Time Travel

Saitama lay on the sofa, his eyes half-closed.

The TV was broadcasting a preview for the Dark Continent arc of Hunter x Hunter.

That was the seventh time this week.

Genos sat nearby, holding a notebook in his hand.

"Sensei, I have already mastered all six systems of Nen."

"Oh."

"Enhancement is data amplification. Transmutation is data transformation."

Saitama rolled over.

"Genos."

"Yes."

"Where did you learn all this?"

"I memorized the Hunter wiki."

"...Oh."

The trailer finished playing, the image froze, and the opening sequence of the Hunter Exam arc popped up.

Saitama opened one eye.

"A rerun again?"

"Yes. The Dark Continent arc has not been released yet."

"Didn't they say this year last time?"

"It was delayed."

Saitama said nothing.

The TV started playing the opening theme of the Hunter Exam arc. Gon was fishing, Killua was skateboarding, Kurapika was reading a book, and Leorio was running.

"Sensei, I have a question."

"Go ahead."

"Why does Yoshihiro Togashi keep going on hiatus?"

Saitama fell silent for three seconds.

"I don't know."

"I looked up the data. The official reason is back pain."

"Oh."

"But he played mahjong countless times during his weekly serialization."

Saitama did not pick up on that.

"There is a thread on the fan forum dedicated to counting his hiatus weeks. Starting from 2006. Up until now. The total number of hiatus weeks has already exceeded the serialization weeks."

"So?"

"So the back pain must be an excuse."

Saitama opened his eyes and looked at the ceiling.

"Genos."

"Yes."

"When did you start researching this?"

"Just now. The thirty seconds before you changed the channel, Sensei."

"...You looked up all that in thirty seconds."

"My processor speed is seven hundred times that of an ordinary computer."

Saitama closed his eyes again.

"There is a section on Yoshihiro Togashi's fan forum specifically used to guess the resumption date. Seventeen threads have been opened, and not a single one was guessed correctly. The record is forty-one consecutive wrong guesses."

"And then?"

"And then that person was banned by the forum. The reason was posting false information."

"Wasn't that forum asking people to guess in the first place?"

"Yes. That is why that section was closed down later."

Saitama said nothing.

"After it was closed, the fans transferred to another section and started guessing the reason for Yoshihiro Togashi's next hiatus. The highest-voted answer was 'mahjong tournament'."

"Really?"

"Fake. But a lot of people voted for it."

The opening theme on the TV finished playing. The screen cut to a ship, and Gon stood on the deck, looking out at the sea.

Saitama glanced at it.

"So what episode are they broadcasting now?"

"Episode one. The Hunter Exam arc."

"We're watching it all over again from the beginning."

"Yes."

"When on earth is the Dark Continent arc coming out?"

"The official statement says ten years."

Saitama sat up.

"Ten years. Last time they said five. The time before that, three. And the time before that, right away."

"Yes."

"In ten years, I won't even remember what this anime is about."

"According to the human memory decay curve, you will indeed forget most of the plot."

Saitama picked up the remote.

"I'm not waiting. We'll talk about it in ten years."

His finger had just touched the button when the TV screen burst with white light.

"Sensei!"

Genos's mechanical eyes instantly shifted focus.

The white light surged out like liquid.

It covered the TV, then the walls, the floor, and the ceiling.

With his thrusters fully engaged, he rushed toward the sofa.

His hand reached out toward Saitama.

The white light swallowed the entire room.

His fingers touched the corner of Saitama's clothes, a yellow, discounted T-shirt bought from the supermarket.

Pure cotton, three hundred and ninety yen.

Then his hand felt empty.

The white light vanished.

The TV returned to normal, continuing to broadcast the first episode of the Hunter Exam arc.

Genos stood in place, slowly lowering his head.

Between his fingers was a small piece of yellow fabric.

A moment later, he sat down, staring at the TV screen.

The opening theme had already finished playing.

On the screen was a rocking ship, packed with people.

At the very back of the crowd was a bald head and a yellow T-shirt.

In the lower right corner of the screen was a line of translucent text.

[Viewing Mode: Enabled]

Genos thought for a moment, stood up, walked into the kitchen, and opened the fridge.

He took out a bag of potato chips, returned to the front of the TV, sat down, and opened the package.

The ship was rocking.

The surrounding people were all different, tall, short, fat, and thin.

Some carried swords, while others wore masks.

Saitama looked down at his hands; the remote was gone.

A voice suddenly rang out in his mind, cold and detached.

[Welcome to the Hunter x Hunter world]
[Main Quest: Clear all story arcs]
[Final Stage: Dark Continent arc]
[Clear Reward: Obtain the thing you desire most + return to the original world]

After hearing it, Saitama thought for three seconds.

"Fine."

[Volume 1: Hunter Exam Arc]

[Objective: Pass the Hunter Exam and obtain a Hunter License]
[Suggestions: The Hunter License can be used for free on all public transportation]

[Suggestion: The Hunter License grants free access to all public transportation.]

Saitama's gaze shifted slightly.

"Free rides."

[Yes. Including buses, subways, trains, and ships.]

"Fine."

He accepted the quest.

A burly man nearby noticed him.

Standing well over two meters tall, the man's arms were thicker than Saitama's thighs.

His face was covered in rough flesh, and his eyes were tiny.

"Kid, are you here for the exam too?"

Saitama said nothing.

"Deaf?"

The brute reached out and pushed him, his palm pressing down on Saitama's shoulder.

It didn't budge.

The brute froze for a moment, then pushed again with all his might.

Saitama didn't move an inch.

He didn't even sway.

The brute's hand froze in midair, and sweat began to bead on his forehead.

"You fucking..."

Grit grinding his teeth, the brute used both hands and violently shoved Saitama's chest.

Still nothing.

Saitama looked at him.

"Something the matter?"

Several surrounding examinees turned their heads.

"Holy shit, what is that big guy doing?"

"Can't even push him? No way."

"Who the hell is that bald guy?"

The brute's face flushed crimson.

He withdrew his hand and took a step back.

The surrounding gazes pricked his skin like needles.

"Playing tricks..."

The brute clenched his right fist, his knuckles cracking loudly.

"I don't believe in this bullshit."

He assumed a stance and raised his fist.

It was larger than Saitama's head.

"Watch out!"

Someone nearby shouted out.

The fist came crashing down, stirring up a rush of wind.

It aimed straight for Saitama's face.

In front of the television.

Genos stared at the screen.

The potato chips in his hand hovered in midair.

He glanced down at the bag of chips. Barbecue flavor. Just opened.

Then he glanced back at the screen. The fist was about zero point three seconds away from his teacher's face.

A few thoughts flashed through his mind.

First thought: the teacher had crossed over into another dimension. The reason was that he had complained about Yoshihiro Togashi taking too many hiatuses.

Second thought: if Yoshihiro Togashi hadn't drawn the Dark Continent arc, the teacher wouldn't have crossed over. If the teacher hadn't crossed over, he should still be lying on the sofa right now instead of being punched in the face inside a cartoon.

Third thought: therefore, this matter was ultimately Yoshihiro Togashi's fault.

Genos felt this logic was very clear.

He decided that after the teacher returned, he would write a detailed report titled <Causal Analysis of How Yoshihiro Togashi's Hiatus Behavior Indirectly Led to a Dimensional Transmigration Incident>.

Appending data charts.

Appending hiatus statistics.

Appending screenshots of banned fan forum posts.

Then send it to the Hunter Association.

He wondered if they accepted mail.

He shoved a potato chip into his mouth.

Crunch.

On the screen, the fist was still smashing downward.

Genos ate another chip.

He began to think about another problem.

The teacher had been sucked into the television. A tiny piece of his T-shirt had been torn off. That T-shirt was bought from the supermarket for three hundred and ninety yen at a fifty percent discount.

If the teacher couldn't come back, this T-shirt would be a relic.

If the teacher came back, this T-shirt would be a souvenir.

Genos looked down at the yellow piece of fabric in his hand.

Pure cotton. Average quality.

He decided to put it away first.

Then he glanced at the screen again.

The fist was about zero point one seconds away from the teacher's face.

Genos picked up the remote control and pressed pause.

The image froze.

He got up, walked into the kitchen, and opened the refrigerator.

There were still three bags of chips left inside. One barbecue flavor, two original flavor.

He did the math.

For the teacher to clear all the plotlines, judging by the scope of the Hunter World, it would probably take a very long time.

Three bags might not be enough.

He took out his phone and ordered a whole box.

Then he returned to the sofa, sat down, and pressed the play button.

The fist continued to smash downward.

Genos shoved a potato chip into his mouth.

Crunch.

He suddenly thought of a question.

People in the Hunter World never bothered to ask who the other person was before trying to shove them.

Last time, the guy who pushed the teacher ended up with a fractured hand bone.

This time, the one using his fists probably wouldn't fare much better.

Very impolite.

Genos shook his head.

He ate another potato chip.