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Chapter 68: Night Attack Roster Plus One
Unsurprisingly, Yuriko's Water Divination test confirmed she was a Transmutation Type.
To a certain extent, Hisoka's personality-based aura profiling method from the anime was surprisingly reliable.
"Let's step over there to talk."
Not wanting to disturb Rei as she fought to control her violently escaping Life Energy, Suyan grabbed Yuriko's hand and led her to the side of the room.
Yuriko's hand was meticulously maintained—smooth, delicate, and incredibly soft. It didn't feel like the hand of a woman nearing thirty; it felt more like priceless silk. The texture of her skin rivaled even young girls like Saeko.
But Suyan wasn't paying attention to that.
Just as he pulled her aside, fully intending to bring up the Zombie Toxin, Yuriko suddenly pressed her entire body against his back.
She leaned her full weight into him, her red lips hovering just millimeters from his ear. Before she even spoke, the warm breath escaping her nose sent a involuntary shiver down his spine.
"Little brother Suyan," she whispered softly. "Does your offer from earlier still stand?"
Even though it was an incredibly mundane question, coming from the lips of this sophisticated, mature woman, it carried an intoxicating, boundless allure.
"What offer?" Suyan was caught off guard. When was 'earlier'? What had he said?
"Did you forget already?" Yuriko murmured, her voice dripping with honey. "At breakfast, when I said I wanted to taste the red bean rice you made… how exactly did you reply?"
Then come to my room tonight and find out. Hearing her reminder, Suyan instantly recalled his retort from the morning. He cast a surprised glance back at her and hesitated. "Are you… sure about this?"
"Of course. After all, I'm not as naive and pure as your little girlfriends."
Yuriko sighed softly. "If things continue as they are, I know I'll never be able to earn your trust as easily as they did. So, why bother clinging to my pride? I'm simply moving up the timeline for something I had already decided to do anyway."
"Besides, investing enough 'sunk cost' into you as early as possible is beneficial for both of us."
She paused, a teasing lilt returning to her tone. "The only question is… when night falls, will little brother Suyan welcome my arrival?"
Initially, she hadn't planned on rushing things. She had intended to take her time, slowly cultivate a bond with him, build a foundation of trust, and let things progress naturally until Suyan finally claimed her.
But seeing the strict terms of the Contract Parchment, combined with the results of her Nen test, changed everything.
If she had tested as any other aura type, it might have been fine. But she just had to be a Transmuter.
Fickle, deceitful, and prone to lying. Even Yuriko had to admit that description fit her terrifyingly well—let alone Suyan, who had introduced the concept in the first place. Was the test his way of sending her a warning signal?
She realized she couldn't afford to take it slow anymore. She knew very well that affection could be cultivated, especially since she already harbored a strong interest and fondness for him.
But trust was an entirely different beast.
Once someone suspects you, no matter what you do or don't do, the doubt lingers. Innocent until proven guilty works in a courtroom, but in the human heart, suspicion doesn't just vanish. Yuriko believed that Suyan's inherent bias against Transmuters served as the baseline for his distrust of her.
If she didn't establish an inseparable, intimately binding relationship with him right now, she would never gain the absolute trust he afforded to the younger, more innocent girls.
So, rather than wait, it was better to strike immediately.
"I don't mind either way," Suyan shrugged. He truly hadn't thought about it as deeply as she had.
Being a Transmuter didn't mean someone was inherently untrustworthy. Killua and Hisoka were both Transmuters in the anime, but Killua still had Gon, and Hisoka still had Illumi.
Still, Suyan had absolutely no reason to reject Yuriko's aggressive initiative. His philosophy was simple: never initiate, never refuse, but always take responsibility.
"Just make sure you've thought this through," Suyan said, his voice completely calm. "Once you step into my room tonight, there's no turning back. Don't regret it later."
Yuriko acted as if she hadn't heard his warning. "It's a promise, then. Don't lock your door on me tonight."
Saying that, a massive weight lifted off her chest. She suddenly felt incredibly light. Even her footsteps seemed far more buoyant than usual as she turned to leave.
"Wait, where are you going?"
Suyan hastily called out to stop her. He hadn't even mentioned the Zombie Toxin yet! He couldn't just let her walk away.
"What is it?" Yuriko turned back, eyes narrowing as she teased, "Is little brother Suyan getting impatient? Do you want to take me right here and now?"
It turns out that when someone is truly left speechless, words really do fail them. Suyan expressionlessly swatted away the hand Yuriko had rested on his shoulder. With a deadpan voice, he explained the experiments he and Saeko had conducted on the zombies that morning, and detailed the Zombie Toxin he had successfully extracted. He also laid out his conceptual idea to develop a specialized Nen ability based on it.
Of course, he didn't hand over the physical toxin.
Although the Zombie Toxin oxidized rapidly and lost its infectious potency the moment it was exposed to the air, it was still far too dangerous for an untrained civilian like Yuriko to handle. One minor slip-up, and she could be infected.
He had no intention of letting her actively experiment with it right now. He was merely briefing her so she would be mentally prepared. By the time he actually needed her hands-on assistance, she would need to have mastered the basics of Nen and signed the contract first. Safety had to be guaranteed before she touched the biological hazards.
For now, he just needed her to provide theoretical advice from the perspective of a Transmuter.
"I see. Understood. Anything else?"
Yuriko maintained a neutral expression, and upon receiving his confirmation that they were done, she quickly hurried out of the room.
Only this time, if her earlier brisk pace was due to a sense of relief, her current haste was born entirely of sheer, burning embarrassment. She wanted nothing more than to flee his presence.
Suyan's blunt, business-like response to her flirtation made her feel less like a seductive femme fatale, and more like a desperate, sex-crazed old maid throwing herself at a younger man.
Humiliating. Absolutely humiliating. Suyan rubbed his chin, watching her 'flee' in a panic.
So… is she still coming tonight or not? After pondering for a moment, he abandoned the thought. He glanced over at Rei, who was still locked in place, gritting her teeth as she fought to contain the rushing torrent of Life Energy.
Confirming that she was stable and wouldn't be in any immediate danger, Suyan decided to head over to Shizuka's quarters to check on Rika's progress.
He wanted to see if she had found any clues regarding a natural Nen awakening.
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