The morning lodge at Palma was quiet. Zoldyck Killua was curled up on the living room sofa, opening his third bag of Choco Robo. Fleeks Gon was watching the maple leaves outside the window. The morning air in Creena Ridge was cold, and the chaos from last night's rock-paper-scissors tournament felt like a lie. Then the front door burst open with force. "[excited]I'm here!!" His suit was wrinkled. His seven-three part was ruined, his bangs disheveled, and dark circles hung heavy under his eyes. His voice was oddly energetic, but his complexion was sickly pale. Gon stood up. "[surprised]Leorio... are you okay?" "[excited]I'm fine! I pulled an all-nighter studying for my medical exam, but I came straight here! My spirit is at full strength!" He swayed as he said it. Killua watched Leorio with a calm gaze while eating his Choco Robo. "[serious]...Sit down" "[excited]I won't! I'm going to handle all the cooking today! I left everything to Chairman Netero yesterday, so today I'm going to——" "[cold]Have you ever cooked before" A voice came. A slender figure stood in the doorway. Black hair in a ponytail. Serious expression and thin eyebrows. It was Kurapika. They had entered at some point and stood there quietly, holding a single piece of luggage. Leorio went silent for three seconds. "[serious]...No" Kurapika entered the living room without a word. Leorio's face grew awkward. "[excited]But I'll do it! I'll make it work with spirit!" "[sarcastic]Do you remember when yesterday's yakisoba noodles were completely ruined" "[angry]Shut up!! That was just a heat control issue!" "[serious]Weren't we supposed to decide the cooking duty by drawing lots" "[excited]Forget the lots—I'm doing it!" The conversation had completely circled back. Killua quietly opened the next Choco Robo. --- Kurapika took a step into the living room. In that instant, they stopped. A man was sitting in a single chair in the corner of the room. Black coat. Reading a book. Chrollo Lucilfer—leader of the Phantom Troupe and an A-class bounty target. They had been at the lodge since last night, but Kurapika hadn't faced them yet. The air in the living room changed. Leorio started to say something and stopped. Killua froze, still holding the Choco Robo. Only Gon seemed unable to grasp the situation, looking back and forth between Kurapika, Chrollo, and Kurapika again. Kurapika's hand moved slightly. Their gaze fixed on Chrollo. Chrollo didn't lift his eyes from the book. He simply existed there. Said nothing. Did nothing. Silence stretched for three seconds, four seconds. Kurapika turned toward Gon. Gon wasn't thinking about anything complicated. They were simply looking straight at Kurapika. That was all. Kurapika exhaled softly. "[cold]...Today is a truce" They said it briefly and set their luggage on a chair by the window. Killua spoke to Gon in a voice no one else could hear. "[whispers]...This guy is incredible" Gon made a face that said "What do you mean?" Killua didn't say anything more. --- "[excited]So let's decide the cooking duty by drawing lots!" Everyone gathered. They tore up pieces of paper, wrote names, and put them in a box. Chairman Netero said "Very well" and drew the first slip. Biscuit. Biscuit said "Sure, why not." Next was Morel. The giant sea hunter nodded with an "Alright." Leorio rushed forward saying "Next has to be me!" but the paper had Killua's name on it, and both of them looked dejected. And the person who drew the final slip opened the paper with no expression. "[cold]Illumi Zoldyck" The lodge went completely still for five seconds. Illumi Zoldyck was Killua's eldest brother. His eyes didn't move like a doll's. His voice had no tone variation whatsoever. The thought that this man might put something in the food—it was obvious from everyone's expressions that this idea had occurred to all of them simultaneously. Killua spoke in a low voice. "[serious]...Big brother" Morel spoke while his massive frame trembled slightly. "[serious]I'll taste-test it...for you" His voice wavered slightly. Illumi headed toward the kitchen without a word. Everyone watched his back with faces full of prayer. --- The finished dish looked normal, at least. Stir-fried vegetables and soup. White rice. At first glance, nothing seemed wrong. Everyone gathered in the dining hall and stared at the table. No one picked up their chopsticks. Leorio muttered "Did we learn how to detect poison in medical school...?" Biscuit said "Well, it looks normal at least." Gon picked up his chopsticks first. He took one bite. He stopped. "[surprised]...It's delicious" Everyone looked at Gon. Gon took another bite. He stopped. "[surprised]It's seriously delicious" Killua cautiously took one bite. He went still. Kurapika took one bite. Their eyebrows moved slightly. Morel took one bite, stopped his chopsticks, and looked at the ceiling. Leorio ate and then said "It's delicious but..." and fell silent. The dining hall was wrapped in strange silence. The food was abnormally delicious, yet no one seemed happy. Everyone sat motionless, staring intently at their own chopsticks. "[serious]...There's no poison in this, right" "[cold]There is not" "[serious]...Why" "[cold]Because Gon looks happy" Killua looked at the stir-fry with a complicated expression. He took another bite. He stopped again. "[serious]...I never knew Big Brother could make something this good" He said only that and continued eating silently. Chairman Netero sipped his soup and spoke quietly. "[gentle]It's delicious" Not relief, not confusion—just a statement of fact. With that one word, everyone somehow began eating. No one felt reassured, but they ate anyway. They finished everything. Lunch ended in that strange atmosphere. --- In the afternoon, Gon spread both arms wide. "[excited]Since we're all here, let's introduce ourselves!" Biscuit said "Sure, why not." Chairman Netero said "Very well." Leorio raised his voice saying "I'll go first!" Leorio smoothly talked about being a medical student, having dreams, and arriving after an all-nighter. Killua said "We heard all that during the move yesterday," but Leorio didn't mind. Biscuit said only "Biscuit Krueger. Hunter for over thirty years," and didn't touch on her age at all. Then it was Kurapika's turn. "[cold]I'm Kurapika" They went silent. Leorio stood up. "[angry]Say more! Like your hobbies! Your favorite foods!" "[cold]That's everything" "[angry]No it's not! There's gotta be something!! Your age, where you're from——" After a long silence, Kurapika spoke. "[cold]...I like chains" The room froze. A sense of "Well... okay..." enveloped everyone. Leorio looked up at the sky. "[serious]...Could you say something more normal" Only Gon's eyes sparkled. "[excited]Chains are cool!" Kurapika glanced at Gon briefly. They said nothing. But their eyes seemed to soften, just slightly. Next came Hisoka's turn. "[sarcastic]Hisoka♦ My hobbies are... hehe♠" Everyone's faces said they wished they hadn't asked. Killua buried his face in his knees. Then it was Chrollo's turn. Gon called out to him. "[serious]What about you, Chrollo?" Chrollo lifted his eyes from the book for the first time. "[cold]Chrollo Lucilfer. Leader of the Phantom Troupe. Currently on vacation" He returned his eyes to the book. In that instant. Kurapika's eyes took on a reddish tint for just a moment. The Kurta clan—Kurapika's people had been annihilated. The Phantom Troupe was responsible. Eyes that turned red only when emotions ran high were clearly trembling now. Everyone noticed the change. No one moved. One second, two seconds—— "[excited]Y-yes! Next! Morel! It's Morel's turn!" His voice was loud. Morel reflexively stood up. "[surprised]O-oh! Morel Mackernasey! Sea hunter! My favorite food is all kinds of fish!" Everyone's gaze shifted to Morel. Kurapika's eyes quietly returned to their normal color. Whether Gon had done it intentionally or just happened to do it, Killua couldn't tell. But as a result, the moment passed. "[whispers]...This guy is really incredible" He muttered it in a voice no one could hear. --- Evening came. Leaving the bustling lodge behind, Gon and Killua were by a small stream behind the lodge. Sepina River—a clear stream fed by the spring water of Creena Ridge, where Killua had been chilling candy since yesterday. The stream was about three meters wide, the current slow, and the water temperature low enough that things kept at the right temperature if left long enough. Killua was eating a Choco Robo he'd pulled from the stream. Gon sat on the riverbank watching the water's surface. For a while, only the sound of the stream continued. "[gentle]Killua, when you met Jin" Killua kept his chewing pace steady while listening. "[gentle]He said the important thing isn't what you find, but who you're with——right" Gon's profile, speaking in a quieter voice than usual while watching the stream flow, was slightly different from their usual energetic self. "[gentle]That's why I wanted to do this retreat" Killua said nothing. Facing the stream, he ate another piece of Choco Robo. The water sound continued. In the distance, Leorio and Morel's voices could be faintly heard arguing about something. After a while, Killua spoke. "[serious]...Don't say stuff like that so suddenly" He kept facing the stream. Killua gently held out a piece of Choco Robo toward Gon. Gon took it. "[gentle]Thanks" "[serious]...It's nothing" The two of them sat like that for a while, listening to the stream. --- Night came. Everyone retreated to their rooms, and the lodge fell silent. Gon and Killua shared a room. Two beds sat side by side, and the night ridge was visible through the window. Gon fell asleep quickly. The sound of steady breathing came from him. Killua stared at the ceiling. He was vaguely recalling the day's events. How abnormally delicious Illumi's cooking had been. The moment Kurapika's eyes turned red. How Gon's single shout had stopped everything. （Jin's words...） Who you're with. Killua's eyes were closing. Then he heard it. A faint sound from the hallway—from the kitchen direction. The refrigerator opening. Followed by the soft clink of dishes moving. Killua sat up and listened carefully. The sound stopped quickly. Silence returned. Only the sound of wind rustling the trees on the ridge continued outside the window. Killua lay back down. （We'll know in the morning） Thinking that, he closed his eyes. Gon's breathing continued. The stream's sound was faintly audible. What had happened in the kitchen remained unknown for now.