The sun was setting as all the examinees cooked and ate their eggs. There were more than enough eggs to go around.
'Chairman Netero might not care, but Menchi is still watching me suspiciously.' @Why wouldn't she? An eleven-year-old boy stronger than her is bound to make her wary. You messed up!@
@It's your fault for not sticking to your own rules, idiot. Just eat the egg and leave me alone!@ 'I didn't mess up. Why would they care if a little kid can use Nen?' Togiri bit into the egg while talking with Seven.
'I would have revealed my abilities to Netero anyway, but he probably figured it out when he appeared before us.' Togiri took another bite of the large Dream Egg.
'Haha, too bad you're just a voice and an interface. It'd be useful if you could turn into a dog. Then I could finally "educate" you properly, if you catch my drift.'
@...Shitty master@ Togiri was enjoying his meal and laughing, which seemed odd to Fang and the others.
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After clearing the Second Phase of the exam, Togiri and his friends flew through the starry night toward the Third Phase.
The applicants formed a half-circle and faced two people. "Allow me to introduce myself to the 57 remaining applicants. I'm Netero, Chairman of this year's Hunter Exam Selection Committee."
"I'm his secretary, Beans." The small, bean-shaped man who had previously handed out number tags stood next to Netero. Beans was half Netero's height and smaller than even Gon, Killua, Togiri, and Fang.
'He's almost as tall as me. I completely forgot he would appear again. I only remember him handing out number plates and then showing up again after Netero dies in the Chimera Ant Arc.'
'Seven! Why don't you remind me of things like that? You're supposed to be my assistant, not just an AI reading novels or watching tv shows from my memories.'
@You didn't ask@ 'How long does this airship travel in the original story?'
@You should arrive at 8 a.m. if Gon and Killua challenge Netero, the trip will be 11 hours.@ 'Nice. Should I sleep or stay awake for the next few days? Hmm.' Togiri's thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice.
"Gon, let's explore the ship!" Killua's excitement was evident. "Yeah! Togiri! Fang! Do you want to join us?" Killua's smile faded.
"Yeah! Sur—" Togiri grabbed Fang's shoulder. "No, sorry. We have some things to do." Togiri smiled. "Ah! I forgot our daily tradition." Fang facepalmed.
"Daily tradition?" Gon, Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio looked puzzled and curious. "Yep, daily tradition. Hehe," Togiri answered vaguely, but Fang started to elaborate.
"We fight at least twice a day. The score is 351-287 for Togiri and 248-314 for me. We fight once normally and once with N-nnn—" Togiri quickly covered Fang's mouth.
"Have fun! Haha!" Togiri laughed awkwardly. The boys found Togiri's behavior and the dynamic between him and Fang odd. Killua and Kurapika were particularly suspicious.
"Come on, let's go eat and train." Togiri lightly fist-bumped Fang's chest. "Okay. You won the last three fights. Today's my chance for revenge!" Fang followed Togiri like a younger brother would.
'Seven, set an alarm for 8 a.m. And wake me up if we land earlier. If you don't, I'll ignore you for a whole month.'
@Alright! Calm down. I'll do it.@
While Gon and Killua explored the airship, Leorio and Kurapika found a quiet corner among the examinees to sleep.
In another room, a few people sat around a table, eating and drinking.
"How many applicants do you expect to make it?"
"You mean, pass the exam?"
"Yes. This year, we have an impressive group, though I did fail them all at one point..."
"But doesn't it depend on what the upcoming phases involve?"
"That's true. But didn't you notice? One of them has a strong aura. What do you think, Satotz?"
The people at the table were Menchi, the female Gourmet Hunter who failed all applicants; Buhara, the bear-like Gourmet Hunter; and Satotz, the examiner from the First Phase.
"Oh, yes. I like the rookies this year." Satotz took a bite of his steak. "Ha! So you agree? I think #294 has a good shot."
The applicant Menchi referred to was Hanzo, previously noted by Tonpa as a top contender.
"I'm partial to #99." Satotz mentioned Killua, which seemed odd since Killua had shown nothing extraordinary except being one of the fastest to exit the First Phase.
"He looks like a selfish, spoiled brat. What do you think, Buhara?"
"Well, he isn't a rookie, but #44 is the one I favor. I'm sure you noticed that when #255 was throwing a fit about being failed, it was #44 who was on the verge of killing someone."
Buhara was impressed by Hisoka, who had already killed several people since the start of the First Phase.
#255 was the bulky man who previously insulted the Gourmet Hunters. He couldn't contain his anger at being failed.
"I noticed that. He could barely restrain himself from attacking us. His killing intent was intense." Menchi smiled.
"#406 also noticed and prepared to fight him, but #407 calmed him down." Menchi smiled when mentioning Fang but became serious when referring to Togiri.
"But didn't you realize, Buhara? He was like that from the first moment we appeared."
"Really?"
"Yes, that's why I was so on edge. He kept challenging me." Menchi looked at Satotz, who was sipping his coffee.
"I had a similar experience," Satotz explained, recounting Hisoka's attack on him and the imposter's death.
"He should be carefully monitored. Although it pains me to admit it, we are quite similar. However, his affinity for darkness is much stronger." The mood grew serious as Satotz spoke.
"As Hunters, we are always seeking worthy rivals. Ultimately, the Hunter Exam is a place to find opponents deserving of respect."
"And occasionally, we encounter someone who hits the ground running when we're trying to slow things down. An oddball of sorts."
"Do you mean #407?" Buhara noted Togiri's use of Nen.
"No, but it is strange how a child possesses such strength and darkness."
"#44 noticed #407's darkness too and tried to challenge him with his killing intent. Oddly, #406 glared at #44, and #407 started laughing." Buhara's words deepened the concern.
Menchi broke the silence. "I saw a part of #407's strength, and it made me shiver. Usually, when using Nen, you can read many things from an opponent's aura flow. But..."
"But his aura was like a volcano, ready to erupt and destroy everything in a moments notice." Menchi's face grew pale.