Pejjo's public profession is that of a photographer. He is energetically active, but his talent can only be described as the bottom of the barrel; he is an obscure, failing photographer whose career never took flight. However, he never faces hardship or poverty due to a lack of work. This is because he has a secret face as a 'courier' for the Mafia.
He is a Conjurer and is capable of materializing a single camera. Items given physical form through Conjuration are made of aura, yet they possess a presence indistinguishable from the real thing. His camera, just like a real one, is capable of taking photographs.
However, that alone would make it nothing more than a mimicry of an existing object. Since it is made of aura, it has advantages: it can be summoned or dismissed at will, it is easy to repair if broken, and since it is formed from his own aura, it is easy to apply 'Shu' or 'In'. Nevertheless, its basic performance remains the same as a genuine camera.
To add performance that exceeds the original, one requires talent as a Nen user. Just as a sword can be made sharper or armor made sturdier, it is possible to add special abilities based on the characteristics of the object being conjured.
Pejjo's camera is also equipped with a special ability. The name of that ability is 'Best Shot'. It is a terrifying power that allows him to 'preserve' a subject captured with his conjured camera inside the film.
Abilities that transcend the concepts of time and space do exist, such as Emitters using teleportation or Conjurers creating non-existent spaces to send people and objects into. However, the difficulty of mastering such things is extremely high; they are not something one can learn without innate talent.
Claiming that pulling physical matter into film is simply an extension of a camera's nature is a stretch; normally, that would be an impossible domain to reach. Considering this, it could be said that Pejjo is a Conjurer who possesses a unique constitution that allowed him to naturally shift into a Specialist.
With this ability, which can neutralize an enemy without question simply by framing them and pressing the shutter, he should never fall behind regardless of how strong his opponent is. However, in reality, Pejjo is in a position that cannot be described as a combatant, even as a flattery. His ability comes with a major restriction.
The ability will not activate unless the photograph is one that he, as the photographer, can 'accept'. In other words, if there is even a slight flaw in the composition, if the subject looks bad, if the angle is displeasing, or if the photo does not align with the 'Best Shot' he envisions, it is useless. It is not an ability that can be used against an enemy in the heat of battle.
And the most troublesome part was his personal taste in photography.
He found beauty in the sight of others suffering. As a child, he was captivated by the carcass of a dog crushed and ground into the road. Eventually, he began to create such situations with his own hands. As his mind and body matured, he could no longer satisfy himself with animals alone.
Pejjo realized he was abnormal. In public, he never let his preferences show. he had many civilian acquaintances and friends who were not part of the Mafia, all of whom thought of him as a 'stupid, loud, and cheerful fool' who was nonetheless 'sincere toward photography.'
He wasn't acting that way out of reluctance. He was genuinely aiming for success as a photographer. This was because it was his 'training.' He was aware that he was abnormal and evil. Therefore, he was desperately making an effort to cultivate a common and proper sense of aesthetics.
Anyone who knew that side of him would never imagine he was an accomplice to crimes in the Mafia. While he had zero talent, he was evaluated as a dreamer who worked straightforwardly toward what he loved. This was convenient for hiding his true identity, and his Nen grew thanks to that training.
He eventually became able to capture things in film that he previously had no interest in or couldn't see as subjects. This is why he is valued as a 'courier.' This applies to all Nen users who can create Nen spaces, but their most useful trait is the stealth of their logistics. A person with empty hands can transport large quantities of supplies at once without leaving a shred of evidence. To those in the underworld who profit from smuggling, such a person is a talent they would die for.
He was also the right man for securing the transport routes on this island. No matter how well a warehouse is hidden, it is meaningless if the flow of goods in and out is clearly visible. But with him, he can enter the island as a photographer without causing any suspicion.
Setting aside his status as a photographer, he had built a firm position as a Nen user. It differed from the martial arts training typical Nen users underwent, but he continued to grow through his own unique form of training. So, as a result, could it be said that his sense of beauty approached that of a normal person?
The answer was no. If anything, it had worsened. As he came to understand the sensations universally considered beautiful, the innate 'beauty' he desired surfaced more vividly. Within the contrast between good and evil, life and death—that was where the despair he sought resided.
He feared that this ugly beauty would transform into something mundane and worthless at the end of his training. He didn't necessarily want to hurt someone. He didn't want to brag about his works. He simply wanted to photograph people in despair. And then, he wanted to keep it in his hands forever as his own. He had become unable to suppress that impulse.
Han Mock is one of the few friends who knows Pejjo's true nature. Mock likely loathes him, but Pejjo at least considered him a friend and respected the stubborn old scholar. It wasn't because of his research or his skill as a Hunter. Pejjo felt that Mock was the same kind of human as himself.
It was obvious Mock would fly into a rage if told so to his face, but they were birds of a feather. They were not people moved by money or fame. As long as their internal values were not interfered with and were satisfied, that was enough. They were the same in the sense that they didn't care what happened to others as a result.
The Mafia understood exactly what they wanted and gained their cooperation by providing it. That bond was far stronger than a relationship built on being hired for money.
Because Pejjo belonged to the Mafia, he could conduct illegal photo shoots. Those hideous sessions were held frequently at his request. However, the subjects he met there were mostly people scheduled to be disposed of by the Mafia. While that had its own charm, they were usually men who were completely steeped in the underworld.
Right now, the subject he was seeing through the viewfinder—a girl—was not someone he could encounter easily. She was beautiful.
Beauty is a sensation cultivated through learning. Paintings, sculptures, ceramics, architecture, literature, or music left behind by great artists possess the power to influence human sensibility. When that matches the viewer's aesthetic sense and is absorbed, a person gains a metric for beauty.
The girl's appearance was orderly, like a completed work of art. Pejjo felt she possessed a beauty worthy of becoming a benchmark. If that were the case, how sweet and heart-fluttering would the sight of that flower scattered miserably be? Cruel, blasphemous, bizarre, atrocious—no matter what he was called, he could not change his heart now. To him, that was art.
---
The order Mock received from the organization was to capture the girl and hand her over. Normally, this would be quite a troublesome mission. An assassination order would be much easier. He had to capture a human being alive and bring her to the handover point without anyone noticing.
However, in this case, there wasn't much to worry about. With Pejjo's ability, it wouldn't take much effort. Things placed in the camera's film are preserved exactly as they were photographed, unaffected by the passage of time. And once the conjuration of the camera is cancelled, no evidence remains. There is no risk in transport.
With that in mind, Mock approached the girl with a friendly face. He wasn't particularly confident in his acting, but he felt he had gained a fair amount of her trust. If he had spent a bit more time, he might have been able to draw out her secrets. The girl had shown a gesture as if she were hesitating to say something.
But Mock's goal wasn't to hear the girl's circumstances. He only wanted to hear them if possible. He wasn't the patient type who would spend time on such things, and if it came to interrogation, the people in the organization could do it as much as they wanted after she was caught.
His primary goal was to gain her trust. He wanted to make her think he was a reliable adult, only to betray her once she felt safe. That way, he could drive her to despair more easily. If he did that, Pejjo's photography would also finish smoothly.
If the opponent had been just a child as she appeared, it would have been fine. But the plan went heavily off track. With unexpected reaction time and perception, the girl instantly understood Mock's betrayal and responded. The light in her eyes was not that of a small child who had lost her support. It was a firm will to seize survival.
Pejjo wouldn't be satisfied with this expression. Mock could predict from experience that breaking this girl would be a lot of work. He clicked his tongue at the extra effort required.
"Don't move a single step from that spot."
The girl's body was frozen. From the way her eyes darted busily from side to side, he could tell she was desperately trying to think of a way to overcome the situation. However, it was clear that no good ideas were coming to her. As proof, the girl remained unable to take any action.
"Show me your right hand."
The girl had pulled her right hand behind her as if to hide it. It was the spot Mock had shot with an arrow earlier. He had confirmed at that time that her hand was heavily injured.
The girl hesitated for a moment, but when Mock gestured for her to hurry with the tip of his crossbow, she reluctantly brought her hand forward. There was no wound there. She was uninjured, as if she had never been attacked in the first place.
But the attack had certainly landed. It didn't look like she had avoided it with some trick. The fatal wound on her neck was similarly 'healed.'
At that moment, he saw something approaching the girl's feet. It was that strangely shaped insect. The insect, clad in armor like red jewels, was moving closer just as the girl raised her hand. Was she planning to call it back while he was distracted by her hand? Mock, however, was not one to miss that.
He fired the crossbow again, knocking the red insect away. As if she had anticipated that attack, the girl dashed forward. She came straight toward him. Her goal wasn't escape. Her eyes were fixed on Mock.
Now that he had fired the crossbow, Mock was vulnerable. She intended to close the distance before he could fire the next arrow. Even if he finished his preparations faster, he could only fire one arrow at most. She likely thought she could withstand at least one hit. Even if it were an injury that would be fatal to a normal person, she might be able to manage.
"I believe I told you not to move?"
Mock did not pull the crossbow's string; instead, he grabbed a nearby poker. A mere metal rod used for tending the stove became a sufficient weapon for killing. As the girl tried to close the distance, Mock actually stepped in toward her.
The poker, reinforced with 'Shu', struck the girl's arm in a horizontal sweep. He felt the sensation of crushing the arm bone and shattering several ribs at once. A grown man swinging a steel pipe with full force wouldn't produce this much power. Mock achieved it with just a snap of his wrist.
The girl lost her balance and stumbled, but she did not fall. She tried to move forward while carrying injuries severe enough that it wouldn't have been strange for her to be screaming and writhing in pain.
Mock's follow-up strike landed there. With one swing of the poker, the girl's slender neck bent like the stem of a flower. Cervical dislocation. In addition to the fatal wound that anyone could see would result in death, he thrust the metal rod further into her chest. It pierced the center of her chest and her heart accurately without any resistance, like putting chopsticks into tofu. When he pulled the poker out carelessly, blood sprayed, staining the surroundings red.
"Nice one, Professor... I mean, wait! You killed her way too easily! I haven't taken the photo yet... huh?"
The bleeding, which had been spraying out grandly at first, had already stopped. The wound in her chest closed up, and her broken neck and deformed arm returned to normal. As expected, the wounds were healing.
"Is this the kid's ability? That's insane recovery... does that mean she's an Enhancer?"
"An Enhancer's recovery merely strengthens their natural healing power at best. This is regenerating as if time is being rewound. It's on another level. She might be a Specialist."
It was an irrationally astonishing ability. It was a regenerative power like a vampire from a fantasy story. He shuddered to imagine if she also possessed skill as a Nen user. Neither Mock nor Pejjo were Nen users specialized in close-quarters combat. They might have been killed without a way to fight back.
In reality, however, the girl could not avoid the crisis. If she could do that, Mock and the others would have been taken out before being pushed this far. She was an opponent even a Nen user of Mock's level could easily handle. In other words, she was an amateur.
The aura she wore was leaking out just like a normal person's. It seemed this wasn't an act. Her micropores were closed. More accurately, they might have been in the process of opening. She appeared to have visually tracked the Nen bullets Mock fired, but she had merely sensed the presence.
And now that she had received an attack imbued with Mock's aura, her micropores were completely open. When a non-Nen user is struck by aura from a Nen user, their micropores are forcibly opened. This allows them to awaken to Nen, but it is not a good method. This is because they release the aura—the energy necessary to maintain life—all at once.
If she cannot use 'Ten', the depletion of aura cannot be stopped. A massive amount of aura was leaking from the girl's body. Seeing that, she herself was visibly shaken. She seemed unable to understand what was happening to her own body.
It was unnatural to have mastered a 'Hatsu' without the micropores being open, but it wasn't entirely impossible. Those with talent sometimes awaken a 'Hatsu' unconsciously despite not knowing about the existence of Nen.
She wasn't a Nen practitioner, but she understood and could use the ability she possessed to some extent. He had to confirm just how much she was capable of.
"I'm going to ask you a few questions. Answer them honestly."
He demanded an explanation from the girl about the special power she could use. At first, she remained silent, but when Mock raised the poker, she hurriedly began to speak.
"Can... heal wounds."
"I've already seen that. You seem to be able to use one other ability."
It was the ability that controlled the insect. Despite taking two direct hits from arrows Mock had imbued with aura without holding back, the red insect had not been destroyed. Naturally, he hadn't neglected to keep an eye on its whereabouts. Even now, it was scurrying through the shadows, watching their movements. That bug was shrouded in aura and was connected to the girl by a thread. This was a typical sign of a Manipulator ability.
Based on the feel of it, it didn't have the sturdiness a Nen beast could have. It seemed to be a real insect with a physical body. Its movements were quite slow, and even if it approached, it would be easy to deal with. However, he decided to seal its movements just in case.
"Pejjo, there's a net made of special fibers in that shelf. Go throw it over that insect. Make sure you don't touch it directly."
"Ehh! Come on, I'm kind of busy right now."
"Do it."
"Yes, sir!"
"Alright! Don't run away!" Pejjo shouted with unnecessary enthusiasm as he went toward the insect. Even so, he was still a Nen user who had mastered the four basic exercises. His physical abilities surpassed those of a normal human. He wouldn't likely mess this up.
"Answer me. What is that insect?"
"..."
The girl remained silent. Even when Mock leveled the poker at her, this time she showed no sign of speaking.
"I see. Then it can't be helped."
Mock thrust the rod into the girl's eye socket. Ignoring her groans, he pushed it deep inside. As the girl recoiled, he struck her repeatedly with the rod as if to discipline her. The weight of each blow was extraordinary; a barrage of hits followed, breaking bones and scattering fragments of flesh.
While swinging the rod, Mock considered the girl's ability. Her category was likely Specialist, but she also seemed to have mastered a Manipulator ability. Even though these two categories are compatible, usually a Nen user only awakens one Hatsu. He had never heard of a case where someone awakened two Hatsu before their micropores were even open.
However, there were points that made sense regarding her being able to use a Manipulator ability. The White Swallow had been unnaturally attached to her. There are people with aura that makes them easily liked by animals, but it is abnormal for a wild animal to approach someone on its own. It was unthinkable for that bird, which has a remarkably high level of caution, to perch on a human's body.