[Did you forget what you promised your brothers, Nanika?] Saiki Kusuo crouched down and reached into the hollow. [Come out. I'll heal Gon.]

He didn't dare hug Alluka directly. Instead, he reached further in and restored Gon to his state from the day before.

"…Killua… bro…?" Gon lay at the opening, staring blankly outside. His body was healed, but his mind hadn't caught up yet.

[I'm taking Alluka now. You're fine, so get out on your own.] Saiki Kusuo said.

Gon was the main character, and Hisoka wouldn't hurt him now. After being ambushed once, he'd be more alert and unlikely to be injured again. Saiki Kusuo carefully took Alluka's hand and teleported back to Killua.

Killua was still nearby, looking for him.

"Brother Kusuo! You—whoa?! What the—wait, you didn't just use Alluka…" This time Killua was sure Saiki Kusuo had appeared right in front of him.

I teleported here myself.

"And you're giving me grief? Why is it fine for you to just use Alluka like that?"

I told you, I teleported myself.

"That's so unfair! You're not being responsible for Alluka's safety. Was there anyone watching the wishes?"

There were no wishes. I said I teleported myself.

Well… not that I said it out loud.

Saiki Kusuo couldn't actually tell Killua the truth. Even though it was psychic powers, the only way to explain it would be to call it Nen. The Zoldyck family had decided long ago that Killua would only learn Nen at the right age, not before. For other kids, it didn't matter—they could learn early if they wanted, just ask their parents. Like Kalluto, who'd been using it for a while.

The cards were handed over. Saiki Kusuo waved goodbye, walked a good distance away, and only then teleported to the river.

Really can't leave those little brothers alone… but at least now he could eat fish.

Saiki Kusuo traded his gold dust for a bottle of salt. Just as he stepped forward, before even looking up, he heard a thought.

[Pinkie? So the two of you do know each other… Not Shalnark, but Chrollo—and even his real identity… heh…]

[The fish is skewered already, but I don't have time to help you grill it.]

…

I really want to run away. And I teleported three seconds later.

Chrollo and Hisoka faced each other across the river.

"Leader~ we've been chasing each other for three days now. Will you fight me already?"

"I've already given you my number tag, Hisoka. I'll have to say no."

"It's rare to find you alone, Leader. Not letting me fight you is pure torture… Chrollo, we can even have a small fight without using nen."

Chrollo to Saiki Kusuo: [Who would believe that?]

"Hehehe… what now, Leader? Are you not interested in my body? You should be the same type as me, someone who looks for excitement…"

Chrollo glanced at Saiki Kusuo.

Saiki Kusuo: That look says the "excitement" is over here.

Psychic powers are definitely exciting—real deadly kind of exciting.

"I don't fight my own members. A match isn't something to do now, especially under the eyes of the Hunter Exam staff." Chrollo said calmly.

Every examinee had someone following them, and Saiki Kusuo could sense it too. His constant teleporting had already been a headache for the examiner assigned to him.

"In that case, can I set a match with you for later? It's fine if we delay it… Chrollo, you should know I only joined the troupe for you…" Hisoka ran his fingers over his chest, looking thrilled as he reached out for a handshake to seal the deal.

Chrollo stayed silent. Hisoka's abilities were already well-known, and even so, Chrollo didn't want to fight him. Not only would it be a hassle, but against someone like Hisoka, holding back while still winning would be extremely hard. "I already said, no."

Hisoka puffed his cheeks in annoyance, and Chrollo took a step back.

Seconds ticked by, and Hisoka suddenly pointed at Saiki Kusuo.

He knew Chrollo wouldn't easily agree, after all they'd already been playing hide-and-seek for three days. "When there's a disagreement between members, we can flip the Spider Coin to decide. Chrollo, let's flip a coin."

Hisoka: [Leave it to fate. If luck's on my side… Besides, this is a rule Chrollo made himself, so he probably won't refuse.]

Hisoka said, "To be fair, let's have Pinky flip it~ Before the coin lands, you pick one side, Leader, and I'll take the other. How about it?~" [This way you'll have to accept the match. Fifty-fifty chance, heh…]

Saiki Kusuo: ? Hey, why am I involved in your fight?

Chrollo: "Normally a member should flip it, but since Saiki suggested this rule, let's make an exception this time."

Saiki Kusuo: Why? Is no one going to ask if I'm okay with this? Do you even realize how much damage this "small exception" could do to this coin? You have hands, flip it yourself!

You could even ask Illumi, the beloved pillar of the Zoldyck family, to flip it. Having a "Three Beauties" gathering without me is perfectly fine!

"Fine, I accept. Saiki, take the coin." Chrollo still had a strange faith in fate. He pulled the coin from his pocket and flicked it precisely toward Saiki's waiting hand.

Saiki Kusuo had no choice but to catch it.

The coin twisted in his hand. Great, now the coin's one-a-day restore chance was gone.

So much for calling it sturdy—this thing isn't sturdy at all!

And when did I ever agree to flip it for you?

Hisoka stared at Saiki with excitement. "Hehehe… go on, Pinky. Side with me, okay?~"

As if I could actually control which side it lands on… not that it's impossible.

What a pain. Saiki Kusuo looked at the coin in his hand. Flipping a coin has a few steps: toss it, catch it, then let it drop.

An item can only be restored once a day, and he'd already restored it once.

The force when tossing could break it—that's once. Catching it too hard could break it again—that's twice. By the time he let it drop… it wouldn't be a coin anymore but a pile of dust.

What is this? A complete dead end? You'd need four restores in one day to pull off this "high difficulty" coin toss!

"Go ahead and toss it, Saiki. Even if I lose, I'll accept my fate," Chrollo said, already thinking about whether a fight after Yorknew City would work.

This guy was already planning his next move.

Holding onto it forever wasn't an option. Saiki Kusuo balanced the coin on his palm, feeling its weight.

Too light—he had no idea how much force to use. Couldn't they let him try a test toss?

[Hmm? Flicking it might be better. If you throw it, the landing spot could be off.] Chrollo noticed Saiki's hand gesture and sent him a mental reminder.

You really think if I flick this coin it will still exist in this world?

Saiki Kusuo tried gauging the strength again. This should be about right… probably.

He'd never tried tossing a coin before, so saying he wasn't nervous would be a lie—especially with two people staring holes through him.

It's now! Throw it! Just use something really plain…!

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