N°096 3-SEPTEMBRE-12

A completely black page displays white text blocks arranged around a central banner reading 'N°096 -3-SEPTEMBRE-12'. The upper right text states: 'PART OF THE PRECIOUS PAPER WILL BE LOST. THE REMAINING MOONS WILL DEPLORE THIS LOSS. THE ORCHESTRA IN HIS BEREAVEMENT OUTFIT WILL PLAY HIS MELODY WHEN NOVEMBER WILL BE TAKEN AWAY IN PEACE TO THE HEIGHTS.' The lower left text reads: 'THE CHRYSANTHEMUM WILL LOSE LEAF AND FLOWERS WHICH WILL WHITHER FALLING ON THE EARTH OF THE RED EYES TAINTED WITH BLOOD. BUT YOUR POSITION WILL NOT BE QUESTIONED, EVEN IF YOU LOSE HALF OF YOUR FEET AND HANDS.' The lower right text continues: 'THE INTERMISSION OF THE DRAMA WILL BE AMUSING. YOU WILL BE CAPABLE OF SEARCHING FOR NEW COMPANIONS. IF YOU GO TO THEIR MEETING, CHOOSE EAST, BECAUSE YOU WILL CERTAINLY FIND SOMEONE WAITING FOR YOU.'

A young girl with pigtails reacts in shock, eyes wide as an exclamation mark bursts from the panel. Kuroro, wearing sunglasses and a headband, sweats slightly while maintaining a calm expression. The girl shouts in distress, waving her arms. Kuroro responds thoughtfully, covering one eye with his hand. "NO! NO!" the girl cries. Kuroro says, "BUT, SAY, CONCERNING THE FIRST PARAGRAPH ... YOU GUESSED CORRECTLY. YOUR PREDICTIONS ARE IMPRESSIVE." In a starry night setting with curtains, Kuroro asks politely, "MAY I ASK YOU ONE THING?" The girl replies, "YES?" Kuroro continues, "THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I'VE SEEN A BOY CRY. I KEEP THE IMPRESSION THAT EVERYTHING'S OKAY, IF I DON'T GET INVOLVED. I NEVER READ MY PREDICTIONS." The girl smiles and waves, saying, "I UNDERSTAND."

Neon rests her chin on her hand, murmuring "HUM..." while thinking. Kuroro, now without sunglasses, speaks with a slight smile. "IN THESE SENTENCES, THERE'S A PASSAGE ON THE SOUVENIR OF THE DEAD. DO YOU BELIEVE IN THE EXISTENCE OF A WORLD AFTER DEATH?" Neon answers, "NO, NOT REALLY." Kuroro explains, "IF YOU READ THAT KIND OF SENTENCE, I DON'T THINK YOU SHOULD SEARCH FOR COMFORT WITH SPIRITS, BUT WITHIN YOURSELF." He adds, "THE PREDICTIONS ARE DONE FOR LIVING BEINGS, IN YOUR CASE, KURORO..." In a flashback sequence, a woman with a necklace states, "PREDICTIONS EXIST TO HELP LIVING BEINGS ACHIEVE HAPPINESS." Neon recalls, "A LADY SAID THIS ON TV WHEN I WAS A KID." Kuroro walks away down a hallway with Neon following. "WHAT?" "IT'S NOT FROM ME." "EVIDENTLY." "WHAT I JUST TOLD YOU." "THAT'S PROBABLY TRUE."

Narration fills the upper panels of the spacious multi-level building interior: "Her words moved me, and I thought she was right." A large speech bubble adds, "So people do their best so that it doesn't happen." In the lower panels, a suited man with long dark hair walks beside Neon Nostrade down a staircase as bodyguards follow. Neon exclaims "Oh?" while the man remarks, "By the way, she didn't really believe in the next world." Neon replies brightly, "Grandma Galaxy? Yes, that's it! Several years passed, and she was arrested for fraud, but..." She continues, "That's why I don't really believe in it either. And I've always wanted to become a clairvoyant." A close-up shows her profile as she adds, "But her words always stayed firmly rooted in my mind: Predictions exist to help living beings achieve happiness." A tight panel reveals a single eye as someone declares, "I believe in the existence of souls." In the building lobby below, a mustached bodyguard asks, "What does that mean?" Neon answers firmly, "That's why, for the one who left us, I want to do everything he would have liked to do."

In a stark white space, a bald man in a suit holds a shotgun and stares ahead while the long-haired man stands with his back partially turned. Neon Nostrade stands between them, head lowered. A small "tic" sound effect appears near the long-haired man's head. Close-up panels show Neon's hair and the long-haired man's face as he says, "It's beginning." The scene shifts to a tiled floor where the long-haired man and Neon suddenly collapse. A suited man with a shotgun calls out, "Are you okay?" Another man reacts with "Ah!" while a third exclaims "Huh?" Motion lines and impact effects mark the sudden fall.

In the upper floor of a building, a suited man speaks urgently into a phone: "Someone has fainted. We need an ambulance." Nearby, another man with a headband commands, "It's the north side lift guard. Hurry and call a doctor!!" A third figure adds, "Upstairs, all the rooms are prepared for guests. Is there a room where she can lie down?!" At the reception desk, a stern man with slicked-back hair declares, "We have orders not to let anyone enter without authorization," while an unseen voice replies, "Impossible." Tension rises as a bald man draws a gun and shouts, "Are you joking?!" A calm man with an earpiece responds, "Excuse me?! Got it. We'll drive her to the hospital in a car. Meet in the central hall." In a dramatic close-up, a man with an earring yells furiously, "This is the daughter of the boss of the Nostrade clan. Are you ready to take responsibility for that?! You want an amateur to drive her?! Are you crazy?! She's ill, can't you see that?!" In the lower panels, a man in a beret says, "In that case, phone!" while another figure notes, "She's also very appreciated by the godfathers." The beret-wearing man replies, "Understood."

From an upper vantage, several figures move through a tiled lobby including the woman with long hair and suited men. The beret-wearing man asks, "Hm? Yes. Could you rewind the tape?" A close-up reveals intense eyes with the narration: "No one except me could have seen that. Such terrifying speed." The inner monologue continues, "Such skill is almost incredible. Had he hit normally, he would have beheaded her. It's been a long time since my blood has boiled like this." Below, the beret man leans over a device and chuckles, "He he he he!" while a suited man reacts with surprise. The final wide panel shows an empty hallway with escalators and plants as the beret man declares, "I've found my prey!!!!"

A black car speeds wildly down the road with a loud CRiii sound effect as it swerves. Light Nostrade bursts forward shouting that he is on his way, confirming his daughter lies on the 5th floor in room 501. He declares himself Nostrad while rushing into the hotel lobby with several suited bodyguards. A figure tumbles down a long staircase as someone wonders how she obtained an entry pass. Nostrade orders his men to check immediately because his daughter must be inside. In a wide panel he states that apart from her predictions he has never involved her in his business, while another voice insists no one was able to enter. A thought bubble questions whether she knows anyone from the other clans. In the hotel corridor Nostrade tells the blond boy he will head to the 5th floor; the boy replies OK and says he would like to check something, his face shown in close-up with a neutral expression.

A hand moves a computer mouse and clicks. The monitor displays a WELCOME screen. Killua's eyes widen in surprise with motion lines around his face. A vertical list of names appears beside a group photo of three people. Another screen shows six portrait photos labeled as the bodyguards of Neon Nostrade, including Bashou and Vezze. The computer emits a bip sound while displaying scrolling text and a message reading THE BODYGUARDS OF NEON NOSTRAD. A blond man at the keyboard reacts with NO... as more code scrolls. In a dramatic close-up Killua's face is shown against a black background with the narration that a few hours ago the pictures of Bashou and Vezze were not there.

A black banner displays the number 501 as a furious voice exclaims, "A PICTURE OF MY DAUGHTER ON THE HUNTER'S SITE?!" and another shouts "WHAT?!" The mustached man, eyes blazing, orders "FIND HIM, AND KILL HIM!!" Nearby, a young person in a dark uniform clutches a pumpkin-like object while telling him to "CALM DOWN!" and stressing that "HER SECURITY MUST BE OUR TOP PRIORITY." In the bedroom, the mustached man leans over the bed where Neon lies resting; a suited attendant stands nearby as a voice explains that someone used the leaked information to approach the daughter and bring her here. The mustached man questions whether they can really count on the guards, but is told there won't be any trouble. He worries about the auction, yet the attendant replies that if Neon stays here she isn't secured. A hand holds a phone while stating that Senritsu and Bashou have been called and should arrive soon. The mustached man reacts with shock as the attendant concludes that the situation suggests the person had a different objective than the daughter, and that if the pass hadn't worked he may have held her hostage during the presentation of the auction items.

The mustached man declares that the auction will be cancelled at once. Neon stares with wide eyes and states that in a short amount of time it will become a battlefield. A long empty hallway lined with statues and plants is shown. Close-up, a figure with closed eyes says "I SMELL..." then reacts sharply with "THAT SMELL!!!" A narration box notes that the blood traces were voluntarily placed down and removed. The figure extends a hand and says "YOU AND ME. WE'RE THE SAME..." while sniffing with "SNIF" and declaring they can detect the kind of blood traces only people of the same caliber can sense.

In a vast empty hall lined with tall draped pillars and glowing city lights beyond, a lone figure sits bound in the center. A close-up reveals the intense face of a headband-wearing man as he declares, "WE'RE ADDICTED TO MURDER." The bound man suddenly moves, bandages visible across his head and torso. He draws a blade with a sharp "TAC!!" sound. The headband man watches from the side as motion lines streak across the frame. A beret-wearing man appears in profile. The bound man lunges forward. At the bottom of the page the bandaged man, now closer, says "DON'T WORRY." while the headband man's eyes narrow with focus and a "SU" sound effect marks the tension.

The hall remains empty except for the standing bandaged man and a suited figure visible far in the background. The bandaged man, now facing away, says "I DIDN'T SET ANY TRAPS. USELESS." In a close panel the beret-wearing man grips a large knife and declares "IT WILL BE ONE ON ONE." The bandaged man replies simply "OK." The suited man with headband smiles faintly while holding a thin needle-like object, a "slat" sound effect appearing as the knife is readied.

Under a starry night sky, a close-up shows a scarred face with wide eyes as a voice declares, "THERE WILL BE A RUMPUS IN THE CEMETERY BUILDING, COME." Another speaker adds, "THAT'S WHAT DANCHOU SAID..." In the next panel, a man with a shaved head strikes forcefully with a "DAM" sound effect while stating, "THEY'RE MOVING FORWARD, CLEANING ALONG THE WAY." Nearby, a bandaged figure with a star on his cheek asks, "AND THE OTHERS?" A reply comes: "ACTUALLY, WE'RE ALREADY HERE." The star-cheeked man reacts with "OH?" and notes, "A RARE THING : DANCHOU DID NOT TELL US WHAT METHODS TO USE TO PROVOKE PANIC. NEXT . . ." They observe others doing the same thing. The page then erupts into a dramatic spread of close-up faces— a wide-eyed girl with light hair, a stern woman, the scarred man grinning, the star-cheeked man with a tear, another girl, and a masked figure—centered around bold text proclaiming "ACT WITHOUT RESTRAINT." In a small bottom panel, a spiky-haired boy reacts with shock as narration reads, "DO YOU REALLY THINK THAT I DON'T KNOW? SERIOUSLY?" and "AND DON'T SAY ANYTHING BECAUSE YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT YOU WANT TO DO." The scarred man, identified as Nobu-Naga, breaks into a fit of giggles.