Never underestimate a Hunter's ability to observe—especially a Conjurer.
The thought echoed through Joey's mind like a warning bell the moment Kite ripped all his secrets into the open.
His mind was in chaos. A storm of questions churned through his head—was it possible Kite had seen through his identity as a transmigrant?
But when everything fell quiet… his answer was only two words:
"Joey."
That was his name. That was who he was now.
"So Yoshikage Kira is the one whose soul you consumed? The infamous serial killer on the wanted list?" Kite's words were like blades stabbing straight into Joey's chest.
"I don't know. All I know is that when I awakened, I had Kira's identity."
Joey gave his reply—though part of it was a lie. He didn't actually know Yoshikage Kira.
He was probing—testing how much Kite really understood. There was no way he'd lay all his cards on the table.
He didn't believe Kite truly grasped the mechanics of souls, and certainly not the concept of transmigration. There had to be unknowns—pieces of the puzzle Kite didn't have.
His goal now was to uncover those missing pieces. Only with enough intel could he make the right choices.
"If that killer was him, all I can say is—I'm not him anymore. If you understand my current state, you should know I'm not lying."
Joey tried to stay calm, but sweat still seeped from his palms.
Kite studied him intently for over ten seconds before nodding.
"Let me see that strange hide you carry—and describe that grotesque bug in detail."
Joey didn't hesitate. He reached into his satchel and pulled out the faintly glowing, pale wallet.
Gon and Killua both turned toward it, activating Gyo. Nen flowed visibly in their eyes.
Joey tried to channel aura into his own sight—but Gyo wasn't something a half-baked Ten user like him could pull off.
So with aura merely sheathing his eyes, he still couldn't detect anything unusual about the wallet—just like before.
But judging from Gon and Killua's faces, they hadn't seen anything abnormal either.
The wallet felt like a nen-infused object, no more, no less.
It resembled a relic—like something crafted with obsessive care by a master artisan. Nen clung to it gently, just enough for those who could sense it to feel its value.
Perhaps someone perceptive might even feel the emotion the creator poured into it.
That's what Gon and Killua felt—a potent life force, as if the creator had tried to bring the wallet to life.
"He seemed to craft it with the belief he could make a living wallet," Gon commented.
Killua nodded, though something felt off—especially after hearing terms like "soul" in Kite's earlier questioning. It deepened his unease.
But lacking further knowledge, he couldn't draw firm conclusions.
"If I can help it, I'd rather never think of that grotesque insect again," Joey said, his expression spelling out one word: disgust.
"It was this… fleshy, pulsating thing. Completely encased in glowing white light, but still hideous. Its face looked like a rotting skull—only worse. There was one circular mouth, ringed with rows of razor teeth. That awful shrieking sound came from there."
"Doesn't sound that bad. Like a regular hairless caterpillar. Ugly, sure, but nothing crazy," Gon said, tilting his head, thinking seriously.
"Ugly's not enough for you?" Joey groaned. He hated those soft-bodied insects.
Every summer, trees full of worms would make him wonder if one had crawled on his neck. Gave him full-body shivers just thinking about it.
Especially now—that thing had been massive. Like a nightmare made flesh.
Still, after over a day in the jungle, he'd gotten somewhat used to insects crawling, biting, flying. You adapt when your life's on the line.
Besides, he had to carry that cursed wallet—probably made of bug hide. That familiarity dulled the disgust somewhat.
But in a normal setting, given the chance, he'd still avoid creepy crawlies at all costs.
As for the wallet—he wasn't throwing it away. It was too valuable. But he'd probably repackage it, at least mask the constant aura it emitted.
"Before you heard the bug's scream—where were you?" Kite asked, cutting through the subject with surgical precision.
"In my house. Sleeping. I woke up to that sound—and found myself in this body."
This part Joey didn't lie about. If Kite had theories that could help explain what happened to him, Joey wasn't going to withhold useful info.
Figuring out the cause of his transmigration might finally bring him some peace.
"And where is your home?" Kite pressed.
"East Gorteau Republic," Joey replied quickly.
East Gorteau—a nation in the Mitene Union on the Balusa Archipelago, another communications-dead zone like NGL.
Why not say he came from Meteor City, the go-to backstory for mysterious drifters? Simple—too cliché. And it didn't fit him.
People from Meteor City weren't exactly the most morally upright. Joey didn't think he could pull off that kind of edge.
Plus, being "from a hive of scum and villainy" was a red flag. Bad for trust-building.
The soul he'd devoured had field survival knowledge. That gave him the aura of a rugged forest hunter—explaining how he navigated NGL's wilds so well.
Perfect cover story.
Of course, there were holes. Easy ones to spot if anyone bothered digging.
For instance, where exactly in East Gorteau did he live? Their census data tracked everyone, even newborns. A deep enough investigation would blow his cover wide open.
But Joey didn't care.
He had a fallback excuse: time.
Tie soul-swapping to something metaphysical and stretch it across timelines—then even the best investigators would be lost in ambiguity.
Who's going to waste time, resources, and connections chasing shadows of a soul-transmigration case?
And if they did? That was future Joey's problem.
Hell, he could even say there was a mishap during the soul merge. Lost some memories. Boom—explained away.
He had excuses ready. The real question was: Did Kite care enough to dig that deep?
A flash of doubt crossed Kite's eyes, but he didn't press the point. Instead, he handed the wallet back to Joey—and calmly began laying out his deductions, alongside the inconsistencies Joey had inadvertently revealed.
Kite was done playing games. He was laying his cards down.
And with that, the crushing pressure in Joey's chest finally eased.
Read 20 to 40 chapters ahead : patreon.com/Notorious_Zeke