HxH: Ryomen... Satoru?

The group of examinees was clearly struggling to accept their complete failure. The murmurs of discussion grew louder.

Back in the previous exam, when Cyr had been told he failed as a candidate, he hadn't been happy about it either, so he could understand how they felt.

But compared to the examiner from last year, who wouldn't even take a single bite before declaring people unqualified, Maro was at least being responsible.

After eating seventy different-sized meatballs, he had to run to the back and force himself to throw up.

That alone was proof of how terrible some of them must have tasted.

"Relax. Buhara is in charge of screening. You seventy still have one more chance," Cyr said nonchalantly, trying to calm the restless crowd.

"I told you from the start, right? As long as two of the three examiners find the food tasty, you pass."

"Just get Menchi to approve you, and you'll be fine." He casually pointed toward Menchi, instantly making her the beacon of hope in the examinees' eyes.

"My test is sushi, specifically nigiri sushi," the pink-haired woman declared proudly under everyone's gaze.

A group of examinees who had never even heard of "lion's head" meatballs naturally had no idea what sushi was either. They fell into deep thought.

Did they really have to take this test?

Did these examiners have to choose things no one had ever heard of?

How were they supposed to survive this?

No wonder the Hunter Exam had such a low pass rate every year—it was all because of examiners like this!

Kurapika, recalling what he had read in books, mentioned that sushi involved fish. At that, the examinees immediately rushed out of the room, eager to catch some.

Only three people remained behind.

"You… what's your name?" Killua stood still, and after the others had all left, he finally stepped forward to stand before the other white-haired boy.

He was genuinely curious.

The moment he saw the other person, he had a strange feeling.

And now he understood why Tonpa's attitude had been so weird.

They really did look alike. There were plenty of small details that were different, but overall, their resemblance was uncanny.

It gave an almost overwhelming sense of déjà vu.

"Cyr. And I know you, Killua." The other boy, also white-haired and blue-eyed, but marked with black tattoos, stood up.

He was a bit taller than Killua, probably around 170 cm, and seemed older—maybe thirteen or fourteen?

Killua's eyes were a deep ocean blue, while Cyr's eyes were a blend of different shades of blue, like an endless sky stretching beyond sight, reflecting galaxies and drifting clouds.

"You know me?" Killua was surprised.

He had spent most of his life in the Zoldyck estate, rarely going outside. How could this guy possibly know him?

"Have you ever heard of the Cursed Twins?" Cyr sighed dramatically, as if telling a tragic tale.

"If twins are born, one of them must be abandoned. Otherwise, neither will survive."

"Twins are an omen of misfortune." He placed a hand on Killua's shoulder, his voice slow and deliberate.

"It's been a long time, Killua." He gazed at him as if they were long-lost siblings, a flicker of joy in his eyes at their supposed reunion.

I don't know him.

Killua was absolutely certain.

But the eerie sense of familiarity, the way Cyr acted so naturally close to him, and that whole "twin" claim—it all made a ridiculous thought pop into his head.

Could he and Cyr actually be twin brothers?

But this guy looked older than him. Shouldn't twins be the same age?

Still… they really did look alike.

Even the voice…

There's no way two unrelated people could resemble each other this much. It was practically a miracle.

Off to the side, a silent figure—actually Illumi Zoldyck in disguise as a needle-faced stranger—turned his head with a stiff crack, staring at the two white-haired boys in silence.

Hisoka, who knew the truth about Cyr's identity, also glanced at the needle-faced stranger.

Could the little apple he had his eye on really be Little Illu's brother? But hadn't Illumi previously taken an assassination contract on him?

Could it be that even Illumi didn't know about this abandoned Zoldyck child, lost to the outside world?

Illumi was also deep in thought. Had their parents actually given birth to twins and discarded one?

If anyone else had said this, even the Zoldyck family's dogs wouldn't have believed it.

But the one saying it was that boy…

Standing next to Killua, he truly looked more like a sibling to him than anyone else.

The credibility of the claim skyrocketed in an instant.

The scene fell into complete silence. Menchi and Buhara, like eager spectators waiting for the drama to unfold, leaned in expectantly.

But to their disappointment, the conversation didn't continue.

"Alright, chat time is over. You guys should go gather ingredients, or you'll fail the exam," Cyr said, patting Killua's head and nudging him toward the door. At the same time, he also gave a reminder glance to Hisoka and the needle-faced stranger.

Killua turned back three times with every step he took.

Cyr stood at the door and waved. "Bye-bye~"

Only when Killua was out of sight did he finally return to the couch. The very next second, he buried his face in the big cat's fur, shaking with laughter.

Clearly, Killua and Illumi weren't the only ones thrown off by his cryptic words.

"M'lord… are you really his brother? Were you abandoned while he was kept?!" Maro's voice trembled with disbelief and barely contained rage.

What a short-sighted family! To abandon his lord while keeping that guy—so much for the Zoldycks' reputation!

Cyr's shoulders shook even harder.

"What kind of nonsense are you imagining?" The white-haired boy covered the lower half of his face, tears of laughter welling up in his eyes.

Maro blinked blankly. "But, my lord, you said you were twins…"

"Oh, I was just messing around. It's an old legend—I wanted to see if they'd heard of it." Cyr waved a hand dismissively.

"Then… what about 'long time no see'?" Buhara asked slowly, his forehead practically covered in question marks.

"Well, I have seen him before. About two or three years ago," Cyr replied matter-of-factly.

Sure, it was through a screen, seeing the other as a 2D character, but wasn't that still a long time no see?

"…Do you realize we almost believed you were actually a Zoldyck?" Menchi deadpanned.

The fact that two Zoldyck members had infiltrated the Hunter Exam was something the examiners were well aware of.

If one of the examiners also turned out to be a Zoldyck, Menchi wouldn't be able to hold back her complaints.

Are you guys giving up on being assassins? Planning to become Hunters now instead?

"You're overthinking it," Cyr waved a hand, wiping away the tears from laughing too hard.

What? Everyone had misunderstood his words?

So what? That was exactly what he intended.

His last name was fabricated anyway—changing it to Zoldyck wouldn't make much difference.

"…So it wasn't real." Maro silently let go of his resentment toward the Zoldyck family.

Of course, something like that could never happen to his lord.

Even if the Zoldycks had to abandon one child, it would never have been Cyr.

When the group of examinees returned with their freshly caught fish, they were met with a relaxed scene—the examiners chatting and laughing together.

No problem, the examiners are in a good mood.

We found the ingredients.

This round should be a breeze.

Their confidence lasted for exactly one hour before it was shattered again.

"I'm full and don't feel like eating anymore, so this time, the result is—everyone fails." The pink-haired woman sat on the couch and casually announced her decision.

Then, quite seriously, she called the Examination Committee to inform them.

With a loud bang, an enraged examinee smashed the cooking station with a single punch.

They needed a reasonable explanation—not an arbitrary rejection.

So Menchi decided to make sure they fully understood their failure.

Yet, even an hour later, the examinees were still unsatisfied with her reasoning.

They had no interest in becoming Gourmet Hunters and refused to accept a purely subjective judgment.

Menchi, however, had no patience left for them. She grabbed Buhara and prepared to leave.

The fight between examiners and examinees was about to break out.

"Ah… they've started fighting," Cyr muttered while answering a call, describing the scene lazily.

Since Menchi had turned off her phone, the committee had called him instead.

"Huh? You want me to stop them?" Cyr glanced at the rebelling examinees attacking Menchi and Buhara, sounding utterly bored.

For some reason, no one had thought to attack him.

Maybe because he hadn't spoken much, or perhaps because all the animosity was directed at Menchi and Buhara, leaving no one free to bother him.

"If I get involved, they'll probably all end up dead," the white-haired boy drawled.

The person on the other end said something.

"Fine, whatever." He clicked his tongue in mild annoyance.

"Maro, Sora—shut them up." Cyr gave the order lightly.

The next second, the room's temperature plummeted.

Frost spread across the walls.

A deafening roar tore through the space.

The wind howled, carrying icy shards like a sudden winter storm.

The examinees clutched their ears, their minds going blank as the tiger's roar tore through their consciousness. Their eardrums seemed to rupture, leaving them deaf to all other sounds.

For a moment, absolute silence fell upon the room.

°°°

If you want to read ahead and access 20 advanced chapters, check the patreon

Link: Patreon/Moziel