Chapter 15

"Gon, what sort of date are you taking me on?"

Kurapika questioned as we made our way through the crowded streets at night. Our last meal was about an hour ago. I did, however, still feel hungry.

She and I started looking for something "romantic" to do after we dropped Leorio off at the hotel where we had decided to stay. I told her this, at least.

I wasn't planning on going on the same type of date as she was.

Even though the city we were in was a small town with a respectable population rather than a large metropolis, it was still beautiful at night.

"Kurapika, are you still hungry? Is there space in your stomach for some quick noodles?" Kurapika was two steps ahead of me, trailing. After seeing a street stall, I had an epiphany and approached her.

"Not quite. But, after all, it's a date, so why not?" She paused before shrugging, a kind and spontaneous smile on her face.

I wasn't sure how far she'd go with the concessions… But she was about to be persuaded and take our actions more seriously. It was one thing to wish for strength, but quite another to witness how genuine and mystical I was.

I wasn't kidding when I said I could help her get stronger. She got the gist of it, but it wasn't just about strength because she had no idea how much assistance I could provide. I'd rather not allude to it, but there were few things I couldn't accomplish with my abilities as long as people were willing to collaborate with me.

I didn't do much bargaining on Whale Island because I was more interested in exchanging skills for indefinite periods of time. I wasn't interested in borrowing because I was focused on my training. The development of my true abilities. Capabilities on which I could rely at all times. In any case, there weren't many talented people to interact with on my island. I could do the majority of what other people could.

"Let's go get some soup noodles over there. That guy seems to be selling Soba and other similar foods from a foreign country." I said.

"Okay." Kurapika agreed.

"By the way," I added.

"What is it?" She asked why I paused at the end of my sentence.

"Do you have any cooking skills? Noodles in particular?" With a strange smile, I inquired.

"No. I only know how to grill meat and prepare other simple and adventurous dishes. I've never cooked much before." Kurapika told me. Her breathing stated that she wasn't lying or omitting anything.

I could usually decode people's emotions unless they were trained to hide them from me. In my previous life, I'd read enough books to know that reincarnation was almost certainly the cause of my improved perception. As a result of my previous two lives and this one, my soul had grown stronger. I was both a human and a snake, despite my human appearance. I wasn't your average human with human genes.

The snake-like vibration and turbulence sensitivity kit also heightened my senses. Everything relating to the senses worked better for me. Especially since Gon's body had a natural gift for perception, which was also stimulated by my unblocked talent ceiling.

"Good." I cracked a grin.

"Hmm? What makes this a good thing?" Kurapika was perplexed.

She was especially lovely when she was puzzled and curious.

Kurapika retained the majority of her bishonen appearance from the episodes, but I noticed something after we disembarked. She seemed to be concealing her gender with makeup, other clothing, and cosmetics. She stopped trying to hide her beauty after I realized and brought to light her true gender.

She looked more like a woman now, more beautiful and cute.

Kurapika had brown eyes and medium blond hair. Despite her more feminine personality, she continued to wear her Kurta garbs. It was a genderless clothing style. Her tribe wore a blue tabard with a red hem and a full-body white training suit underneath.

I wasn't sure if everyone in her tribe wore this, or if warriors and the like wore something different. I aimed to ask her once I had the chance to question her about her past.

"You'll see why being unable to cook is a good thing in this case… Let's go find a seat." Kurapika received my response. She was now walking faster to keep up with my pace.

After she and I took a seat at the counter of the food stall, which had the general appearance of a ramen stall, the friendly owner and cook approached us.

As he approached, I laughed, remembering a famous ramen vendor from another world. I was surprised by how different he looked from him when he asked. "Kids, welcome to my humble diner. Are you two dating?"

He didn't resemble the person I had imagined, and he spoke with a distinct accent. He wasn't from around here, most likely. I wasn't surprised because we seemed to be in a tourist hotspot.

Furthermore, the majority of the food vendors and stall owners appeared to be from somewhere apart from here.

"Thank you… Accurate, but why?" I said.

Kurapika did not blush at the remark about us being a couple. She appeared to be at ease while looking at the menu behind the man. I was thinking to myself that she didn't seem shy around strangers, but rather with people close to her…

She was rational. She would almost certainly be a conjurer again in this life. If personality had any influence on such things.

"I've prepared a special menu for the city's sweet young lovers tonight. Why don't you give it a shot?" The owner said as he handed me a menu.

"Thanks. But, sir, I have a request of you…" Before getting down to business, I thanked him. I would have gone somewhere else if it had only been about food.

"You appear to be lacking in personnel." When I looked around, I noticed he was alone. "Is this how every night goes? If you're tired or short on personnel, I have an offer for you."

Kurapika looked at me with suspicion and confusion when the owner said. "This has always been the case. When my son was still working for me before going to sea last year, things were a little different… He… But, kid, what are you asking? Do you wish to work for me and provide me with your services?"

The owner of the food stand inquired. When he mentioned his son, he paused. I hadn't expected it, and I had no plans to inquire about or use it in the context of this particular transaction.

"Not exactly. We'd like to help you for a moment. But in exchange for your permission, I'll make your entire evening or week worthwhile." I said this as I took some money from my pocket. I had earned this money by giving my catch of fish to the fishermen on Whale Island. "If you're still not on board after the hunter exam, I'll make you another promise."

"What do you require from me? I'm busy, you know… Unless… Are you two hunters?" The man inquired, his brow furrowed. He didn't seem to understand.

"No. We'll take the hunter test tomorrow. However, you are not required to know anything about that. It's unimportant. What I need to ask you, owner, is to lend me something… For a brief moment, something out of the ordinary…" I replied.

The owner advised me to look elsewhere if I was looking for anything questionable or risky. He mistook me for a con artist.

At first, he was afraid. Especially since Severus was found beneath the counter.

He assumed I was some random troublemaker when I told him what I wanted to borrow from him after some discussion.

I immediately informed Kurapika when he agreed to the deal he didn't think worked. "For the next few hours, Kurapika, you should be able to cook anything this man can cook. You can try your luck behind his counter."

As I did so, I glanced at her status window.

The owner had exited the kitchen and was standing next to me. He mentioned busy nights, but aside from us, there was only one other young couple presently consuming food at the tables near his stall.

They seemed to be well-off, curious travelers. They had previously attempted to approach Severus, which is why I say curious. Severus was becoming more sociable, so he didn't hurt or frighten the girl when she touched him. He did nothing more than act asleep.

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Name: Kurapika

Threat levels: scouting (tier 2), regular fighting (tier 3), assassination (tier 2)

Singularities, gifts and buried talents: kurta, kurta warrior, experienced cook, food stall owner

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[Kurta: A bloodline that boosts all stats and abilities in the face of intense, positive, or negative emotional stress. The greater the stress, the more power is granted to the holder. The granted power, however, has a finite limit that is determined by talent.]

[Kurta warrior: Kurtas who are born to be skilled fighters frequently possess this trait. Increases fighting abilities and the effects of the Kurta bloodline by a larger margin than usual.]

[Experienced cook (-3 hours left): A borrowed skill that comes with a slew of specific talents and knowledge that were agreed upon during the transaction.]

[Food stall owner (-3 hours left): A borrowed skill, bringing a slew of specific talents and knowledge agreed upon during the specific deal.]

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Several minutes later.

"Hahaha!!! What's going on, Gon? Is this your skill? How did I get so good at cooking all of a sudden?" Kurapika laughed as she started preparing the dish I had requested.

She was totally absorbed. She preferred to work with her hands and play with them rather than be impressed by worldly things.

The proprietor of the food stand was totally baffled because he couldn't even recall how to prepare chicken broth for his dishes. He couldn't remember where he had kept the ingredients or cooking utensils.

He yelled at me to return his only livelihood while staring at me as if I were the devil. Not only that, but he was also terrified and in a state of panic.

I chuckled and advised him to cool off. He allowed us to complete the clusterfuck I had planned in an hour rather than three, thanks to him.

I felt bad for the guy. He had mysteriously forgotten memories that had helped him support himself and his family financially.

As Kurapika learned new skills, knowledge, and abilities, her amazement grew. Sadly, only temporarily…

When we departed the proprietor's stall, it was still fairly early in the evening. But now that I had won her over, it was appropriate to go back and have a more serious discussion.

Now that her concerns had been stilled, I could move forward without worrying that I would be seen as a bad guy trying to take advantage of her by using something she didn't understand.

In fact, she was awestruck at this point. She realized I wouldn't tell lies. She had the intelligence to understand that I didn't have to.

I could get whatever I wanted from her by using force if I wanted to.

… Speaking of cooking. The owner, who had regained his skills, started talking to me about his son and other things as we were getting ready to leave. He was fascinated by my so-called "magical abilities," and his son had become the cook and co-owner of a burgeoning fish restaurant in the city, or something, after he had to give up fishing after getting hurt.

The owner asked me to teach his son his trade while grumbling about his unappreciative son's rich wife's ex-fiancee, or someone else who didn't like him. Even then, I wasn't certain that I understood his nonsense. However, ultimately, I wasn't worried.

Each person dealt with a unique set of problems.

I was not involved in any way. By giving him the money up front, I fulfilled my obligation. After the exam, if I was bored and thought of him, I'd go over to help him.