Meanwhile, the Hunter x Hunter story was finally starting for real.

Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio—the main trio—had already met on a small boat. The people who'd later show up in the exam were all on their way: the rookie killer Tonpa, Hisoka, Illumi in disguise as Gittarackur, and even a small side character carrying a laptop.

Across the street from a steakhouse, Saiki Kusuo sipped tea with his younger siblings, eating their last round of snacks.

"Brother Kusuo, if we don't go in now, what if they don't let us take the exam?"

[Don't worry.] Even though lots of people had already entered, the main characters hadn't arrived yet. Until they did, he'd keep observing. It didn't matter what number he was—what mattered was watching who went in and whether anything strange showed up.

So far, there was nothing weird. No one from another world, no one dressed stranger than Gittarackur.

Was he just being paranoid? It was a little disappointing, honestly. Was he really the only one who ended up in this world? So maybe it was an accident caused by his psychic powers.

"Hey, Brother Kusuo! We can bring more snacks with us inside! You're not stalling here because Illumi won't let us take the Hunter Exam, right?!" Killua suddenly slammed the table. Another group had just gone in, and he was getting anxious. "C'mon, Alluka! Let's leave him!"

He's scared of Illumi that much? Illumi literally walked right past him yesterday—in full view—as Gittarackur.

The two kids ran off downstairs. Saiki Kusuo had no choice but to follow.

"Sir, that's 32,180 Jennies in total. You can just pay 32,000," the waiter quickly stepped in with good timing.

So expensive. Saiki Kusuo sighed inwardly as he pulled out his wallet, then realized—Killua probably ran off with Alluka just to avoid paying, huh?

Sure enough, when Saiki Kusuo finished packing up more desserts and headed downstairs, Killua came sticking close to him like a cat again.

"Hehe, if you come with us, then you're not on Illumi's side anymore." [Kusuo packed some desserts!]

Saiki Kusuo: Go in. Go in right now. Go in alone. Illumi himself is inside.

Kusuo could hear Killua's thoughts loud and clear. He pulled two chocolates from his bag and handed them over.

[Don't eat too many sweets. What's in the bag might need to last for a few days,] Saiki Kusuo said.

"So stingy… you eat way more yourself."

People with psychic powers can eat way more sweets than normal. Saiki Kusuo crossed his arms calmly.

Alluka was already standing at the entrance of a steakhouse, looking around, then decided to just push the door open: "Uncle, uncle! We want the steak set!"

"Oh! How do you want it cooked?" the owner asked with a small smile.

The three of them already knew the answer—they were told when someone brought them here. But since Saiki Kusuo wanted to observe the other examinees, he asked for the code and then waited across the street.

Alluka turned to look at Killua. The twin bond between them was clear without a word. Killua rubbed his chin... then slowly turned his gaze toward Saiki Kusuo.

Seriously? You forgot the code? What were you thinking?

But truth be told, Saiki Kusuo didn't remember the details either. He assumed the two kids would fight over who gets to answer something like a password, so he didn't bother memorizing it.

Even so—

The owner: [They're supposed to say "slow fire grilled." Why aren't they answering? Hurry up and say the code. Who even comes here to actually order steak?]

You know it's weird to have a steakhouse next to a fancy building, right? So why'd you open it here?

[Slow fire grilled.]

"Oh! I remember now! Slow fire grilled!" Killua quickly followed up.

"I want slow fire grilled too!" Alluka copied him.

Actually, only one person needed to say it.

Another female staff member came over and pointed to a private room door: "Alright, this way please."

Inside the private room, there weren't even basic tables or chairs.

Killua looked around, then pulled Alluka to knock on the floor. "Will a secret path show up or something, Kusuo?"

[No, it's an elevator. It'll go down.]

Right after Saiki Kusuo spoke, the room began to descend. In just a few seconds, it stopped smoothly underground.

The cold and familiar air felt like coming home. Saiki Kusuo sensed the temperature and slightly warmed the area around Alluka.

And then came the stares—countless eyes fell on them the moment they arrived.

In the crowd, Hisoka's laugh stood out like a sore thumb.

Horror story style—they were already being watched.

Saiki Kusuo stepped forward first, leading the two kids out of the center of attention. They'd barely taken a few steps before they were stopped by a short, bean-headed staff member from the Hunter Association.

"You three don't have number tags yet. Please take these, and register your names."

Saiki Kusuo Zoldyck, Killua Zoldyck, Alluka Zoldyck. The whole Zoldyck combo. Happy now?

The staff member clearly knew what kind of family the Zoldycks were. His expression twitched for a second.

Bean-head: [Better report this to the Chairman.]

Don't worry, we're not here to stir up trouble—we're just here for fun.

After seeing the bean-headed guy off, Saiki Kusuo found a quiet corner with the two kids before checking the number tags.

400, 401, 402. Huh, they're right in line with the main characters' numbers.

Without hesitation, Saiki Kusuo tossed 402 to Killua, 401 to Alluka, and kept 400 for himself.

Now they really were in a perfect sequence with the main group.

"Why does Kusuo get the first number? I wanna be a whole number!"

You're not even a proper number—denied. It's easier to remember if your number is next to the main group's. Those are your future precious friends; lose them and you'll cry. The main group hadn't arrived yet. Saiki Kusuo scanned the area. There were still plenty of people looking this way, and he looked back at each of them while listening to their thoughts.

He remembered there was someone here who tried to assassinate a member of the Zoldyck family. Were they among this crowd? That part of the story made him focus a bit more. Not that it mattered if Killua got attacked—he could take care of himself. But Alluka was innocent.

Hisoka and Illumi were giving him a faint glance now and then, but they weren't worth paying attention to. Was that Tonpa nearby? Just some trash, not important either. The guy holding a laptop… Saiki remembered him—wait.

The laptop was gray, but the one holding it wasn't some low-tier, black-haired extra like Milluki. This guy had blonde hair, pale skin, and was even holding a weirdly shaped phone.

No way. That had to be a mistake. That person...

Saiki Kusuo quickly looked away. But it seemed like the stare had caught the other guy's attention. He looked up and smiled brightly!

Can someone tell him why Chrollo was here?

And why was he smiling? Did he recognize Saiki already?

[Hmm… didn't fool him? Maybe thoughts have tone too. That would make it hard to hide.]

...Wait. That voice sounded really familiar.

There was no mistaking it. That guy's whole body was surrounded by aura. You couldn't find a fourth person with Nen in this whole exam.

Are Nen users just this bored lately?

But more importantly, if that voice in his thoughts was right…

That was Chrollo.

Even though he looked like Shalnark—that had to be Chrollo, right?

Is the leader of the Phantom Troupe really this free lately?!

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