ONE'S APARTMENT – CITY E
One's apartment was… how should I put this… special.
A futon on the floor. A coffee table with a bowl of dried noodles. Clothes scattered everywhere. And a persistent smell of soy sauce and mystery.
Kotobe stood in the middle of the room, suitcase in hand, staring at the mess with a mixture of horror and resignation.
"What… is all this?"
One, sprawled on the futon, nodded without opening his eyes.
"Mmh."
"And how long have you been living like this?"
"Mmh."
Kotobe sighed. He set down his suitcase, picked up three socks, two bowls, and a crumpled copy of The Beginner's Hunter Guide.
"Alright. First rule: we clean."
One opened one eye.
"Why?"
"Because I live here now."
One looked at him for a long moment, then closed his eye again.
"…Okay."
---
TWO HOURS LATER
The apartment was unrecognizable. The floor shone. The bowls were put away. The futon was folded. A small green plant sat on the windowsill.
Kotobe, out of breath but satisfied, contemplated his work.
"There. Better, right?"
One, still lying on the floor (the floor was clean, that was what mattered), nodded.
"Mmh."
"Don't you have anything to say? A 'thank you,' maybe?"
One thought about it.
"…Thank you."
Kotobe smiled, tired.
"That's something."
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
Knock knock knock.
One didn't move.
Kotobe looked at him.
"Aren't you going to answer?"
"Why?"
"Because someone knocked."
"So?"
Kotobe massaged his temples.
This is going to be a long ride.
He went to open the door.
On the threshold stood a girl with pink hair, one arm in a sling, looking at him with a mix of impatience and curiosity.
Pinky.
"Hi! Is this One's place?"
Kotobe was about to answer when a voice behind him rang out:
"Who are you?"
One had appeared behind Kotobe, hands in his pockets, looking at Pinky with absolute perplexity.
Pinky blinked.
"…What?"
"Who are you?" One repeated.
"But… you don't recognize me?!"
One tilted his head.
"No."
WHAM.
Pinky had just hit him on the head. With her good arm. A solid hit.
"OW."
"IT'S ME, PINKY! THE ONE YOU SAVED DURING THE RESCUE TRIAL! THE ONE WHO WATCHED YOU EAT SANDWICHES FOR HOURS!"
One rubbed his head, looking genuinely sorry.
"…Ah. The loud girl."
Pinky opened her mouth to protest, but Kotobe interrupted.
"Come in, come in. Sorry about him, he's… how should I put it…"
"One?" Pinky offered.
"…Yeah."
She entered, looking around curiously.
"It's clean. You cleaned up."
"That was me," Kotobe said proudly.
Pinky was about to respond when the door, which hadn't been completely closed, opened again.
A foot had slipped into the gap.
A big foot.
Then a leg.
Then a body.
Nagato entered. Immense, silent, impassive. He planted himself in the middle of the living room, crossed his arms, and observed the scene without a word.
One looked at him.
"…Who are you?"
Pinky sighed.
"This is Nagato. My bodyguard. He follows me everywhere."
"Why?"
"Because my father is paranoid."
"No. Because her father is a respectable man who cares about his daughter."
"Ah."
Pinky looked at him sadly, and in her inner voice: Stop thinking about those words, you mangy dog, you do everything not to tarnish my father's image when you know perfectly well he's the devil himself. Poor Nagato.
An awkward silence settled in.
Kotobe, trying to lighten the mood, offered:
"Would you like something to drink? We have water. And… water."
Pinky laughed.
"You two live like monks."
"We're hunters, not millionaires," Kotobe replied, pouring four glasses of water.
Nagato took his, drank a sip, and set it back down without a word.
The conversation started, strange but almost normal.
"So you're already registered with the Association?" Pinky asked, surprised.
Kotobe nodded.
"Yeah. We already were, well before the tournament."
"And what class are you?"
Kotobe looked down.
"…B. Last in class B."
Pinky whistled.
"Not bad. And you, One?"
One thought.
"C."
"C? But that's super low, isn't it?"
"Random," said Kotobe. "The Association couldn't analyze him. So they put C by default."
Pinky looked at One with a mixture of respect and incomprehension.
"You're a mystery, you know."
One shrugged.
"I don't know what that means."
"…Of course you don't."
The conversation drifted to Captain Man, the symbol of peace, his exploits, his philosophy.
Kotobe dropped a real bombshell that made Pinky jump with anger.
"For me, I think Captain Man deserves the 4th spot more than Pink Buster."
"What..! My mother… I mean, Pink Buster is the best heroine!"
"Anyway, Captain Man isn't that special, he just hits hard while shouting 'punch' everywhere."
Kotobe defended his idol with pride.
"Objection! Captain Man has a better heroic career. He was Number 1 for nearly 10 years before Zero arrived!"
"Plus he has the best slogan."
Kotobe jumped onto the table, ready to imitate the pose, the laugh, and the mantra of Captain Man.
"A hero must be indestructible, AHAHAHAH," Kotobe quoted, eyes shining.
Pinky smiled.
"Your favorite phrase, huh?"
"It's from a friend," Kotobe corrected softly. "But yeah. It follows me everywhere."
One, who hadn't listened to a word of the conversation, suddenly asked:
"Does Captain Man like lasagna?"
Pinky and Kotobe exchanged a glance.
"…I… I don't know," said Pinky. "Why?"
"Because I like lasagna."
"…Okay."
Suddenly, a deafening noise erupted outside.
BRRRRROOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUM.
A sound system. A big one.
Then a voice, amplified by a megaphone, tore through the neighborhood's calm:
"OOOOONE!!! COME OUT OF YOUR HOUSE, YOU QUITTER! TODAY, YOUR RIDICULOUS EXISTENCE ENDS ON LIVE STREAM! GET READY TO BE HUMILIATED IN FRONT OF MILLIONS OF VIEWERS!!!"
Kotobe jumped up.
"What the hell is that?!"
He ran to the window.
Downstairs, a surreal scene. A man in a garish kimono, an oversized black belt, was gesticulating in front of a crowd. Behind him, three cameramen were filming the scene live.
Master Karate.
He had brought equipment. Real stuff. Lights, booms, even a drone.
"Isn't he dead?" Pinky murmured, incredulous.
Nagato approached the window, observed the scene for a second, then looked at One.
"What did you do to him?"
One thought.
"…Nothing."
"Nothing?"
"I pushed him once so they could beat a daemon, that's all. And during the tournament, I pushed him into an ice bucket, I think."
[IN THE SIDE EPISODE: The Life of a Rank C Hunter.]
"Oh right, he's the clown who tried to attack us," Pinky exclaimed.
Nagato took this information personally.
Master Karate, seeing One appear at the window, intensified his performance:
"THERE YOU ARE! THE SCOUNDREL! THE ONE WHO DEFILED MY ART! TODAY, THE REVENGE OF THE SEVEN PAINS KARATE WILL ANNIHILATE YOU! THE CAMERAS ARE HERE! EVERYONE WILL WITNESS YOUR DEFEAT!"
One looked at him, perplexed.
"…He's loud."
Pinky burst out laughing.
"That's all you have to say?"
"What does he want?"
"To fight you. In front of everyone. For revenge."
"…Why?"
"Because you're you."
One thought.
"…Ah."
While everyone was getting ready to go downstairs, Nagato was already down there like an arrow.
Kotobe and the others arrived after Nagato, but early enough to witness the spectacle.
Nagato moved.
A swift, economical attack—he raised his right leg and delivered a Brazilian kick to Master Karate's neck.
The blow landed like a hammer, folding Master Karate instantly as he crumpled to the ground.
Kotobe was so surprised he jumped on the spot.
"That fighting style—I've seen it before."
"But… yes, that's the flow that Dante uses."
"Nagato must be part of a clan… but who are you, really…"
Nagato stood over him, impassive, one hand on his neck.
"Don't move."
Master Karate tried to protest, but a groan of pain escaped his mouth.
The cameramen, frozen, didn't know whether to keep filming.
Nagato stood up, looked at the cameras, then at the man on the ground.
"He's alive. But if I see him here again, he probably won't be."
Master Karate got up and started running. "You can't do anything to me! One, someday I'll have my revenge!"
He turned and fled.
Nagato climbed back into the apartment without another word.
Pinky, Kotobe, and One watched him enter, stunned.
"…Are you a hero too?" One asked.
Nagato looked at him.
"No. I'm a bodyguard."
"…Ah."
Calm returned.
Pinky was about to say something when Nagato's phone vibrated. He took it out, read the message, and his eyebrows furrowed.
He turned to Pinky.
"We're going back. Your father called."
Pinky sighed.
"Again?"
"Now."
She stood up, grabbed her bag, then stopped at the threshold.
She turned back to One.
"By the way… I forgot."
She rummaged through her bag and pulled out a small, neatly wrapped package.
"This is for you. For the rescue. At the trial. Thank you."
One took the package, examined it from all angles.
"…What is it?"
"Open it, idiot."
He opened it.
It was a box of lasagna. Name brand. The best kind.
One's face lit up like a child on Christmas morning.
"…A PC5 gaming console."
Pinky smiled.
"You look happy."
"Very."
Nagato, already in the hallway, called her.
"Pinky."
She sighed one last time.
"Gotta go, guys. See you soon."
She left, Nagato on her heels.
---
IN THE CAR – A FEW MINUTES LATER
The car rolled silently through the city streets. Pinky, tired, had dozed off in the back seat.
Nagato drove, impassive.
His phone vibrated. Earpiece.
A voice, deep, anonymous.
"Nagato. The boss wants you to eliminate the target."
Nagato didn't respond immediately.
"Information is circulating about the Fifteen Greats. He needs to be erased."
A silence.
"…Do you understand?"
Nagato looked at the road, then at the rearview mirror where Pinky slept peacefully.
"…Yes."
He ended the call.
The car took a different direction.
---
– LATER THAT EVENING
Nagato walked alone in a poorly lit alley.
Ahead of him, a man, head down, was nervously rummaging through a trash can.
Nagato approached.
The man looked up, saw the massive silhouette, and his eyes widened.
"N-Nagato… the Unbreakable Rock…"
Nagato said nothing. He kept walking forward.
The man backed up, hit a wall.
"Stop coming at me like that, you're scaring me… Here, the target's coordinates. His name is Vladimir."