"Such a willful guy. If you want revenge, it's not like you have to become a Hunter to do it," Leorio said, sounding completely unconcerned.
"That's absolutely the stupidest question in the world, Leorio—don't you know? There are plenty of places only Hunters can go, information only Hunters can obtain, and activities only Hunters are allowed to take part in."
"That's the fourth time already. Get out!"
No question about it—both of them had hit a sensitive spot of their own, and their tempers flared instantly.
Leorio and Kurapika started a duel, just like in the original story.
"I'm not done talking yet," the Red-Nose Captain said, a bit stunned. This had completely veered off his expectations.
"Just let them," Gon explained seriously. "If you want to get to know someone, you should first understand what they're sensitive about. That's something Mito obaa-san taught me, and it's my favorite line. In my view, they're angry because those things are very important to them, so it's better not to stop them."
"What do you think?" the Red-Nose Captain asked Roy, because to the captain, Roy was clearly the smartest of the group.
"I agree with Gon," Roy replied—still as concise as ever.
If there's conflict, you fight once. After the fight, it's over. Simple. You don't really know someone until you've traded blows.
Of course, that only works when the gap in strength between both sides isn't too big.
Otherwise, the weaker party is fated to have no equal right to speak.
Android 18, naturally, had no interest in any of this.
The Red-Nose Captain fell silent for a moment, then shook his head. Fine—if that's how it is, he'd let them be.
Sure enough, the two of them fought a round to no clear winner. Then they developed that mutual respect between rivals, and in the end, the whole thing was still resolved by Gon's pure-hearted charisma.
They apologized to each other and made up, shaking hands.
The Red-Nose Captain could only shake his head helplessly. This year's rookies were a nightmare to handle.
Then, as if he remembered something, the captain turned his head—there was still one person left.
And what he saw was Roy watching the brawl with great interest… while holding a cup of tea. Yes—tea.
In weather like this, where the hell did you even get tea?!
The Red-Nose Captain complained inwardly, and became even more convinced this kid was not simple.
Roy had been enjoying the live spectacle of "a pure boy stopping two grown men from dueling with sheer personality," when he noticed the captain staring straight at him. A warm smile spread across Roy's face.
"Captain-san, would you like a cup of fragrant tea? I've also got plenty of special snacks. You know—rainstorms go best with a good cup of tea."
As he spoke, Roy took a loud sip. Beside him, Android 18 thoughtfully picked up the little teapot and refilled his cup.
Red-Nose Captain: "…"
The captain had no words. He just felt tired.
At that moment, Gon, Leorio, and Kurapika—who'd just made up and shaken hands—walked over together.
"This guy… I can't read him," Kurapika thought as he came close again, his gaze narrowing slightly.
As a survivor of the Kurta Clan, he had a rough instinct for judging a person's physical power and traits. But this man in front of him, carrying a sword scabbard, showed none of the obvious signs of a powerhouse—yet someone who could sit steady in a storm like this was never a simple character.
Kurapika only looked twice before withdrawing his gaze. He needed to keep Roy in mind, but for now, they were friends—not enemies—so there was no need to react further.
The captain also turned serious and asked, "Your name is Roy, right? Then I'll ask you—what's your reason for wanting to become a Hunter?"
Roy held his tea and smiled. "I want to be a Hunter because I'm a manga artist, and I want to find inspiration through the Hunter Exam."
"A manga artist? That sounds amazing!" Gon's eyes sparkled—clearly, Roy's performance in the storm had earned his admiration.
Then Roy thought for a moment and added, "Also, I want to learn the Nen of Shingen-ryu Kung Fu."
The captain's hand—midway through lighting his pipe—froze.
Then he stared at Roy with a seriousness he hadn't shown once so far, and asked in a very low, very firm voice:
"Who did you hear that from?"
"Huh?" Sensing the sudden shift in the air, Gon and Leorio looked up. Kurapika, who'd been listening the whole time, saw how unusually grave the captain's expression was, and couldn't help thinking, Nen? Shingen-ryu? Do those words mean something special?
"It's not hard to find out if you ask around," Roy said calmly. "And I also heard the Hunter Association's Chairman Netero is the world's number-one martial artist. I want to test myself against him~"
Roy spoke in an even tone, but an incomparable confidence radiated off him. Even Android 18 was staring at him with sparkling eyes.
The captain fell silent, then looked Roy up and down for a long moment before nodding.
Everyone had their secrets. The captain chose not to dig.
"Good. No problem, then. Congratulations—you all pass!"
After saying that, the captain took a vicious drag on his pipe. Let the Hunter Association be the one to deal with this kind of troublesome kid.
Hearing that everyone had passed, they exchanged smiles.
Between Leorio and Kurapika, there was a distinct feeling of "laughing it off and letting old grudges disappear."
(End of Chapter)
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