Gulu gulu——
In the quiet room, the only sound was the lollipop spinning in Miss Q's mouth as she lounged sideways on the sofa, making a noise that inevitably sparked certain associations.
After a moment.
She patted the seat beside her, signaling for Natsuhiko to come over.
But Natsuhiko just sat down directly on the single sofa opposite her.
Seeing Natsuhiko's expressionless face, Miss Q looked doubtfully at her own legs, then at her clothes.
Nothing wrong, I'm wearing black stockings and an off-shoulder top.
When she looked up again and saw that faintly teasing smile on Natsuhiko's face—
She was instantly choked with anger.
She said irritably, "Is big sis really that unattractive?"
The corner of Natsuhiko's mouth twitched.
Some people—
Always like to assume all men are the same. Even if your fishnet stockings have holes down to your thighs, I'll just look, never lay a hand.
You really think anyone who can sit in the Hunter Guild's High Seat is simple?
He smoothed the fur of the Eevee in his arms, soft and silky.
"Bui~~"
Eevee lifted a paw, pressing against Natsuhiko's hand to stop him from petting.
'Easy there, or you're going to pluck me bald.'
"Ahem."
Natsuhiko withdrew his gaze and shot Eevee an apologetic look.
"So this counts as passing the test, right?" Natsuhiko asked.
Pop——
Miss Q took the lollipop out and nodded. "More or less. Just wait for the final notice."
As she spoke, she crossed her legs, propped one over the other, and looked at Natsuhiko with interest.
"You did very well this time, didn't wipe out those two as well."
The corner of Natsuhiko's lips curled. "Last time two puppets were pushed up, this time three more got promoted, two of them belong to Tom Rokicki. Out of the remaining five High Seats, including you, only three gained anything, and two walked away empty-handed. Who do you think they're going to resent the most?"
It's not scarcity they fear, but unfairness.
There are six High Seats. Even though they all tacitly dislike Tom Rokicki, they've been relatively restrained and haven't dragged certain things out into the open.
Except for Miss Q, who was almost killed in that ambush last time, the others all have the mindset of "it's fine to play dirty behind the scenes, but I'm not charging in first head-on."
And that mindset is exactly what has let Tom Rokicki cruise along in an ever-better Tailwind.
But this time.
At least two High Seats walked away with nothing. That undoubtedly magnified their conflict with Tom Rokicki.
If Natsuhiko had wiped out all the competitors, that would've been trouble; he'd probably have become everyone's common target.
A bad deal.
That's why he didn't do it.
Miss Q clearly saw this as well.
Not just her, the other High Seats could see it too.
But seeing is seeing, and actual利益 are actual利益.
Every last one of them is an old fox.
Of course, Tom Rokicki had originally planned to take all three slots, so he'd naturally prepared for this sort of situation.
But now that Natsuhiko snatched one away, he'd more or less be feeling a bit pissed.
This round—
He disgusted the enemy, stirred up the fence-sitters, and completed the mission; three birds with one stone.
"Talking to a smart man really is easy." Miss Q said with a lilting smile.
Those cat-tail eyes of hers were even more seductive.
Paired with that little teardrop mole at the corner of her left eye, tsk tsk...
"Have you decided which letter you want yet?" Miss Q looked at the side of Natsuhiko's face and asked with a gentle smile.
"Is there even a choice?"
"Depends. In most cases there isn't."
Natsuhiko shrugged.
Might as well not have said anything.
"We probably won't assign you guys any territories to be in charge of for now. Is there anywhere you want to go? Somewhere in the Sinnoh Region. I'll see if I can free up a place for you as practice."
"Hearthome City." Natsuhiko answered without even thinking.
Hearing this, Miss Q shot him an exasperated glare. "You sure know how to pick."
Hearthome City may not be the biggest or best city in the Sinnoh Region—
But it is the happiest city in the Sinnoh Region.
Many families prefer to settle in Hearthome City, rather than in high-tech but high-pressure Zhuqing City, or in the port city Binhai City with its heavy people flow. It ranks easily in the top three cities of the Sinnoh Region.
And.
In recent years, the Sinnoh Alliance has never eased up on developing Hearthome City.
The largest Gorgeous Competition venue in the Sinnoh Region, all sorts of Pokémon fan clubs, Pokémon interaction plazas, and all kinds of big and small malls and shops.
Previously, Devon Company's construction teams had also been carrying out projects in Hearthome City.
And a giant like the Sinnoh Commerce Association has invested heavily in Hearthome City as well.
Not to mention the Hearthome Dojo, one of the largest Dojos in the Sinnoh Region.
In short—
It's absolutely a city dripping with fat.
Natsuhiko chose Hearthome City not only because the city has lots of room for growth, but also so he could extend his reach to Suiyi Town.
Hearthome City is the closest city to Suiyi Town; calling it the gateway to Suiyi Town wouldn't be an exaggeration.
Given a choice, what Natsuhiko most wanted to take over was the Hunter Guild's operations in Hearthome City.
Even if he only got that one city, it would be enough.
He grinned. "If there's a choice, of course I'm going to pick a good place."
Hearthome City is also close to the Celestial Crown Mountain Range, so there's no need to worry about Pokémon resources.
Hearing this, Miss Q gave Natsuhiko a long, deep look.
Then she broke into a charming smile.
"It's not impossible."
Her body leaned forward slightly.
Natsuhiko had no idea why Miss Q, who liked wearing off-shoulder tops, always liked leaning forward as well.
But when the boss is about to speak, you've got to watch carefully—cough, listen carefully, right?