The wooden scent wafted out as Fleeks Gon pushed open the front door of Lodge Palma. He lifted the brim of his red cap and looked around inside. Spacious. The living room alone was forty tatami mats wide. A fireplace sat solidly in place, and morning autumn light streamed through the windows. The ceiling was high, with several wooden beams crossing overhead. Outside, the conifers of Kraena Ridge swayed in the wind, their needles beginning to turn red and yellow. "[serious]Gon-san" A small man with graying hair stood beside the entrance. His sun-tanned face was etched with fine wrinkles. He was Joban Pailey, a former D-rank Hunter who'd become a caretaker after retirement. Just like when they'd met at the York Shin City branch office yesterday, he held a small notebook. "[serious]One point—I'll repeat yesterday's confirmation" Gon straightened his posture. "Of course" "[serious]Indoor use of Nen is prohibited" Joban approached the living room wall and pointed to a sheet of paper already posted there. 【Nen ability use indoors is forbidden. Violators will be banned from using this facility for the next five years】 Written in large letters. "[serious]This place has been completely destroyed three times in the past. Each time, it was due to a guest's Nen ability. Nen—the technique of manipulating life energy, aura—if a Pro Hunter uses it seriously indoors, a building won't last a second" "[gentle]I understand. I'll tell everyone" "[serious]Wall holes cost 1.2 million Jenny. Electrical equipment, 500,000. Water pipes, 800,000. The BBQ grill, 300,000. As I mentioned yesterday" "……I remember" (Hope everyone's careful.) Faces of the participants floated through Gon's mind. Killua. Kurapika. Leorio. Chairman Netero. Bisket. Moraou. And then— Chrollo. Hisoka. ……Yeah, it'll be fine. They're all good people. Joban said nothing. He simply closed his notebook slowly and withdrew to the management building. His back looked a little tired. --- By the time Gon finished carrying his luggage to his room and was sitting blankly on the living room sofa, a dragging sound came from outside the front door. Drag. Clang. Drag. Clang. An oddly rhythmic noise. "[surprised]Who?" The front door opened. "[serious]……Help" Silver short hair and blue eyes. Fourteen-year-old Killua stood there, pulling two carts. Cardboard boxes were stacked on the carts. Two boxes per cart. Three boxes total. Gon rushed to the entrance. He tried to lift a box and found it surprisingly heavy. "[surprised]Why's this so heavy?" "[serious]Choco Robo-kun is twelve boxes. Potato chips, thirty bags. Plus various gummies" "……" "[serious]What's with that face?" "[surprised]Killua, this retreat is three days, right?" "[serious]I know" "[serious]So... are we opening a candy store?" He asked with a straight face. Killua went quiet for a moment. "[sarcastic]……No" The two of them carried the boxes inside together. It took fifteen minutes just for that. The entrance was completely blocked. Every time a box corner hit the door frame, Gon remembered Joban's words. Wall holes cost 1.2 million Jenny. Cardboard won't make holes though. Once everything was inside, Killua immediately crouched down and opened the boxes. He pulled out Choco Robo-kun—chocolate-coated snack crackers, 200 Jenny per box—and started lining them up. He separated the potato chips by flavor and stacked the gummies by type. Perfectly organized in three minutes. "[gentle]……You're really neat" "[serious]I can't relax without this much" He answered matter-of-factly, without any embarrassment. Killua picked up one box of Choco Robo-kun and checked its contents. His face softened slightly from its usual composed expression. --- After Killua finished unpacking, the first thing he did was explore behind the lodge. When Gon said "I'm coming too!" and they went out the back door, they heard it immediately. A soft, flowing sound of water. Walking a little way into the forest, they saw a clear stream about three meters wide. The Sepina River. It flowed behind Lodge Palma, sourced from the spring water of Kraena Ridge. The water was transparent, and the stones at the riverbed were clearly visible. The autumn leaves from both banks reflected on the water's surface. Killua crouched down and stuck his finger in the river. He didn't move for about five seconds. "[excited]Is it cold?" "[serious]About 12 degrees. Perfect" He stood up and walked briskly back to the lodge. Gon was bewildered when Killua returned two minutes later. He was holding a plastic bag with Choco Robo-kun inside. "[serious]Cooling these" Killua submerged the plastic bag in the shallow part of the river. He brought nearby stones and arranged them on all sides so the bag wouldn't drift away. He placed a flat stone upstream to slow the current. In about five minutes, a perfect chocolate cooling system was complete. "[excited]Amazing" "[serious]Chocolate cooled in the river tastes the best. Obviously" It wasn't entirely obvious, but Gon nodded anyway. After that, Killua trampled the grass to create a route to the river and decided where to step on the way back. It was completely his territory now. --- Back at the lodge, Killua spread a piece of paper on the living room table. A participant list. "[serious]Let's decide on room assignments. First—" "[excited]Yeah! Killua and I should be in the same room, right?" "[serious]That's obvious" Killua's eyes ran down the list. Gon. Killua. Kurapika. Leorio. Chairman Netero. Bisket. Moraou— "[serious]Ah, well, that works. Kurapika and Leorio in the next room—" Killua's finger moved down the list. Then it stopped abruptly. "[surprised]……Hisoka?" His voice was low. "[gentle]Everyone coming makes me so happy!" Killua didn't answer. He traced another line with his finger. "[cold]……Chrollo" "[gentle]The Phantom Troupe leader, right? I've met him before, so it's fine" Killua's complexion dropped a notch. He looked further down. Another second of silence. "[cold]……Why is Illumi's name here?" He completely froze. Gon tilted his head. "[excited]Your brother! I heard he was coming this way, so I invited him. He said he'd come!" Killua slowly turned to look at Gon. "[serious]……Gon, listen" "Yeah" "[serious]Hisoka's a battle junkie. A magician who can't help but want to fight strong opponents. Chrollo's the Phantom Troupe leader. The head of a thief organization. Illumi's my brother, and if he comes—" "[excited]They're all good people!" "[serious]It's definitely going to be a disaster. I can say that with certainty" "[gentle]It'll be fine! Nen use is prohibited indoors here, and there's Joban's rules too!" Killua put his hand to his forehead. ……Well, Nen is off-limits. But whether those guys are normal humans without Nen— "[serious]……Fine. I get it. But if anything happens, I'm not responsible" "Yes!" Killua laughed weakly. A small dimple appeared. "[sarcastic]Don't 'yes' me, seriously……" The room assignments were settled with Gon and Killua sharing. The rest of the members' assignments would be decided once everyone arrived. --- Afternoon came. Gon and Killua were relaxing in the living room when the front door opened. A small girl came in. But Gon already knew. That wasn't a girl. Bisket Krueger. She looked like she was in her teens, but her actual age was 57—a veteran Hunter. A Transmutation-type Nen user and a mentor figure to Gon and Killua. Golden curly hair, large blue eyes. She carried her luggage firmly and walked straight ahead. The moment she entered the living room, Bisket stopped. She looked around the room. The south-facing window. The sunny direction. Distance from the fireplace. The sofa's angle— She made her judgment in three seconds and placed her luggage on the largest sofa in the center of the living room. "[serious]This one's mine" "[surprised]Senpai, that was fast……" "[serious]Rest between training is also training. Sleeping on a good sofa is a warrior's duty" Killua looked exasperated. Gon stood up energetically. "[excited]Bisket, I'm so glad you came!" Bisket smiled slightly. "[gentle]Not bad. Who did you invite?" When Gon showed her the participant list, Bisket raised an eyebrow. "[surprised]……Hisoka and Chrollo?" "Everyone said they'd come!" Bisket looked at Killua. Killua shrugged with a "I told you so" expression. Bisket took a deep, slow breath, then pulled a long, thin box from her luggage. A pastry box. "[serious]Well, let's sit and talk. If we think of it as training, it's not a bad setup" "[serious]You brought snacks?" Killua's eyes moved for just a moment. He looked like he was remembering the Choco Robo-kun he'd submerged in the river. "[sarcastic]Don't go after mine, Killua" "[surprised]I'm not" --- A while after Bisket arrived, footsteps came from down the hallway. Slow, light footsteps. The door to the kitchen opened. A small elderly man in a white gi with a shaved head. Estimated age over 110. The 12th Chairman of the Hunter Association—Isaac Netero. One of the world's highest-ranking Pro Hunters, with only about 700 existing, and the top of the organization for Gon and the others. Chairman Netero gave everyone a light wave. He headed straight for the kitchen without hesitation. "[surprised]Oh, Chairman! The kitchen—" The refrigerator opened. Gon and Killua exchanged glances. When they peeked into the kitchen, Chairman Netero was checking the contents of the large refrigerator. He pulled a knife from the drawer while confirming what was inside. His movements were natural. The familiarity was nothing like someone using someone else's kitchen. "[surprised]Are you making something?" "[gentle]Everyone will be hungry, won't they" That said, he began chopping vegetables. Killua leaned close to Gon's ear. "[whispers]……A Pro Hunter over 110 years old, the Hunter Association chairman, cooking without being asked" "[whispers]Yeah" "[whispers]Should we help?" Gon entered the kitchen. "[gentle]Chairman, can I help?" Netero answered without stopping his knife work. "[serious]Watch" Short and clear. Gon obediently stepped back. His eyes went to the wall. The paper Joban had posted was there too. 【Nen ability use indoors is forbidden】 Chairman Netero chopped vegetables in rhythm. An elderly man with white hair, an ordinary knife, an ordinary cutting board, doing ordinary cooking. Gon knew this man's Nen ability was among humanity's strongest. He could do anything if he went all out. But right now, he could only hold a knife. That was the rule. (……That's kind of interesting.) Gon thought quietly. That's how it is for everyone these three days. No matter how strong they are, no matter what special powers they have, here they just cook with knives, sleep on sofas, and cool candy in rivers. That's all. Bisket's voice came from the living room. "[serious]Killua, where did you hide that candy?" "[serious]The river. It's not your concern" "[sarcastic]The river……?" Gon laughed quietly. Evening light streamed through the windows. The shadows of conifers stretched long across the yard. The autumn-colored maple glowed orange. (More members will arrive when evening comes.) Gon returned to the living room, running through the participant list in his head again. Hisoka. Chrollo. Illumi. Killua had said it would definitely be a disaster. That was... probably true. But— (For now, things are going pretty well.) Gon dropped onto the sofa. The sound of knife work came from the kitchen. Bisket was opening the pastry box. Killua was checking the direction of the river from the window. The autumn dusk slowly wrapped around Lodge Palma.