Behind-the-Scenes Interview

The rest area sat on a forest platform halfway up the mountain. Cabins were scattered about, and the cooking smoke had yet to disperse. Some examinees had just finished eating; some lay sprawled over crude wooden tables, dozing, while others stood alone at the platform's edge, silently gazing into the distance.

The sun had only just risen, and the air carried the mingled scent of pine bark and cooking fires, like a brief respite after battle.

"Examinee Number 199, please come with me."

Ryan had just set his leftover eggshells in his bowl when a staff member in a blue-gray uniform appeared beside him. His voice was steady and devoid of extra emotion.

"Where to?"

"The interview room."

He did not ask who had arranged it, nor whether other examinees had been called away as well. He merely nodded and rose to his feet.

He followed the wooden steps from the platform deeper into the mountain, passing several patches of low shrubs and wetland grass before reaching a cabin concealed by branches. Its exterior was plain, like an old hunting outpost left behind by a hunter. There was not even a flag outside.

When the door opened, there was no wait.

There was only one person inside, one table, and two chairs. The room had no windows. A single beam of slanting light shone through a gap in the ceiling, dividing the entire room in two.

The seated man appeared to be around fifty. He wore a dark green shirt with his sleeves rolled up, his hands folded atop the table. He looked like some middle-ranking administrator whose exact position was unknown.

"Please, sit." His voice was hoarse and carried a slight southern accent.

Ryan sat down, placing his hands on his knees.

"My surname is Noda. I'm an external observation recorder for this Hunter Exam." The other man introduced himself with an unhurried smile. "There are no examiners this round, only interviews. This is not an interrogation or an assessment. You only need to answer truthfully."

Ryan looked at him calmly.

"Why me?"

"Every round, we select a few passers who seem 'not easy to categorize.'" Noda smiled. "Your evaluation reads: 'Unhurried, behavioral patterns not fully classified, data indicates rational tendencies.'"

Ryan did not respond.

"Don't be nervous. This is not a trap. The Association simply wants to know—what kind of Hunter do you want to become?"

"Aren't you evaluating ability?"

"Ability is easy to assess." Noda opened the folder on the table, but did not look at it as he continued, "What we care more about is the person—what kind of person you are determines how you will use your license."

He paused, pulled out a sheet of paper, and read aloud, "During the second phase, you understood the essence of the word 'sushi' without showing off; during the third phase, you used the structure of the hot air to collect eggs twice and assisted another examinee."

Ryan nodded lightly. "You wrote all that down?"

"We have a responsibility toward those who may hold licenses in the future." Noda set down the paper. "Once many people obtain a license, they go to extremes. So we want to know—are you hiding certain intentions we cannot see?"

"Have you ever seen a place where you needed to register just to eat an egg?" Ryan countered.

Noda stared at him for several seconds, then laughed.

"Then answer me just one question—did you come to take the Hunter Exam because you wanted to become a Hunter, or because you simply needed a Hunter License?"

The moment those words fell, the air suddenly became very still.

Ryan did not answer immediately. He merely slowly turned to look at the beam of light falling across the table.

Five seconds passed before he said, "Do you want the truth, or a pleasant-sounding reason?"

Noda did not answer. He simply looked at him, nodded, and closed the folder in his hands.

"The interview is over. You may leave."

Ryan stood and headed for the door.

Just as his hand closed around the doorknob, Noda spoke again.

"Oh, and there's one more thing. The Chairman said it."

Ryan did not turn around. He only stopped walking.

"He said that some people spend an entire exam hiding themselves. But if someone truly wants to leave an impression, then even if all they say is, 'The eggs smell amazing,' we'll remember them."

Ryan smiled faintly without replying. He pulled open the door and walked out.

The mountain wind rushed toward him, and fallen leaves rustled softly. He stepped back into the sunlight.

By the time Ryan returned to the platform, sunlight was spilling through breaks in the clouds, adding a dry warmth to the wooden walkway.

He did not return directly to his original spot. Instead, he slowly walked along the stone platform on the other side, as though taking a stroll or waiting for his body temperature to return to normal. No one noticed that he had left, and no one asked where he had gone.

But—someone had noticed.

"That staff member took him away just now," Kurapika said evenly.

"I saw it." Leorio nodded. "Not just him. I think two other examinees were called away earlier too, but they came back quickly. Nothing seemed to happen."

"It was a routine interview," Kurapika said. "Does the Association do this during the exam every year?"

No one answered.

Leaning against a wooden post, Killua peeled a piece of dried fruit as he said, "Not strange. He isn't much of a talker, but he's pretty decisive when he acts. Like when he saved Leorio on the cliff last time—no fuss, clean movements, completely out of sight."

Leorio coughed softly and raised his eyes to glance at Ryan.

If Ryan knew Killua had noticed every little thing he did, would he be surprised?

Look at him, sitting there with his head lowered as he washed the bamboo bowl that had held the eggs. He did not look nervous in the slightest.

"He's not scared at all," Leorio said quietly. "What a strange guy."

"Or perhaps he simply doesn't want to show it," Kurapika said.

Meanwhile, behind a curtain within the Association, the examiner group was holding a meeting regarding the next phase of the exam.

"Trick Tower is almost ready." The host reported in a low voice. "The terrain layout, checkpoint positions, bounty card distribution, and the starting areas for all five groups have been arranged."

"What about the personnel groupings?"

"We expect to prioritize behavioral types." A data officer added, "We recommend referring to the stability and reaction types displayed during the first three phases, separating impulsive, strategic, physical, unknown, and hybrid types into different groups to prevent excessive overlap within any one group."

"Numbers 403, 405, 404, and 99 have been designated the 'comprehensive group'—that is, Leorio, Gon, Kurapika, and Killua." The data officer reported. "This group will undergo a partner trial arranged along the traditional storyline route to test their cooperative responses."

"What about Number 199?" someone asked.

The data team pulled out his record. "Rational behavioral tendencies, but possesses subjective self-control. No apparent inclination toward aggression. Classified as 'low-interference type.' At present, we recommend a solo group with free movement."

"Free movement?" An older examiner frowned. "He won't participate in the team trial?"

"He was inconspicuous early on, but he has intervened with others, helped Leorio, avoided Netero's probing, and did not reveal his motives during the interview." The man explained, "We are inclined to use him as a 'variable' and observe the indirect influence he has on others' behavior during the Trick Tower trial."

The meeting room fell silent for a moment, then the proposal was approved.

"Confirmed. Number 199 will form a solo group and follow a freely triggered route."

Everyone nodded.

Then, on the platform, the broadcast slowly sounded:

"The fourth phase of the exam will begin shortly. All successful examinees, please proceed to the assembly point to collect your basic supplies."

Ryan tightened his shoelaces and stood up.

It seemed that keeping a low profile or deliberately hiding himself had instead made him someone others could focus on, Ryan thought with a bitter smile.

He turned and glanced toward the main group.

The four of them were chatting animatedly.

For now, he had no intention of approaching them.