Chapter 44
While Haruto was thinking about what to cook, Kurapika, who was walking a little ahead of him, suddenly turned to Leorio.
"Leorio, there’s something that’s been bothering me."
Leorio was rubbing his aching shoulder as though it were about to fall apart. He paused and looked at Kurapika in confusion.
"Hm? What is it?"
"How many phases does this exam have?"
Kurapika frowned slightly.
They had passed the first two phases, but neither had been easy.
Even now, they still had no idea how many more challenges awaited them, which left him deeply uneasy.
"Oh, right! No one ever told us!"
Leorio scratched his head, looking troubled.
He had never heard exactly how many phases the Hunter Exam usually contained.
After thinking for a while without reaching any conclusion, he happened to notice Haruto walking nearby, seemingly lost in thought.
"Hey, Haruto! Have you heard how many phases the Hunter Exam has?"
"?"
Leorio’s sudden question pulled Haruto from his thoughts.
He paused and looked over at the two of them.
Haruto knew the structure of this year’s exam quite well, and since they had asked, he did not mind answering.
Before he could speak, however, Tonpa cut in.
"Usually five or six."
Tonpa walked over as he spoke, wearing a friendly smile that concealed the calculation in his eyes.
Leorio counted on his fingers, and his expression immediately collapsed.
"So there are still three or four left?!"
He groaned, suddenly feeling as though every bone in his body hurt.
The first two phases had already nearly killed him, and now he had to survive another three or four?
His vision almost went dark.
Could he really make it to the end?
"We should use this chance to recover properly," Kurapika said gravely.
The first two phases had already left him tired, and the next one was unlikely to be any easier.
While they had time, they needed to return to their best condition.
Haruto looked between Kurapika and Leorio, then offered, "I’m planning to borrow the kitchen and cook something. Would you two like to join me?"
"Good food is excellent for relieving fatigue."
Haruto had originally intended to eat alone, but he did not mind feeding two more people.
Besides, he would be experimenting with unfamiliar ingredients, so the first dishes he made would probably have room for improvement.
Perhaps they could offer some useful feedback.
More importantly, no matter how delicious a dish was, it felt like a waste if no one else ever tasted it.
Cooking was more enjoyable when there were people around to judge the result.
At Haruto’s invitation, Leorio’s exhaustion vanished in an instant.
"Seriously? That sounds great! I’m starving!"
He had already witnessed Haruto’s cooking during the Second Phase.
The taste of that roasted Great Stamp was still fresh in his memory.
Kurapika glanced at Leorio, then smiled and nodded.
"Thank you. We’d be happy to join you."
Although he had eaten one Spider Eagle egg earlier, it had hardly been enough to fill him.
...
As they spoke, Tonpa suddenly stepped closer. His expression became unusually serious, and his voice dropped into a grim tone.
"I’d advise you all to remain cautious."
"Hm?"
Leorio and Kurapika frowned at the same time, staring at him without understanding what he meant.
Haruto remained calm beside them.
He knew exactly what Tonpa was doing.
Tonpa wanted to frighten them with alarming speculation, leaving them anxious and unable to rest properly.
Haruto could not be bothered to expose him. None of this would affect him anyway.
Tonpa glanced at Haruto, who appeared completely unmoved, but maintained his solemn expression as he lowered his voice further.
"The secretary only said we would arrive at the next destination tomorrow."
"It’s possible that the inside of this airship is actually the site of the Third Phase."
"And there’s no guarantee they’ll wait until eight in the morning to contact us."
"For all we know, the exam may have already begun without anyone announcing it."
Naturally, Tonpa was lying.
He knew that the official Hunter Exam would not deliberately provide applicants with false information.
If they had been told that their time was their own until arrival, then the Association would not suddenly spring a hidden test on them.
Tonpa spoke so convincingly, however, that Leorio believed every word.
His eyes widened in disbelief.
"Wait, seriously?"
Leorio instinctively rubbed his aching shoulder, misery filling his heart.
If another test began right now, would he even be able to endure it?
"He does have a point," Kurapika murmured thoughtfully, pressing his lips together.
Tonpa’s suggestion was not completely impossible, but Kurapika did not believe for a moment that the man was warning them out of kindness.
He still could not determine Tonpa’s true motive, however.
Haruto cooperatively put on an expression of sudden realization.
"I see. Then we should stay alert. I still intend to earn my Hunter License."
Tonpa was working so hard to deceive them. The least Haruto could do was play along.
It would be rude to discourage the man.
Seeing that all three appeared to have accepted his warning, Tonpa’s smile became even friendlier while he celebrated inwardly.
This was exactly the result he wanted.
As long as Haruto and the others remained suspicious, they would be too nervous to sleep properly.
They might even stay awake all night exploring the airship!
By morning, they would be exhausted, greatly increasing their chances of failing the Third Phase.
Tonpa continued in an even graver tone.
"It wouldn’t be impossible for you to wake up and discover that the exam had already ended."
"If you want to participate in the next phase, you shouldn’t lower your guard just because you’re aboard the airship."
His eyes were filled with apparent sincerity, as though he were genuinely concerned for them.
"What kind of nonsense is that?" Leorio muttered bitterly.
He had planned to enjoy Haruto’s food and then get a proper night’s sleep.
After hearing Tonpa’s warning, however, his mind was now filled with doubt.
Despite his complaints, Leorio looked at Tonpa and sincerely thanked him.
"Thanks for the warning."
As far as Leorio was concerned, Tonpa was an unusually kind and helpful senior applicant.
"I’ll give it serious thought," Kurapika replied with a solemn nod.
Internally, however, he had already decided that he would rest when he needed to.
"Maybe we should explore the airship after dinner," Haruto said with complete seriousness. "We might discover something."
He actually did intend to have a proper look around.
After all, this was his first time aboard an airship, and he was genuinely curious about it.