The wooden railing of the deck felt slightly cool in the evening. Fleeks Gon had both elbows propped on it, gazing at the crimson maple leaves in the garden. He lifted his red cap slightly, turning his face toward the wind. The autumn air of Krena Highlands was crisp—nothing like the cluttered smell of Yorknew City. Zoldyck Killua sat in the deck chair beside him, pushing a straw into a juice pouch. His silver hair swayed slightly in the evening breeze. His face held a rare, relaxed expression—the kind that came after confirming three boxes of Choco Robo today, pulled up from the river. "[gentle]Biscuit was really loud today" "[serious]She just didn't like that I changed the candy storage location to the river" Gon laughed a little. Killua sipped his juice. The sunset painted the maple leaves orange. It was peaceful. Just for a moment. "[serious]……Gon" Killua's tone shifted slightly. When Gon turned around, Killua was looking at the edge of the deck beyond the railing. Someone was standing there. Long red hair. A clown-like costume in white and black. The corner of their mouth slowly rising. Hisoka Morow. It was impossible to tell when they'd arrived. There'd been no footsteps. They were just there, as if it were natural. Killua spit out his juice. A sharp *pfft* sound echoed across the quiet evening deck. Killua covered his mouth, coughing. Gon rushed to pat his back, but Killua stopped him with a hand, staring hard at Hisoka. "[angry]……why……are you here" "[laughing]Did I do something wrong by coming without an invitation? ♠" They didn't look sorry. If anything, they looked amused. Hisoka showed no sign of explaining where they'd gotten their information, simply vaulting over the railing and stepping onto the deck. "[excited]Hisoka! You came!" "[angry]Gon!! Don't say it like that!!" Killua's voice was low but sharp. Gon looked a bit troubled, but Hisoka was already heading toward the living room door. The fact was established. A done deal. Killua sighed deeply. "[serious]……honestly" In that voice was not genuine rejection, but tired resignation—*of course this happened*. --- Less than ten minutes later, there was another sound from the entrance. Gon, who'd been drinking juice in the living room, looked up as the front door opened quietly. A man in a black coat entered, holding a single book. Black short hair, sharp eyes. The leader of the Phantom Troupe—the thief gang, Class A bounty—Chrollo Lucilfer. Chrollo scanned the living room quickly. He confirmed Hisoka was on the sofa. He confirmed Biscuit was drinking tea. Then, without a word, he sat in a single chair in the corner of the living room and opened his book. He began reading. The living room froze. Only the sound of Biscuit setting her teacup on the table echoed. Gon watched Chrollo. Chrollo read. He didn't speak to anyone. Made no demands. Just read. Killua came to Gon's side and leaned close to his ear. "[whispers]……what's he doing here" "[whispers]Maybe he came to relax" Killua was silent for two seconds. "[serious]That's what scares me most" Chairman Netero poked his head out from the kitchen. The small, white-haired old man glanced at Chrollo, then withdrew. The sound of stirring a pot resumed. He said nothing. Unbothered. Which made Gon find it a little funny. --- Chairman Netero's dinner was impeccable Japanese cuisine. A large pot of soup, grilled fish, white rice, and several small dishes Gon couldn't name. The aroma of the food spread from the dining table down the hallway, and Gon's stomach rumbled. Everyone gathered in the dining room and began to sit. That was when it happened. Hisoka smoothly reached for the chair next to Killua. "[cold]Not there" Killua immediately spoke and moved toward the seat farthest from Hisoka. When Hisoka tried to pull out the now-empty chair beside Killua, Killua shifted one more seat over. Hisoka walked. Killua moved. "[laughing]Killua, don't run away ♦" "[angry]I'm not running. I'm keeping distance" Halfway around the table, Gon stood up. "[serious]I'll sit next to Hisoka" Hisoka looked at Gon, his expression turning slightly amused. Killua looked at Gon. "[serious]……if you're okay with that, then fine" His face wasn't satisfied, but Killua secured his seat. Directly across from Gon. Gon was sandwiched between Hisoka and Killua. Biscuit sighed quietly as she sat. "[serious]All this commotion before dinner……" Chrollo had naturally taken the seat at the far end. No one had guided him there, yet he'd chosen a spot that wouldn't collide with anyone. He closed his book for now and picked up the bowl of soup. Chairman Netero came from the kitchen with the last small dish and took his seat. "[gentle]Eat while it's hot" He said it briefly. That was the signal. Everyone picked up their chopsticks. For a few seconds, the dining room was silent. Gon took a sip of the soup and his eyes widened. It was delicious. Simply, genuinely delicious. The umami of the kelp spread softly, and warmth bloomed through his body. "[excited]Chairman, this is amazing" Chairman Netero smiled. "[gentle]Isn't it" Killua ate quietly. His face had become slightly more peaceful. --- After dinner, Gon stretched dramatically in the living room. "[excited]Let's play a game, everyone!" Killua made a *here we go again* face but didn't stop him. Biscuit settled deep into the sofa and said "fine." Chairman Netero said "very well." Hisoka stood with interest. Chrollo placed his book on his lap, taking an observer's position. They decided to determine matchups by drawing lots. Gon wrote numbers on thin strips of paper and put them in a box. While Gon was making the papers, Killua muttered, "I hope we don't get a weird combination." "[gentle]It'll be fine" "[sarcastic]I really can't trust that line" The first few draws were fine. Chairman Netero versus Biscuit. Gon versus Chrollo. Then one slip was opened. Zoldyck Killua versus Hisoka Morow. The air in the living room changed. Gon froze, paper still in hand. Biscuit's sigh was audible. Chairman Netero quietly sipped his tea. Killua's eyes narrowed. His smile vanished. Beneath his silver hair, those blue eyes began to hold an entirely different light. The third son of the Zoldyck family. Something sleeping within him—something born from a family of assassins—began to stir quietly. Hisoka snapped his fingers once. A sharp *snap* echoed. "[laughing]That's a good matchup ♣" The air between them grew heavy. Gon stood up. He immediately wedged himself between them. Both arms spread, blocking their line of sight. "[serious]Wait a second! Games are supposed to be fun for everyone! Not a fight to the death!" A moment passed. Killua looked at Gon. Gon's face was serious. Tense. Looking directly at Killua. Killua was silent for several seconds. Then he exhaled softly. The light in his eyes dimmed slightly. "[serious]……I guess I can't help it" "[sarcastic]How boring ♠" Hisoka said it with disappointment, but complied. Gon turned to look at Hisoka. "[serious]Then let's do a rock-paper-scissors tournament with everyone!" Biscuit looked up at the ceiling. "[serious]……these kids, all this fuss over one game. I worry about what's ahead" --- When the rock-paper-scissors tournament began, something strange happened. Killua tried to read his opponent's hand movements and overthought it. He began seriously analyzing whether they'd throw rock, scissors, or paper, and missed his timing. He froze and said "ah" while losing. "[angry]why……am I treating rock-paper-scissors like there's a mind game involved……" Hisoka tried to use the timing manipulation techniques he'd developed through card tricks. But the moment of throwing had absolutely nothing to do with winning at rock-paper-scissors, so he simply lost normally. "[sarcastic]This is a game where tricks don't work ♦" Gon threw paper without thinking and kept winning. By the time he'd won three times in a row, Gon himself was the most surprised. "[excited]No way!" In the end, Chairman Netero won. *Tap, tap, tap*—he threw without hesitation and beat everyone. The prize was a box of Choco Robo borrowed from Killua's cardboard stash. Killua's expression became complicated. Chairman Netero said while opening the bag: "[gentle]I do like these" "[serious]……I see" Killua couldn't say it strongly. Chrollo had watched the entire time from a chair against the wall. Reading his book. He looked up once, saw the moment Killua froze, then returned his gaze to the page. His expression was unreadable. --- After the game tournament ended, everyone withdrew to their own rooms. Gon and Killua shared a room. Two beds sat side by side, and through the window, the night trees of Krena Highlands were visible. The moon was out. The two lay in their futons, staring at the ceiling for a while. The room was quiet. Only the faint sound of someone moving in the distant living room. "[gentle]Hey, Killua" "……what" "[gentle]Do you remember when we first met?" Killua went silent for a moment. His gaze from the ceiling seemed to shift slightly to the side. "[serious]……why suddenly" "[gentle]When everyone was making a fuss today, I remembered. And I thought, Killua's always been Killua, ever since then——" "[serious]Choco Robo got taken by Chairman Netero and I'm genuinely sad" Gon laughed a little. "[gentle]That's not even related right now" "[serious]No, it is. That box was in the best condition of this month's stock" Gon waited. He understood the air—Killua didn't like digging into old memories. He thought, *he's embarrassed*. So he didn't push further. "[gentle]The chairman said he likes Choco Robo" "[serious]Well, he's the chairman, so I can't complain. But it's disappointing" "[gentle]We can just buy more when we go shopping tomorrow" Killua was quiet for a moment. "[serious]……I wonder if Knocker Mart has Choco Robo" "[gentle]They will, for sure" "[serious]……yeah" With that, Killua closed his eyes. Silence returned to the room. The moon glowed white outside the window. The sound of wind rustling the trees drifted from far away. Gon closed his eyes too. So much had happened in just one day. Hisoka came, Chrollo came, the chairman won at rock-paper-scissors, Killua froze. Gon felt like laughing a little, but held it back and drifted into sleep. The first night of the retreat had ended.