Hunter x Hunter : Germain Joins The Hunt

As Germain waited for Bisky's reply, his fingers brushed against his pocket, feeling a noticeable bulge. Curious, he reached in and pulled out a pink wallet adorned with small decorative dots.

Opening the wallet, he found an ID card with a picture of a woman. After studying the photo, he realized it was the same woman from the bar—just without her makeup.

So, this wallet was hers. But why was it in his pocket?

Ah, right. He remembered.

Germain had kleptomania, a compulsive urge to steal, which struck him at random times. It was so ingrained in his behavior that it was almost as automatic as breathing or blinking—he'd sometimes forget he'd even done it.

When the woman approached him at the bar, his hands must have gotten a bit too "curious," slipping into her bag without her noticing—or maybe she thought he was just being playful. Either way, he got away with it.

Germain rifled through the wallet and counted the cash—over 20,000 Jenny. That was almost the same amount Bisky had asked him, so he decided to keep it. As for the other personal items, like her ID card, he figured he'd find a way to dispose of them later.

A few minutes later, Bisky replied to his message.

"Don't mention the plan of you coming to me... But it's fine. I'm near Yorknew City and can be there by the day after tomorrow."

January 18th—that gave Germain two days to sell the "One Eye of the Lord of Crows." He wouldn't have it done by the time Bisky arrived, but he figured that was okay.

"Sounds good," he replied.

"See you in two days. Love you," she replied.

Germain finished the conversation and was about to put his phone away when a female voice startled him.

"Ah. It's really you," the voice said.

He thought it was the woman from the bar and quickly looked around, but it wasn't her. Instead, a different woman stood in front of him, sporting short black hair, thick-rimmed glasses, a gold reverse cross necklace, a black sweater, and tight-fitting jeans.

She adjusted her glasses and repeated, with a tone devoid of emotion, "Ah. It's really you."

She repeated herself, perhaps because she thought Germain hadn't heard her the first time. Germain sized her up, examining her from head to toe, and soon recognized her from his memories.

She was the one who had originally become the No. 8 of the Phantom Troupe around this time, but that position was snatched away by Germain.

It was a bit surprising for Germain to see her here. Even more surprising was the fact that she knew who he was.

Shizuku's memory was often selective. If she didn't care about something, she could quickly forget it. This suggested that Germain must have made a strong impression on her.

But on the other hand, Germain had combed through all the remaining memories in his current body over the past two months, and none of them hinted at meeting Shizuku. 

So how did she know him? Was it because they both came from Meteor City? Had they met before?

"Do I know you?" Germain asked, putting his phone back in his pocket and adjusting his three-cornered hat. His tone was cautious.

Shizuku nodded a few times, and the heavy frame of her glasses slid down her nose, forcing her to push them back up repeatedly. Her large eyes seemed to reflect nothing but innocence and curiosity.

But Germain knew well enough that, despite her appearance, she was just as ruthless as he was when it came to dealing with her enemies.

"You owe me 500,000 Jenny," Shizuku said, extending her palm toward Germain. "Please return it to me."

Germain's expression immediately turned cold as he sat up straight and shook his head. "I don't recall anything like that."

"Huh?" Shizuku seemed puzzled, tilting her head as if trying to remember. "Did I get it wrong?"

Feeling uncomfortable, Germain stood up and quickly walked away. But as he left, he noticed Shizuku following him. 

"I don't owe you any money," Germain insisted without looking back.

Shizuku held one hand out toward Germain while rubbing her temples with the other. She narrowed her eyes. "Hold on, let me think about it."

Germain stopped, annoyed but trying to ignore the strange woman. He walked into a nearby internet café, logged into a computer, and swiped his Hunter's License to access the exclusive Hunter's website. He was searching for the auction house in Yorknew City that catered to hunters.

He had plans to sell the "Eyes of the Crow Lord," but he knew better than to deal with ordinary thugs. Instead, he wanted to find buyers who had "Nen abilities" or, at the very least, understood the basics of Nen.

These were the people who truly valued the "Eyes of Lord of the Crow."

After paying the information fee, Germain quickly compiled a list of candidates and addresses. He narrowed down his search to three possible auction houses worth visiting.

Just as he was about to make his next move, Shizuku slid a chair beside him, sat down, and aggressively took the mouse and keyboard. "Let me check," she said, ignoring Germain's frustration.

Germain had no choice but to shift his chair aside, watching as Shizuku typed in the keywords "Germain" and "Meteor City Assassin." In no time, she found a bunch of information about him.

The information page highlighted phrases like "Originating from Meteor City," "Professional Assassin," "B-Class Wanted Criminal," and "Suspected New Member of the Phantom Troupe" in bold letters.

There was also an old profile photo of Germain attached, clearly taken some time ago, as his appearance looked noticeably younger and less seasoned.

The rest of the detailed information required a fee to access.

Shizuku adjusted her glasses, which had slid down her nose, and pointed at the photo: "Is this you?"

"It's me," Germain confirmed.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"I knew it," Shizuku said with confidence, then held out her hand to Germain. "You owe me 500,000 Jenny."

"Wait, where did we meet?" Germain asked, his brows furrowing. The certainty in Shizuku's voice made him question himself a little. "And why do I owe you 500,000 Jenny?"

"Huh?" Shizuku looked taken aback, tilting her head as she thought it over. "Oh, now I remember. It seems we've never actually met."

"Really? So why do I owe you money?" Germain asked.

"Well, Mr. Bilbo used to pay me directly, but he died suddenly three months ago. He still owed me five hundred thousand."

"Bilbo..." Germain started to connect the dots. "He was my broker, my middleman. Why does he owe you five hundred thousand Jenny?"

Shizuku pointed at Germain with a stern expression.

"You're the one who owes me 500,000 Jenny. We had an agreement—250,000 Jenny for each cleanup after your jobs. I helped you five times in total, but you only paid me for the first three. You owe me for the last two."

"Murder scene cleaner..." Germain's dark eyes blinked in surprise.

"So that's the deal. You're really good at this, given your abilities," he said, acknowledging her skills. "But Bilbo was supposed to handle payments. Why should I be responsible for his debts?"

"He's dead," Shizuku replied bluntly. "So I can only find you."

********

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