Itsy Bitsy Spider

52. Rainbow Arrows

"If it's money you want, you'll receive your heart's desire," negotiated Shalnark. "The assignment will take a month or two to complete, but the reward will be plenty, I assure you."

The Nen exorcist glanced around himself, surrounded by the rest of the group against a hill face and left with no escape route. He took in Shalnark's light bangs, his warm trickster smile and the needle he was holding threateningly at his side. "Are you the person who's been spying on me for the past few weeks?"

"That is beside the point."

As the the two continued their negotiations, Rein couldn't help but feel her eyelids go heavy, begging for rest. She'd gotten up early, and while she was used to exerting herself, Aiai seemed to have sucked out all her energy. Dealing with Shalnark fangirls had been exhausting for both her and Kalluto, but the aura of the city felt like cotton candy stuffed up her nose, turning brain to sugary mush.

"If you have time to be bored, be useful," Feitan ordered when she yawned.

"How?" She rubbed at her eyes, starting to understand Lucky more and more. "Shal's taking care of things here, and just thinking about the attacker isn't going to get me anywhere." Rein was about to yawn when she caught Feitan looking at her disapprovingly, and quickly turned her open mouth into a closed one so she could blow a raspberry at him.

He wiped his face—a tad bit exaggerated for emphasis—and stared her in the eye. "Then think about Hatsu."

"Nen ability, huh?" Lucky popped in, bringing a hand to his chin. A special ability, differing to each individual's needs and characteristics. "I started thinking about it a long time ago, and I already have a rough idea of what I want to do. I just need to know whether it'll work or not. What about you guys? Not you, Staircase, I already know you have one."

Rein sat down in the grass and leaned back. "I'm already pretty good at conjuring stones, so it'll probably be something along those lines. But just that, I don't really feel like it counts. I'm missing something and I have no idea what it is yet." She took out her lucky rock and held it up to the sky, wondering. After a short pause, she snorted, dropping her arm in defeat. "And don't even get me started on what I'll do when I'm in my Specialist state."

Zushi had been nodding along silently, listening before realizing it was his turn. He bit his thumbnail once, but noticing he was falling into his nervous tick, he sat on his hands to stop his bad habit. "I'm a Manipulator, but... I feel bad if I perform my Hatsu on people."

"Then control an object or something, it's not too hard," Kalluto suggested.

"O-osu, but... I still feel bad. I don't hold the right to control other things."

"...It's an object," he repeated. "It can't feel things."

His mouth drew taut. Zushi knew no one would understand. "What about you? How were you able to come up with your ability at such a young age?"

"Me?" Kalluto asked. Someone wanted to know about him? "After my older brother... well for reasons, my mother started to teach me Nen. She was also having me accompany her in her activities, and I was skilled at the origami she showed me. So she suggested I manipulate paper. The methods of attack came from my father and my oldest brother." He narrowed his eyes at how much he was being made to talk about his family. Was Zushi sure that he didn't manipulate people?

"Heavy guidance, huh. Speaking of Kalluto," Rein's look suddenly became sharp, "for all the stars, why do you call him Staircase?"

"I told you, he looks-"

Lucky was in the middle of his explanation when a stream of glowing light came flashing through the air and caught onto Rein and Feitan, unable to escape the light in time. Rein cried out in surprise as she was lifted into the air, but no one was able to grasp her outstretched hand. Before anyone knew it, the two had been whisked away against their will, disappearing into the distance.