At the Hunter Association, a hole suddenly appeared in a corner of the first-floor hall.
Larry stepped out first, followed by Meowth.
"Is this the Hunter Association, meow?" Meowth asked, scratching its face with its paws as it looked around with interest.
The spacious first-floor hall resembled a grand hotel lobby, with a front desk staffed by a professional Hunter and sofas and tables scattered around for visitors to relax.
Menchi was the only other person there besides the front desk staff; most Hunters had gathered at the polling place.
Larry and Menchi had come to vote together, but since Larry needed to meet with Beyond afterward, Menchi waited patiently in the lobby.
As Larry approached, Menchi smiled warmly.
Dressed in a simple yet elegant white dress with her hair loose over her shoulders, she looked like a fairy-tale princess.
It was nearly midnight, and she had expected Larry to arrive around this time, just as he did.
"Finished with your meeting?" she asked.
Larry nodded.
"Yes, everything's settled. Let's head upstairs to vote."
Then Menchi turned to Meowth with a curious smile.
"Are you the mistress, meow?" a crisp voice asked as Meowth stepped out from behind Larry, catching Menchi's attention.
When she got a clear look at Meowth, her expression shifted slightly.
"Wait, did the cat just talk? And it's standing upright?"
Menchi glanced up and down at the adorable feline, clearly intrigued.
Larry smiled and introduced, "This is Meowth, one of my nen beasts."
"Really?"
Menchi responded with mild surprise but didn't seem too impressed.
She had thought it might be some kind of magical beast since on the six continents, animals that can speak human language are basically considered strange beast.
While Larry's nen beasts could make sounds, none had ever spoken human words before, so Menchi hadn't expected that.
"Your name is Meowth? That's adorable," Menchi said, reaching out to scratch under the cat's chin.
Meowth purred happily, clearly enjoying the attention.
Menchi noted that Larry's beast looked pretty impressive, especially since it could communicate directly in human language, making conversation a lot easier.
After playing with Meowth for a bit, Larry, Menchi, and the cat headed upstairs by elevator to cast their votes.
The Hunter Association headquarters was more like a complex of office buildings rather than a single large structure.
The voting took place in the auditorium of one of the smaller buildings.
Outside the auditorium, a spacious area was already filled with a long line of people.
Around three or four hundred hunters had gathered, though not all hunters voted at headquarters; many cast their ballots at branch offices.
Larry recognized some
There were familiar faces, but there were plenty he didn't know.
With over 600 hunters in total, it was impossible to know everyone, including many characters even from the original story who hadn't appeared before.
Just then, the elevator dinged, drawing several people's attention.
Its doors slowly slid open to reveal three figures stepping out, two large and one small.
"Wow, there are so many people, meow!" Meowth exclaimed, clearly surprised by the long line stretching out before her.
It was the first time she'd ever seen such a crowd.
Her meow caught the attention of several people nearby, who immediately turned to look at her.
Whispers quickly spread among the hunters.
"Magical beast?" someone asked.
"No, that can't be," another replied. "I'm a magical beast hunter myself, and I've got a record of all the magical beasts across the six continents. I'm positive that one isn't on the list."
"Forget whether it's a monster or not, look who's standing next to that cat!"
"That's Larry!"
After a moment of confusion, everyone shifted their focus from Meowth to Larry.
Just by seeing him, they seemed to piece together where Meowth came from.
Larry's nickname was "Nen Beast Master," and it was clear that this unusual cat had some nen abilities.
Larry's presence instantly energized the crowd, and from a quick glance, he could see a mix of reactions: some looked excited like yin beasts and earthworms, others showed respect as if they were facing an important figure, and a few wore expressions of curiosity, as if they were seeing a rare creature for the first time.
"Why does this feel strangely familiar?" Larry murmured, frowning as he remembered his own hunter exam experience.
He recalled stepping off an elevator while being watched by so many people; the scene was eerily similar to this one.
Just as Larry, Menchi, and Meowth were lining up at the back, a sudden burst of shouting caught their attention.
"Benefactor! Benefactor!"
Larry glanced to the side and spotted three familiar faces a few spots ahead in the line.
One was a thin man with squinty eyes and gold-rimmed glasses, dressed in a white shirt and black trousers, the typical office worker outfit.
Next to him stood a tall woman, about 1.7 meters, with the regal face of a noblewoman and a fierce, heroic gleam in her eyes.
She wore a black leather jacket that highlighted her cool, queen-like demeanor.
The last man was dressed in flashy red and green clothes, topped with an elaborately patterned big hat, giving off a full-on hip-hop vibe.
His skin was dark, and he had a pair of thick, slightly exaggerated eyebrows that reminded Larry of Rock Lee from Naruto.
These were the three siblings he had met back at the Karym Ruins.
"So, it's you," one of them said.
"This is the first time we've seen each other since we parted ways at the ruins."
Hearing Larry's voice, the three siblings visibly relaxed.
Thankfully, their benefactor hadn't forgotten them.
"Yes, ever since you saved us, we've wanted to repay your kindness," the man with the squinty eyes said earnestly, his usually narrow eyes widening a bit.
"It's a shame we never had the chance before, but now we finally do!" he continued with enthusiasm.
"We're not strong enough to help you directly, so we decided to vote for you as president!"
Everyone waiting in line caught on to their conversation.
Apparently, this famous Larry had rescued these three at the Karym Ruins, and they'd been looking for ways to repay him ever since.
"Vote for me?" Larry chuckled. "You don't have to be so formal about it. When I saved you, it was just something I did. I never expected anything in return."
The man with the eyes shook his head firmly.
"We know that, but this is our choice. You said you didn't need repayment, but it's important to us."
Larry sighed but didn't argue further.
With only three votes out of more than 600 members, there was no way he could become president anyway.
Still, he couldn't shake an odd feeling, like he was missing something important.
"Hehe, I vote for you too, Larry," Menchi said with a warm smile.
Larry responded casually, saying it was only natural since Menchi was his partner.
After chatting with the three siblings for a while, the two of them, along with the cat, reached the end of the line.
Although the rules allowed voting throughout the whole day of August 8th, most people showed up to cast their votes at midnight, with only a few arriving later.
"Mr. Larry, please, please go ahead," said the hunter who had been at the very end of the line.