Chapter 21: An Answer Without Meaning

"Ah~~ I'm full, I'm full!"

Buhara announced this by patting his distended belly, and Menchi struck a gong to make her announcement.

"Finished~~~!!"

If this were a normal Hunter Exam... no, if there hadn't even been roast pig on the menu, the Examinees would have been lost regarding their success or failure, but at this moment, even Hisoka was the same. A miraculous moment.

(70 roast pigs!! Simply a monster...!!)

Of course, I only took a bite to taste it, and the rest was eaten by the staff... that's not what I meant. Seeing Buhara's delicious feast, the successful Examinees were ecstatic, simply at a loss for what to do.

"What is my trouble?

However, Sora recovered relatively quickly from the shock of Buhara's four-dimensional stomach and began to sink in along with other things.

Although she said she had never cooked a whole pig before, she was the only one who knew how to cook and was the oldest of the five, which made her sense of responsibility meaningless. I thought it was just dismantling, but I think it was just dismantling, but the roasted pig still had its internal organs and bones inside, and thinking about it going on like this, I couldn't help but feel depressed.

"Sora's is the best! You said it was delicious!"

"It took a long time, but we passed the test because it was a good dish for us! You shouldn't say that!!"

"... Hmm. Thank you, Gon, Kurapika."

He defeated the pigs one by one by himself, but most of the dismantling was left to Sora.

"Even so, he still dismantled the Supapa with my knife, but how did you do it?

Of course, Killua did not answer this question. Sora herself had no sense of danger and was just chatting, but it was clearly not information that could be talked about casually.

At first, Killua trusted Sora and Gon and wanted to be Together with them, but his thoughts on Leorio were just "what happened."

I don't think it's an Obstacle, but I'm not interested in him to the point that I still don't remember his name, so I don't want to talk about Sora's trump card with such a person.

"Come on."

After saying that, Killua said to Sora: "How long are you going to be depressed?"

Even if Sora was kicked, she would complain "that hurts now," but Kurapika instead glared at her with a slightly stern look.

Killua noticed the gaze but ignored it.

If Sora said something stupid over there, he would throw a Wooden Sword at her or hit her, so he said to Kurapika in his heart that she was not worth complaining about or reprimanding. Shall we go?" he said.

Leorio's approval was better than indifference, but Killua clearly "didn't like" Kurapika.

While Sora was doing something where it was unclear whether she was effectively using Direct Death or wasting it, Gon just said "Wow," his eyes shining, while Leorio watched the dismantling with a mixture of curiosity and fear. Kurapika did not seem surprised to see Sora cutting bone with a butterfly knife.

The pained expression on his face told me that he knew as much or more about those eyes as I did, and I really didn't like it.

Even though I knew I didn't like Kurapika, I never thought about why.

I didn't try to think about it.

I didn't even have to think about it, nor was I willing to admit it.

That's why I just stood next to her, as if to insert myself between Kurapika and Sora.

Unlike Buhara, the second test Examiner, who claimed to be from the Kara Party, Menchi, loudly announced the task menu.

"The second part of the exam. My menu is Sushi!"

In response to this statement, more than 90% (though not all) of the people thought the same thing.

(Sushi...!? What is sushi...!?)

Unlike Buhara's assignment, the Examinees were puzzled and began to stir when asked questions about shape, ingredients, or cooking methods that they couldn't imagine.

Perhaps she was happy that the situation was as expected, Menchi was in a great mood, "I'll give you a hint!!"

There was a row of cooking tables in the building. However, there was only one sink and a workbench with a Kitchen Knife and a cutting board, no stove.

As the saying goes, "We have the minimum necessary tools and Material," there were many types of Kitchen Knives, but no pots or frying pans.

There are Sushi that require Fire, such as egg and conger eel, but it may not have been installed because if a stove were placed, it would be judged that the cooking range was too wide and the students would get lost.

For those who knew the answer, the service was good and the hints were scattered, but for those without cooking experience, all the knives looked the same, and only a few even realized there was no stove.

However, they were almost all in a state of complete fumbling, so they were not in a hurry at this moment, one person standing in front of the simple dining table, wholeheartedly rubbing the Kitchen Knife in their head. And the rice in front of them.

"... Hey, do you think he knows what sushi is?"

Asked by Leorio, who was twisting his head in front of the rice like the other students, Kurapika put his hand on his chin and answered vaguely: "... How about it?"

The time we spent Together wasn't that long, and it wasn't an environment where I could cook satisfactorily, but even in that environment, Sora would often cook exquisite dishes for Kurapika in her spare time, and Kurapika also knew some dishes and the like, the dishes I made were things I had never seen or heard of, but I let the residents of the other world know that the national cuisine of this small island country was as much as roast pig, or even more. It's too cruel.

However, Sora's cooking has a lot in common with the cooking of this world.

So it is very likely that there is the same food in Sora's world, or she is a greedy woman, so she spent three years learning this kind of food. Kurapika looked at the dining table next to him, thinking he should ask.

However, he did not see the person he was looking for, but met Killua sitting on the counter next to him.

Killua twisted his face with some displeasure, looking around while muttering: "Where did he go?"

Kurapika was annoyed by Killua's reaction for a moment, and for some reason, Sora was talking to Menchi.

"What are you talking about?"

"Didn't that guy ask the Examiner directly what this dish is?"

Gon and Killua also noticed, but it was just a bit noisy around, so they couldn't hear the conversation and tilted their heads.

Kurapika was hesitating whether to call her or wait a moment, when Sora walked back quickly.

Menchi smiled and waved at Sora, and only then did he breathe a sigh of relief, because he was not resting as usual for the time being.

"Well, just confirm a little"

"Are you sure?" Leorio noticed that before Kurapika could parrot him, Sora had already returned.

"Oh, so that's it. Hey, Sora. Do you know what sushi is?"

"I don't know anything, I know"

"Ah, I thought so.

Like the whole roast pig, I thought it would be an "I don't know" answer, but Leorio inadvertently made an "I know" reaction.

Leorio's voice was so loud that not only did the other three not expect an answer, but Sora's reaction was also normal, ignoring it for the moment.

Kurapika and Killua glared at Leorio, because it was exposed that Sora knew about "Sushi" besides himself; Leorio smiled and deceived him, but Sora had noticed almost all the students, did not flinch, and pointed at Menchi, saying coldly.

"Yes."

"Why!?"

It wasn't just Leorio and the others; for some reason, almost all the students participating in the exam were muttering questions and rebuttals at the woman who had somehow discarded her own strengths.

Perhaps he hadn't expected to hear an artistic chorus, so Sora answered with wide, slightly frightened eyes.

"Hmm? Because I just happened to know, and because it is unequal and bad for everyone."

"Gaff!"

After Sora finished speaking, only Gon, whose five senses reached a level that made him suspect he was non-human, heard a groan as if he had been struck.

However, since it was a stranger I hadn't spoken to yet, I couldn't guess what the groan was about. The Conscience of the Ninja Hanzo, who knew "that" and intended not to let anyone else know it, had been pierced, so there was no need to do anything about it. On the contrary, knowing about a stranger's child made him worry, which would be the final blow to his sense of responsibility.

"You're serious about strange things..." Killua looked bewildered, but Sora answered casually, "No."

It wasn't until the students who were surrounding him saying "Fine, I have nothing to do with this guy" dispersed.

"Frankly speaking, this is more for self-protection than to the detriment of people I don't know. Because I don't know what kind of dish I'm making, I won't miss any hints, and I'm starting from the people who know from there. Maybe I can figure it out."

"So, if you knew from the beginning, you could perhaps raise the pass/fail standard for taste, right? I just thought I would have the same conditions as everyone else, because it would be absolutely impossible if I were asked to reach a professional level."

"So, it's okay to give hints and help, but it's better to let everyone think for themselves. If I teach you from 1 to 100, your pass/fail standards might explode."

After the other students left, the four of them gathered in Sora's kitchen to hear Sora specifically report the real reason he knew about Sushi.

"Eh? It's impossible to pass at a professional level; is there really such a difficult dish?"

"The situation is exactly the opposite."

"Look, even if you are asked to draw a Circle with your bare hands, who can draw one that looks like it, but who can draw it as beautifully as using a compass without practice? That is exactly what I mean."

"If you want to reach a professional level, it takes 10 years of Training, but if it's at a level as delicious as ordinary home cooking, as long as the Material isn't bad, it's not difficult."

"What? I'm relieved."

To Sora's answer, Leorio spoke as a representative of the suicidal, and although he had almost no cooking experience, he still hoped to be able to make a difference for the time being.

Although this was a Gourmet Hunter's test, I didn't expect professional-level cooking. After all, the only people who could pass such a standard were those who aspired to become Gourmet Hunters like them.

In the Buhara test I mentioned earlier, I passed by saying "delicious" to the charred and undercooked whole piece of pork, so it was clear that saying "delicious" was an expedient for passing.

Although he called himself a "kara party" in the Menchi test, everyone thought it was at most stricter than Buhara, and he was just looking for something delicious that could be enjoyed at a normal family dinner table.

This idea was not wrong.

At least on this point.

Although he was good at avoiding that "death" at the last moment of dying, Sora had no way of noticing such things because she had no Prediction of the future, and she talked to Gon without knowing the future.

"What did Sora ask you to do?"

"After all, I am also a 'Sushi'."

"The dining table and tableware I prepared were all used to make 'Sushi', so besides 'Nigiri Sushi', I will also make some 'Sushi', and also make some things that cannot be found in ordinary restaurants. Someone told me. So my cooking process might be a hint."

She said this with a smile, but she didn't want to move alone; she folded her arms and looked at the four of them calmly.

This looked like a sarcastic attitude, but when Sora was Collecting materials, this was not a hint, but an answer, so even if he wanted to move, he couldn't.

Whether they knew it or not, the children didn't seem to care about Sora's attitude, but instead clung to Sora and asked him questions.

"I mean, how many types of 'Sushi' are there?"

"'Nigiri Sushi' is too much. Or rather, since it's rice and ingredients, if you combine creativity and evil ways, it's endless."

"Oh, I don't just use rice."

"... Gon, what kind of food are you thinking of?"

Leorio and Kurapika, who had been watching the exchange uneasily, concentrated and began to think for themselves.

"Rice Ball... hmm, I have a rough idea of what food should look like, but I don't know what the ingredients are."

Leorio's muttering and Sora's "rice + ingredients" hint suddenly evoked memories of the past.

In order to leave the village, to be an active Hunter, and to go on adventures, he whispered, letting only his friends hear the knowledge he had learned from reading books in the village.

"I didn't see the specific form... but I read about it in literature."

After eating some rice from the rice scoop, I was sure my memory was correct.

The prepared rice was not ordinary white rice, but, as Kurapika knew, rice that was slightly sweet and sour, added with vinegar and some kind of seasoning.

Sure enough, it was impossible to sprinkle the right amount and type of seasoning as a hint; it seemed the other party had prepared it from the beginning.

Kurapika's words made Sora squint and open his mouth, but unfortunately, Kurapika couldn't hear Sora's words of praise.

"Fish!? You're in the woods!?"

"Your voice is loud!! There are rivers and ponds, right?!"

Kurapika threw a rice scoop at Leorio, and Leorio raised his voice without thinking, but it was too late.

It was Kurapika's impulse that drove him crazy.

(Fish!!!)

Leorio's shouting and Kurapika's stab echoed in the building, and in less than ten seconds, all the students rushed outside to look for fish.

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop, you guys!!"

When Leorio complained about his loud voice and lack of imagination, Kurapika decided: "I won't say anything to him again."

"Kurapika. Donmai!"

"Noisy!"

In the end, what Sora sent out was not praise, but words of encouragement.

"Let's go too."

"Yeah! Sora, let's go too!"

At Killua's summons, Gon gripped a fishing rod he had never thought would be useful and shouted toward Sora, but Sora remained motionless and replied.

"I still have things to do, let's talk later. Ah, yes. Gon, sorry, can I ask you one thing?"

Sora muttered to himself at the examination site where the students had left to search for Fugura.

"Hmm, what should we do?"

While talking to himself, Sora first walked toward the shelves in the corner of the building where the dining tables were prepared, rather than toward the river or pond.

Various seasonings and spices were placed there.

Besides the essential ingredients for Sushi like soy sauce, vinegar, and wasabi, there were various unnecessary seasonings and spices such as ketchup, mayonnaise, olive oil, and dried basil.

Perhaps it was a bluff to make you think these were for making Sushi, or to mask the peculiarity and odor of the Fugura, which were clearly unsuitable for making Sushi.

Since there was no stove or anything of the sort, it must have been a special trick, and it couldn't effectively bleach the odor, so Sora smiled bitterly while looking for things that could be used.

"Since there is seaweed, Sushi Roll would be fine. Scattered Sushi... eggs are hard to manage. I wonder if it can be eaten by people. I don't want to use it because it looks ugly."

"First of all, river fish is the bottleneck. Since they issued a test like this, I think it must be that after research, they found that some fish don't have such a coarse taste and can be eaten normally..."

"Sora, aren't you going?"

"Gaga!!"

While talking to himself and holding some seasonings that lived up to their name, a high-class man who didn't want to get involved called out to her from behind; Sora jumped like a cat while holding the seasonings and shouted.

"Why are you still here!! Go catch some fish!!"

However, this magician absolutely lacked proper sanity; with that level of protest, he didn't leave obediently, nor did he feel uncomfortable about being hated so much.

"I was planning to go, but since Sora is still here, I think this is a good opportunity for us to be alone again."

"It's not just the two of us!"

Seeing Hisoka answer in this typical tone, Sora shouted with teary eyes, confirming that the two Examiners were present.

Besides the second-half Examiner Menchi, Buhara, who should have finished his role, was also present, and Sora knew Hisoka was teasing him, but he had no intention of getting involved in the trouble between the two. The students didn't look like it, and even when Sora turned his gaze to seek help, they smiled awkwardly and looked away.

"Don't pretend you didn't see it, help me! You're human!!"

While lamenting the Examiners' cold reaction, Sora wondered why he hadn't let go of the seasonings he was carrying, which was interesting; Hisoka smiled slightly and replied, "Test, I don't want to play with you."

"……For now, you are willing to take the exam and pass."

Sora remained vigilant about Hisoka's words, but he stopped shouting and began to appreciate this strangeness.

"If Sora plays with me, I'll throw the exam away immediately."

"I will never exist, so please erase my existence from within you immediately!!"

In other words, when Sora announced that he would commit suicide if there was a chance, ignoring the exam, Sora continued to choose seasonings while announcing his serious recklessness.

It seemed he decided that dealing with this guy was a waste of time and mentality.

Menchi seemed to have heard Hisoka's words, and he didn't want the two who had already mastered Nen to start a crazy killing spree, so he shouted, "No, go get it!" trying to separate the two of them.

"Alright, alright. Go quickly. And then fall here!"

"That's terrifying."

Taking advantage of Menchi's scolding, Sora said something that would provoke Hisoka. For some reason, although he didn't want to die, whether he realized he was raising a flag for self-strengthening remained a mystery.

However, just when Sora was moved, Hisoka seemed willing to participate and pass the exam, instead obediently turning his back to Sora and walking outside.

But after walking about three steps, he stopped and turned around.

"Oh, I forgot the most important point. Hey, Sora."

"What? Forget it."

Sora turned around, waiting for Hisoka's words, even though he retorted sternly.

"You, do you know Illumi?"

Facing Hisoka's question, Sora showed more feline acrobatics than when Hisoka spoke to her from behind, jumping away and landing on someone's table.

Someone's dining table was crushed by the momentum gathered at their feet, and they leaped backward, but Sora didn't care and shouted again.

"Why did that guy's name come up!? What!? Why!? Do you know him!?"

"Yeah, think about it, remember what we said before."

Hisoka lied bluntly.

Even if she cared about the relationship between Hisoka and Illumi, she wouldn't ask if he was there.

Well, Hisoka thought it was just a matter of time before this patience lasted.

Or rather, the reason Hisoka deliberately stayed here was because what he told Sora was true, but only half was true, and the other half was because Illumi knew Sora had already stayed behind.

This was a perfect opportunity for Illumi to leave Sora alone, as he had to endure it to avoid his younger brother discovering his true identity and running away, but Hisoka brought these delicious-looking fruits to Illumi, and of course, others. I had no intention of giving it to anyone.

Hisoka deliberately stayed here to talk to Sora, which was a message to Illumi, who suppressed her presence and killing intent to the limit, waiting to speak.

In short, "If you want to get Sora, please play with me first."

It seemed the message was conveyed accurately to the other party, and sure enough, this rationalist type of man would not turn Sora and Hisoka into enemies.

On the contrary, he would earn Illumi's resentment, but since this was what Hisoka wanted, he didn't mind at all.

Therefore, I no longer had any reason to stay here to control them.

"He usually doesn't show his emotions like a doll or a Lobo, but when it comes to you, he gets angry in a strangely human way. What on earth did you do?"

"I didn't do anything! I was full of hostility at work, so I fought back, and then I told you Explosion!"

"In other words, you did the same thing as me."

The answer I got was more or less in line with my expectations, but it didn't answer Hisoka's question.

There was no doubt that Illumi had no interest in others, to the point that he had such incomprehensible remarks about whether others were insulting.

His self-esteem was very high, so if Illumi's Nen Ability was offset by a supernatural ability like Hisoka's, he might think, "I don't like it," but it was still in the state of "I don't like it," but somehow. Hisoka knew Illumi, and he thought rationally about whether he could win the support of himself or his family.

(Hmm, I have a rough idea.)

"……?

Even after being told the most cruel things, the interesting smile on Hisoka's face did not disappear.

Those who only know Illumi as an "Assassin" would think Hisoka's hypothesis is "impossible."

However, if you have a little understanding of Illumi personally, if you know his love and doting for his younger brother, and if you understand that he also has feelings, then you can discard the prejudice of "impossible."

Hisoka could imagine why that guy of reason and logic would be so stubborn, emotional, and Stick to saying "I hate you" to others, as if telling himself.

However, I am a little regretful; I don't know the reason for its eventual birth, but I asked it just to pass the time, so Sora gave up easily, and this time I went to go Fugura.

I thought it would be good if Sora and Illumi could use the souvenir I left behind to pass the time and have fun, so I said this was nothing more than an unnecessary busywork for both of them.

"It's so hard, but I don't want you to hate me that much, but I hope you pay attention to me occasionally; if you do that, you will unexpectedly build a good relationship, won't you?"

However, after about three steps, Hisoka's legs stopped again.

Because of Sora's words and answer.

"? Don't I hate Illumi?"

The sudden answer took Hisoka by surprise.

Sora seemed unable to understand Hisoka's reaction and continued with a blank look on his face.

"I usually hate you more than Illumi.

Seriously, what is his bloodlust? I don't want your bloodlust, but I can still understand it, so it's scary and disgusting; however, looking at the current situation, I don't need to be so vigilant, it's still better. But Illumi is really sudden, and I don't know why either, so it's a matter of likes and dislikes.

My view of him is a choice not to get involved."

Illumi's firm evaluation made Hisoka laugh in a low voice.

"Kuku, I see... 'The opposite of love is indifference' is happening right here."

Hearing Hisoka's words, Sora frowned and said, "I will never change my view of you."

"What a pity," as usual, Hisoka was not as disappointed as he said; on the contrary, he was in a good mood, and this time Hisoka finally did not stop his steps and walked outside.

Sora placed the seasonings she had saved on the kitchen table, while gesturing "Shh!" at Hisoka's back.

Because she was happy that the pervert had left her, Sora heard Hisoka's words, but she ignored them and forgot them.

"……Even if it doesn't turn over, one day it will turn over beautifully."

She could not react to or remember these words, and did not even think about who the "other side" was; this was her "answer" itself.