Departure Begins

The next morning, sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling hotel windows into the room. Ryan had already washed up and changed into light travel clothes, sitting on the sofa as he organized the paper maps and documents spread across the table while using his Hunter License to adjust the terminal's travel reminders.

Before long, there was a knock at the door.

"Coming." Ryan got up and opened it. Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio were standing outside, right on time.

"Morning, Ryan!" Gon greeted him with a bright smile, carrying a bag of breakfast he had just bought from the convenience store downstairs.

"Morning." Kurapika gave a slight nod.

"What were you doing yesterday? We asked the front desk, and they said you weren't here." Leorio crossed his arms and frowned, putting on the air of an older brother.

"Preparing our trip." Ryan let the three of them in and pointed at the neatly arranged stack of printed documents and electronic terminals on the table. "I compiled all the flights—airships—ground routes, backup transportation, accommodations along the way, and information on Mount Kukuroo from this city to the Padokea Republic. I also marked the key locations on the map. You can take a look first."

Leorio's eye twitched. "Did you even sign us up for a tour group?"

"That was just on the side—just on the side. The Hunter License lets us change our itinerary anytime, so booking tickets early was just safer," Ryan said.

Kurapika flipped through several pages of information, his tone unexpectedly sincere. "You prepared very thoroughly. More... professionally than I expected."

Gon simply picked up the document labeled "Recommended Route to Mount Kukuroo," his eyes sparkling. "That's amazing, Ryan! You even booked the tickets for us!"

"That's right." Ryan opened the airship booking terminal, which displayed four reserved tickets. "The