That was way too stylish!
With such an innovative outfit, every pin was stuck in just the right place.
This was exactly the fashion I was after!
Cordis wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth, the blush on his face still lingering.
He waved his hands to cool himself down.
But his eyes kept drifting toward Illumi, whether he meant them to or not.
He silently swore to himself!
If I got the chance, I would definitely get Illumi to teach me his secrets to taste and styling!
Illumi had long since noticed the intense gaze coming from behind him.
He had dressed like this to avoid drawing attention in the first place.
But it seemed he had only attracted more of it.
"Ding~"
[Welcome to the Hunter Exam venue] [Good luck to all examinees]
A few cheerful notes played over the speakers. After Cordis and Illumi stepped out of the elevator, its doors closed automatically.
Before them lay an underground space nearly the size of a soccer field.
All sorts of people filled it: men and women, young and old, strange and not so strange.
Everyone waited with a serious expression.
Illumi headed toward a corner, while Cordis, still hopelessly entranced by his stunning outfit, followed him without thinking.
They had barely taken two steps when Tonpa, a plump man with a kindly face and several cans of drinks in his hands, approached them with a smile.
"Haha, hello there, newcomers. Anyone who makes it here must be pretty capable. Let's all do our best!"
As he spoke, he casually offered them the drinks.
"These are on me."
Cordis hesitated at the drink held out before him, but Illumi had already accepted his, tipped his head back, and gulped it all down in two swallows.
After finishing it, he stuck his tongue out at Tonpa, crushed the can, and casually tossed it aside.
Seeing this, Cordis took a drink too. It had a strange red persimmon flavor that he, as an outsider, really couldn't get used to.
Hunching his shoulders, he forced down a sip before handing the rest back to Mr. Tonpa.
"I really can't stand red persimmon drinks."
Then he stuck his tongue out in discomfort. "That tastes awful."
Tonpa didn't say much. He simply offered a few comforting words and left.
Meanwhile, Illumi had already walked on ahead.
Determined to learn his styling secrets, Cordis followed without hesitation.
Illumi had thought he had shaken off that strange tagalong, but before long, the tagalong caught up again.
Was he an enemy? Illumi wondered.
Illumi stopped and turned to look at the person before him, who was considerably shorter than he was. He tilted his head a couple of times and asked,
"What do you want?"
Cordis grew bashful despite himself, as though tiny, invisible hearts were floating around him.
"Um~ You look so cool. Could you teach me how to dress like that?"
Illumi fell silent for a moment. "You think it looks good too?"
At that, Cordis clenched his fists in front of his chest and said excitedly, "Yes, yes! So please, you absolutely have to teach me!"
The boy's hair was almost the same color as that of his rebellious younger brother, which made Illumi feel a little fond of him.
Just then, an extremely familiar voice, dripping with flirtation, shattered their peace.
"Good morning~"
That lilting tone left no doubt about who it was.
Rather than answer Cordis, Illumi looked straight at Hisoka, who was walking toward them.
Having followed Illumi all this way without learning his styling secrets, Cordis shot a slightly resentful look at Hisoka behind him.
Hisoka twirled a playing card in his hand as he spotted last night's "cute little apple."
"Oh my~ What a cute little apple~"
Cordis pretended to hesitate for a moment. "You're... that handsome red-haired guy from last night?"
Of all the things Hisoka had imagined, he had never expected to be called that.
But instead of getting angry, he lightly licked his playing card and said excitedly,
"What a bold little apple you are~"
People usually lost their nerve at the mere sight of him, yet this little apple wasn't afraid of him at all.
"Although I do like that description, I still prefer people to call me Hisoka~"
Cordis had no desire to deal with Hisoka. Ignoring him, he walked off elsewhere.
Watching the little apple leave without any intention of giving his name, Hisoka felt a stir between his legs again.
His face contorted as he swept back his loose strands of hair, rolled his eyes upward, and murmured,
"I think I'll go kill someone in a bit~"
As Cordis wandered aimlessly, he spotted a few familiar figures.
A loud, energetic voice rang throughout the venue.
"My name's Gon. Nice to meet you!"
"Kurapika."
"Leorio."
Standing opposite them was none other than Mr. Tonpa, smiling with drinks in his hands.
"Hello there, newcomers. Anyone who makes it here must be pretty capable. Let's all do our best."
"These are on me."
He hadn't even bothered changing his lines.
But clearly, Gon and the other newcomers knew nothing about this. Each thanked him before accepting a drink.
It happened so fast-not even a second passed!
Cordis rushed toward Gon and the others at incredible speed.
One moment, Gon was happily about to take a drink; the next, he found himself in someone's arms.
"So cute!!!"
With his feet off the ground, Gon struggled in Cordis's embrace, but no matter how hard he tried, it was useless.
As he kept struggling, the red persimmon drink fell from his hand, spilling all over the floor.
The sound of the drink hitting the floor finally snapped Cordis out of it.
Cordis set Gon down with an apologetic expression, taking the opportunity to stroke his little face a couple of times.
It was so soft.
So this was what a cute boy was like~
"Sorry~ Sorry~ I couldn't help it. You're just too cute!"
Gon gave Cordis, who was crouching in front of him, a reproachful look, then gazed regretfully at the drink spilled on the floor.
Turning to Tonpa beside him, he said apologetically, "Sorry, Mr. Tonpa."
Tonpa hadn't expected Cordis to rush out so suddenly, but he quickly recovered and pulled another can from his bag, offering it to Gon.
"It's all right, Gon. I really didn't expect you to be so enthusiastic."
Cordis took the drink Tonpa was about to hand to Gon and said with a look of disgust,
"Gon, how can you like red persimmon drinks? I really don't understand you people."
As he spoke, he stuck his tongue out as though he were sickened.
Then he pulled two brightly wrapped fruit candies from his pocket and offered them to Gon.
"These candies are a specialty where I'm from. You can't get them here."
Gon looked suspiciously at the candies in front of him, but after a moment's thought, he reached out to take them.
Before his hand could touch them, however, Kurapika pulled him behind himself.
Kurapika eyed this person who had appeared out of nowhere with open wariness. Even Leorio thought there was something strange about him.
"Who are you?" Kurapika demanded sharply, shielding Gon behind him.
"Go me n" means "sorry." Surely everyone knows that, right?
Before you continue