"You three go on by yourselves," the two of them replied weakly once again. They truly looked exhausted.
"Then we'll go have some fun. You two get some rest." Lu Ou paused for a moment at their perfectly synchronized reply before reacting.
Just look at Leorio and Kurapika—speaking in complete unison like that. Since when had those two gotten along so well?
"You three have incredible stamina. I just want to fall into a deep sleep right now," Leorio let out a long sigh and said.
"Same here. It's been both thrilling and exhausting. Since we have time to rest, we should make good use of it," Kurapika agreed. What mattered most now was recovering their strength. No one knew what challenges lay ahead.
"Let's go have fun," Gon said.
That guy was practically a monster—full of energy, not a trace of fatigue on his face. He had long since wanted to explore.
Tap, tap, tap.
Just as Lu Ou and the other two turned to leave, they saw Tonpa strolling over with his legs splayed outward, leisurely as ever, that familiar honest and simple smile hanging on his face.
"It's Tonpa-san." Gon had a fairly good impression of him—after all, he had shared quite a bit of useful information before—so he quickly nodded in greeting.
Killua was far more casual. He tilted his head, recognized the schemer from before, and ignored him.
Lu Ou, however, smiled politely and nodded. He had always been a courteous and composed person.
"Hello," Tonpa greeted them as he approached.
Their performance had been far too eye-catching to ignore. Crushing promising rookies like these—that was what truly gave Tonpa a sense of accomplishment.
He had been watching Lu Ou's group closely. Now that free time had begun, it seemed like the perfect opportunity.
Fortune and misfortune intertwine—whether this opportunity belonged to him or someone else would depend on who was the sharper player.
"You'd better be careful," Tonpa began. "This airship might very well be the site of the third phase's opening test. The committee doesn't necessarily have to wait until 8 a.m. tomorrow to contact us. The exam might end while you're asleep. That's not impossible."
"If you want to pass the next phase, you should stay alert. This isn't the time to fool around. You might get eliminated without even realizing it."
He wore an expression that practically said, I'm doing this for your own good—no need to thank me. Having finished, he prepared to leave. That would make it seem more genuine. Tonpa was extremely practiced at this sort of thing; he didn't even need to act—being himself was convincing enough.
Unfortunately for him, Lu Ou had long since seen through his true nature. Kurapika had his suspicions, and Killua had never trusted him in the first place. Tonpa's scheme was destined to fail.
In the original sequence of events, after Gon and the others left, Tonpa had approached Kurapika and Leorio in the same way, trying to make them tense and unable to rest. That way, when the real test began, they would be exhausted and unable to cope. When he failed to influence them, he lay down nearby and snored loudly to disturb their rest.
Since Lu Ou knew what was coming, he naturally wouldn't let Tonpa continue unchecked. Not exposing him was simply because it wasn't worth the effort.
Seeing Kurapika and Leorio reluctantly forcing themselves to stay alert after hearing Tonpa's words, Lu Ou decided Tonpa should pay a little price.
"Tonpa-san, you're truly a good person—so enthusiastic toward rookies, even sharing such important intelligence with us," Lu Ou said with a grateful smile.
"Since you came all this way to inform us, you must be willing to help solve the problem as well. My two companions are completely exhausted. I'm sure you'll give me face and help stand guard here so they can rest properly."
"The three of us will go scout around. If we discover anything, we'll come back immediately and inform everyone."
Lu Ou spoke earnestly, piling one flattering "high hat" after another onto Tonpa's head.
The steak he had treated Tonpa to earlier had already repaid the favor of being carried on his back. But Lu Ou was someone who valued appearances—how could he let someone who had carried him go hungry? After that, he had even stuffed Tonpa with extra supplies.
"I… of course I'm willing," Tonpa replied after a brief hesitation. "Since you'll be scouting, go without worry. I'll watch over things here."
He hadn't intended to agree, but on second thought, he wasn't entirely certain there wouldn't be some surprise test. Previous Hunter Exams had included sudden assessments before. Better safe than sorry.
"If this strange kid wants to stick his neck out and scout ahead, I'll just relax here and take it easy. Such a good deal should belong to me," Tonpa thought to himself.
On the surface, however, he looked as though he had reluctantly accepted Lu Ou's request, every inch the considerate good guy.
Killua curled his lip slightly. He didn't believe for a second that Lu Ou would take a loss, so he kept quiet.
"Then we'll leave Tonpa-san here with Kurapika and Leorio so they can rest properly. We'll go scout and come back if there's news," Gon said, already unable to stay still.
"Sorry to trouble you, Tonpa-san," Lu Ou added.
If you're going to act, you might as well act thoroughly.
Tonpa waved a hand magnanimously, as if it were no big deal.
"Don't worry. Everything will be fine," Lu Ou said to Kurapika with a wink, signaling that there was nothing to worry about. Then he turned and left with Killua and Gon.
"Thank you,Tonpa-san," Kurapika said after catching the signal. He immediately closed his eyes and began resting.
As for Leorio, he had already closed his eyes. He trusted Lu Ou completely—if Lu Ou said it was fine, then it was fine.
"So where are we going first?" Gon asked.
"Isn't it obvious?" Killua replied.
"Of course—the cockpit," Lu Ou said.
"Right—the cockpit!" the other two echoed excitedly as they ran.
"Hm?" Killua suddenly stopped. He had the distinct feeling that someone had just glared at him with malicious intent.
"What's wrong, Killua?" Gon stopped as well.
"Maybe it's nothing?" The gaze had vanished, and Killua wasn't certain.
"Some things will appear when it's time for them to appear," Lu Ou said meaningfully.
"Yeah, you're right. Let's go." Killua shrugged off the feeling, and the three resumed running forward.
Rumble, rumble.
The airship cruised steadily through the clouds, passing through one thick layer before plunging into another even denser mass, over and over again without pause, continuing steadily toward its destination.