Palm, progress, preparations

Chapter 47: Palm × Progress × Preparations

The nineteenth day of training was another day of Killua and Gon getting thrashed by Knuckle.

It was also another day of Shoot lurking in the shadows, agonizing over whether to act until he missed his chance.

Joey did not know the two of them very well. He had only seen them twice over the past few days.

Once was when Gon and Killua brought back an unconscious Knuckle. The other was when he opened the door and spotted Shoot pretending to pass by.

Palm was in an exceptionally foul mood today, and she spent an unusually long time staring at the kitchen knife in her hand.

Joey had always wondered whether Palm wanted to enter NGL solely because of Knov.

When he openly asked her that question without mincing words, Palm quickly flushed, her voice brimming with joy and longing. "Yes, Master Knov is so gentle..."

Joey automatically tuned out Palm's stream of praise. "You wouldn't get to see Mr. Knov even if you followed him in, would you? He has to help Chairman Netero deal with the small fry. You wouldn't be any use."

The instant Joey finished speaking, goosebumps erupted across his skin.

A quick glance revealed that Palm's tangled hair had somehow started swirling around her, and she now held two kitchen knives.

Joey felt that if he did not say something right now, Palm might stab him!

"I think you're quite pretty. You just don't really know how to dress yourself up. If you did, Mr. Knov would probably have a better impression of you.

"Besides, looking the way you do now, Mr. Knov probably wouldn't pick you even if he had a mission for you. You stand out too much."

"Huh? I'm... I'm pretty?"

The oppressive atmosphere vanished instantly. The kitchen knives clattered to the floor, and Palm raised her pale, bony hands to her flushed cheeks.

Joey seriously doubted she had heard the rest of what he said. That was the important part!

"You really are quite pretty, just a little too thin." Joey nodded, recalling how fresh and lovely Palm had looked in the anime after cleaning herself up.

"Then... how about we date?" Palm's voice was barely audible. Her head dipped slightly, and the blush on her face spread down her neck.

"Huh?"

That exclamation did not come from Joey alone. Killua and Biscuit, who had been listening in with their ears pricked, joined in too.

"Well, could I think about it?" Joey furrowed his nicely shaped brows and pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses. "I hadn't considered finding a partner anytime soon."

To be honest, he had no plans to date anyone for now.

After all, he would soon be returning to that damned place, NGL, to work hard for a respectable identity in the future. He had no time to waste on romance.

But after spending these past few days with Palm, he had also realized that aside from being utterly obsessed with love, she was quite good in every other respect.

Shopping, cooking, housework-anything associated with being a good wife and mother, she handled wonderfully and with great patience.

The only concern was that she might become far too clingy once they actually started dating.

Her willingness to enter NGL at any cost for Knov made that clear enough.

"Really?"

Joey's answer astonished not only Palm but also Killua and Biscuit, whose eyes widened.

The two exchanged a glance, each seeing disbelief in the other's eyes.

"Of course. If I were to marry in the future, I think Miss Palm would be an ideal wife and mother."

Joey did not hide anything, speaking his mind openly.

His words seemed to have hit Palm far too hard, though. Even at breakfast the following morning, she was still quietly mumbling about marriage.

Every time she said the word, she immediately turned into an ostrich, ducking her head low and not daring to look at Joey.

"Joey, you aren't seriously thinking of dating Palm, are you?" Killua asked curiously while maintaining Ren after Palm went out to buy groceries.

Biscuit's gaze immediately left her magazine and settled on Joey.

Even Kite cast him a sidelong glance.

Only Gon continued practicing Ren in earnest.

"Well, Palm is pretty nice." Joey thought for a second. "But I don't plan to date anyone right now. If she's willing to wait, maybe we could give it a try in the future."

"I knew it. There really is something wrong with your head." Killua was utterly convinced, and Biscuit nodded in agreement.

Still, Biscuit thought that if Joey had not defused the situation yesterday, things might have become terrifying!

Besides, she kept getting the feeling that Palm understood Killua and Gon's training progress perfectly. Perhaps she ought to pack her little bag and prepare to make an early escape.

Sure enough, at dinner, while Joey and Kite were still training and the other four ate first, something bizarre happened at the table.

Gon promised Palm that he would definitely take her into NGL, sealing it with a pinky swear.

Then Palm's gaze settled on Gon.

In Killua's words, the whole thing had been utterly bizarre.

"Looks like Palm really isn't right for me after all. I don't like people who switch their affections so casually."

That was Joey's conclusion.

"But didn't Palm suddenly switch her affections to you before?" Biscuit looked utterly bewildered.

"You mean she transferred her feelings for Knov to me? I thought that was because of my personal charm." Joey shrugged. "But now it seems Palm doesn't have very good taste."

For the remaining ten days of training, Joey steadily worked on consolidating his foundations.

This was the training plan Biscuit and Kite had drawn up together for him.

Naturally, Joey had no complaints. With Biscuit's help, he was improving incredibly quickly.

Whether it was his basic Nen training or his physical conditioning, he made tremendous progress, and both his potential and actual aura reserves increased along with his training.

By Kite's estimate, Joey's potential aura reserves now stood at around eight thousand.

They had more or less doubled!

More importantly, Joey finally stopped wasting excess aura when using Ten. His aura reserves only began to drain when he entered a state of Ren.

That drain was also roughly the same as Killua and Gon's before they began training: one point per second.

In other words, Joey could now maintain Ren at full power for a little over two hours! His starting point was remarkably high.

Though he still fell far short of Killua and Gon, neither his training time nor his original foundation could compare to theirs.

Being able to maintain Ren for two hours pleased not only Joey himself but also Kite and Biscuit immensely.

But all Joey could do was maintain Ren. His mastery of the various practical Nen techniques was still nowhere near adequate.

Shu, In, En, Gyo, Ken, Ryu, Ko.

For most of these seven techniques, Joey had only reached the point of understanding them and barely being able to use them.

After all, he simply did not have enough time to train. Even with Cookie-chan saving him a great deal of time on rest and sleep, one month was still too short.

That night, the villa was brightly lit.

Five people had gathered there: Joey, Kite, Palm, Biscuit, and Andrei.

Palm and Biscuit were waiting for the final outcome of the contest to seize the tokens.

Joey, Kite, and Andrei were making their final preparations to enter NGL.

Whether Killua and Gon won or Knuckle and Shoot prevailed, Joey would accompany the winners to NGL.

Preparations for the first round of battle~ Let's go!