Arrival

The wind tore past their ears.

It curled into a piercing whistle.

The forests and mountains beneath them became streaks of color racing backward.

Luo Ye, Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio rode three enormous Kiriko, speeding toward Saba City.

It was a novel experience.

"Whoa! So fast!"

Gon shouted excitedly, spreading his arms to embrace the sky.

"Hey! You've got pretty good service! You even fly us there!"

Leorio had recovered his composure, too, and began chatting loudly with the Kiriko beneath him.

"But this wind's messing up my hair!"

"Shut up, will you?"

Luo Ye's lazy voice drifted over from behind him.

He lay buried in the Kiriko's soft back fur, with only his eyes showing.

"You're lucky you even get a ride. Quit being so picky."

"Careful, or it'll get annoyed and drop you out of the sky."

Leorio hunched his shoulders and didn't dare say another word.

Kurapika hadn't spoken at all.

He watched the scenery flash past below, his golden hair whipping in the wind, his expression grave.

The real test hadn't started yet.

"Listen, you lot."

The lead Kiriko suddenly spoke, its voice rumbling dully from its chest.

"Don't get excited just yet."

"We're only taking you to the entrance. This doesn't even count as an appetizer."

"The real Hunter Exam starts the moment you step into the venue."

"The monsters in there are far scarier than us brothers."

Its words doused Leorio's excitement like a bucket of cold water.

Luo Ye, however, nodded in agreement.

Exactly.

Compared to those freaks inside, these foxes were really just guides in the starting zone.

Before long, the city's outline appeared on the horizon.

Towering buildings, crowded streets, and neon lights glittering in the night.

They had reached Saba City.

To avoid causing trouble, the Kiriko didn't fly straight into the city, landing instead on the roof of an abandoned factory on the outskirts.

"All right, our job's done."

The lead Kiriko shook itself, prompting them to climb down.

"You'll have to walk the rest of the way."

"Keep going straight from here. You're there when you see the steakhouse."

"A steakhouse?"

Leorio froze.

"You're kidding, right? The Hunter Exam venue is inside a steakhouse?"

"Who knows?"

There was a teasing note in the Kiriko's voice.

"Maybe the examiners got hungry and wanted to dine and dash?"

It added another remark.

"Oh, and once you're inside, don't be stupid and ask outright."

"Tell the head chef you'd like to order the 'slow-roasted steak set.'"

"That's the password to get through."

With that, the three Kiriko exchanged glances and returned to their original size.

They waved their paws at the four of them in farewell.

A few leaps later, they vanished into the night.

"What's with all the mysterious nonsense?"

Leorio was still muttering as he stared in the direction they'd disappeared.

"Let's go."

Kurapika was the first to start walking.

"If this is what the examiners arranged, we should follow their instructions."

The four passed through a few alleys and soon found the steakhouse.

It was a small, tastefully decorated place, with a picture of a delicious-looking cow on the sign out front.

Through the windows, they could see that it was packed with customers. Business was booming.

No matter how they looked at it, it seemed like an ordinary restaurant.

"I'm hungry."

Gon rubbed his stomach, his eyes shining as he studied the menu.

"So am I."

Luo Ye yawned, pushed the door open, and walked inside.

"Perfect. Let's fill our stomachs first."

He knew exactly what was going on.

This place was just a front.

But they had to play their parts to the end.

A large man in a chef's uniform approached them.

"What would you like to eat?"

His gaze swept over the four of them, sizing them up.

"We'd like a slow-roasted steak set."

Kurapika stepped forward and spoke calmly.

The head chef's expression didn't change.

He nodded.

"Certainly. Four of you, correct?"

"Please follow me. There's still room in the private dining area."

He led them through the bustling dining room and into a quiet corridor.

At the end of the corridor stood a wooden door.

The head chef pushed it open and gestured for them to enter.

Behind the door was no private dining room.

It was a spacious room lined with metal.

The room was an elevator that would take them down.

"Your set meals are downstairs."

The head chef smiled at them, showing a mouthful of white teeth.

He pressed the elevator button.

The elevator doors slid open silently.

The four stepped inside.

The metal doors closed, shutting out the light and sounds of the outside world.

The elevator began to descend.

It moved fast.

Another wave of weightlessness washed over them.

"Tch."

Luo Ye leaned against the elevator's cold wall, anticipation in his eyes.

The real show was finally about to begin.