Majority Rules Path

In the ground-floor hall, Saitama leaned back in his chair and finished the last bite of pork.

He set the bone on the armrest and looked up at the timer. Only twenty minutes had passed. He had seen this episode. They would spend three days in there.

He got up and walked around the hall twice. The hall was empty, with only the examiner and him inside. The examiner pretended to read the registration sheet, but kept watching him from the corner of his eye. Saitama walked over to the hole in the wall and looked outside. The three human-shaped craters were still on the ground, with pebbles along their edges rolling in the wind. He returned to his chair and sat down.

He started counting the cracks in the ceiling. One on the left, one on the right, and one branching down the middle.

He fell asleep.

In the passageway, Kurapika was the first to land. Leorio stumbled down behind him and nearly crashed into his back. Gon followed close behind, bracing himself on one hand as he landed smoothly. The stone slab above them could no longer be turned back.

"Where's Killua?" Gon looked around.

A hidden door ahead flipped open, and Killua stepped out with his hands in his pockets. "Here."

All four were present. Five wristbands sat in the center of the room, each bearing a ○ button and a × button. The wall broadcast suddenly came on, carrying Lippo's voice. "Please put on the timer wristbands. From this moment onward, all decisions must be made by voting with the ○ and × buttons on your wristbands, following the rule that the minority obeys the majority. The five of you will proceed together. No one may be left behind."

The four of them each picked up a wristband and put it on. Leorio fiddled with his for a while before finally fastening it, then looked around. "Five people?"

A noise suddenly came from the ceiling, and another stone slab flipped open. A figure fell through and hit the floor.

Tonpa.

Tonpa climbed to his feet, dusted himself off, and plastered on a smile. "Oh my, what a coincidence. We meet again."

A vein bulged on Leorio's forehead. "Why are you here again?!"

"Fate, my friend. Fate."

Killua looked coldly at Tonpa. "Don't even think about pulling anything this time."

"How could I? We're all taking the exam together. We should help each other."

The static from the broadcast woke Saitama up. He rubbed his eyes and checked the timer. Only forty minutes had passed. He stood up and walked around twice, then went over to the examiner and looked down at the registration sheet on his desk. The examiner covered it with his hand and coughed. Saitama went back to his chair and sat down.

He began counting the floor tiles. One, two, three. He counted from the wall to the door, then counted back. Forty-eight tiles. One in the middle had been split in half by a crack. Did that count as one tile or two? He thought about it. One and a half.

He fell asleep again.

The five walked down the passageway for about ten minutes. A tightly shut iron door appeared before them. The screens on their wristbands lit up at the same time: Open this door? ○ Yes × No. The five would vote, with the minority obeying the majority.

Gon was the first to press ○. "Of course we open it."

Killua pressed ○. "Duh."

Kurapika pressed ○. Leorio pressed ○.

Tonpa smiled as he pressed ×.

The screen ahead displayed the result: four to one. The door opened.

Killua did not look at the door. He turned his head and looked at Tonpa. His voice was utterly flat, as if stating a fact. "Try anything again and I'll kill you."

Tonpa's smile froze for a fraction of a second. Then he raised both hands, his tone still innocent. "How could I? I just thought there might be traps behind a door like this. I was only being cautious."

Saitama was awakened by his own snoring. He opened his eyes and saw that an hour had passed on the timer. He stood up and stretched, went to the hole in the wall to stick his head out and check the sky, then returned to his chair. It was still early. He changed position and went back to sleep.

The examiner secretly added another note to the registration sheet: This examinee has already slept twice. Sleep quality excellent.

The five continued onward. A fork soon appeared, with paths to the left and right. Their wristband screens lit up at once: Choose a direction. Left? Right? The five will vote.

Gon lowered his head and pressed his wristband. "Instinct." He chose the right. Leorio followed Gon and chose the right as well.

Killua chose the left. Kurapika chose the left too.

Tonpa looked from one side to the other and smiled as he pressed his wristband.

The screen ahead showed the result: three to two. The door on the left opened.

Kurapika looked at the open door on the left, his voice calm. "Most people instinctively choose the right, so the trap may be on the right. The left is safer. But—" He glanced at Tonpa. "Mr. Tonpa probably did not choose the left for safety reasons."

Tonpa kept smiling and did not answer.

Killua gave Tonpa a cold look. Tonpa returned an innocent smile. Leorio had not caught on yet, but the air had already turned cold.

The timer showed that two hours had passed. Saitama could no longer sleep. He got up and walked around twice, then went to the hole in the wall and bent down to crawl outside. He circled the base of the tower once but found nothing interesting. He crawled back through the hole and returned to his chair. Then he suddenly remembered the pack of compressed biscuits in his pocket. He tore it open and took a bite. Too dry. He went over to the examiner's desk again.

"Got any water?"

The examiner took out a bottle of water from a drawer. Saitama looked at the label.

"Free?"

The examiner nodded.

Saitama took the water and biscuits back to his chair. Taking a bite of biscuit and a sip of water at a time, he slowly finished them. He folded the wrapper and put it in his pocket, then stood up and went to the examiner's desk again. The examiner looked up once more.

"Where's the bathroom?"

The examiner pointed him in the right direction, then lowered his head and added another line to the registration sheet: This examinee has eaten and drunk water. Currently attending to personal matters. Mental state excellent. Shows a marked preference for free items.

The five continued on. After passing the fork, they went through another two checkpoints before another voting door appeared ahead. This time, no one stood with the minority. The vote passed unanimously. Leorio gave Tonpa a surprised look, but Tonpa merely continued smiling.

The light at the end of the passageway grew brighter and brighter.

The five entered a broad circular room. A fighting ring stood in the center, surrounded by rusted iron railings. Several figures could be vaguely seen in the shadows opposite them, their handcuffs making faint metallic clinks in the darkness.

The broadcast came on, carrying Lippo's voice. "All examinees who have passed the Majority Rules Path have reached the next checkpoint—the Prisoner Arena."

Gon clenched his fists. Killua kept his hands in his pockets, his gaze sweeping over the shadows opposite them. Kurapika straightened his posture. Leorio swallowed.

Tonpa stood at the very edge of the group, still wearing that same smile.

Lippo continued in an official, businesslike tone, as though reading a notice. "One-on-one relay matches. If the examinees' side wins three matches first, all of you may pass the Trick Tower trial. There is no time limit for each battle. It continues until one side admits defeat. Now, please decide who will fight in the first match."

The sound of handcuffs clinking in the shadows stopped.

In the tower's surveillance room, Lippo held a cup of coffee and pulled up Saitama's notes to read again—from jumping off the top of the tower three times, smashing through the outer wall, eating pork, sleeping, asking for food, asking for water, and using the bathroom. He added another note to Saitama's file: This examinee has a clear preference for free food. Extremely patient. Continued observation recommended.

He casually switched to the main group's surveillance feed. On the screen, Leorio stood with his hands on his hips, arguing with Tonpa until his face turned red. Gon was beside him, tugging at his arm. Kurapika held his forehead and sighed. Killua leaned against the wall, staring coldly at Tonpa's back.

Lippo switched back to Saitama's feed. The bald man was facing the back of his chair, sleeping so deeply that drool was nearly dripping out.

Lippo's mouth twitched.

In the ground-floor hall, Saitama changed position and continued sleeping with his face toward the chair back. Numbers ticked away on the timer above his head. There was still a long time until the seventy-two-hour deadline.