Chapter 44: Neon and the Fortune Teller
"You like that?"
A strange voice came from behind her, causing the pink-haired girl, who looked like she had walked out of a fairy tale, to jump in surprise.
Ronin watched her reaction without a shred of guilt.
He had been observing Neon for a while.
From the moment she entered the museum, she had made a beeline for this heart. As she stared entranced at the "monkey heart," Ronin noticed the janitor sweeping nearby. The old man had passed by multiple times, his gaze tense.
He wasn't just cleaning. He was watching Neon. Or perhaps, guarding the heart.
Something's off.
Ronin deduced that the janitor was just a normal human, but his behavior was suspicious.
"Sorry, did I scare you? You were staring so intently. Is there something special about this monkey heart?" Ronin asked curiously, shifting his gaze to the specimen.
To him, it looked ordinary.
Then again, he had never seen a monkey heart before. Who preserves a monkey heart for an exhibit?
"No, no! It's just a perfectly normal hum—monkey heart!" Neon stammered, her face flushing red. She averted her gaze, shy.
Blonde hair, sharp eyes, a noble and aloof aura, dressed in a tailored suit—Ronin looked like the school idol suddenly initiating a conversation. Neon felt flustered.
Ronin ignored her bashfulness. He latched onto her slip of the tongue.
Human.
So it was a human heart.
That made sense. Neon was a collector of human body parts. Why would she suddenly develop an interest in primate biology unless the primate was Homo sapiens?
If the heart was human, then the watchful janitor was definitely a suspect in whatever crime produced it.
But Ronin wasn't a judge or an executioner. He pulled out a business card and dialed a number.
Moments later, a middle-aged man appeared next to the display case.
Aside from his receding hairline, he looked unremarkable. He was the museum director.
"I want to buy this monkey heart. How much?" Ronin asked directly.
"500,000 Jenny. Anything else catch your eye? Everything is for sale," the director said honestly.
To Ronin, the price was cheap. Seeing the mix of shock, regret, and envy on Neon's face, he paid immediately.
Half a million wasn't much, but for a specimen, it was a decent sale.
As he bought it, Ronin felt a faint killing intent from behind.
It was the janitor.
"Who are you?" Neon asked uncertainly after the director left happily.
Ronin lifted the bag containing the heart. "Actually, I have no interest in collecting body parts. But I am very interested in you."
"Are you hitting on me?" Neon crossed her arms and took a step back defensively.
"To be precise, I'm interested in your ability," Ronin clarified.
Neon wasn't his type. She was too flat. He worried that if they had kids, the cafeteria would be closed—no milk, not even soup. She couldn't even feed herself, let alone him or a baby.
Plus, her hands weren't as pretty as Miria's.
A flicker of shock crossed Neon's face, quickly replaced by indignation. She jumped like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "Your eyes are being rude!"
Ronin ignored the comment about his rudeness. He focused on her attempt to hide her reaction.
This meant Neon was already aware of her Nen ability. But according to the intel, she hadn't revealed it to her father yet.
If she had, Light Nostrade would treat her like a queen. He wouldn't let a stranger approach her so easily, and he certainly would have bought her a measly 500,000 Jenny heart without blinking.
"Let's talk about abilities. Since I know about it, it means we are the same kind," Ronin handed the bag to Neon. "Here. It's yours. You liked it, didn't you?"
"This..."
Neon hesitated. On one hand, she couldn't resist the heart. On the other hand, Ronin's "same kind" comment intrigued and alarmed her.
Curiosity and desire won over caution.
She reasoned that if he wanted to hurt her, she couldn't stop him anyway. Giving her a gift and inviting her to talk showed sincerity.
After she agreed, they left the museum.
In a nearby cafe, Ronin glanced out the window. He could see the janitor trying to hide, spying on them.
"What is your ability?" Neon asked curiously. She had a good impression of Ronin, but she only knew his name so far.
"I can make water overflow," Ronin said. He placed his hands around his coffee cup. A moment later, under Neon's surprised gaze, the liquid bubbled up and spilled over the rim.
Neon stopped doubting. She pulled a pen and paper from her bag.
"Write your full name, date of birth, and blood type," she pushed the paper toward him.
Ronin complied quickly.
Neon picked up her pen. As she spun it, a grotesque, green Nen beast manifested on her right arm.
The aura covered her arm up to the shoulder, but the rest of her body remained devoid of Nen, just like a normal human.
Her hand began to move automatically, scribbling furiously on the paper.
"Done," Neon stopped writing. "My ability is fortune-telling. It's said to be very accurate."
"It's said?" Ronin took the paper, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes. The first time I discovered it was at school. I wrote something for a classmate, and she told me later it all came true," Neon said seriously. "But the outcome wasn't good for her, so she called my fortune-telling a curse. I haven't done it for anyone since."
"But I know this automatic writing is a special power. By the way, my prophecies are usually four or five quatrains, predicting events for each week of the month. But this time... there's only one verse. Huh?"
Ronin looked at the paper, falling into deep thought.
"The vital crimson hue shall be lost,
A fate toyed with begins with a gaze.
The color of fire follows your steps,
Ending as a new trophy for the Spider."
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