'Not just "Nen Beasts," they should be called "Conjuration-type" "Nen Beasts" to be precise.'
Roy sized up the old woman and the group of "children" behind her. They seemed to be like Kite's Nen ability, "Crazy Slots"—possessing a physical form that could be touched and perceived by ordinary people... Naturally, they could also be seen by Kurajing, who had not yet opened her aura nodes.
'In the original story, the trio of Gon, Leorio, and Kurapika could also see them, for this very reason.'
On the airship with the giant Hunter Association logo, Zeno, with his flashy white hair, finally managed to shift his gaze from Kurajing to the group of "child Nen Beasts." He shot Netero a surprised glance. He hadn't expected... the Hunter Association to be hiding such a person....
'To single-handedly support a group of "Nen Beasts"... the old woman looked to be about his own age, but her "aura capacity" was extraordinary.'
"Ho ho ho... no need to be surprised." Netero finished his cake, accepted the black tea Beanman handed him, and took a sip. "Sachiko isn't a combatant. If she wants to raise them, I can't persuade her otherwise."
"Recklessly squandering aura drains one's life force. That's common sense."
"She's not an ordinary person. Beans, tell him..."
"Yes."
Beanman, ever-observant, also brewed a cup of tea for Zeno and carefully handed it to him. "Nakajima Sachiko is the old woman on the screen blocking your grandson's path."
'Tsk...' 'Calling her an old woman... in reality, Beanman was much older than her. In terms of age, he was the oldest one present.'
Beanman suppressed the strange feeling in his heart and briefly introduced Nakajima Sachiko's past... Zeno listened quietly.
'She was also a woman with a tragic past.'
She was once the director of an orphanage in Yorknew City. A great fire took all the children in the orphanage... Traumatized, Nakajima Sachiko awakened her Nen ability—"Heaven's Dolls"—which allowed her to mobilize her aura to conjure dolls to fight for her... But Nakajima Sachiko didn't choose to do that at the time.
In front of the orphanage ruins, she made a Vow to "give up combat" and "never fight anyone," in exchange for "True Imagination." She did her utmost to replicate the faces and voices of the deceased children, conjuring them as "Nen Beasts" to fill the dolls. This was the origin of the "children" on the screen.
"A Nen ability most reflects a person's true heart. When the Chairman learned of this, he was moved by the depth of her love and found a separate sanctuary for her and the children of the orphanage, which is the town you see..."
"What a waste... With her aura capacity, she might have become an outstanding combatant." Zeno put down his teacup, thinking of Milluki. According to Luke's report, that child was also a lost cause—poor talent and lazy... He had wanted to guide him onto the path of an assassin...
'It'd probably be a tough road....'
Netero shot him a sideways glance. "Not everyone is like you Zoldycks, fond of killing and fighting."
The old man leaned back on the sofa lazily, recalling his past with Nakajima Sachiko, and said faintly: "The Hunter Association fully respects the dreams and choices of every Hunter. Sachiko likes to be with the children. It doesn't matter if she can't fight."
"It's not like I'm short one combatant..."
Zeno nodded in deep agreement. "If that child Beyond were here and heard you say that, he'd probably be moved to tears."
"You shut up for me!" Netero angrily threw a teacup, but Zeno just laughed, reached out, and caught it... 'After all that high-sounding, noble talk, he still can't even control his own son...' Zeno pretended not to see Netero's murderous gaze and looked back at the monitor, hands behind his back....
Nakajima Sachiko thumped her cane on the ground, displayed an extraordinary facial expression, and shouted at the top of her lungs: "Dagge, dagge... Heart-pounding Two-choice Quiz!"
The voice was so loud it startled Kurajing, making her grip on Roy's arm even tighter.
"Kkch!" Gotoh clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking like popping beans from the force. He squinted at Kurajing as if looking at a dead person.
Roy remained motionless, his gaze drifting between Nakajima Sachiko and the group of children behind her, his thoughts unknown.
Nakajima Sachiko, wary of him, said: "Next, I will ask one question. You have only five seconds to answer. A wrong answer means elimination."
Needless to say, she was also an examiner. The red-jeweled cane in her hand caught Kurajing's attention. The girl looked...
...it had the same examiner logo as Maxim's. She frowned and asked, "Are the three of us supposed to answer the same question?"
'What happens if one of us gets it wrong?'
Nakajima Sachiko squinted her eyes and smiled. "Isn't this faster and better?"
"Whoola" A cold wind blew through the ruined street, making one's hair stand on end....
"Young Master..." Gotoh looked at Roy. Kurajing also tilted her chin up to look at Roy... Nakajima Sachiko also squinted at Roy. Being keenly observant, she understood in an instant... this young man was the leader of this group.
'Maxim said this kid could practice his sword in a storm... he must have reckoned that this old woman wouldn't fight, fearing I would be at a disadvantage. But this old woman never makes things difficult for others. I let everyone pass, regardless of whether their answer is right or wrong.'
'Of course, if they answer wrong, get lost, and encounter magical beasts, that has nothing to do with her, Nakajima Sachiko.'
Many gazes converged on Roy... The young man seemed immersed in his own world, oblivious to his surroundings. After a moment, his pupils focused, and he returned to his senses, smiling at Nakajima Sachiko. "Granny, how about we make a deal..."
"No deal."
Nakajima Sachiko had intended to refuse Roy, but before the word "No" could even leave her mouth, she looked up and saw the young man's eyes suddenly change. It was as if two suns had climbed out of his eye sockets, wantonly blasting her with intense light.
She instantly felt as if she had been stripped naked and thrown onto the street, seen through from the inside out. She swallowed, quietly looking at a corner in the shadows...
An electric arc flashed there, and it immediately captured Roy's gaze, which followed, as scorching as the sun...
'Even through the screen, one could feel how blinding it was!'
"Ho ho ho... good kid. He's actually threatening the examiner."
On the airship... Netero seemed to have regained some ground. His gaze fixed for a moment on the young man's bright red eyes. These eyes couldn't help but remind him of a great "beauty"... the Scarlet Eyes of the Kurta Clan.
He glanced at Zeno, feigning casualness. "What 'type' is this kid?"
'Nen abilities related to "eyes" are rare....'
Zeno: "He hasn't been tested."
He added truthfully: "He said it's his trump card. He'd rather take three lashes from his dad than tell anyone."
"Ho ho... a stubborn one." Netero was startled. Looking at the young man again, Roy had used the camera hidden in the corner to "warn" a certain someone, and was now tilting his head to look at Nakajima Sachiko, awaiting her answer.
The old woman hadn't expected him to be so sharp. She fell silent for a moment, then tactfully agreed....
Only then did Roy smile, bowing to her. "Please don't mind me, Granny."
"Ask whatever you like. I'll answer as I like. If I'm wrong, we'll turn around and leave. If I'm right..."
The young man straightened up and looked at her deeply. "I ask that Granny generously teach me the method of conjuring 'Nen Beasts'."
'He really did see through it...' Nakajima Sachiko glanced at the cane sword Roy held and chose to trust... that kid Maxim's judgment.
She could only brace herself and say: "Alright."
Calming her nerves slightly, she posed her question: "Listen closely. My question is, if your 'mother' and your 'wife' both fall into the water, who would you choose to save?"
"I think you're deliberately messing with the Young Master!"
'A question like that is so cliché it's worn out... There is no correct answer!'
Gotoh looked dangerously at Nakajima Sachiko, his killing intent—sparked by Kurajing—now fully directed at the old woman... Kurajing just felt the tension leave her back. She looked up at Roy, her pretty eyes full of curiosity... 'Yes, it really is a question with no correct answer... but, the girl, for some reason, suddenly wanted to know how the young man would answer.'
'Is his "mother" more important, or his "wife"...'
'The answer is... both are important, and neither is important.'
"5... 4... 3... 2... 1..." Nakajima Sachiko began to count.
Roy, smiling, remained silent.
Nakajima Sachiko's expression changed from "confident" to "dejected" in the span of a breath. After 5 seconds, she finally sighed and forced a smile at Roy. "Congratulations, you answered correctly."
She beckoned, signaling Roy to walk to the side with her...
Gotoh: "..."
He froze on the spot.
Kurajing felt her arm go empty, a sense of loss. She glanced at the butler, figured it out, and explained: "This question has no answer. Not answering and remaining silent is the optimal solution."
"I don't need you to remind me." Gotoh shot her a glare. While the Young Master was "consulting" with the old woman, "let's talk about... your transgression...."
Kurajing:
She was instantly in hot water.
She swallowed, took two steps back, then turned and ran after Roy....
Gotoh snorted coldly and followed.
In the corner, the young man listened quietly as Nakajima Sachiko spoke. The old woman reminisced about the past, describing the feeling when she first awakened her Nen ability. Her tone was filled with a faint, yet dense and persistent sadness...
"I came back from buying food that day and saw the house was on fire, burned to a ruin... My mind went blank at the time."
"I just wanted to save the children."
"Then, I felt like something in my heart had opened. When I came to my senses, I don't know when, a doll had appeared beside me..."
Nakajima Sachiko led a child over and affectionately stroked its small head... Its body was the largest among the group of children. It must have been the first "Nen Beast" Nakajima Sachiko conjured through intense consciousness and emotion on the day she awakened her Nen ability.
"Later, I named him Ryota... to commemorate my deceased child... And then..."
"There was Fuka... Shizuko... Juro... and Kenya..."
One by one, the children whose names were called gathered around... soon surrounding Nakajima Sachiko.
She stroked one, patted another, and said with pity: "Later, I met someone. He was the one who told me that the thing I had opened was called 'Nen,' and that it was because of the earnest hope in my heart that I 'imagined' the dolls...."
'So.—'
'[Examine the heart], then [visualize], and then implement it into [practice]... is this what it means?'
Roy listened quietly, reaching up to touch his earring. He carefully recalled... that day when Tanjuro took him behind the house, put it on him personally, and patted his shoulder, smiling as he said: "Full of spirit!"
'That triggered a strong emotional fluctuation in me, which must be why I unconsciously conjured it...'
'Then, according to what Nakajima Sachiko said, as long as I 'desire' it, and then deep in my mind, from the bottom of my heart, construct what I 'desire' to conjure, theoretically, I should be able to transform 'aura' into a physical object through 'imagination.'...—'
The young man was lost in thought, standing motionless among the children... Gotoh and Kurajing flanked him... Further in, Nakajima Sachiko watched him intently.
The old woman signaled the children to be quiet and summarized: "Different 'things' have different difficulties of conjuration."
"Imagining a pen is much simpler than imagining a car... Based on my experience, you can start with the simplest object, try to conjure it, and then develop your own 'Nen Beast'..."
'Simple? What is simple and familiar to him?'
Roy rubbed the cane sword in his hand, a bright light appearing in his eyes. He gradually came to a realization... 'It's a sword!'
'It's the one hanging in his master's house... his partner that he uses for 'ten thousand practice swings' every day... It's his reliance for traversing the Demon Slayer world in the future. It's his brother, his bond.'
The young man opened his palm, his eyes brighter than ever. He let his aura surge towards his palm, concentrating his mind on the form of the short-hilt... from the sheath, the hilt, the blade, the tip, down to the pattern branded on the blade's body... imagining it in perfect detail—
In the parallel universe of the Demon Slayer world...—
While Roy was asleep, Giyu Tomioka, who was discussing the details of the day's battle with Urokodaki Sakonji, was sitting at the table under Urokodaki Sakonji's guidance, writing a reply to report to his master, Ubuyashiki Kagaya.
He hesitated, wondering whether to add a recommendation... to skip the "Tsuguko" stage entirely and promote Roy to the position of "Water Hashira." After listening, Urokodaki Sakonji was silent for a moment before saying: "There has never been such a precedent."
"You can certainly recommend it. As for whether the Master will agree..."
The old man looked back at the sleeping Roy and smiled gently. "That's not important."
"As long as Eiichiro is unwilling, no one can do anything about it, including... the Master."
"Senior Brother, what is your opinion?"
"I think the same as Master." Sabito picked up his brush, sat next to Giyu Tomioka, and wrote a line of small characters on the table: "From what I know of Eiichiro, whether or not he joins the 'Demon Slayer Corps' isn't important."
"For him, as long as he can kill demons, he doesn't care about any title or position, including..."
"The Master!"
His brush paused. Sabito suddenly thought of a possibility and wrote again:
"Giyu, when you go back, you have to keep a close eye on him. Eiichiro doesn't seem like the type to kneel and bow to others. When the meeting comes, I'm afraid..."
"There is no 'afraid'." Giyu Tomioka interrupted Sabito decisively. "If he doesn't kneel, the other Hashira will definitely give him trouble!"
Under the oil lamp... none of their expressions were very good....
One could almost predict what a chaotic scene it would be... In the silence, they suddenly heard a "buzzing" sound. They all turned around at once, only to discover, shocked, that the Asauchi belonging to Roy, which was hanging on the south wall, was glowing faintly. And then, suddenly... it vanished!