Twenty-two perverts versus the demon fox—shall we have a showdown?

The space inside and outside the little stream seemed as if it had been divided by some magical force, clear and distinct.

On one side stood Kurama, his expression a mix of bewilderment and innocence, edged with a natural vigilance that arose after being attacked. Yet as he took in the scene before him, a trace of apology and embarrassment flickered across his face.

On the other side were two unfamiliar young men, their expressions quite different, but the cold, murderous aura radiating from both was so perfectly matched that it felt as though they were in silent agreement.

The atmosphere grew increasingly tense and heavy.

Both parties sensed the powerful, dangerous energy emanating from each other, making every cell and drop of blood in their bodies scream caution. Thus, they simultaneously chose to hold their ground.

—To be fair, Kurama truly was the innocent party here.

His little dandelion scouts had reported that this area was completely free of any signs or traces of human activity—so why, then…?

He could feel their confusion and grievance through their shared connection, and immediately deduced that these two must possess some special ability to block the “sight” and “senses” of his dandelions.

So, strictly speaking, it wasn’t the fault of those little creatures. Nor did Kurama himself bear much responsibility—if anything, perhaps if he had chosen a different spot along the stream for his camp tonight, he could have avoided this awkward and dangerous situation.

But hindsight is priceless, and Kurama wasn’t endowed with prophetic powers; how could he have expected such an accident?

Nor did this mean that the mysterious young men were entirely at fault. Even their tryst—wild, passionate, and unrestrained—was their own freedom, especially given that they had chosen such a remote, untouched jungle. Who could have guessed that their intimate moment, not yet fully begun, would be interrupted by someone else?

Thus, the terrifying hostility both men directed at Kurama, the inadvertent intruder, was not unreasonable.

Ultimately, each side was unlucky in their own way, but most importantly…

Now was not the time to dwell on right and wrong!

Kurama had no desire to make enemies of these two formidable strangers, especially not due to such a minor (if it could be called minor) mishap, just as he was entering this unfamiliar world.

He was the first to withdraw his aura, stepping back two paces to signal his lack of hostility.

“Sorry, I didn’t know anyone would be here.”

The fox spirit wore a gentle, harmless smile, as if witnessing the wild, sensual encounter before him had not shocked him much at all.

The two youths, now standing side by side in the stream, ready to attack at a moment’s notice, reacted differently.

The black-haired one appeared cold and unapproachable, but upon hearing Kurama’s explanation, he was the first to ease his killing intent.

The red-haired youth beside him, however, wore a sweet yet sinister smile, his demeanor entirely different. Not only did he not retract his murderous aura, but a strange, powerful energy suddenly burst forth from him, making Kurama’s heart skip a beat.

“Hmph~ Even if it was unintentional, so what?”

His tone was syrupy sweet, like a cup of tea overloaded with sugar.

Standing naked in the water, he seemed utterly unconcerned that a stranger had seen his body, and in his slightly upturned golden eyes shimmered a thrill that made Kurama’s spine chill.

“Because of your interruption, little Yi, who finally agreed to do something pleasant with me, has changed his mind. Who knows when he’ll be persuaded again—or perhaps he’ll never agree?”

“Little brother, this isn’t something you can simply compensate with an apology.”

Squinting his eyes, the man smiled warmly and brightly, yet the killing intent directed at Kurama only intensified.

“So, a sorry won’t solve anything, little brother.”

He casually raised a finger, waving it as he regarded Kurama like a leopard eyeing its prey—dangerous, lethal, determined, and… full of desire.

“If you want me to let it go, then… fight me.”

He licked his lips, eyes burning with eagerness.

“If you win, we’ll pretend none of this ever happened. But if you lose…”

He left the rest unsaid, but it was clear that Kurama would not want to hear what would follow.

The fox spirit pressed his lips together, his expression grave.

—He wasn’t afraid of a fight.

Though he didn’t want to start a conflict and make enemies in this new and unknown world, he was not someone to shrink from trouble. If the other party pushed him this far and he kept retreating, he would no longer be the gentle, steadfast Kurama he was.

His heaviness stemmed from the words and actions of the red-haired man, which gave Kurama an ominous suspicion about the world and the identities of these two.

Red hair, golden eyes blazing with excitement, bathing naked in the open stream, unashamedly displaying his body—plus the other youth, black hair, beautiful feline eyes, expressionless, called “Little Yi”…

Orz, could this place be Hunter x Hunter, and the two before him really be Hisoka and Illumi?!

Kurama silently turned away, wishing he could kneel in awe at his eccentric luck.

…But wait—

Hisoka and Illumi… Hisoka and Illumi?!

Suddenly remembering why he’d ended up in such an awkward predicament, Kurama stiffened.

These two… really were that kind of couple?! Those rumors were true after all?!

His face twitched uncontrollably, and the fox spirit felt his mind shutting down completely.

***

Hisoka watched the red-haired youth opposite him with amused, narrowed eyes.

He couldn’t tell whether he felt more disappointed or more expectant.

To have coaxed Illumi into agreeing to a tryst here (ahem!), was a stroke of luck for the clown. He had devoted endless energy (though perhaps the idiom is misplaced here) to luring the black-haired assassin, but Illumi had always shown zero interest, leaving Hisoka frustrated and somewhat defeated.

Getting Illumi into bed had become a goal he couldn’t even recall the origin of, nor the reason. What mattered most was achieving that goal.

From the day the idea took root, he had been relentless, and though time had passed, he never managed to get Illumi to consent. This challenge only made Hisoka more invested and determined, refusing to give up.

Today, after offering his body (really, just acting as free labor) to help Illumi complete a massacre mission, and then persuading him with flowery words, he’d finally gotten Illumi’s agreement. To avoid unnecessary trouble, they came to the remote Lumino Forest. Hisoka had barely pressed Illumi down and kissed him a few times before being interrupted.

The fury that surged in Hisoka at that moment was beyond description.

But he soon noticed that the intruder seemed to have the makings of a tasty, half-ripe fruit. So his desire for a fight replaced his lust, and he issued the challenge, watching the other’s expression remain mostly unchanged, though his emotions clearly fluctuated. The magician narrowed his eyes, his urgency tempering just a bit—

Heh heh~ His prey would never escape.

He watched as the red-haired youth fell silent for a moment, then finally set down the white fluffy creature in his arms, instructed it to hide, and stepped forward alone.

Hisoka grinned, about to advance—

When the youth suddenly reached out, pulling a strange, ethereal rift from the air.

Hisoka watched with interest, thinking it was some kind of nen ability, but to his surprise, several beautiful gemstones tumbled from the rift, sparkling in the sunlight.

“If… I offer these as compensation, would that suffice for you two?”

As Hisoka stared, Illumi’s eyes grew instantly hot, and the almost suffocating tension in the air was shattered. The red-haired magician, smiling gently and harmlessly, spoke in a light, devilish voice.

Author’s note: Hahaha, you’ve all been tricked too many times by certain unscrupulous authors, so almost no one believes that Hisoka and Little Yi really were about to have a wild tryst. But kind-hearted and honest me would never tease you! They really were about to do something pleasant when Kurama interrupted them! [Please praise my honesty! …Wait, is something wrong here?]

…Ahem. Anyway, it really was a live-action love scene, interrupted xD. Hisoka’s mindset is easy to understand; he’s always lacked restraint and naturally just wants to lure people. As for why Illumi agreed, that’s the intriguing part, which will be explained from his perspective in future chapters—so don’t worry, it will be quite… reasonable. [Turns away]

So, the illustration for this chapter features the star (?), the perverse Hisoka (Hisoka: Why does it feel like that’s not praise, nor a compliment? ==+).—

After “removing his makeup” (?), Hisoka is truly a beauty! But fj, could you be any more shameless and unrestrained? Look at the position of that dialogue box—are you sure you didn’t do it on purpose?! [Rolls eyes]

As usual, here’s the next chapter preview: Assassin x Thief x Who’s fooling whom? Will Kurama’s unexpected proposal really prevent a fight? How will Illumi and Hisoka react? And… in the end, between the cunning fox and the seemingly innocent assassin, who is deceiving whom? Look forward to the next chapter: "Fox Kurama," Assassin x Thief x Who’s fooling whom!

ps, thank you to Zhai Fengzi for the thrown landmine! Hugs and cuddles~

pps, rolling around and asking for favorites, I’m very good and easy to keep, chest out→