A No-Win Question

The ship's whistle gave a long blast.

The ship had docked.

Luo Ye and the other three followed the crowd down the gangway onto the docks of Dore Port.

The salt in the sea breeze faded, replaced by the aroma of food and the smell of sweat.

And another, more pungent scent called "opportunity."

"Where do we go next?"

Leorio pushed up his sunglasses, utterly lost amid the unfamiliar streets.

"The Captain said to find the big cedar on the mountaintop."

Gon pointed toward the far end of the horizon, where a black speck was barely visible.

Even his voice seemed to shine.

"The clue to finding the exam site should be there."

Luo Ye trailed behind them, letting out an enormous yawn.

"Tch, a treasure hunt?"

He pursed his lips, but couldn't quite hide the smile at their corners.

Now this is more like it.

Just giving us the address would be way too boring.

The four of them boarded a bus and arrived at a small town at the foot of the mountain.

There were hardly any people in town, only the sound of the wind blowing through.

A path cut through the middle of town, winding crookedly up toward the summit.

A teahouse stood at the junction.

An old woman in traditional clothes sat by the entrance, her face covered in wrinkles, studying them with a long pipe in hand.

"You young fellows here for the Hunter Exam?"

The old woman spoke, her voice hoarse but every word clear.

"Yes! Granny, do you know the way?"

Gon was the first to approach her.

"I'm the guide."

The old woman rose unsteadily and pointed her pipe stem at the fork ahead.

"Two paths. See them?"

"One leads to the exam site. The other is a trap."

"It's there to weed out brainless hotheads."

"I'll ask you a question. Answer correctly, and I'll tell you which way to go."

Leorio bristled on the spot.

"What the hell! Why not just tell us? What's with all the mystery?"

"Young man, you can't be a Hunter without patience."

The old woman glanced at him before speaking again.

"The question is simple. Listen carefully."

Her gaze passed over each of their faces, heavy with scrutiny.

"Your mother and your lover have been taken hostage by a criminal."

"The criminal makes you choose. You can only save one."

"Who do you save?"

Everything around them fell silent.

Leorio's mouth hung open, but not a single word came out.

What the fuck kind of question is that?

"How are we supposed to choose?"

He clawed at his hair in frustration.

"Obviously, you save both! Just beat the criminal up!"

"The rules are the rules. You can only save one."

There was no inflection in the old woman's voice.

"Answer wrong, or fail to answer within one minute, and you're eliminated."

Her words had barely left her mouth.

Several other applicants nearby couldn't stand it anymore.

"Tch! Who's got time for this stupid game?"

A burly man shouted and charged down the wide path on the left with his companions.

The old woman watched them go, shook her head, and said nothing.

Luo Ye was already laughing his head off inside.

Here it is. The classic no-win question.

This old lady is wicked.

This question isn't asking you to choose at all.

Either choice is wrong.

The only answer is not to answer.

He leaned against a wooden post nearby, settling in to enjoy the show.

Leorio paced in frantic circles.

"Damn it! There's no answer to this!"

Kurapika remained silent, his eyes lowered, his fingers tapping unconsciously against his arm.

He was thinking, piecing together something crucial.

Gon looked from one to another, confusion written all over his face.

He didn't understand why anyone would ask a question like this.

"Thirty seconds left."

The old woman's voice held no warmth.

"I-I..."

Leorio's face flushed red as he struggled, about to speak.

Kurapika grabbed his arm.

"Leorio, shut up!"

He barked the words in a low voice.

"It's a trap!"

"What?"

Leorio froze.

The countdown beat against everyone's heart.

Ten.

Nine.

Eight.

Three.

Two.

One.

"Time's up."

The old woman lowered her pipe, and the creases that usually turned down at the corners of her mouth lifted slightly.

"You've passed."

She pointed her pipe toward the narrow path on the right.

"Go on. That's the way to the exam site."

"Huh? Why?"

Leorio still hadn't caught on.

"We didn't answer anything."

"Exactly."

The old woman smiled, bunching up the wrinkles on her face.

"For a question like this, silence is the best answer."

"The most important thing for a Hunter is composure."

"The composure to keep your mouth shut even under pressure."

She glanced in the direction the other applicants had vanished, then shook her head again.

"They're off playing hide-and-seek with Magical Beasts in the woods right about now."

Kurapika's tense shoulders relaxed.

Leorio patted his chest, his back soaked with sweat.

"That was close. I almost blurted something out."

"Let's go."

Luo Ye brushed the dirt off his backside and stretched.

"The appetizer's over. Time for the main course."

The four of them set off down the narrow path.

Behind them, the old woman took another puff from her pipe.

Through the smoke, her voice was soft.

"One calm, one innocent, one loyal."

"And one..."

She watched the last, nonchalant figure walking away.

"Who loves a good spectacle, no matter how much trouble it causes."

"This year's applicants are interesting."