The Inescapable Problem

The gatekeeper uncle asked everyone to return to the gatehouse and wait. He then skillfully dragged a broom and a trash bin filled with cleaning tools toward the two battered skeletons. "We'd better clean up this 'trash' while it's still warm." Muttering to himself, he bent down and swept the bones into the bin, his expression numb yet helpless, as though this had long since become part of his daily routine.

The gatehouse was much larger than it had appeared from outside. It was clean and orderly, with two adjoining rooms and a small tea table in the corner. By the time the uncle returned, he had already removed his gatekeeper's coat. His hat and the string of keys hung neatly from a wooden hook behind the door, leaving him wearing only a loose undershirt. He moved the tea table over, skillfully poured each person a steaming cup of green tea, and then sat down beside it.

Gon was the first to take his tea and sit opposite the uncle. Ryan leaned against the doorframe, quietly sweeping his gaze across the entire room. Kurapika stood against the wall and deliberately—or perhaps unconsciously—glanced at the string of keys hanging there. Leorio sat backward on the chair in front of the desk, cradling his tea in both hands and taking slow sips.

The gatekeeper uncle introduced himself. "My name is Zebro. You can call me Gatekeeper Uncle, just like everyone else does."

The gatekeeper uncle took a sip of tea first, then fixed his gaze on Gon. "You're the only people who have come to see Young Master Killua as his 'friends'... I'm very happy. Truly, I'm happy for him from the bottom of my heart."

He lowered his head, his tone suddenly heavy. "As a servant of the Zoldyck Family, saying