedience made the fox spirit sweep up the little one and plant a firm kiss on his soft cheek.

“Mokona is never a bother,” he said with a warm smile.

The white fluffball grinned from ear to ear.

And so, the two left the cave without a hint of tension. Kurama quickly skimmed the latest information from the dandelions, picked a direction, and strolled leisurely away.

Mokona looked up at him, curiosity in his eyes.

Kurama reached over and pinched his ear, “What’s on your mind?”

“Aren’t you in a hurry, Kurama?” Mokona thought Kurama would handle things quickly and rush back to the cave to rest. In truth, the fox spirit knew how to enjoy life and never wasted energy or time needlessly.

After more than two years of traveling together, Mokona knew Kurama’s habits well.

So seeing him so unhurried now, Mokona couldn’t help but be puzzled.

Kurama’s lips curled in a sly smile.

“Because I just discovered a very interesting coincidence,” he said, eyes twinkling. “The person my target drew on the ship as his own prey... happens to be that person.”

“That person?”

Mokona tilted his head. “The dark-haired one?”

The fox spirit knew Mokona meant Chrollo, so he nodded, his face lighting up with the anticipation of spectating some drama.

“Exactly! Looks like it’ll be fun. Want to watch with me, Mokona?”

Mokona instantly nodded—how could the two of them not get along so well? At heart, their mischievous streaks were perfectly matched. Naturally, they were the best of partners!

***

Kurama did not use Zetsu to erase his aura, but instead relied entirely on his illusionary plants to mask his presence. He sauntered unhurriedly to his destination, arriving just as the performance was about to begin.

His target was hidden in a thicket nearby, staring intently at a black-haired young man seated a short distance away, head tilted back as if napping under a tree, his posture utterly defenseless.

The morning sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting shimmering patterns on the youth in his fitted white shirt and simple black slacks, outlining a body both slender and strong, with a face as flawless as carved jade...

One had to admit, at this moment, Chrollo looked almost like a beautiful boy stepped out of a painting—his elegance so dazzling it was hard to look upon.

“An exceedingly deceptive appearance,”

the fox spirit mused, stroking his chin.

Time seemed to stretch endlessly in that moment.

There was the seemingly defenseless Chrollo, the unknown examinee lying in wait, and, a little farther off, the completely hidden Kurama and Mokona observing it all.

Among the three, a strange tension filled the air, drawing out the moment interminably.

The atmosphere grew increasingly taut.

Suddenly, Kurama noticed the ambusher’s fingers move ever so slightly—a sign he was about to strike.

The fox spirit’s eyes narrowed, senses sharpening to their fullest.

As the attacker leapt forward with astonishing speed to ambush Chrollo, Kurama acted as well—a slender vine, which had somehow crept beneath the ambusher, shot out, deftly snatching the badge he’d placed in his trouser pocket.

It happened in a split second—even Chrollo, who had kept his eyes closed the entire time, did not notice, nor did the attacker himself. After all, Nen could not sense everything.

So when the ambusher reached him, Chrollo opened his eyes and, with only one hand, effortlessly blocked all the attacks. He remained completely unaware of the tiny twist of fate that had just occurred.

“Heh—what a hasty ‘hunter’ you are.”

Blocking the assault with one hand, Chrollo’s tone was calm and steady.

He raised an eyebrow with a gentle smile, his expression as mild as a spring breeze.

“Honestly, I’m quite curious,” he said softly. “What made you think... I would be such an easy target?”

Chrollo swore he wasn’t angry at being underestimated.

He was genuinely curious. Though he hadn’t revealed much of his power, he had been the second to reach the bottom of the Wicked Well Tower, and on the warship island, he’d shown strong leadership and charisma. Anyone with sense should realize he wasn’t simple; even if assigned him as a target, they would be cautious and deliberate.

Yet this person...

Chrollo raised an eyebrow again, gazing at the man before him.

Unexpectedly, the other’s face suddenly twisted into a bizarre smile.

“Got you~”

The man’s voice was gentle and sweet, as if speaking to a beloved lover.

Author’s Note: So, while the leader is still tangled and confused by Kurama’s unexpected display, he remains unaware that danger is quietly drawing near... [Innocently looks up at the sky]

Also, I forgot to mention in the last author’s note: the Warship Island arc is actually four days long, but for the sake of not making Kurama sleep for so many nights (==), I compressed it into just one. Just pretend that with the leader’s participation, everyone’s efficiency improved, and the tsunami kindly arrived a bit earlier... *kneels*

By the way, Demon World plants are so useful! It’s so much fun writing Kurama as the protagonist, imagining all sorts of fantastic plants! [Holds face]

This chapter’s illustration is of the beautiful leader bathed in sunlight—

...Wait! That expression... seems a bit tsundere? Is it just my imagination? [Covers face]

Finally, the usual preview for the next chapter: Duel x Rejection x Powerful Backup? Who is this sudden assailant, and what is the meaning behind his bizarre smile and words? Will the leader truly face a serious crisis, and will it lead to an intense battle? And will Kurama, who only intended to spectate, end up getting innocently dragged into the chaos? Please look forward to the next chapter of “Demon Fox Kurama” – Duel x Rejection x Powerful Backup?

P.S. Thank you, dear nanar, for throwing a landmine! Hugs and rubs~ And as always, rolling around for favorites =w= I’m well-behaved and easy to take care of~