The candy, infused with Nen Qi, lay quietly in the little girl's hand...
She had a sweet smile. Anyone normal would have found it hard to refuse her.
But Gotoh wasn't normal. He had returned just in time, faithful to his duty, and taken the "bullet" for Roy.
"Your big brother has a toothache, so he can't eat candy. Thank you, sweetheart."
"Really?" The little girl tilted her head and looked at Roy. He smiled and nodded at her.
The girl's mother was a gentle woman. At that moment, she tugged lightly at the girl's hand and said, "Ena, don't bother the big brother."
She gave Roy and Gotoh an apologetic smile...
Roy and Gotoh exchanged a glance and breathed a sigh of relief. But...
Before they could even let that breath out, their nerves were on edge again, and they couldn't relax.
Just then,
the clownish employee came over...
He was surrounded by a group of children, handing out candy as he walked. Anyone who didn't know better might have thought he was taking revenge on the shop for paying him too little. He gave a piece to every traveler seated along the way, and soon he had reached Roy and Gotoh.
"Candy... chocolate flavor... delicious... have a piece..." A deathly pale hand reached out...
The clown wore a comical red nose and watched Roy with a broad smile. His vivid, glaring red lips curled up until they nearly reached his ears.
Roy looked up and met his eyes. The clown's smile was even sweeter than the little girl's... His gaze passed over the clown's shoulder and landed on the tall figures standing guard by the hall's entrance.
Roy couldn't figure out what the Hunter Association was thinking. Why hadn't they made a move yet?
Had they failed to