At the fork at the foot of the mountain, sunlight slanted through the trees from the direction of the Forest Sea, casting dappled patches across the two gravel roads. Four people stood at the crossroads, their shadows stretching long behind them.
Kurapika clenched his fists, his gaze steady. "I'm going straight to Yorknew City. The Phantom Troupe is bound to show up there. I have to avenge my people."
Leorio scratched his head, his sunglasses pushed up onto his forehead. Reluctance crept into his voice. "I've got to go back to school. I said I'd become a doctor, and I can't put it off any longer. Once I get my medical license, come to me whenever you're sick or hurt!"
Gon's eyes shone as he looked at Killua. "Kurapika, Leorio, see you again someday! I'm going adventuring with Killua!"
Kurapika smiled and nodded. "Yeah. Until we meet again. Take care, Gon, Killua."
Leorio reached out and patted both boys on the shoulders. "Don't do anything too reckless, you two! If you get into trouble, remember to use your Hunter Licenses to contact us!"
Killua grinned. "We know, we know. Same goes for you. Kurapika, don't get yourself killed chasing revenge; Leorio, don't study so hard you turn into a bookworm!"
The four waved goodbye. Kurapika and Leorio turned and set off in different directions. Kurapika walked at an even pace without looking back once. On the gravel road to the airship station, Leorio muttered about the price of medical textbooks as he went. Their figures gradually vanished among the trees.
Only Gon and Killua remained. Wind blew in from the Forest Sea, carrying Mike's distinctive musky scent.
With his hands in his pockets, Killua kicked a pebble beside the road. It rolled into a gap in the gravel, bounced once, and stopped. I finally got out. No more being locked in that cold room. No more taking orders from Dad and my brothers. Being free feels great. He glanced at Gon and asked casually, "Hey, Gon, where are we going next?"
Gon stopped to think. "I don't know. But as long as I'm with you, Killua, I don't care where we go!"
Killua's heart gave a jolt, and he turned his face away. He's always so direct. But that's not so bad. Killua didn't want to return to the Zoldyck family or be an assassin anymore. He only wanted to live freely with Gon. Then he frowned. That's weird. Why did thinking about my family just now make me afraid for no reason? It's like something's controlling my thoughts. He shook his head. Forget it. I'm not thinking about that. His smile returned. "Speaking of which, Gon, how strong do you think we are right now?"
Gon lowered his head and thought for a moment. "Hmm... Compared to Hisoka, we're nowhere close. During the Hunter Exam, I couldn't even touch him."
"And it's not just Hisoka. Hanzo, Illumi—even the people in my family. We can't beat any of them. We're too weak. We have to get stronger, fast."
They walked slowly down the mountain road. Gon spotted a large tree and sat on one of its roots, then took a canteen from his backpack and drank. The same thought kept running through his mind: I'm so glad I got Killua out of his house. I want us to be friends forever. We'll go on adventures together and find Dad together. He looked at Killua. "How do we get stronger?"
Killua leaned against the tree, tapping his knee with his fingers. "We need somewhere we can fight, train, and earn money for the road. If we keep wandering around aimlessly, we'll run out of cash in no time."
Gon's eyes lit up. "Is there a place like that?"
"Of course! When I was six, my dad dumped me at a place called Heaven's Arena. It has 251 floors, and the higher you go, the stronger your opponents get. You even win prize money! We can train and make money at the same time. It's perfect!" Killua grinned confidently.
Gon sprang to his feet. "Awesome! Let's go to Heaven's Arena! I'm going to get really, really strong, beat Hisoka, and find my dad!"
Beat Hisoka and find his dad. He always knows exactly what he wants. But Killua wanted to get stronger too. He wanted to protect his friend. He stood and brushed the dust from his clothes. "All right! It's settled! We're leaving for Heaven's Arena right now!"
Gon nodded hard, beaming. "Yeah! Let's go!"
They walked down the mountain side by side. Sunlight stretched their shadows long, and gravel crunched beneath their feet. A breeze blew in from the Forest Sea, carrying the scent of earth and pine resin. Beside the Trial Gate, Mike lay watching. All three of his tails swept the ground at once as the two shrinking figures disappeared at the end of the gravel road to the airship station.
In the dining room, most of the steam from the hot pot had already faded.
Saitama sat at the head of the long table. He leisurely fished the last slice of marbled wagyu out of the copper pot and popped it into his mouth.
The broth had boiled completely dry, leaving a ring of dark brown sauce around the pot's rim. Even the bottom of the sesame sauce bowl had dried to a sticky crust, with only its rich aroma lingering.
As he chewed the tender, juicy meat, he glanced out the window. The Forest Sea training ground, so noisy a little while ago, had gone strangely quiet. At some point, the repeated sounds of the gate opening and the shouts of training had ceased altogether.
"Lord Saitama, Master Killua and Gon have already left the main residence," Wutong reported with a respectful bow.
Saitama froze with his chopsticks poised over the food. He set them on the table, looking baffled.
They left?
He looked down at the leftovers spread across the table: nearly half a plate of beautifully marbled wagyu, half a plate of rich black pork belly, and a dish of sweet snow crab legs still in their packaging. He stared.
We haven't even finished the hot pot. How could they just sneak off?
After two seconds of silence, Saitama looked up at Wutong and asked with complete seriousness, "Can I take the leftovers with me?"
Wutong dipped his head without hesitation. "Of course. I'll prepare a food box for you at once."
A moment later, the butler returned with an elegant, square, tiered food box, every compartment neatly packed. Fresh wagyu filled the top tier, whole snow crab legs occupied the middle, and an assortment of vegetables sat in the bottom. Nothing was out of place.
Saitama nodded and carefully tucked the last small dish of sesame sauce into the plastic bag he carried.
He had taken only two steps toward the door when he stopped and turned back to Wutong. "Is there any extra barbecue dipping sauce at the condiment station?"
Wutong immediately went to the cabinet beneath the condiment station and took out two unopened little bottles of special dipping sauce, one spicy and one salted. He wrapped them carefully in silk and placed them in the plastic bag. "These are from Master Milluki's private collection," he explained softly. "The labels even bear Kukuroo Mountain's distinctive dragon crest."
Saitama took the bag, secured the heavy food box against his chest, and left the dining room.
When he reached the side door, he saw Mike, the Zoldyck family's enormous dog, sprawled lazily on the ground.
At the sight of Saitama, all three of Mike's tails began sweeping the ground wildly, kicking up fine dust.
Saitama took out the bottle of spicy dipping sauce, unscrewed the cap, and squeezed a tiny bit beside Mike's mouth.
Mike licked it up in a flash and let out a loud, satisfied grunt. His tails wagged even faster, almost blurring.
"Hey, that's hot pot dipping sauce, not a snack." Saitama patted his head helplessly. "Next time I come, I'll bring you some corn."
Mike nudged the back of his hand affectionately with his nose, then bent to lick the sauce around his mouth, looking blissful.
Saitama put the spicy sauce back in the plastic bag, held the food box snug against his chest, and headed straight down the mountain.
By the time he reached the Trial Gate, the gravel road at the foot of the mountain was deserted. Not a soul was in sight. Only several sets of fresh footprints stretched toward the airship station.
He shifted the plastic bag to his other hand and mentally worked out the timing.
Gon and the others probably boarded the airship not long ago.
At his speed, he could easily catch all four of them at the next airship transfer station if he ran flat out.
But one look at the food box he was protecting so carefully was enough to make him abandon the idea of chasing them.
It was packed with wagyu, black pork belly, and delicious snow crab legs, plus two bottles of special dipping sauce that hadn't been easy to get.
If I run too fast, the sauce will spill, the box will fall apart, and the crab legs might even tumble out of their compartment. What a waste that would be!
Forget it. I'm not chasing them.
They were headed to Heaven's Arena next anyway. He would run into them again sooner or later. There was no reason to ruin a whole box of good food.
Saitama hugged the food box tighter and ambled down the mountain, his mind entirely on the hot pot meal he was taking with him.
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