The x Other x Kurta

I. Yorknew Public Library

• Akari •

It was a slow day at the Yorknew Public Library, not that Akari cared. She actually preferred these types of days. They allowed her to catch up on all kinds of reading, including informational reading for her main job as a Crime Hunter.

Akari looked up from her book just in time to come face-to-face with a handsome stranger. The young, blonde-haired man before her appeared to be in his mid-20s, and he carried a somewhat intimidating aura about him. Though it was common to see young, college-age students at the library, this individual stood out as he did not appear to be a student at all. He was wearing a nice, tailored black suit with a grey dress shirt, scarlet earrings, and a light grey bag slung over his shoulder. His eyes were a dark color, kind of ambiguous, as if he was hiding their true color. Fortunately, Akari wasn't going to judge him for that. After all, she had rare-colored eyes herself, which she hid behind translucent, emerald contacts.

He was first to introduce himself. "I'm Kurapika," he stated.

"Akari. Nice to meet you," Akari responded.

Kurapika quietly nodded in acknowledgement. "Would you be able to direct me to the area of the library suitable for crime research?" he asked in a hushed tone.

Hmm, what an interesting request, Akari thought. She pointed towards the back left corner of the large room. "There should be some material over there."

Again, Kurapika nodded. He quietly left the desk to make his way towards the specified section. Half an hour hadn't even passed before he came back, empty-handed. He had a confused look on his face. "Do you have more...specific material? I'm surprised that's all you have for a library of this size."

"Well, we have more information, but you have to have a special credential in order to access them."

"Is being a Blacklist Hunter sufficient enough?"

Akari gawked at Kurapika. No wonder why he was so intimidating! "Uh-huh," Akari barely managed to get out. She took a brief moment to recover before continuing. "Blacklist Hunter, huh?"

Kurapika eyed her indignantly. "Yes." He seemed reluctant to give up any more information.

"I must say, I'm impressed." Akari leaned in closer to him as she whispered. "I'm a Crime Hunter."

Kurapika's eyes widened.

Akari smiled and got out of her chair. She walked around the library counter towards the fellow Hunter. "Right this way," she declared, as she motioned for him to follow. When they neared an unsuspecting heavy, wooden door, Akari turned to Kurapika and instructed, "You'll need to scan your Hunter license here in order to get inside. Once you're in, everything inside is at your disposal. To exit, you will need to scan your license again on the other side of the door. Please do your best to clean up after yourself. Some of these Hunters can't be bothered to behave like adults." Akari huffed. "It's as if their mother didn't raise them with any manners."

Kurapika smiled slightly. "I see. I'll clean up. Don't worry about me." He scanned his license and disappeared behind the door.

Akari walked back to the counter. This was the first time she had encountered a Blacklist Hunter at the Yorknew Public Library. Normally, it was the Treasure or Gourmet Hunters that frequented the library, but it was rare to come across any Hunters working in the crime field. It was likely due to the fact that a bunch of information was accessible on the Hunter website anyway.

• Kurapika •

A Crime Hunter, huh? Kurapika thought. He could use her knowledge to his advantage. He wondered what crimes she had solved, if any. A Crime Hunter's job was to solve mysterious cases, after all. There was no doubt she'd worked alongside Blacklist Hunters before.

He took a moment to ponder on the fellow Hunter. She was average height but toned. Currently, she was wearing black cargo pants and a tight, black halter crop top, complete with black combat boots. How was that even comfortable? She had a humorous air about her, but Kurapika couldn't help but wonder what she was hiding. She was a direct person, talkative too. But her most striking feature was her eyes. They were an exceptionally beautiful emerald color. He wondered what those eyes had seen, silently hoping it wasn't tragedy. However, being a Crime Hunter surely would have unveiled some gruesome scenes.

Still, I could stare into them all day, Kurapika thought.

He pushed that thought away as soon as he thought it, internally scolding himself for not focusing on the task at hand. He needed to do some research on a target he was looking for.

He took a moment to take in the appearance of the room. It was basically another library, albeit smaller than the one he initially entered. Kurapika perused the sections of this smaller library, finally finding the section he needed. He looked through the available titles and picked out a couple of books. He made himself comfortable on one of many sofa chairs after grabbing a drink out of the fridge.

He was going to be here for a little while.

• Akari •

It had been a few hours since Akari had showed Kurapika to the Hunter library. She wondered what he was looking into.

Akari loved that place. She could spend hours upon hours in there, never getting bored of the books. A vast knowledge of things had been advantageous to her in many circumstances, and she wasn't going to change that habit. She wondered if Kurapika was the same. He certainly seemed sophisticated and intelligent enough.

Akari glanced at the book she was holding. It was hard for her to read ever since she became aware of the feeling of familiarity around Kurapika. But what was it? She couldn't place her finger on it.

Oh well, she sighed. She decided to carry on reading. What she didn't expect was to be startled by the kind stranger again.

"Akari, right? Thank you for your help."

Akari's eyes shot up to meet his. She put her book down instantly, then laughed. "Oh goodness, where are my manners?"

Kurapika smiled.

"You're welcome to come back anytime. Next time you can just head over there without checking in." Akari was a little sad to say this as she wanted him to stop by the counter next time as well.

Kurapika blinked. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

Akari nodded. "Sure!"

Kurapika continued. "Well, since you're a Crime Hunter, I was curious if you'd worked with Blacklist Hunters before. I'd love to pick your brain about some stuff. That is, if you don't mind."

"Of course!" Akari was overjoyed. "Where would you like to meet?"

"Well, we could meet at a cafe and discuss over some breakfast. Of course, if that's not too much trouble. I don't know what your work schedule here is like."

"How about tomorrow morning?" Akari asked.

Kurapika agreed. "Let's go to the one across the street from here, unless you have another suggestion. I'm not too familiar with the city."

"Yeah, we can meet there. 9:00?"

Kurapika smiled. "Agreed."

Akari watched as Kurapika made his way out of the library. She couldn't wait to discuss Hunter business with him. He was so funny. He thought he could pick her brain? Well, she was curious about him too. This was going to be fun.

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