Chương 5: A Place to Sleep

"You really can always trust Machi," Uvogin said from the floor. There was no arguing with that. If Machi had not noticed Aren lying among the corpses and decided to bring him back, none of them would have eaten anything like that meal.

"She's amazing," Nobunaga agreed, still full and satisfied. Uvogin laughed.

"Funny. I wonder which coward said we shouldn't bring Aren back."

"Hey! That's called being cautious. I wasn't being a coward." Being exposed in front of the person in question clearly embarrassed Nobunaga.

"Hahahaha. Sounded like cowardice to me." Uvogin saw no problem with saying that in front of Aren. After a moment, Nobunaga sat up and faced him properly.

"Aren, you're from Meteor City too, so you know how it is. We don't take risks with things we don't understand. I should apologize for that. Sorry." Aren waved it off.

"It's fine. I understand." Pity and sympathy were poison in Meteor City. Bringing a stranger home without knowing what he was could easily get everyone killed. From what Uvogin and Nobunaga had said, Aren now understood why they had brought him back at all. Machi's sixth sense. She must have felt he would benefit them somehow. Uvogin's expression grew unusually serious.

"Aren, I'm straightforward, so I'll just ask. How did you do it?" Then he seemed to realize the question was too blunt and added, "You don't have to answer if you don't want to. I'm just curious." Aren smiled helplessly. He really did not know. All he remembered was thinking about food from his previous life, feeling his body stir, and then the steak appearing in his hand. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"Honestly, I don't know. I never had this ability before. If I did, I wouldn't have been sold to the mafia by an elder." Nobunaga came closer, rubbing his chin.

"Maybe almost dying awakened that Nen ability Chrollo talked about. You know, the strange powers used by the elders' bodyguards." Aren's eyes sharpened.

'Chrollo?' So Chrollo had already made contact with Uvogin and the others at this point. Aren looked at them and estimated their age. The timing fit. The Phantom Troupe's formation should not be far off, so it was not strange that Chrollo had begun gathering people. After hearing Nobunaga's theory, Uvogin looked convinced. If this was a superpower, then food appearing out of nowhere became easier to accept. Aren knew better. This was almost certainly not Nen.

From what he remembered, awakening Nen came with a clear sensation. He had felt nothing of the sort. Regeneration, object creation, the lack of hunger... either his body had changed in some unknown way, or it was tied to whatever had brought him here. Food creation still did not fit neatly with either explanation. It felt too specific to be that simple. On top of that, he had not felt hunger since waking up. He had eaten two steaks without any sense of fullness either.

After almost a full day without food, that should have been impossible. Still, now was not the time to test everything. He needed privacy for that. Beside him, Uvogin scratched his chin and muttered, "So almost dying can awaken powers..." For Uvogin, that was a quiet voice. For everyone else, it was perfectly audible. Aren stared at him in alarm. That line of thinking could get a man killed for real. Before Aren could decide how to stop him, Machi spoke.

"Don't be stupid, Uvogin. We've seen plenty of people almost die. How many of them awakened anything?" She paused, then added, "If you really want to learn about those powers, we can talk to Chrollo later." Nobunaga looked surprised.

"Machi, weren't you the one who said we shouldn't get involved with Chrollo yet? Why change your mind?"

"Before, I saw no reason to join his group, so there was no need to approach him. But if he has information about these abilities, then he is after something. It won't hurt to hear him out." Then she turned to Aren directly.

"What about you? Are you coming with us, or going back to your old district?" Aren thought for a moment.

"You picked me up, Machi. I'll stay with you. I don't have anywhere else I want to go for now." The body's original owner had been somewhat capable by local standards, but compared to Uvogin and Nobunaga, he was nowhere near enough. Until Aren understood his own body, staying with them gave him the best chance of surviving. Machi nodded.

"Then you'll handle our daily food. Uvogin, Nobunaga, and I will handle the rest of the supplies."

"Hahahaha. Leave your safety to me!" Uvogin grinned broadly. After eating Aren's steak, he could not imagine going back to black ration bars. Aren did not refuse. He patted Uvogin's shoulder and smiled.

"I'm counting on you."

"Then that's it for tonight," Nobunaga said, relieved now that Aren had agreed to stay.

"We need to get up early tomorrow and gather supplies for him." Aren's food was too tempting. Nobody wanted him leaving. Nobunaga started gathering the dishes, then suddenly remembered something.

"Right. Since you only arrived today, we don't have a house ready for you. For now, you'll have to squeeze in with someone."