Gordon's words seemed to give Serl something to think about.
The exhaustion from his intense training still tormented him, but his expression had visibly lightened.
Bracing both hands against his knees, Serl struggled to his feet. "I'll give it some serious thought, then have a proper discussion with Francesca."
With that, he gave Gordon a slight bow and staggered out of the Training Area.
"What did he mean by 'discussion'?" Gordon looked uncertainly at Altaïr. "Can feelings really be negotiated?"
Altaïr's confusion gave way to a strange expression, as though something had suddenly occurred to him. "Mr. Gordon, I think we may have... underestimated how far things have progressed between them."
"What do you mean?"
"Serl just said that his feelings for Francesca go beyond friendship and that she 'probably feels the same way' about him, right?"
"That's what he said."
"Doesn't that sound a little conceited? 'I like that girl, and she probably likes me too.' Something along those lines."
"...A little, I suppose."
"But Serl isn't the type to have an inflated ego. If he says something like that, it probably isn't one-sided guesswork. He must have some reason to be sure. Maybe one of them has already confessed, or perhaps they've even acknowledged their feelings for each other. It's just that some so-called 'practical reasons' have kept them from taking things any further, so they've remained friends."
"Huh?" Gordon froze for a moment, then understanding lit up his face. "So that's why he said he needed to discuss it with Francesca? That's what's going on?"
"That's only my personal theory," Altaïr quickly added. "I'm not exactly experienced in romance myself. Isis accepted my confession right away, so I've never had to struggle through that kind of hesitation."
Gordon fell silent.
His fists were starting to itch.
"Looks like you've recovered a little. Let's add some weight and do a few more sets."
—--
That night, when they reunited at Val Habar's iconic Dragonship Guild Hall, Altaïr could barely walk. Gordon half dragged, half carried him inside.
After an afternoon of shopping had mostly cooled her temper, Isis hurried over to support him, earning a click of the tongue from Gordon.
Hayata rolled her eyes so hard they nearly vanished into the back of her head. "What is wrong with you? Do you have to train him until he can't move every single time? Aren't you afraid you'll injure him?"
"Relax." Gordon patted Altaïr on the back. "I know what I'm doing. He won't get hurt. I've already loosened up his muscles too. All he needs is a nutritious dinner and a good night's sleep."
Altaïr did not even have the strength to greet them, and the problem was precisely that "muscle loosening" step.
The weight training had wrung out every last drop of his energy. It was exhausting, but it came with the satisfying thrill of pushing past his limits. Mr. Gordon's "muscle-relaxation massage," on the other hand, was torture in the most literal sense.
He felt as though every muscle and joint in his body had been taken apart.
Hayata gave Altaïr a pitying look, then her expression abruptly changed. "Wait, where's Serl? You didn't train him into the same state, did you?"
Thanks to Shalan's inspired performance, they had finally coaxed some of the truth out of Francesca and persuaded her to find Serl for a proper talk.
If Gordon had worked him until he collapsed, what were the two of them supposed to talk about?!
"Uh, Serl should be fine... I let him leave halfway through, and at least he could still walk on his own." Gordon scratched the back of his head.
"You really are unbelievable..." Hayata ground her teeth.
Neither Francesca nor Serl was there. Both had left partway through the afternoon, and no one knew whether they had managed to find each other.
Purrcival and the others had not returned either, and even Shalan had vanished. The four of them found a small table in a corner of the tavern area and ordered a few inexpensive, filling dishes and drinks.
Altaïr had no appetite at all, and his hands were still trembling badly, so Isis picked up a fork and forcibly shoveled food into his mouth.
Hayata scolded Gordon at length while he answered with vague "mm-hmm" and "uh-huh" noises, acting as though he had not heard a word.
The oddly intimate atmosphere of a family dinner felt novel to all four of them.
Guildmarm Sophia spotted them from across the tavern area as she passed through. She initially meant to come over and say hello, but after a moment's thought, she simply left.
They could exchange greetings and catch up later.
Once Isis had confirmed that Altaïr truly could not eat another bite, she stuffed the large piece of Well-done Steak on her fork into her own mouth and asked, her words slightly muffled, "Dad, Mom, how long can you rest this time?"
Gordon and Hayata exchanged a glance. Rubbing his chin, Gordon said, "Hard to say. Another Urgent Quest could come in at any time.
"But we mainly came to Val Habar this time to have our equipment serviced, so we'll have to wait until the repairs are finished at the very least.
"Two or three days, minimum. Maybe longer."
"So that outing we didn't get to take before... could we...?" Isis looked hopefully at her parents.
"Of course we can." Hayata nodded with a warm smile. "We can charter an Airship. That way, we can go anywhere as long as it isn't too far."
Chartering an Airship was not cheap, but compared with the precious time they could spend with their daughter, the expense did not warrant a second thought.
"Rent a Sandship instead. For anywhere within two or three hundred kilometers as the crow flies, a Sandship would be more convenient." After being force-fed a bellyful of meat and resting for a while, Altaïr had recovered enough to speak normally.
"As for where to go, we could visit one of the large oases nearby. If we want to travel farther, the Ancestral Steppe to the north or Rekusara to the east would both be good choices."
Since the whole point was to have fun, Gordon and Hayata naturally left the choice to the younger pair. Altaïr had no strong preference either, so all three turned to Isis.
Isis stopped cutting her Well-done Steak. "Come to think of it, we've already been to all those places. I don't have any particular destination in mind. What about you, Altaïr? You know the Great Desert better than I do."
"I'm more familiar with Sekumea Desert and the Dead Sand Sea. As for the northern Dede Desert, have I ever come here without you?"
"Fine, then you two can decide. I can't be bothered to choose!" Isis abandoned the matter and lowered her head to resume cutting her Well-done Steak.
Gordon took a sip of beer and said casually, "If we were following our usual custom, this is when we'd have your mother flip a coin to decide."
Before Hayata could pull a coin from her coin purse, Isis excitedly tossed aside her cutlery and drew the ancient foreign coin hanging from her neck.
"Use this! Use this!"
She had long wanted to show off the gold coin Altaïr had given her, but had never found the right opportunity.
Hayata watched Isis with a smile until her gaze fell on the coin resting in her daughter's palm.
Her heart jolted. Her pupils contracted, and she snapped her head around to look at her husband.
Gordon was staring just as fixedly at the ancient foreign coin in Isis's hand. He had even forgotten to lower his glass.
Isis, who never read anything closely, could not understand her parents' disbelief. Altaïr, however, knew exactly what had shocked them.
To prevent a misunderstanding, he explained without prompting, "We came across this ancient foreign coin at a small market in the desert not long ago, and I bought it there.
"I remembered reading about a similar coin in Mr. Gordon's notes. I thought it would make a meaningful keepsake, so I picked it up.
"There shouldn't be any connection between the two coins. Far too much time and distance separate them."
Isis examined the ancient coin in surprise. "Huh? One of these was mentioned in Dad's notes? That really happened?"
Gordon and Hayata did not answer her directly.
Hayata took the ancient coin from Isis, studied it closely for a few seconds, then passed it to Gordon. "What do you think?"
Gordon accepted the coin and carefully rubbed it between his fingers.
After a moment, he shook his head. "Honestly, it's been too many years. I can't remember the details of that coin anymore.
"Both coins have a hole for a cord, true, but that proves nothing. Plenty of people drill holes in gold coins and wear them as lucky gold coins or protective charms."
With that, he returned the ancient coin to Isis, looking utterly unconcerned. "Go on, flip it and see what result you get."
"Let's flip it twice. Heads then heads means east, heads then tails means south, tails then heads means west, and tails then tails means north!"
Isis flipped the coin twice in succession. "Two tails. We're going north!"
Gordon nodded. "All right. We're going south."
Isis stared at him, utterly bewildered.
-------------------
I've started posting a new Hunter x Hunter fanfic on Webnovel: HxH: Starting as Player One. I'm translating and editing it, so if HxH is your thing, I'd love for you to check it out. You can find it on my profile, and I'll leave a direct link in the comments. Thanks for reading!