A Temporary Parting x Separate Journeys

At the fork at the foot of the mountain, sunlight slanted through from the Forest Sea, casting mottled patches of light between the two gravel paths. The four of them stood at the crossroads, their shadows stretched long.

Kurapika's gaze was resolute as he clenched his fist. "I'm going straight to Yorknew City. The Phantom Troupe will definitely appear there. I have to avenge my clan."

Leorio scratched his head, his sunglasses pushed up onto his forehead, his tone carrying a hint of reluctance. "I need to go back to studying. I said before that I wanted to become a doctor, so I can't put it off any longer. Once I get my medical license, come find me whenever you're sick or injured!"

Gon's eyes sparkled as he looked at Killua. "Kurapika, Leorio, see you later! Killua and I are going on an adventure together!"

Kurapika smiled and nodded. "Yeah, until we meet again. Gon, Killua, take care."

Leorio reached out and patted them both on the shoulders. "Kids, don't go too crazy out there! If you run into danger, remember to use your Hunter Licenses to contact us!"

Killua's lips curled into an easy smile. "Got it, got it. Same goes for you two. Kurapika, don't push yourself too hard when you're getting revenge. Leorio, don't turn into some bookworm!"

The four waved goodbye to one another. Kurapika and Leorio turned and headed off in different directions. Kurapika's footsteps were neither hurried nor slow, and he never looked back. Leorio walked along the gravel road leading to the airship station, muttering about the price of medical textbooks as he went. Their figures gradually disappeared into the woods.

Only Gon and Killua remained where they were. A breeze blew in from the Forest Sea, carrying Mike's distinctive wild, bloody scent.

With both hands in his pockets, Killua kicked at a small stone by the roadside. It rolled into a gap in the gravel, bounced once, and stopped. He had finally escaped—no more being locked in that cold room, no more listening to his father and brother's orders. This feeling of freedom was great. He looked at Gon and spoke casually. "Hey, Gon, where are we going next?"

Gon stopped and thought seriously for a moment. "I don't know either. But as long as I'm with Killua, anywhere is fine!"

Killua's heart trembled, and he turned his face away. This guy was always so direct. Still, that wasn't bad. He didn't want to return to the Zoldyck family. He didn't want to be an assassin anymore. He only wanted to live freely with Gon. Suddenly, he frowned. Strange. Why had he felt afraid for no reason when he thought about the Zoldyck family just now? It was like something was controlling his thoughts. He shook his head. Forget it. He didn't want to think about this anymore. His smile returned. "Come to think of it, Gon, how strong do you think we are right now?"

Gon lowered his head and thought. "Hmm... compared to Hisoka, we're nowhere close. During the Hunter Exam, I couldn't even touch one of his fingers."

"Not just Hisoka. Hanzo, Illumi—and the people in my family. We can't beat any of them. We're too weak. We need to get stronger as soon as possible."

The two slowly walked along the mountain road. Gon spotted a large tree by the roadside, sat down on one of its roots, and took a drink from his canteen. He kept thinking about the same thing: he was truly so happy that he had managed to bring Killua out of his home. He had to become Killua's friend forever. They would adventure together and find his dad together. He looked at Killua. "Killua, how do you think we can get stronger?"

Killua leaned against the tree, tapping his fingers against his knee. "We need to find a place where we can fight, train, and earn travel money. If we keep wandering around without a goal, we'll run out of cash soon."

Gon's eyes lit up. "Is there a place like that?"

"Of course! When I was six, my dad threw me into a place called Heaven's Arena. It has two hundred and fifty-one floors. The higher you go, the stronger the opponents get, and you can win prize money too. You can train and make money at the same time. It's perfect!" Killua grinned confidently.

Gon jumped up excitedly. "That's awesome! Let's go to Heaven's Arena! I'm going to get really, really strong, then beat Hisoka and find my dad!"

Beat Hisoka and find his dad—this guy's goals were always so clear. Still, Killua wanted to get stronger too. He wanted to protect this friend. He stood up and brushed the dust off himself. "All right! It's settled, then! Let's head for Heaven's Arena right now!"

Gon nodded hard, his smile radiant. "Yeah! Let's go!"

The two headed down the mountain side by side. Sunlight stretched their shadows long, and the gravel crunched beneath their feet. The mountain wind blew from the Forest Sea, carrying the scent of earth and pine resin. Mike lay beside the Trial Gate, all three tails sweeping the ground at once as it watched the two shrinking figures disappear at the end of the gravel road leading to the airship station.

In the banquet room, the steam from the hot pot had long since mostly dissipated.

Saitama sat at the head of the long table, leisurely fishing out the last slice of marbled wagyu from the copper pot and stuffing it into his mouth.

The broth in the pot had completely boiled dry, and a ring of dark brown sauce stains clung to its rim. Even the bottom of the sesame sauce bowl had dried out, leaving behind only a rich sauce fragrance.

As he chewed the tender, fatty slice of meat, he casually glanced out the window. The Forest Sea training grounds, which had been bustling just moments ago, were now strangely quiet. The constant sounds of doors opening and closing and training shouts had vanished at some point.

"Lord Saitama, Young Master Killua and Gon have already left the main estate ahead of you." The butler Wutong stepped forward with a bow and reported respectfully.

Saitama's chopsticks abruptly froze. He casually set them down on the table, looking somewhat baffled.

They left?

He looked down at the leftovers spread across the table: half a plate of beautifully marbled wagyu, half a plate of richly fatty black pork belly, and a dish of sweet, fresh snow crab legs whose packaging had not even been opened. He was completely stunned.

The hot pot wasn't even finished. How had they just quietly left?

After two seconds of silence, Saitama looked up at Wutong and spoke with absolute seriousness. "Can I pack up the remaining food and take it with me?"

Wutong gave a slight bow without the slightest hesitation. "Of course. I'll prepare a food box for you immediately."

Before long, the butler brought over a refined, square, multi-tiered food box. Every compartment was arranged neatly. Tender wagyu covered the top layer, whole snow crab legs filled the middle layer, and a prepared assortment of vegetables sat at the bottom. There was not the slightest bit of disorder.

Saitama nodded and carefully stuffed the last small dish of sesame sauce from the table into the plastic bag he carried with him.

After taking just two steps toward the door, he suddenly stopped and turned to Wutong. "Are there any extra barbecue dipping sauces at the condiment station?"

Wutong immediately turned around and took out two unopened bottles of special dipping sauce from a cabinet at the condiment station, one spicy and one salted. He carefully wrapped them in silk cloth and placed them in the plastic bag. "These are Young Master Milluki's private collection. The bottle labels even bear Kukuroo Mountain's exclusive dragon-pattern crest."

Saitama took the plastic bag, tucked the heavy food box securely into his arms, and walked out of the banquet room.

As soon as he reached the side entrance, he saw the Zoldyck family's giant dog, Mike, sprawled lazily on the ground.

The moment it saw Saitama emerge, all three of its tails began wildly sweeping the ground at once, kicking up a cloud of fine dust.

Saitama casually pulled out the bottle of spicy dipping sauce, unscrewed the cap, and squeezed a tiny bit near its mouth.

Mike quickly licked it up, immediately letting out a loud, satisfied grunt. Its tails wagged even harder, as if they were about to blur into afterimages.

"Hey, this is hot pot dipping sauce, not a snack." Saitama helplessly patted its head and casually promised, "Next time I come over, I'll bring you corn specially."

Mike affectionately nudged the back of his hand with its nose, then lowered its head and kept licking the sauce around its mouth, looking utterly blissful.

Saitama put the spicy dipping sauce back into the plastic bag, held the food box tightly against his chest, and headed straight down the mountain.

When he reached the Trial Gate, the gravel road at the foot of the mountain was completely empty. There was not a single person in sight, only several rows of fresh footprints stretching all the way toward the airship station.

He switched the plastic bag to his other hand and silently calculated the time difference.

Gon and the others had probably only boarded the airship a short while ago.

At his speed, if he ran at full force, he could easily catch all four of them at the next airship transfer station.

But when he looked down at the food box he was protecting so fiercely in his arms, Saitama dismissed the thought of chasing after them without a second thought.

It was filled with wagyu, black pork belly, and delicious snow crab legs, plus the two bottles of special dipping sauce he had worked so hard to get.

If he ran too fast, the dipping sauce would definitely spill, the food box might fall apart, and the snow crab legs might even tumble out of their compartments. That would be such a waste!

Forget it. He wasn't chasing them.

They were heading to Heaven's Arena next anyway. They would run into each other again sooner or later. There was no need to ruin a whole box of delicious food over it.

Saitama held the food box close and slowly made his way down the mountain, his mind filled entirely with the hot pot leftovers in his hands.