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As Shuya's words fell, it felt like several crows flew across the training ground, leaving a long string of ellipses hanging in the air.
Sabito's smile froze.
He looked at Shuya in front of him, then glanced over at Makomo sitting on the boulder watching the show with great interest.
For a moment, he seriously wondered if something was wrong with his ears.
Otherwise, how could he have heard such an outrageous answer?
"Um————"
At that moment, Makomo, who had been quietly sitting on the boulder, slowly raised her hand and said in a small voice, "This gentleman did say earlier that he came here specifically for me, right?"
"This————"
Sabito turned his gaze back to Shuya.
He found the man shamelessly nodding at him, confirming that Makomo was telling the truth.
Sabito fell into silent despair.
Makomo looked at him worriedly. "Sabito, are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Don't worry about me. Just let me sit here alone for a while."
Sabito waved his hand and turned around, squatting behind the boulder and drawing circles on the ground with a small stick.
"Sir, could you please take Sabito as one of your… Nen Beasts too?"
Seeing her companion looking so depressed, Makomo couldn't bear it and asked Shuya.
Shuya raised an eyebrow. "Are you two a couple?"
"N-no, no, no! We're just companions, that's all!"
Makomo waved her hands frantically, terrified that Shuya would misunderstand. "It's just… I don't understand. If you're choosing a shikigami, I think Sabito, as the strongest among us, would be the most suitable choice, right?"
"Besides, when it comes to fighting, I don't have the same burning passion that Sabito does."
"The reason I learned Breathing Techniques and joined the Final Selection was mostly because I didn't want to disappoint Mr. Urokodaki."
"So I'm really curious… why would you choose someone like me to be your shikigami?"
"Did we… know each other before?"
Makomo tilted her head, staring at Shuya.
Behind the boulder, Sabito quietly perked up his ears, also wanting to hear the answer.
He didn't argue with Makomo's words.
She was right. Their relationship wasn't particularly close. It was only because Makomo's strength was second only to his own among the Water Breathing trainees that she had caught his eye, so they had talked more than the others. That was why it seemed like they were closer.
In truth, Makomo got along well with everyone in the group.
Shuya rubbed his chin. He could tell Makomo was being completely honest. Without hesitation, he gave her the real reason. "Because my ability only lets me take female souls as Nen Beasts."
Snap!
Both Shuya and Makomo turned toward the sound.
Sabito had snapped the little stick he was using to draw circles clean in half with a sudden burst of strength.
It was obvious his mood had taken a sharp turn for the worse.
"How boring."
Sabito tossed the broken stick aside. His figure began to turn translucent as he prepared to disappear.
"Wait! Sabito!"
Shuya called out to stop the boy who was about to leave. "Instead of becoming a shikigami, isn't there something else you'd rather do more?"
"What do you mean?"
Sabito turned back, confused.
"Before you pass on—well, in this country they call it 'attaining Buddhahood,' right? Anyway, before you disappear… don't you want to talk to your loved ones and say goodbye?"
Shuya explained calmly, "For example, your teacher, Sakonji Urokodaki? Or your old companion, the current Water Hashira, Giyu Tomioka?"
"Th-this… you can do that?"
Sabito looked at Shuya with a mix of shock and hope, clearly moved.
Of course he had things he wanted to say to Mr. Urokodaki and Giyu.
But over the years, no one except the man standing in front of him had ever been able to see them.
Not even Mr. Urokodaki, who lived right here on Mount Fujikasane and was closest to them.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have let the Hand Demon stay on Mount Fujikasane for so many years, continuing to slaughter Mr. Urokodaki's disciples.
"I can," Shuya said gently. "It's actually not difficult for me at all."
For most people it might be impossible, but for Shuya, all he needed was to spend a bit of Conjuration-type aura.
Because Conjuration's specialty was turning the invisible into something visible.
Take Hisoka's clone technique as an example.
Hisoka used Conjuration to create a duplicate of himself, then used Manipulation to switch between controlling the clone and his real body.
That manifested clone was something ordinary people could see.
In fact, when Wing later explained the fight between Hisoka and Chrollo to Gon and Killua, he even used footage recorded by a camera.
"Help us!"
Sabito's voice was firm.
Not just Sabito—Makomo and the eleven other fox-masked figures who had silently appeared behind her were all staring straight at Shuya.
"Makomo, what are you spacing out for? Hurry up and become this gentleman's Nen Beast!"
Sabito shot a glance at Makomo and immediately sold her out.
He had even changed how he addressed Shuya—from "this guy" to "this gentleman."
"Eh?"
Makomo blinked, then looked at Shuya in a daze. "O-okay… Sir, I'm willing to become your Nen Beast."
"No rush. Read everything on the scroll carefully first. If you have any objections, we can talk about it later. Let me finish helping them first."
Shuya didn't refuse. After all, this had been his goal from the start. He conjured a piece of parchment and handed it to Makomo.
Yes—the manifestation of his Equivalent Exchange ability also took the form of a parchment scroll.
But activating it was much simpler than the contract.
All the other party had to do was read the contents, feel satisfied with the conditions Shuya offered, and say "I agree."
Once the ability activated, Shuya only needed to fulfill the other party's request, and Equivalent Exchange would take what he wanted in return.
Of course, both sides had to agree willingly. Neither party could be under any form of control or unconscious influence.
The two conditions Shuya offered in exchange for ownership of Makomo were simple.
First, he would provide enough Conjuration-type aura to let Sabito and the others manifest temporarily so they could say goodbye to their loved ones.
Second, he would go to Mount Fujikasane and kill the Hand Demon that had once slain them.
Even if they hadn't asked, Shuya would have done it anyway. That was why he had stopped Sabito from leaving in the first place.
After all… unresolved regrets were meant to be resolved.
Shuya began condensing several orbs of aura with Conjuration properties in his palm.
"Sir————"
Makomo pointed at one of the clauses on the parchment, her voice light and airy. "Can this part be changed a little?"