"You don't seem like a bad person. Neither the bees nor the horse beneath you seem to dislike you."
It was unclear whether Pons had heard Joey's earlier murmur, but shortly after he finished speaking, she leaned in and whispered softly near his ear.
Her warm breath brushed against his earlobe, making him shiver. He frowned and shifted slightly.
"I told you—I'm just an ordinary office worker who longs for a peaceful life. I'm only in this organization because I have no choice. I grew up in NGL—where else could I go?"
Joey sounded like he was explaining himself to Pons, though he made no effort to lower his voice.
"You're pretty dedicated," Killua suddenly cut in.
"Dedicated? I just don't want to stand out… but I also don't want to be looked down on."
Joey's answer carried a hint of contradiction. He figured this was probably how Yoshikage Kira used to think as well.
Of course, if Kira Yoshikage had also dropped his… unpleasant habits, Joey would've been even more grateful. He might've even written him a thank-you song.
"That's a contradiction," Killua said. "But you seem to be doing quite well in the organization."
Killua didn't have a strong sense of justice. Growing up in an assassin family, he had seen more than enough of the world's darkness—and far too many twisted people.
And right now, he could smell it again.
That faint, warped aura coming from Joey.
Something was definitely off.
"You're not normal," Killua said bluntly.
"No, I'm perfectly normal. I get regular checkups—everything comes back fine. The doctor said there's nothing wrong with me."
Joey smiled—a rare sight—as his Nen once again settled and sealed itself within his body.
"Then you probably saw a quack. I could recommend a good doctor… though I doubt he'd like you," Killua replied with a smirk.
"Thanks, but I'm quite confident I'm normal," Joey said politely.
"You sound the least normal when you insist on that," Pons muttered, rolling her eyes.
"Even you think so? That's truly heartbreaking."
Joey relaxed his brows and smiled again, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Whether he himself was normal or not, he knew that Yoshikage Kira had once been declared "perfectly healthy" by a professional.
"I have a boyfriend," Pons added, pulling her hand away from Joey's waist and giving him a light pinch.
Joey didn't mind. "Haven't you heard the saying? 'If your hoe swings well enough, no wall is too high.'"
"Say one more word and I'll shut you up with a red arrow," Pokkuru cut in coldly.
"Haha…"
"Your breathing's a mess. If you can't stay composed for ten minutes next time, I'll seal your mouth for him," Kite said flatly.
His cold tone instantly ended the off-topic banter—though several people couldn't help but chuckle at Joey's expression.
Joey's laughter stopped abruptly, and his Nen tightened once more around his body.
As for what he said earlier—it was just a joke. Pons wasn't his type.
Still, the brief exchange eased the heavy tension hanging over the group.
The horses moved quickly, and by the time night fully settled, they were nearing the border.
In the distance, Joey spotted two enormous trees.
If he had to describe them, he'd say that standing beneath them would make him feel like a caterpillar staring up at a single leaf—something so vast it might take a lifetime to truly grasp.
Perhaps he wouldn't even see their full form until he became a butterfly.
They were impossibly tall. A hundred years? A thousand? Joey couldn't imagine how long it would take for something to grow to such a height.
Even from afar, the sight left him awestruck.
Without thinking, he pulled out his phone and, using the faint moonlight, snapped a few blurry photos.
This camera quality is terrible…
He almost felt like smashing the phone, but in one of the shots, he accidentally captured Pons and Gon smirking in the background. Killua, meanwhile, appeared as nothing more than a blur.
Joey didn't mind. He casually took a selfie.
He looked disheveled—hair messy, clothes worn from the journey—but that was to be expected.
Even so, the photo made it clear: the boy had naturally sharp features. With a bit of grooming, he'd easily be considered handsome.
Short black hair, well-defined facial structure, and those distinctive arched eyebrows gave him a lively expression. At fifteen or sixteen, he was already nearly 1.8 meters tall, with a well-built frame and solid muscle—reliable, even at a glance.
Joey found himself fairly satisfied with his appearance.
"Let's move."
As Joey hopped off his horse, still fiddling with his phone, Kite finished speaking with Dina and gave the signal.
It had taken them over three hours to reach this point from the village. Now, it was completely dark.
The time on Joey's phone read 7:50 PM.
After more than three hours of training, Joey had essentially grasped the basics of Zetsu.
Excluding prodigies like Gon and Killua—who had trained in concealing their presence since childhood—his progress could be considered exceptional.
Of course, since he hadn't practiced it for long, he couldn't maintain Zetsu for extended periods.
But that wasn't his goal.
He had trained it to conserve energy and recover faster during movement.
By keeping his upper body in Zetsu while maintaining a controlled flow of Nen in his legs, he could move at high speed while minimizing unnecessary energy loss.
He wasn't sure how long he could sustain this state—but earlier, he had managed over half an hour.
The group exchanged glances.
Then, almost simultaneously, they burst forward.
Their speed exceeded that of the horses as they dashed back the way they came.
The stunned observers, who had been about to question Kite's group, could only stare wide-eyed as the four figures vanished into the night at an impossible pace.
Dina watched them go, then turned to the others with a faint smile.
"They still have things to investigate. Let's return to the checkpoint. Something major has happened in NGL—I need to report it to the Association."
The two observers exchanged looks, then nodded.
They hadn't encountered any Chimera Ants themselves—but the deserted villages, stained with blood and littered with corpses, told them everything they needed to know.
Something was very, very wrong.
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