Lu Ou struggled to suppress the agitation surging through his body. When he noticed Kurapika's gaze sweeping toward him, he gave a small nod.
Seeing Lu Ou confirm it, Kurapika finally relaxed. With his tension gone, he now had the leisure to observe this old man who had arrived like salvation in the middle of a snowstorm.
As Chairman Netero walked toward Menchi, he seemed to sense something. His eyes suddenly shifted, sweeping directly toward Luo Ou. When he spotted him, his gaze deepened slightly—but without pausing, he continued on toward Menchi.
Lu Ou felt the hair on his body stand on end.
That single glance from Chairman Netero had put him into full alert mode. His entire body tensed, every cell drawn tight.
"The strongest man of the previous century… Even though he's past his prime due to age, he's still terrifying."
The pressure was immediate and unmistakable.
"In the latter half of the second test, you wanted to see whether the examinees had the courage to challenge the unknown—so you chose a cooking exam. Is that correct?"
Chairman Netero stopped about three meters away from Menchi.
"Yes," Menchi replied loudly. "My true intention was to conduct a test that examined both inner resolve and external skill. That's why I originally planned to use an extremely high-difficulty dish to determine the results."
"Originally?" Netero seized on the key word.
"Huh? No, that's not—"
Menchi suddenly fell silent, realizing she had likely made a mistake.
"In the end, you concluded that almost all of the examinees lacked the ability to take on challenges—meaning you judged them unqualified. Is that right?" Netero asked calmly.
"That's not it," Menchi hurriedly explained. "I got furious because the examinees treated cooking with contempt. Then the method for making sushi was exposed to everyone, which made me anxious. My blood started boiling, and on top of that, I'd eaten too much at the time, so I ended up…"
Though impulsive and fiery by nature—and extremely strict about cooking—Menchi was still intelligent. She understood what Chairman Netero was getting at and laid out her thoughts honestly.
Hanzo, however, instinctively shrank his neck when he heard that the sushi method had been revealed to everyone.
That had been his doing—even if it wasn't intentional.
"So in other words," Netero said, "you yourself believe that the evaluation of this stage was unfair. Is that correct?"
After hearing her out, Netero remained perfectly calm.
"Yes," Menchi admitted. "Whenever something involves cooking, I tend to lose my composure. I wasn't qualified to serve as an examiner. I'm truly sorry."
She closed her eyes in disappointment and bowed deeply. She knew she was at fault, and apologizing was only right.
"Hahahahaha!"
"You're a very honest girl," Chairman Netero said with a hearty laugh. "While there were problems with your role as examiner this time, there's no doubt about your qualifications as a One-Star Hunter and a Gourmet Hunter. This incident merely proves, once again, your passion for cooking."
Rather than being angered by her admission, Netero affirmed her abilities, acknowledging that her devotion to cuisine was unmatched.
"Chairman!" Menchi lifted her head gratefully, her mood instantly improving.
"Then let's do it this way," Netero continued. "We'll hold another cooking test. I'd like you to remain in your position and continue overseeing things. However, there's one condition."
"The new challenge must be demonstrated by you personally, as the examiner, and you will take part alongside the examinees. What do you think?"
Chairman Netero truly lived up to his reputation as a cunning old fox.
With a single proposal, he preserved Menchi's dignity, protected the Hunter Association's authority, and ensured that the examinees would have no grounds for complaint.
"Crafty as hell," Lu Ou muttered.
He had to admit—there was no better solution. It was extremely effective. The examinees were already fired up, rubbing their hands together, eager to prove themselves.
"This is great, Ou!" Gon said excitedly.
A re-exam meant he still had a chance to pass—and that meant a chance to meet his father. Just thinking about it made him happy.
"It really is good," Kurapika agreed.
Being one step closer to his goal naturally lifted his spirits.
Leorio and Killua were just as pleased. Being able to continue was the best possible outcome.
"I think this method should satisfy everyone," Chairman Netero said.
Though he could already hear the murmurs among the examinees, he still turned toward them, clearly seeking their opinion.
"Yes!" "This is the way!" "I'm satisfied!"
The examinees responded enthusiastically, voices overlapping.
"Still, the focus now should be the cooking test itself. We can't let our guard down," Lu Ou said, dumping a bucket of cold water over everyone's excitement.
Cooling off at a time like this was necessary.
Kurapika strongly agreed. Still, he felt reassured—after all, Lu Ou was part of their group.
"That's for sure," Leorio said smugly, slinging an arm around Lu Ou's shoulder with a grin. Nothing could ruin his mood now.
"Don't worry—we'll be careful," Killua replied, unusually cheerful.
"I get it," Gon said, clenching his fists, eyes burning with determination.
"Hehehe…"
Somewhere nearby, Hisoka appeared beside a tree. Hearing the announcement, he seemed to be in quite a good mood as well.
"Of course," Tonpa said as he finally struggled to his feet.
Though still resentful about being beaten, nothing mattered more than getting another chance at the exam.
Unfortunately for Tonpa, he didn't know that someone had already set their sights on him.
His road was nearing its end.
With just one sentence from Chairman Netero, the atmosphere had completely revived.
"So—what will the make-up test be, Examiner?" Netero asked once the discussions died down.
"Let me think," Menchi said, tapping her delicate chin with a finger as she frowned in thought.
Then her eyes lit up.
"This time, the test will be—boiled eggs."
"…All right."
"That's great! I can do that!" Gon cheered immediately.
Having a challenge he actually knew how to do felt wonderful.
"So simple? I can do that too," Killua said happily. "Just add water and boil an egg. Easy."
"Yeah, me too," Leorio said, throwing an arm around Gon's neck and laughing.
"Isn't there something strange about this?" Kurapika asked cautiously.
His first instinct was that something didn't add up.
"Did you forget about the roasted pig?" Lu Ou pointed out bluntly.
"The ingredients?" the group said in unison, exchanging glances.
"Exactly," Luo Ou nodded. "Obtaining the ingredients is the real test."
Hearing this, the group fell silent, pondering what kind of eggs they would be required to use.
That was likely the most important part.
"Boiled eggs?"
The examinees also erupted into discussion upon hearing the topic. It seemed too simple to believe—though the sharper ones had already begun to grasp Menchi's true intent.
The real test was about to begin.