From Hunter x Hunter to Master Inventor

His stomach let out a barely audible growl.

"Last time you came to see me, I think you said the exact same thing..."

Uvogin swallowed the food in his mouth in one messy gulp.

Then he raised his fist at Phinks: "But last time, you were the one who ran off after I beat you up."

"Ha?"

Phinks' browless forehead twitched rapidly. "That was only because my motorcycle got caught in the crossfire!!"

He laughed in anger. "If I hadn't been so focused on my bike back then, how could you have gotten away?!"

"You're all talk, harder than your own dick~"

"Your punches are flimsy, softer than a woman's tits!!"

The two of them went back and forth, shouting at each other.

They even sank into foul language, hurling crude insults.

"Hey, you two..."

Just as they were bristling, ready to roll up their sleeves and throw down—

Mog rolled his eyes. "Can't you see people are trying to eat here?!"

"Who's appetite are you trying to ruin with that kind of talk?!!"

"Tch~!"

Uvogin snorted and turned his head away.

He didn't even bother looking at Phinks anymore, leaving him with a blatant sneer.

He'd just eaten the big meat Mog gave him, so he figured he owed him that much face.

Uvogin wasn't the type to wolf down the food and then curse the cook.

"Huh?!!"

Phinks, on the other hand, finally shifted his gaze from Uvogin to Mog.

"Did you give this food to Uvogin and the others?!"

Gotta hand it to Enhancement Types—their instincts were always sharp.

He could tell at a glance who was the main source of the food.

Well, mostly because Uvogin and Machi were usually dead broke.

Just barely filling their stomachs was a stroke of luck, let alone eating this well.

Even now, Phinks couldn't help swallowing his saliva.

"That's right. What about it?"

"It's you, huh? Then that makes things easy~~~"

Phinks' mouth twitched, and then...

"In that case~~~"

His face twisted into that same expression he'd worn earlier in front of Chrollo—trying to look as friendly as possible, but ending up grotesquely fierce instead:

"Do you have any more food?!"

"I do. What, you want some?"

Seeing Phinks' amusing reaction, Mog's lips slowly curled upward.

'No shit, I'm asking, who wouldn't want some?!'

Phinks grumbled inwardly, his throat bobbing, while forcing his face into something he hoped looked "friendlier."

But before he could speak, Mog said:

"If you want to eat it~~~"

He finished the last bite of potato-braised pork rice in his bowl, wiped his mouth, and grinned: "You can beg me, or ask me nicely."

Phinks: "???"

Feitan turned his head too, squinting at Mog.

Uvogin, overhearing this, couldn't help but grin wide.

"Phinks, you bastard, look at you now!!"

He watched Phinks freeze there, feeling a surge of schadenfreude.

Chapter 021: How Did It Come to This, Begging for a Bite to Eat?!!

From Uvogin's perspective, Mog's demand was pretty outrageous.

Just like when he himself had been curious about Mog's power and got angry when Mog told him to beg.

Making them bow their heads to someone openly—that was harder than killing them.

Although to Uvogin, this was just Mog's simple way of thinking, without any other meaning.

To Phinks, however, it might have been a blatant mockery and humiliation.

"So in the end, we'll just have to settle it with our fists~!!"

Uvogin had already clenched his fists, ready to start a fight.

But at the same time, he was starting to understand.

That thing Mog had said earlier, about making him beg—maybe that was just Mog's unique way of doing things.

Or was it... some kind of strange requirement?

Uvogin's not-so-dull brain began to churn.

But the next moment, it was his turn to freeze in place.

"Just a request?"

Phinks snapped back to reality and asked again.

After getting a definite answer from Mog~~~

"I see... I understand."

He nodded seriously, then:

"Please, give us the same thing you gave Uvogin—that filling, delicious, and fragrant food!"

Phinks very decisively began his plea.

Uvogin: "??????"

Bro, seriously~

He told you to ask, and you actually asked?!

Where's your pride?!

Where's that arrogant look you had when you were yelling about fighting me?!!

How did you turn into this just for a bite to eat?!!

Uvogin couldn't wrap his head around it, but a cold sneer formed in Phinks' heart.

"You're full, so you don't feel hungry, and you think it's no big deal—you're just talking without knowing the pain..."

Phinks only glanced at the stunned Uvogin and could already guess what that bastard was thinking.

You're stuffed to the brim, but we're still starving.

You're the one who's full and doesn't know what hunger means.

You just ate not long ago, and now you're acting all high and mighty.

"Besides, he only asked us to make a request—it's not like it's something outrageous. What's the big deal?!"

Phinks felt no shame at all; instead, he felt perfectly justified and at ease.

He even thought Mog's request was nothing at all.

Because back when he was a kid, for a bite to eat, Phinks had faced and endured things far worse than this.

Remember, this was Meteor City—not some playground where they could just mess around like kids.

People really died there.

And everyone was fighting for survival supplies, especially the most important thing: food.

If just making a request could fill their stomachs, then at least eight or nine out of ten people in Meteor City would be willing to do it~!!

"Besides, aren't you guys also following this guy around to get food?"

Phinks' gaze toward Uvogin gradually turned contemptuous:

"You're clearly freeloading off him too, and you still want to laugh at me?"

"Don't make me laugh~!!"

Stop trying to make me laugh!!

"Hey, what's with that look?!!"

This time, it was Uvogin who got angry, roaring furiously.

But Phinks ignored him completely—right now, food was the top priority!!

Feitan, standing nearby, remained silent. Although this kind of begging behavior made him slightly uncomfortable, he had always been on the same side as Phinks, so he chose to respect his companion's decision.

Of course, the main reason was that the food smelled too good.

Especially when he saw Machi carefully scraping every last grain of rice from inside the black coconut fruit and putting it into her mouth.

His throat bobbed even more intensely.

"No problem. Since you've made a request, I'll fulfill it."