It was the Hunter Association's underground training ground again.
Dio held a horse stance, his eyes closed as he quietly maintained [Zetsu].
Normally, he would also split his attention to train his Ripple, because he had discovered that his aura capacity grew far faster than usual while practicing it!
But right now, something else was giving him a headache-his savings were running out.
That was right. Eating, drinking, living, training, and everything else he did at the Hunter Association could hardly be free.
Cheadle had offered to cover his expenses-the amount was pocket change to her, after all-but he had refused, feeling he had already taken far too much advantage of her kindness.
He had agreed to help Cheadle complete that mysterious commission, but he had yet to do any actual work.
Free lessons, sneaking bites of her cake, and now having her pay his rent? If he accepted that, he might as well be her kept man-
Cheadle had tried to persuade him at the time, but for some reason, after Chairman Netero gave a strange chuckle, she never brought it up again.
So he had discussed it with Mr. Beans and offered to pay three days' rent in advance. Who could have known...
"Three days. Three days' rent ate up more than half my savings..."
"The Hunter Association is such a rip-off. No wonder they can claim that sixty of the world's hundred richest people are members."
Dio felt numb. But he had already put on airs, and there was no backing down now. That forced him to consider a very practical problem-making money.
Damn it, why not use my invincible [The World] to steal the chairman's secret stash? That old geezer won't be needing it much longer anyway.
With some truly hellish thoughts running through his mind, Dio nearly decided to lay his wicked hands on a lonely, 116-year-old man.
"Mr. Dio! Thank goodness, you're here!"
A voice broke Dio out of [Zetsu]. He opened his eyes to see Beans, drenched in sweat, saying:
"The chairman would like to invite you to lunch today. He wanted to know whether you're free."
Dio found that a little odd. Chairman Netero had often come to see him over the past few days, as though he had nothing else to do, but this was his first lunch invitation.
Is something going on? He isn't raising the rent, is he?
Despite those thoughts, Dio did not turn down the invitation Beans had delivered.
He followed Beans to the top floor, walked down a long corridor, and arrived at the reception room.
The reception room was small, its floor covered in tatami to suit Netero's tastes. There were no wooden chairs, and a calligraphy scroll bearing the character for "heart," the symbol of Shingen-ryu, hung on the wall opposite the entrance.
Dio saw the chairman sitting cross-legged alone before a long table laden with a dazzling assortment of dishes.
Seeing him enter, Chairman Netero greeted him cheerfully:
"Yo. Have a seat."
As he spoke, he gestured toward the place across from him.
Dio sat down somewhat hesitantly, only to find that Netero had already stopped looking at him. The chairman picked up his rice bowl and began eating with complete concentration.
Since Netero offered no explanation, Dio simply picked up his own bowl and chopsticks and dug in without standing on ceremony.
The dishes on the table were soon emptied, most of the food ending up in Netero's stomach.
Once they finished, Dio sat quietly, watching Chairman Netero.
For the first time since arriving at the Hunter Association several days earlier, Dio studied Chairman Netero closely. Just as he had noticed before, the aura around him was as still as a plant.
Netero calmly met his gaze. This supreme master, who had reached the pinnacle of human martial prowess fifty years ago, now seemed like nothing more than an ordinary old man.
After a long while, Netero spoke:
"I once went on a truly wonderful journey of training. During that time, I hardly ate a single proper meal. Ever since I came down from the mountain, every meal has tasted like the finest delicacy in the world."
Dio had a vague idea of what Netero meant, so he tried to offer a few polite words:
"Your level of attainment, Chairman..."
"Don't take that tone. I can't stand yes-men."
Netero cut Dio off mildly. His eyelids half lowered, he stared at Dio and said:
"Little Cheadle hasn't come by these past few days, has she?"
"Ah, right. Teacher Cheadle has been a little busy..."
Sensing something unusual in the air, Dio hurried to answer.
Netero remained just as calm, but an almost imperceptible trace of amusement suddenly entered his eyes before he quickly concealed it again:
"She's busy with something. Something you were involved in, too."
Dio frowned as something occurred to him, and he asked:
"The Secret Court? Wasn't that whole place buried? What else could..."
He suddenly froze. Wait-even if it had all been buried, the Minbo Republic should not have remained completely silent.
"Caught on, have you? You're not too slow."
"She's already submitted everything that needed reporting to the government agencies on your behalf. But she left a few things out, because she couldn't explain them."
Dio fell silent. His lack of knowledge about the Secret Court and his inexplicable trust in Cheadle had caused him to overlook those important details.
Ever since Cheadle had agreed to teach him about Nen Abilities, she had arranged everything for him so neatly that he had started switching off his brain and leaving it all to her.
"That incident was the work of your ability, wasn't it? Although little Cheadle insisted it couldn't possibly have been you."
Netero shifted into a more comfortable position and spoke slowly, casually.
Hearing that, Dio still tried to wriggle out of it. He put on a goofy smile, rubbed the back of his head, and said:
"Ahahaha, what are you talking about, Chairman? Teacher Cheadle..."
"If you truly didn't want anyone to know, then back then you should have-"
Netero suddenly leaned forward, his gaze changing as he interrupted Dio once more:
"Killed Cheadle."
Dio's smile instantly froze. His eyes locked on Chairman Netero.
At the look in Dio's eyes, a hint of amusement instead appeared in Netero's:
"Just kidding. If you were really capable of doing that, you wouldn't have used that ability in the first place."
"Dio, my boy, I don't know how you did it, but let me give you some advice. Or perhaps a warning."
"If you don't want others to know your secret, don't reveal it so readily in front of people you don't trust."
"Oh, and another thing. If you really want to kill someone, don't let the killing intent show in your eyes until after you've killed them."
In a rare display, Netero had delivered a lengthy speech, along with two pieces of advice.
Dio sank
into a long silence. Only after a long while did he exhale and sigh:
"I will, Chairman Netero. I will. Thank you for the advice."
Age had only sharpened him. Netero's intuition had let him bypass deduction and go straight to the answer. Dio had to admit that the old man had held an almost absolute grip on the pace of their entire conversation.
At last, a smile of triumph appeared on Netero's face. In a mischievous tone, he said:
"If you're truly grateful, do this old man a favor. There's a commission, and I've already recommended you for it."
Huh?
Dio went numb. What was this old geezer talking about? Accepting some mystery commission could get him killed! He hurriedly said:
"But Chairman, I'm not even a Hunter. How can I take a commission?"
"I'll lend you my license. Go on, don't worry!"
A mischievous smile spread across Netero's face:
"The commission won't begin for another month. Prepare yourself properly before then. Oh ho ho..."
Before you continue