Hunter x hunter: I’m interested in Nen abilities

Chapter 48: "Boom!"

The train slowly departed from Greebo Station, racing along the tracks.

Watching the scenery speed past outside the window, Haru opened a small gap in his backpack's zipper, tossed in some feed, and said, "Finish it all."

Shizuku sat across from him, quietly reading a book.

"Chirp, chirp!" A small gray bird, the rock sparrow, quickly poked its head out through the gap.

"Stop chirping," Haru extended a finger to gently push it back inside. "If you stay quiet, I'll let you out."

The rock sparrow nodded repeatedly and finally squeezed out of the bag, hopping onto the table. A passing train attendant noticed the little gray bird and couldn't help but gasp in surprise.

Flap, flap—

The rock sparrow flapped its wings, making a lap around the train car before streaking into the neighboring carriage as a gray blur. The attendant hurriedly went after it.

"Aren't you worried about it?" Shizuku asked.

"It'll come back when it's hungry," Haru replied.

He leaned on the table, glancing at the book Shizuku was reading. "You like reading a lot, huh?"

"Mm." Shizuku's gaze remained fixed on the book. "Because I often find books."

Is she talking about her childhood in Meteor City? Haru wondered. Finding books in the garbage... well, you couldn't eat them, so reading was the only option. Hard to argue with that logic.

"What else do you like besides books?" Haru asked curiously.

"Jewelry, accessories—because I never found any of those."

"That makes sense."

"What about you?" Shizuku blinked, curious. "What do you like?"

"I like playing League of Legends…"

Shizuku looked confused.

Haru laughed. "It's a video game."

"Oh…"

"And web novels, comics…" Haru leaned back in his seat, gazing at the scenery rushing by outside. "Ah, the past just blows away like the wind."

Shizuku didn't understand what he was lamenting, so she simply watched him quietly.

The train's soft rumbling persisted. After a while, Haru snapped back to reality and smiled. "This is boring. Let's train together!"

"Okay." Shizuku closed her book and followed Haru to their shared room in another carriage.

Unlike the ship, where they had private rooms, the train accommodations were simpler. The shared room had two soft beds on either side and a small, basic washroom further in.

After closing the door, Shizuku held out her hand and materialized Blinky, her conjured vacuum cleaner, using it to absorb her book.

"You can already retrieve and store things at will?" Haru asked.

Shizuku stuck out her tongue. "Only things I remember as important…"

Haru gestured for her to come closer, smiling. "In a few days, I'll let you try mine too."

"You have a new ability?" Shizuku's curiosity was piqued.

"It's not exactly new," Haru admitted. "It's kind of like a smartphone…"

"Why does that make it sound so underwhelming?" He shook his head, kicked off his shoes, and sat cross-legged on his bed. "Let's get to training."

"Mm."

Shizuku, though curious, didn't press further. She removed her shoes and sat cross-legged on the opposite bed.

Both began releasing aura and wrapping themselves in Ten.

There's no rule saying you have to stand to practice Ken…

…

"Is that aura… someone using Ken?"

In a nearby room, Sloane was napping, while Kanzai suddenly turned his attention to the train car wall. Although he wasn't using En, the two auras gathering nearby weren't far away, and their strength was noticeable.

"Haru and Shizuku," Kanzai thought. "These two have decent potential. Training even while traveling—Chairman Netero would probably like that attitude."

Lying down with his arms behind his head and legs crossed, Kanzai smirked. "Still, they're far from the average strength of the Twelve Zodiac. They haven't even reached the level of an intermediate combatant… Is this what they call a wise man overthinking?"

In another nearby room, Dago and his group looked at each other in alarm. The sudden burst of intimidating aura had startled them, causing them to jump out of their bunks.

"So it's Haru and Shizuku…"

"What are they doing?"

"Did they encounter an enemy? Why release so much aura?"

"Is that Ren? No, it doesn't seem like it…"

"You idiots, that's Ken," Dago thought silently. "Ken is an application of Ren and Ten. It shouldn't leak so much aura… These two are stronger than I expected." Surprised by Shizuku's strength, Dago wiped sweat from his brow.

The thought of someone as strong as Shizuku being so deferential to Haru, who seemed almost childlike, left Dago shaking his head. "People really can't be compared…"

…

Traveling by train was tedious. The train stopped briefly in the afternoon, allowing Haru and Shizuku to stretch their legs and buy feed for the rock sparrow, which had been playing hide-and-seek with the attendants and passengers across multiple cars.

As night fell, the train continued its tireless journey toward its destination.

Inside the brightly lit carriages, some were bustling with activity, while others remained quiet and orderly. Some passengers leaned against their luggage to sleep, while others trained in silence.

…

The train wouldn't tire, but people would.

And in the middle of the night, several individuals who had blended into the carriages made their move.

After resting with their eyes closed for most of the night, they struck decisively in the pre-dawn hours, when the passengers were at their most exhausted.

Splitting into three groups, one group infiltrated other cars, another blocked the entrances and exits, while the third, armed with guns and knives, quietly threatened the groggy passengers.

"Don't move. Hand over anything valuable!"

"Give us your money if you don't want to die."

Meanwhile, on the luggage rack above, nestled among the bags, the rock sparrow tilted its head curiously, observing the strange scene unfolding below.

…

"Pfft!"

Haru spat out toothpaste foam into the sink and stepped aside to let Shizuku use it. After rinsing his face with cold water, he said, "There's a robbery happening in another car. Wanna go play vigilante?"

"Sure." Shizuku began brushing her teeth, and Haru clapped his hands impatiently. "Hurry up! Dago and the others seem to have noticed too. If we're too slow, we'll miss all the fun."

Shizuku sped up her brushing.

Knock, knock, knock! Haru tapped on Kanzai and Sloane's door, calling out, "There's a group robbing the train in the back cars. Wanna check it out?"

From inside, Sloane's sleepy voice replied, "Just some train robbers? I thought it was something serious… Ugh, you guys handle it…"

Kanzai's voice followed. "If he's not going, neither am I. They're just petty thieves. Try not to kill them."

"I wouldn't kill them even if you paid me," Haru muttered, patting his chest before heading toward the hijacked car with Shizuku in tow.

At the car's entrance, a few train attendants were anxiously speaking to Dago and his group. Upon seeing Haru and Shizuku, the latter visibly relaxed.

"You leading the charge?" Dago asked.

"Our abilities are confidential." Haru pointed behind him. "Step aside."

"Got it." Dago, understanding, quickly moved the nervous attendants out of the way. "Don't worry. The two of them could probably take all of us on at once."

Haru snapped his fingers, forming a nen bullet and aiming it at the car door's window.

"Blinky," Shizuku summoned her vacuum cleaner and flipped it on. "Once the door opens, suck up all their guns and knives."

Boom!

With a loud bang, the situation inside the car shifted in an instant. All the weapons were sucked away, leaving the robbers stunned. Before they could react, two figures flashed past. After two quick punches, the robbers were unconscious. Ordinary people stood no chance; they couldn't even see Haru and Shizuku's movements before being swiftly taken down.

As the train sped through the morning sunlight, the city of Cosmo came into view in the distance, the rising sun illuminating the horizon.

…

At Cosmo Station, a group of bruised and bewildered train robbers were handed over to the authorities. Haru and his companions disembarked as if nothing had happened.

Even Sloane, an Ochema official, seemed nonchalant, as if train robberies were no big deal in Ochema. Stepping out of the crowded station, they were surprised to find the streets packed with people, as if a major event were taking place.

While Sloane and the others waited for their delayed transportation, Haru and Shizuku decided to part ways with them. They had no interest in waiting for a potential bonus. Watching the bustling street, Haru grew curious. "What's going on?"

A staff member accompanying Sloane glanced at his watch and replied casually, "It's the Gatford Marathon. Damn, who planned this route? Why pass right in front of the station?"

"What's wrong?" Haru asked.

"It's just the Gatford Marathon…" The staffer thought Haru hadn't heard clearly, only to realize he was addressing Kanzai.

Kanzai frowned slightly. "Something doesn't feel right." He scanned the surroundings and extended an arm to shield Sloane.

"Whoa!"

The crowd watching the marathon erupted into cheers. At the same time, a young man in a baseball cap emerged from the nearby crowd. He grinned at Sloane and the others, his backpack glowing faintly.

Boom!!!!!

A sudden explosion of fire and light erupted, scattering the crowd in terror. In the blaze, Sloane and the others wore expressions of shock. Kanzai bared his fangs, Haru silently shouted something at Shizuku, and both of their auras surged outward in Ken. Dago and his group barely managed to brace themselves, only to be blown back by the powerful shockwave.

(Chapter End)