CHAPTER 206: THE NEW RAT AND BOAR!

"You havent been replace yet though? How could you say something like that?" Akira shot Ging a slightly odd look.

But it was just a joke—Akira knew these were Ging’s genuine feelings.

"Ahem, what did I just say?" Ging’s expression shifted back to his usual carefree demeanor as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of unidentified objects.

They resembled sunflower seeds but also had a walnut-like quality, their surfaces a dull brown.

Without even glancing at them, Ging tossed the handful into his mouth, crunching loudly.

"These are pretty good, and they pair well with tea. Want some?"

Watching Ging revert to his usual self, Akira’s lip twitched slightly in exasperation.

"No thanks. You enjoy them."

"Suit yourself. Shame you never want to try my snacks." Ging shrugged and kept eating.

One bite of snack, one sip of tea—turning his office into a dining hall.

"Bzzt—bzzt—"

Right then, Akira’s phone rang.

Noticing the call, Ging instinctively stopped chewing and swallowed silently.

After a sidelong glance at Ging, Akira raised the phone to his ear.

"Hello? Everything settled?"

"Hohohoho, indeed. All matters with Kakin are wrapped up—no loose ends left."

Beyond’s hearty laughter came through the phone.

After Akira and the others had notified him of their departure in about a week, Beyond—overjoyed—hadn’t forgotten to tie up lingering issues.

The so-called "loose ends" naturally referred to their collaboration with Kakin.

Originally, according to the agreement, Beyond was supposed to appear alongside Hui Guo Rou and make his debut as ’Netero’s son’.

This would be followed by a "passionate" speech, coordinated with Hui Guo Rou to announce their goal of journey to the Dark Continent.

This would force the V5 to make a choice—allowing Kakin to join and become the V6, with Kakin also making concessions in return.

The ships would dock on the scattered islands between the Six Continents and the Dark Continent, also known as the ’Mock Continent’.

As for Hui Guo Rou...

Akira had no intention of paying him any attention.

With the leaders of the V5 already under control, one more like Hui Guo Rou made little difference.

Besides, Hui Guo Rou still had the Kakin Succession War waiting for him—he might very well die on the ship.

Normally, Beyond would have waited until January 27th of the following year, coinciding with the Hunter Exam, to broadcast the announcement.

But since they were departing early, Beyond came up with an alternative solution.

They would record the footage in advance and simply play it when the time came, eliminating the need for anyone to be present.

Akira suspected that this was exactly what Beyond had done in the original story.

Now, Beyond was calling to inform him that matters in Kakin had been settled.

"Alright then, Beyond, go check on how the others are doing with their tasks. We’ll set off as scheduled in a week."

"Oh, and we’re adding one more member to our team."

Akira glanced at the man sitting across from him—Ging, who was still gulping down tea as if he hadn’t had a drink in eight lifetimes—and sighed helplessly.

"The Twelve Zodiac’s Boar—Ging. You know him, right?"

Hearing this, Beyond’s expression shifted slightly, his eyes flashing with surprise.

"That Ging? Of course I know him. The Boar of the Twelve Zodiac is quite famous in a certain sense."

’Though more for his infamy.’

Beyond kept that last thought to himself.

"Right, he’s joining us. And the title ’Boar’ fits him perfectly—he really does eat like one."

Akira had noticed that Ging seemed to constantly pull snacks out of his bag.

Maybe the old man had seen this trait and assigned him the role of ’Boar’ for that very reason.

"Cough, cough—is that any way to talk about me?"

Ging coughed twice, sounding mildly indignant.

’So he’s right there...’

Hearing Ging’s voice, Beyond vaguely sensed something.

Perhaps Ging’s joining the team wasn’t solely due to Akira’s invitation.

Like Ging, Beyond was sharp with details and he instinctively began analyzing the situation.

"Anything else?"

"No."

Click.

The call ended, but Beyond remained frozen in thought.

*****

Meanwhile, Akira had another visitor.

Knock, knock.

Two knock sounded at the door.

Both Akira and Ging set down their teacups and turned towards the door.

’Someone’s here?’

"Come in." Akira responded casually, assuming it was likely his current secretary, Beans.

"Chairman, it’s terrible!"

Beans rushed in, his green face twisted with urgency, as if something critically urgent had happened.

"Pariston has resigned! Not just from his position as the Rat—he’s stepping down as Vice Chairman too!"

"Eh? Ging-san?"

Beans blurted out in a panic, only then noticing Ging seated across from Akira.

"Ah, Beans. Perfect timing—I’m resigning too."

"That Boar title? I’m done with it." Ging greeted Beans with a smile, but his words brought no joy to the latter.

"Ah? Ging-san, you’re resigning too?!" Beans exclaimed in shock.

He suddenly felt he shouldn’t have come.

What was initially one resignation had now become two.

Though to be fair, these two resigning members were somewhat... unclear in their roles.

If the other Zodiac members found out, they’d probably set off fireworks in celebration.

After all, the two biggest troublemakers in The Twelve Zodiac would be gone.

But losing two Zodiac members at once, including the vice chairman—was that really acceptable?

"Don’t be so nervous Beans. Remember what I told you before?" Akira gently sipped his tea before continuing calmly.

"Actually, both Ging and Pariston are part of my team. They’ll be joining me on the expedition to the Dark Continent later."

"As for the two vacancies, we can simply find replacements."

"Let Cheadle take over as vice chairman. In terms of seniority and capability, she’s the most suitable candidate."

Unlike the chairman position, the vice chairman didn’t require an election—it was essentially appointed by the chairman.

Pariston had originally been directly appointed by Netero.

Hearing this, Beans finally calmed down before asking another question.

"Then, Chairman, do you have any other suitable candidates? The original Twelve Zodiac members were all personally selected by the late chairman."

"The Rat and the Boar huh..." Akira murmured softly while unconsciously tapping a rhythmic pattern on the tea table with his fingertips.

In the original timeline, Leorio had become the Boar.

But that was only because he’d punched Ging using his Nen ability during the election, instantly making himself known.

That incident had earned him considerable fame—enough that he nearly became the chairman.

Though he didn’t secure the chairman position, he did replace Ging as the new generation’s ’Boar’.

However, due to the butterfly effect caused by Akira’s actions, the election had concluded in the first round, with Akira himself becoming chairman.

Thus, Leorio never had his "highlight moment" of "beating up" Ging.

Currently, most Hunters remained unaware of Leorio’s existence, making him an unsuitable candidate for the Boar position.

As for the Rat, it had originally been Kurapika’s role.

Leorio had recommended him, but now there was no one to do so.

Unlike Leorio, however, Kurapika possessed sufficient skills to handle the responsibilities of a Zodiac member.

Moreover, Kurapika already had considerable fame.

Akira’s crackdown on the Phantom Troupe had minimized the impact on the Nostrade family.

Neon Nen ability had never been stolen by Chrollo either.

After visiting the Kurta clan ruins, Kurapika had returned to continue working for the Nostrade family.

Rumors said he’d long since replaced Dalzollene as the family’s head of security.

Later, riding on the Nostrade family’s rising influence, he’d expanded outward, building a significant reputation among the world’s underground syndicates.

During their last interraction, Kurapika mentioned having recovered many of his clansmen’s eyes through his efforts.

For a moment, an eerie silence filled the room.

Only the sound of Akira’s tapping echoed through the space.

After a long pause, Akira finally spoke again.

"There’s someone in the underworld named ’Kurapika.’ I know him well—his abilities make him perfectly suited for a Zodiac position."

"Let him replace Pariston and become the ’Rat’."

After much deliberation, Akira felt it would still be most appropriate to let Kurapika continue serving as the ’Rat’.

Moreover, Kurapika’s classification was a "Contract Hunter" which didn’t overlap with any of the other Zodiac categories.

Beans nodded, preparing to later search for information on Kurapika and arrange for someone to extend the invitation.

The candidates recommended by the Chairman were always reliable.

Even if they were members of the mafia.

"As for the ’Boar,’ let the two-star Gourmet Hunter Menchi take the position."

In the end, Akira decided to appoint Menchi as the final member of the Zodiac.

He didn’t know many people, and even fewer were suitable for this position.

First, the "Gourmet Hunter" classification didn’t overlap with other Zodiac members, complying with the rules.

Secondly, after the rewards from the Gourmet Competition and her recent achievements, Menchi had officially become a two-star Gourmet Hunter.

Whether in terms of strength, ability, or title, Menchi was fully qualified to serve as The Twelve Zodiac’s Boar.

For Menchi, this position would mostly be nominal, as the previous Boar hadn’t done much work either.

She would only need to attend meetings occasionally.

But this way, it seemed both of his women would be part of The Twelve Zodiac?

"That Menchi? Understood."

This name was familiar to Beans.

Compared to "Kurapika," he was much more acquainted with "Menchi."

"I’ll handle informing Menchi. You just focus on sending someone to find Kurapika."

"Understood. Then I’ll take my leave now." Beans hurried in and hurried out.

But before leaving, he still carefully closed the door—gently, at that.

After seeing Beans off, Ging turned to Akira and asked.

"That was Beyond on the phone earlier, right?"

"Since you took over his position as team leader, does that make him the second-in-command now?"

"Correct. Do you have thoughts about the second-in-command role?" Akira replied flatly.

"No. By my estimation, Pariston should be the third-in-command, right? I want to compete with him!"

Ging knew there was no way he could shake Beyond’s position as second-in-command—after all, Beyond had practically built the entire team from the ground up.

Akira could suppress Beyond because his abilities were enough to earn everyone’s respect.

Ging couldn’t match that.

Besides, his main goal was to target Pariston!

"Third-in-command? That’s something you might have a shot at. But you’ll still have to earn it yourself—make the other members acknowledge you."

Ging nodded, understanding Akira’s meaning.

While Akira’s word alone could instantly make him the third-in-command, whether the others would genuinely accept him was another matter.

This was something he had to handle personally—to surpass Pariston’s standing in their eyes.

"Fine. That’s all I needed to hear. I’m setting off now!"

"Next time you see me, I’ll be the third-in-command."

*****

The Hunter Association moved swiftly.

After receiving Akira’s instructions, a steady stream of information reached Beans, including Kurapika’s current whereabouts.

Once the location was confirmed, Beans dispatched Mizaistom of The Twelve Zodiac—the Ox, the most suited for negotiation and communication.

Mizaistom was a corporate lawyer running a private security firm, known for his calm, rational demeanor and strong communication skills.

Coincidentally, Kurapika was currently in the same city where Mizaistom’s company was based.

Upon receiving the notice, Mizaistom immediately set out.

"This should be the place, right? A tavern under the Nostrade family. The target should be here."

Mizaistom stood in front of the tavern, murmuring to himself.

Even now, he was still somewhat surprised—he hadn’t expected both Ging and Pariston to resign simultaneously.

He didn’t even know why they had suddenly quit.

Was it because Chairman Netero was no longer at the Association?

"Regardless, those two leaving is probably for the best."

"Since Akira became chairman, it seems the association has been blessed with one good thing after another?"

"The name of this tavern is a bit odd?"

"Resting Place?"

The observant Mizaistom noticed the name above the tavern.

Perhaps due to sixth sense, he felt there might be some hidden deeper meaning.

After a while, Mizaistom shook his head and decided to focus on completing his mission first, setting aside the matter of the name for now.

Seeing the door slightly ajar, Mizaistom pushed it open and entered.

The first thing that caught his eye was the rather old-fashioned decor.

Behind the counter was an entire wall of liquor bottles—every kind imaginable.

The only person in the entire tavern was a burly man with slicked-back hair smoking a cigarette.

It wasn’t the person he was looking for.

"Phew~"

Basho, wearing a half-open jacket, exhaled a cloud of white smoke, his face shrouded in thick fumes.

At first glance, he resembled Morel—both of them shared a love for smoking.

Since it wasn’t yet time for the Succession War and the Nostrade family was thriving, Basho was still working for them.

"Here for a drink? Help yourself at the counter."

Still immersed in the pleasure of smoking, Basho casually pointed toward the counter for Mizaistom.

"No, I’m here to see someone. Is Kurapika here?" Mizaistom approached slowly, speaking softly.

"Hmm?"

Basho waved his hand lightly, dispersing the smoke around his line of sight, and fixed his gaze on the approaching Mizaistom.

’Have I seen this guy somewhere before?’

Basho set down his cigar, silently wondering.

"I’m here on behalf of the Hunter Association. I have business with Kurapika."

At that moment, Basho suddenly remembered who this person was.

Mizaistom, the Ox of The Twelve Zodiac!

*****

In the tavern’s basement,

it was a pitch-black room, save for a faint red glow emanating from one spot.

The entire basement was tinged with a crimson hue, casting patches of red light everywhere.

The ceiling, the floor, even Kurapika’s face was bathed in a bloody red.

Kurapika sat on a chair, staring at the table in front of him.

On the table were several jars, similar to the transparent ones Akira had seen in the Bureau hall.

Each contained a liquid resembling formaldehyde.

Beyond that, every jar held a pair of Scarlet Eyes—the source of the faint red glow.

As Kurapika quietly gazed at his clansmen’s eyes, a faint red tint surfaced in his own.

No matter how many times he witnessed this sight, he could never remain calm.

After relentless efforts since joining the Nostrade family, he had finally managed to recover a portion of his clansmen’s eyes.

But it still wasn’t enough.

Compared to the number of his fallen clansmen, the eyes he had collected were only a fraction.

So every day, he would spend time in the basement, looking at them—a reminder to himself not to slack off.

This was also why he had named the tavern "Resting Place."

Because it housed the eyes of many of his clansmen.

Even now, whenever he saw his clansmen’s eyes, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of gratitude.

It was directed towards Akira.

Without his help, Kurapika might never have made progress in his quest for vengeance, nor would he have had the face to confront his fallen clansmen.

"Akira, thank you."

Kurapika lowered his eyelids and murmured to himself.

"You’re thanking me too soon."

At that moment, a familiar voice came from the side.

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