The riot did not stop instantly.
Even with Mizaistom standing there, calm and utterly unshaken, several of the blue-tagged examinees still looked ready to explode. Their pride had been wounded, their effort mocked by the result, and now the sight of Hisoka standing there with that insufferable smile made everything worse.
Mizaistom adjusted his glasses and looked over the crowd with the same patient expression one might give children about to make a very stupid decision.
"I advise all of you," he said, his tone steady, "to calm yourselves."
A few of the eliminated examinees shouted anyway.
"Calm down!?" one barked. "This exam is insane!"
"You tricked us!"
"We deserve another chance!"
Mizaistom did not raise his voice.
"If you continue to cause trouble," he said, "you will be faced with justice."
There was something about the way he said it that made the air tighten.
He then gestured slightly around the island.
"And before anyone decides to test that, let me remind you that Hunter Association staff are currently surrounding the area."
That got people looking.
And once they looked, they saw it.
The staff who had seemed incidental before, the people near the cargo stacks, the ones at the edge of the island, the quiet personnel standing by the ruined pillars and broken road markers were not just clerks and assistants.
They were positioned too well.
Watching too carefully.
Ready.
The riot lost most of its courage right there.
One of the louder blue-tagged examinees clicked his tongue and looked away.
Another swore under his breath but backed off.
Hisoka's smile remained exactly the same.
'Justice really is such a useful word,' Yuzuki thought dryly.
Mizaistom folded his hands behind his back. "Those who have been eliminated are ordered to leave. You may return and attempt the Hunter Exam again next year."
That, at least, was final.
The blue-tagged examinees, furious but outnumbered and outclassed, had no real choice. One by one, in clusters of muttering resentment, they began to leave the checkpoint island.
Some glared at the red-tagged survivors like it was their fault.
Some glared at Wing.
Some glared at Hisoka.
None of them seemed brave enough to glare too long at Mizaistom.
Once the last of the eliminated examinees had finally departed, the atmosphere loosened just a little.
Wing stepped over toward Mizaistom and gave him a small nod. "Thank you for your assistance."
Mizaistom nodded back. "Think nothing of it."
With that, Wing took his leave, calm as ever, disappearing back toward the interior routes of the island.
That left the remaining sixty-two candidates, the staff, Mizaistom… and a great deal of tired curiosity.
Mizaistom's gaze shifted.
It landed on Yuzuki.
"Boy," he said.
Yuzuki immediately looked irritated. "What."
Mizaistom walked toward him at a measured pace. "I see you decided to do the right thing by trying to obtain a Hunter License."
Yuzuki responded by looking completely unimpressed. "Good for you."
Ponzu blinked. "Wait… you know him?"
Yuzuki sighed. "Unfortunately."
Mizaistom adjusted his tie. "That is a rather unfair description."
Ponzu looked between them in confusion. "Where do you know him from?"
Yuzuki rolled his shoulders slightly. "He interrupted me once when I was trying to collect a bounty."
Hanzo, who had wandered close enough to listen, raised a brow. "That sounds annoyingly specific."
Yuzuki pointed lazily at Mizaistom. "He's one of the Zodiacs."
That got a reaction.
Ponzu's eyes widened. "So the Zodiacs do exist."
Hanzo's own expression sharpened. "The twelve Hunters selected personally by Chairman Netero…" He looked Mizaistom over again, more carefully this time. "Why is one of those people coming to examine the exam?"
Yuzuki shrugged. "Beats me."
Mizaistom, to his credit, did not seem bothered by the casual tone.
Instead, he addressed all of them at once.
"I will be the examiner of Phase Three."
That got the remaining candidates' full attention immediately.
Even Hisoka, standing a little apart from the others, tilted his head with interest.
Mizaistom continued, voice carrying clearly in the evening wind.
"Phase Three is called the Trial of Judgment."
He let the name settle.
"The location is a ruined fortified city on one of the archipelago islands."
A low murmur passed through the candidates.
Mizaistom continued, "That city is filled with booby-trapped streets, locked government buildings, hostile inhabitants, and hidden Hunter Association observers."
Ponzu's shoulders tensed.
Hanzo folded his arms.
Yuzuki listened silently.
"The test is simple in wording," Mizaistom said. "You will be divided into teams of five. Each team will receive a sealed document."
He paused briefly.
"The document will contain one instruction."
He looked over them all.
"'Restore order to this city within six hours.'"
Several candidates exchanged confused looks.
Mizaistom's expression remained completely serious.
"There will be no further instructions."
That got more reaction than anything else.
"What does 'restore order' even mean?"
"What kind of city is this?"
"How do we know who the enemy is?"
Mizaistom ignored the interruptions and continued.
"Rioters. Hostage-takers. Corrupt guards. Innocent civilians. Smugglers."
That quieted the group.
"There are multiple valid solutions," Mizaistom said. "The point of the phase is not merely whether you succeed, but how you choose to do so."
He looked over the remaining candidates one by one.
"This phase will evaluate leadership, ethics, problem-solving, the appropriate use of force, the ability to gather information, and speed of decision-making."
That made it very clear.
This would not be another phase that could be solved with speed or violence alone.
Hisoka smiled.
Hanzo clicked his tongue thoughtfully.
Ponzu looked nervous.
Yuzuki, meanwhile, thought, 'This sounds annoying.'
Mizaistom raised one hand slightly. "I will allow the candidates to group themselves. Any examinees left without a group will be placed together as one team."
That immediately set off a wave of movement and conversation. Candidates began looking around, already calculating who they trusted, who looked competent, and who looked least likely to get them all killed.
Hanzo turned to Yuzuki and Ponzu almost immediately.
"Well, obviously," he said, "the three of us should form a group."
Ponzu nodded almost at once. "That makes sense."
Yuzuki shrugged. "Sure."
Hanzo then looked around at the shifting crowd. "That means we need two more."
The three of them turned their heads in nearly the same direction.
Hisoka stood by himself.
Of course he did.
No one dared approach him.
Not because they were unsure whether he was useful, but because everyone with functioning instincts understood that sharing a team with Hisoka was probably more dangerous than failing outright.
And yet, somehow, the man managed to look faintly wounded by this.
He met the eyes of the three of them and gave them the sort of pleading expression that looked deeply wrong on his face.
Ponzu stared.
Hanzo stared.
Yuzuki stared.
Then, in perfect unison, the three of them said:
"Nope."
"Absolutely not."
"Not him."
Hisoka placed a hand over his chest and lowered his lashes dramatically.
"How cruel," he said softly. "♥"
Yuzuki looked away immediately.
Hanzo exhaled through his nose.
Ponzu shuddered.
And somewhere behind them, Mizaistom quietly began making notes, already watching how the survivors sorted themselves long before the next phase had officially begun.
---
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