Chapter 40: The Final Test Begins

Three days after the fourth phase of the exam, the final phase was held at a hotel managed by the selection committee.

"The rules for fighting are simple and clear; weapons are allowed, but fouls are not.

However... anyone who causes their opponent to die will be immediately disqualified. At that point, everyone else passes. The exam ends. Understood."

Netero had just finished explaining the final exam when he raised his hand forcefully.

"Yes! Chairman!

"Can I tell you after the match starts?"

"You might have hit someone who wouldn't let me say anything from the start, but damn it!

If you kill him, you won't pass the test, but this perverted crown won't help you at all!!"

Before the match began, Sora, who had suddenly been declared a failure and rejected, fell to his knees and screamed.

The other examinees and the Examiner looked at Sora with the same eyes as Gon and the others.

"Or rather, do you know it's possible to hit me? I'm reluctant to admit it, but the cost is higher."

After saying this, Kurapika also turned his head to glare at Netero, but Netero turned a deaf ear to both Sora's screaming and Kurapika's gaze.

Slightly annoyed by this reaction, he looked at the match table after losing the match.

According to the order, Kurapika and Hisoka had to fight in the second match. At this point, Kurapika's opponent was the worst, but the next opponent to fight was Sora.

It would be good to fight the opponent who said in the interview "I don't like the way you pay attention to me" first, but the opponent who claimed they didn't want to fight for no reason couldn't be beaten, or had already decided not to fight. Kurapika was deeply angered by Netero's bad personality.

Kurapika thought about the future, but the more he thought, the more he felt a headache.

It was a pity to throw away two chances to pass, but if you look at Hisoka, who was in a good mood now, looking at the match table and smiling at Sora, just as Sora said, "If you kill your opponent, you will fail." It wouldn't happen. On the contrary, for Hisoka, who didn't have a License, this was a convenient rule, because unless he died, it couldn't be confirmed that the opponent failed due to a foul.

Therefore, if he surrendered first and then lost, Kurapika would still have 3 chances even if he lost the match against Sora, which was effectively an abstention.

However, Hisoka, who was gleefully attacking Sora with a sickening bloodlust, seemed to understand that he had to fight Kurapika first.

Kurapika sighed, thinking that his match with Hisoka would be the exact opposite of what it was supposed to be, not knowing who would say "I'm going" first. Face.

Before Kurapika could ask why he was making such a puzzled expression, Sora asked with a puzzled look.

"Huh? Kurapika, are you going to lose? Why?"

Kurapika was frozen by this question. Of course, Kurapika's personality was far from obedient, so he couldn't possibly say, "This is for you." I couldn't possibly say that.

"Well, you can't lose! I will definitely win!!"

Watching Kurapika, who had inadvertently made a declaration completely opposite to what he had previously thought, Hisoka quietly approached Gon and the others and said to them with a smile.

"Kuku, Sora is a rare type of villain."

Gon, Killua, and Leorio, while keeping their distance from the suddenly approaching Hisoka, deeply agreed with Hisoka's words in their hearts.

Just as Sora shouted some stupid things from the bottom of his heart, the Examiner wearing sunglasses and a suit announced the start of the match.

"Now, let's start the final exam!

First match, Hanzo vs. Gon!"

Although it was a match venue, it didn't mean there was an Arena, so when the two people called came to the center and faced each other in the hall, the Examiner acting as Witness introduced himself first.

"I will act as Witness, Master. Nice to meet you."

"Yo, long time no see. Tail, once you get it."

"!"

Hanzo spoke smoothly, Gon widened his eyes, and the master said: "Did you notice?"

"Of course. In the fourth exam, every examinee had an Examiner, right? Well, I think others noticed too."

At Hanzo's words, the students' reactions were very good, divided into those like Gon and Leorio who were completely unaware and stunned, and those who just said: "Ah? Are you saying that now?"

Among them, only one person's reaction was completely different. Needless to say, it was Sora.

"Master, Master."

For some reason, Sora suddenly called his name and approached him.

"Master, can I hit you once?"

"What are you talking about, you!?"

Kurapika and Leorio rushed toward Sora's shameless remark at the highest level at the same time, and Gon was stunned for a moment, trying to stop Sora.

However, Killua and Hanzo looked like they were saying "Ah, I see," and said nothing. Looking closely, the expressions of the Chairman and other Examiners were the same, and he quietly waited for Sora to defeat him, further deepening the students' mystery.

After Sora gave him a beautiful slap, he said: "Sorry."

The master put his sunglasses back on, even though beautiful autumn leaves were hanging on his cheeks.

Then, on the way back to the other side of the room like the other students, Sora tapped Hanzo's head and muttered: "Also, I have to find the Examiner who was following me and Killua."

Kurapika widened his eyes, Sora's words and actions raised a mystery, one after another. Repeating.

"Nothing! Nothing at all!!"

When answering this question, there were still tears in her eyes, and no matter how you looked at it, it seemed like something had happened, but she, who promised not to lie, insisted, because Kurapika insisted. Kurapika didn't want to hear it, seemed to hope he was lying, and hoped what he said was true. Decided to beat Hanzo.

Of course, Hanzo didn't know that the plan being decided was unreasonable or reasonable.

"Ah, how should I say, sorry for the collateral damage. However, thank you!! Because your judgment was accurate, my rank is higher! Well, of course.

By the way, I have something to ask you!"

"Something?"

The master was surprised that he said so much, and while urging him to move forward, Hanzo reconfirmed the game rules.

"The only condition to win is to say 'I'm sorry', right? Even if you faint, it doesn't count, and there won't be a TKO."

"Yes... that's it!"

After confirming, I glanced at Gon and thought about it.

(I see... this guy might be a bit of a problem.)

A "request" surfaced in the mind, but immediately sank into the depths of consciousness.

Not only could Hanzo not immediately agree to his request, but he betrayed his apology in the worst possible way.

I knew from the very beginning that I could not agree, I told him.

However, just as Sora himself said, he knowingly and willfully exploited his Conscience.

"Then let's begin!"

So this is Hanzo's Conscience, sweetness, and kindness.

"I have great confidence in my legs. I admit it."

As soon as the match started, Gon suddenly ran, chasing after an aura that shattered half of Gon's confidence, and he also used a Hand Sword to carve an "I agree" onto the medulla oblongata.

Giving up immediately, to face the next match with minimal injury, was his good intention.

-But

"Don't you think it's scary?

I know. The difference is obvious. Don't give up early."

"I refuse."

I hit Gon with a flat hand, and the latter answered immediately. Seen from the side, it was just a slap, although the delicate brain-shaking caused great damage, it was not enough to faint... he said coldly, using a method of torture rather than an attack.

"Think about it, it doesn't affect the next match now, there is nothing to be stubborn about.

Don't say it right away."

"~~~~Who would say that!!"

Hanzo looked coldly at Gon's stubbornness, then kicked his abdomen. If the brain was useless, it seemed they decided to damage the internal organs.

He thought while kicking and hitting. If you are still stubborn after injuring your internal organs, where will you go next? Calm, ruthless, and mercilessly treating the method and order of torture as part of a perfect routine.

Even among Professional Hunters, few people can torture a child so coldly, but what is a young man whose opponent is probably less than 10 years old doing, and to what extent can he still be struck by reason. The boy enduring the torture.

"Seriously... the Chairman's character is bad, it's something we can't compare to, a guy who can easily say sorry is impossible to stay here.

It is by no means unusual, but an outrageous dueling system...!! That girl is dangerous."

Menchi gave Netero a critical look, Netero treated the dueling system as a final exam, it would be even better if someone died, this person himself was as silent as Kurapika staring at him before the match.

What's more, this time, he didn't pretend not to hear or notice, but stared at it with a truly bored look.

Netero was not the only one to make such a cruel reaction.

"... Idiot."

Killua couldn't help but look up at the woman leaning against the Wall watching the ball.

Sora's muttering reached Killua's ears, and when talking about parents and home, she seemed to have a rare disdain.

It was an expressionless expression that affirmed that feeling.

Sora looked at Hanzo who was directly attacking Gon, the look in her eyes was incomparably bored.

"!!

Even the painful screams were no longer emitted.

Gon endured three hours of torture, unable to even spit out blood.

After his left arm was broken, Gon fainted in pain, he pressed his forehead against the floor, holding his arm in pain.

"Now, your left arm is useless."

Leorio, not Gon, reacted to his words.

"Kurapika. Don't stop me."

Leorio, who was yelling at him just now, looked calm, but he was clenching his fists and gritting his teeth, looking at the thick blue vein on his forehead, one knew he was in a storm. You could clearly see it was a calm state before.

"If that bastard does anything else, I will feel sorry for Gon, but I can't stop it."

Just between the sound of him gritting his teeth, he made such a declaration to Kurapika, but the answer he got did not stop Leorio.

"... Stop? Me? It's fine. Probably not."

Kurapika looked at Gon who was desperately trying to suppress his groans, his pale face still trying to endure the pain.

Noticing their reaction, Hanzo ignored them and told Gon.

"This might be too painful, but listen.

I am a descendant of a secret organization called 'shinobi'. In order to obtain the special skills of a Ninja, he has received various strict special Training since birth. Since then, for 18 years, he has been exercising his body and honing his skills without rest. I have killed people your age."

Don't know why, he suddenly started talking, standing upside down with one hand, trying to show who he was, what kind of Training he had done, and that the gap in experience and ability between him and Gon was too large, but Gon was just as Hanzo said, the pain did not disappoint, and everyone else was angry and did not listen to him.

Killua listened very carefully, but to him, the environment was about the same as his own home, so in his heart, he cut it out and threw it away.

"In terms of fighting, it is impossible for you to win against me right now!!"

Perhaps this person himself did not realize that he had received unnecessary reactions in many ways, but in order to show off his physical ability, Hanzo supported his body from his palm to his five Fingers, the number of Fingers was reduced one by one, and finally, he stood on his hand with one index finger and said with a straight face.

"Don't talk nonsense, honestly admit defeat."

"I'm home... eh? Why are they still playing the match between Gon and Hanzo?"

But this man was truly too pitiful.

As soon as the voice fell, a faint sound echoed in the hall, and everyone's eyes and attention involuntarily shifted from Hanzo and Gon to Sora, who seemed to have left the hall and returned.

That person's blue eyes widened, doubting from the bottom of her heart, everyone was paying attention except for the painful Gon, and the first match had not ended yet.

"... How long have you been gone? Or rather, what were you doing?"

Leorio, who was about to explode due to Sora's sudden return, released his venom, and when he asked a bit weakly, Sora seemed to still not understand the current situation and answered in confusion.

"Hm? I went to the bathroom and made a call outside."

"What were you doing!?"

Just now, I remembered that I forgot to call the cult when I had time.

Not only Leorio, Kurapika, and Killua, but even Hisoka, the Examiner, Pokkuru, and Bodoro—strangers who could be said to have almost no blood relation—were stunned by Sora's words, yet Sora still reacted to those around him. He understood, looking around uneasily, as if seeking an explanation from the people nearby.

"... Huh? I mean, why hasn't the match really ended? Didn't you say you were sorry? Aren't you stupid?"

Leorio's complexion changed due to Sora's confusion.

Just a moment ago, he had been very angry, but he thought, "Well, this guy's broken Qi is a common occurrence," and that it was nothing more than a single blow, but this time, Sora's words triggered Leorio's rage.

"... What did you just say?"

3 hours. Facing the remarks about Gon, who was being tortured to the point of being unable to even spit out blood, Leorio put on the expression he had just used when telling Kurapika "don't stop," and retorted with a question.

I guessed that the remaining bit of reason was some kind of mishearing or misunderstanding that led to the retort, but Sora still announced it with a half-believing, half-doubting expression.

"No matter how you look at it, you are an idiot, an idiot. You are an idiot.

Why not admit defeat? No matter who looks at it, there is no chance of winning, it's a waste of time, and I'm tired too."

Sora had a confused look on his face when he said this, but at the same time, he carried genuine surprise, and almost everyone present looked at Sora with incredulous eyes.

Perhaps almost everyone had heard Leorio's auditory hallucination, which drove something crazy.

However, only Kurapika widened his eyes as if he had sensed something, and grabbed Leorio's raised arm to stop him.

"! Stop! Leorio!!"

"Let go! When I look at you, my thought is 'Aren't you an idiot?' You are a big idiot without any empathy!!"

Even if Leorio punched, kicked, or shouted at him, Sora would not be swayed.

Instead, he returned to the Venue and declared in the most mysterious voice.

"Huh? Leorio, when did you become Hanzo's partner?"

"Teeth?"

Needless to say, the Venue was occupied by an indescribable atmosphere and a momentary silence.

"... Why did you say to Hanzo, 'Tell me you left, aren't you stupid?'"

"On the contrary, I want to ask you why you think I was talking about Gon."

At the moment, the misunderstanding seemed to have been resolved through their rebuttals and reactions, so Leorio lowered his fist first to ask, and Sora asked with a serious face.

Facing this question, everyone in the Venue... even Hisoka and Gidrakul were startled.

However, only Kurapika and Netero held their heads, as if saying, "This guy is just like that." In an interview, Netero recalled how Kurapika was swayed by the thoughts and actions generated by her unique perspective three years ago, and had a headache.

"What do you think, I have the advantage! Are your eyeballs rotten!?"

"No, I can't see anything. Hanzo, why are you standing on your hands?"

"Shut up! Stay there!!"

Hanzo, who was the first to thaw from the freezing, argued endlessly with Sora, but Sora asked him back with a truly annoyed expression, which inadvertently provoked him.

Hanzo intended to show off his ability, but Sora's return ended in failure, and he could not see the timing to stop standing, so he continued the conversation while standing on his index fingers. It was a very surreal scene.

"It's not like I can't see the gap in ability between me and this kid, so my eyes aren't covered by a shadow!

If these were Leorio or Kurapika, I could have heard them saying they were provoking my composure, but I was evaluated as 'inferior to Gon' by someone who completely foresaw my own attack. It seems his self-esteem has been hit hard."

Originally, if he wanted to provoke him, he would have mentioned Hanzo's name from the beginning.

Needless to say, she did not mention Hanzo's name, and Hanzo's failure seemed to be the deciding factor of this match.

It was not just the anger of having his self-esteem hurt, but also that Gon had "something" that made her believe, and she helplessly let go. Handstand.

Without a conclusion, the culprit Sora leaned against the Wall with an annoyed face, arms crossed, and answered immediately.

This was normal for her, so there was nothing to hide. On the contrary, I answered while thinking about why Hanzo, and of course the people around, hadn't noticed.

"Children won't say 'sorry', that's all.

If there were a point system or other rules, I'm sorry Gon, but I definitely wouldn't have a chance to beat Hanzo. But with this rule, the students here can't beat him."

There was silence in the hall again.

Sora broke the silence, paused, and continued.

From her perspective, it was so obvious that it was boring.

"Hanzo. Torture doesn't work on that child.

Torture is divided into unacceptable humans and acceptable humans. It doesn't matter if you practice Ren or not.

No matter how hard the Training is, those who calculate with a threshold of 'I can't take it anymore' will eventually be unable to endure it just by increasing their upper limit through Training.

That child stands out even among those who haven't passed. Because Gon can only see what he wants to do and what he absolutely doesn't want to do, Gon will do what he wants to do by any means necessary, get out of hand, and eventually destroy everything. I know this point clearly, so I never do what I don't want to do. No Compromise, no concession, no Compromise, no ideas, no limits, no brakes, no restrictions."

If you want to defeat that girl in this match, you should have introduced a rule before the match, such as a point system only for your match, or whoever faints first loses. If you did that, Gon is stupid and obedient, so you would have won without knowing you were at a disadvantage.

If you don't do that, if you mistakenly think that torture will work on Gon, you have no chance of winning. As a Ninja and intelligence officer, you are immature and cannot judge whether torture is effective. What if you give up and lose quickly?"

Hanzo did not deceive himself, but glared at Sora, and fought back in the way a teacher admonishes a poor student.

"Ha! Well, isn't this your parents' stupid expectation?... If you say so, let's see if it really doesn't work."

Hearing Hanzo's hint, "I will hurt Gon more," Leorio and Kurapika turned around and glared at him again, but Sora laughed.

"I don't need to, I know how immature you are."

"Huh?"

Rather than saying he was a Ninja, he groaned and glared at me with a curled Tongue, but Sora said with a relaxed smile.

"Hanzo. Am I your opponent?"

"!?"

Go!! Moreover, just as Sora's words finished, a strong impact grazed Hanzo's nose, and Hanzo, who was supporting his entire body with one Finger, naturally fell.

At the same time, his left arm, which had just been kicked and broken by him, could not bear it and also collapsed.

However, I immediately got up, holding my left arm, and said with teary eyes.

"Damn it~ damn it!!... However, thanks to the pain, plus the conversation with Sora, my brain has recovered a lot!"

Hearing this, Sora was the first to react.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Great timing!!"

Sora laughed loudly while knocking against the Wall he was leaning on, giving Gon a thumbs up. Gon also frowned in pain, but with a smug look on his face, he also gave a thumbs up in response.

"Yoshaaaa! Go! Go!! Kick me! Kill me! Kill me!!"

"Then you've lost, Leorio..."

Taking advantage of Sora and Gon's reaction, Leorio became nervous and said something unreasonable.

Hanzo was kicked to the ground, his face hitting the floor; he stood up, wiped away the tears and nosebleed that flowed reflexively due to the pain of being struck, and lashed out at Sora.

"You guys! It's a long story, just healing this guy, distracting me!

What grudge do you have against me!?"

"I can't help it."

"Isn't that right!! Sorry!!"

But hearing Hanzo's words, Sora suddenly stopped laughing and said in a low, serious voice. Gon, Kurapika, and the others were frightened by this sudden change and backed away for a moment, but for some reason, Hanzo honestly admitted it and collapsed on the spot.

Although he didn't know what had happened, Kurapika's plan to "beat up Hanzo later" became even more intense.

"Gon"

Gon had been startled by Hanzo kneeling on the ground, but Sora, who had made him kneel, quickly lost interest in Hanzo and said to Hanzo, who had his hands crossed.

"You are indeed reflecting and learning, but in the end, it is completely meaningless; it is better not to do it."

Gon's shoulders trembled slightly, then he lowered his head in fear, as if frightened by Sora; Sora was just expressing his impressions honestly, without even the mockery from the end of the fourth exam.

He was scolded again, and this time he was disappointed in his own stupidity. Seeing Gon's unease, Sora breathed a sigh of relief.

"Gon, I will cast a 'Magic' on you."

"Huh?"

Gon heard this sudden comment and raised his head. Like him, Hanzo raised his head with a confused look, and the other students and examinees also looked at Sora with confusion.

Ignoring the reactions of those around him, Sora laughed.

Gon's bright smile somehow reminded me of Mito and Kaito, even though they looked completely different.

With that smile, she pointed her Finger at Gon, rotating it, gently rotating the words, making a truly magical movement.

"The meaning is right there."

He pointed directly at Gon and said:

"It is worth it."

Hanzo's torture made me collapse completely; everyone thought that if I had surrendered earlier, even if I lost here, I would still have four more chances, so that would have been the wiser choice, even for Leorio and Kurapika who were by Gon's side, confirming that Gon made the wrong choice.

The choice Gon made is meaningful.

What Gon did is worth it.

Sora said yes.

"You only look at your final goal, you distance yourself from your feet, doing nothing but self-destruction, but you will never forget 'what you really want to do', don't make mistakes, don't let go, this is the most important thing.

So this time I will confirm it. If it were up to me, I would give your naive persistence meaning and value.

――I have maintained the future path you want to continue on, so I will not let you deviate from it."

After speaking, Sora leaned against the Wall and lowered his eyes, as if there was no need to watch the match anymore.

If you listen from the side, you might think this is a word similar to "charm," close to encouraging Gon.

But Gon knows. Sora never said he was a "Magician." I know they clearly separate "Magic" and "Magic," not lumping them together because it's troublesome.

She said: "I will cast a spell on you."

The second magic, the operation of a Parallel World, the possibility of a Wizard's apprentice, admitting a lot, saying it like that.

"Yeah! Thank you, Sora!!"

From the beginning, he had no intention of giving up or Compromise, but there was no reason to give up either, so Gon stood up with a smile.

"This is exactly what Sora said. No matter how strong you are, I will not say 'I'm dead'!!"

Facing Gon, who was again pointing at Hanzo with his extended right Finger to make an announcement, Hanzo clicked his tongue in disgust and finally wiped his nosebleed and said.

"Don't you know, you. I'm not warning you, I'm giving you an order.

Is my order confusing? Let me put it in layman's terms."

Saying this, he took out a knife from the cloth wrapped around his arm and announced this as well.

There was no emotion in her eyes, and a strange, doll-like smile was on her face.

"——Cut off your leg. Don't do this again.

When you see an irreparable wound, you will know. But before that, I have one last request. Say 'I'm sorry'."

This time, he declared that he would do something truly "irreparable," and the bloody tension that had been completely crushed by Sora revived.

"Then that's a problem!!"

However, it was crushed in a hurry again.

The same silence as Sora's "When did Leorio become Hanzo's partner?"

And in that indescribable atmosphere, Gon spoke bluntly.

"I don't want to break my leg! But I don't want to surrender!

So, let's fight in a different way!"

"What... do you know my position!?

Don't act on your own, are you mocking me!! I'm really going to cut off that leg!!"

Leorio was stunned by his overly selfish remarks, his mouth hanging open. Hisoka chuckled uncontrollably, and the stubborn-looking Bodoro also burst out laughing.

Of course, Hanzo was very angry and shouted at him, but this was enough to keep Gon unshaken. If this were enough to shake him, Hanzo would have passed the Hunter Exam in less than an hour.

Gon looked straight at Hanzo as usual and replied.

"Even so, I won't say 'sorry'!"

After saying this, he added in a low voice.

"Then I'll bleed to death."

"Oh yeah!"

Gon felt proud of his answer to the master and once again openly proposed his terms to Hanzo.

"Listen. This is a problem for both of us. So let's think about it."

"……! ……!!"

Gon spoke very selfishly, but at the same time, it was a reasonable argument.

Hanzo could easily cut off Gon's leg. However, if Gon still didn't actually say "sorry" even after that, then Hanzo's failure would be confirmed.

His threat had completely become his own grave, and as a result, he was threatened by Gon instead.

"……It's fine now. It's completely Gon's rhythm. Hanzo and we are both involved. Absolute……"

Watching Hanzo unable to say anything to Gon, nor able to torture him as before, Kurapika smiled bitterly, leaned against the Wall, and closed his eyes. I looked at Sora.

"Don't go to sleep just because there's no need to watch."

"I don't think so. On the contrary, this is a favor to Hanzo. You don't want to be seen failing after this Exchange, do you?"

When Kurapika warned Sora, she lowered her head and replied.

Killua was irritated by Sora, as Sora had no doubts about Gon's victory.

(What the hell……!? Nothing has changed in the current situation!! Gon isn't stronger than him, and his severed arm isn't stuck back on either!!

But how does this guy always believe Gon will win!? Why did that bloody aura suddenly become so loose!?)

I was angry and frustrated.

Gon's chances were better than his chances at the tournament table, and he felt equally frustrated when Netero implicitly told him he was inferior to Gon in terms of quality, which caused a jolt in his chest.

He still didn't know the name of that feeling.

Unable to refuse Gon's proposal, and unable to come up with a different way to fight after receiving Gon's proposal, Hanzo, with a blank expression, suddenly changed his face and thrust the knife he had taken out toward Gon's forehead.

The blade pierced the thin skin of Gon's forehead, and a stream of blood flowed slowly.

The tension returned.

This time it wasn't broken. Both Gon and Sora were silent.

Sora was silent, seeing nothing.

Gon was silent, looking straight at the back.

Hanzo replied with those straight eyes.

"After all, you don't know anything.

If I die, I won't be able to do the next one. Conversely, even if I let you die here, I can just come back and challenge you next year!!

You and I are not equals!!"

Gon was right, but this was only a correct argument in this match; after focusing on passing the Hunter Exam this year, in the long run, what Hanzo said was more correct.

Hanzo had no reason to pass this year's exam. If Gon couldn't back down no matter what, it wouldn't be so strange for him to die in despair, thinking he would rather pass the exam for that boy who made him so foolish.

(That's right, Gon.

No matter how you and Sora are shrouded in the smoke of the Hunter Exam, the difference in combat experience between you and him is too great.

I can't bridge this difference here!! After all, the difference in ability is everything……!!)

Killua felt the same way and hoped Gon would collapse.

It was unclear if it was out of concern for a friend, or fear that the "common sense" broken by Gon would collapse.

Within a few seconds, neither moved nor said anything.

Kurapika took half a step forward amidst the impending tension.

Prepared to be hated by Gon, he must have been trying to prevent the worst-case scenario.

However, the resolution could be stopped.

"Kurapika"

I was stopped by a voice from behind and a hand in front.

Why stop!? Kurapika looked at Leorio as if to say this, who was looking at Gon with a faint smile, as if anticipating where his anger had gone.

Kurapika was confused by that expression, and Sora called him softly from behind.

"Are you okay?"

Sora opened her eyes.

I saw it with midnight blue eyes, those eyes approaching black, resembling Pitch Darkness, yet emitting a soft light.

She looked straight at this boy who never wavered, as if full of love, without any concerns.

Gon also looked straight ahead.

Even with the tip of the knife against his forehead, Gon's eyes remained fixed on Hanzo.

"——Why…… just one word……? Then, try again next year?"

Her eyes were unshakable. The light did not Extinguish.

Straightforward, direct, he saw through Hanzo and further beyond.

"You're saying stubbornness is more important than life!!"

Gon replied.

"——I'm going to see my father."

Unwavering, unbreakable, unbreakable, your ultimate goal.

What lies ahead on the path given by the Wizard.

＊＊＊

"My father is a Hunter."

This is truly despicable.

"We are far apart now, but I believe we will meet one day."

Without any basis or anything. It is like a soothing "charm."

"... But if I give up here, I feel like I will never see you again."

But I cannot let go.

I do not know what my father thinks of me. I want to see you, but I do not think I want to be loved.

I just think it would be happy to see the same thing.

I just want to know what kind of person Kaito was looking at when he saved me that day.

That is all I can think of...

If I Compromise on one thing, if I give up, if I quit, I feel the path to that goal will be closed.

Even if I could see him, I am sure I would not be able to face him with pride.

Because I feel I have already given up and become a different person than the one I wanted to see that day.

Because I feel I am about to lose the meaning of living...

"So I am not leaving."

Gon replied.

Even knowing he would become a fetishist who makes those important to him cry, he would never let go of his stubbornness and self-esteem.

"I must leave... You will die, right?"

Saying this, Hanzo pushed the blade forward.

Judging by the state of the broken thin skin, there was slight damage to the surface of the flesh, but there was certainly pain.

Even so, he did not change an expression, nor did he reflexively step back.

The light does not go out.

(This makes no sense...)

Since he is convinced, the answer is already set.

"Sorry. This is my loss."

Hanzo Recaptured the blade he was pointing, put it away on the stand, turned, and left Gon.

The person who was told was stubbornly wanting, but he was dumbfounded, as if he could not believe it.

Hanzo gave Gon an annoyed look and told him the reason he announced his surrender.

"I cannot kill you."

After answering, Gon's freezing thawed, but in this situation, it is better for the two of us not to thaw.

"You cannot do that, you are cunning!! Let the two of us decide how to fight!!"

Hanzo laughed once, muttering to himself about the remarks of resting in the air; he did not want to count how many times today.

"... I thought you said it."

You idiot!! Do not tell me, no matter what kind of fight you win!!"

After laughing, I turned around and pointed my Finger at Gon, waving my hand in anger. The reason I laughed might be that my anger had gone full circle.

But Gon remained unwavering and unyielding.

With an incomprehensible stubbornness, he completely resisted Hanzo.

"So even if I win like this, I am not happy at all!"

"Well, what are you doing!?"

"Let's think about it together!!"

"Hey, people around me are having trouble, stop for a moment."

This exchange, which was no different from children fighting, made not only the students feel frustrated but also the witnesses and the chief referee, so Sora approached and intervened.

Incidentally, Netero, who should have mediated, laughed off the exchange between Hanzo and Gon. Start working, old man.

For a moment, Sora, who had entered between the two, turned around, looked at Gon with an annoyed expression, and first confirmed Gon's statement.

"... Gon. In other words, are you trying to make Hanzo, who is prepared to lose, fight another serious match with the intention of winning, and then think of a way to win easily with you?"

"Yes!!"

Sora smiled at Gon, and Gon gave a very good answer with an equally good smile.

It was too late; there was some unease in Gon's smile, as if she had slapped Hanzo with all her might, but it was a truly feminine, beautiful flower-like face, yet her eyes had no smile at all.

Thud!! A dull, muffled, painful sound rang out, and at the same time, stars flew from Gon's eyes, and he fell to the ground.

Sora silently lifted his leg vertically, and the heel of his rugged Engineering Boots hit Gon's head directly. It decided he could die, but of course, no one worried about Gon.

"Who let you be so selfish? Stubborn, stubborn."

I looked down at the fallen Gon in surprise and said no.

Then Sora carried Gon on his shoulder, turned around, and turned to tell Hanzo.

"For the time being, my remarks are part of this selfishness, so I take responsibility. Sorry."

"... I am grateful for that."

Hanzo answered quite sincerely.

Because there is no end in the middle, if the original two episodes of Hanzo vs. Gon are combined into one, it becomes very long.

But this is interesting, because I can write out the gaps for Sora according to the original work after a very long time.