HxH: Ryomen... Satoru?

"How is Hisoka still not out yet?"

A group of candidates pressed their ears against the door, trying to eavesdrop.

Just then, the sound of footsteps approached. They quickly scattered.

"He's coming out!"

The door swung open, revealing a red-haired man with a blank expression.

He didn't say a word, but everyone could feel it—he was in a bad mood.

They had already been too afraid to ask him anything before. Now? Even less of a chance.

"Next," the voice over the speaker announced.

The second candidate hurried in, and when they came out, they looked completely dazed, as if they had no idea what they had just answered.

"What did he ask you? Spill it already!" Leorio grabbed the poor guy's shoulders and shook him violently.

The candidate snapped out of their trance, rubbed their temples, and reluctantly answered.

"…That's it?" Leorio looked doubtful.

That brat seemed like a nightmare to deal with. How could he have asked such simple questions?

---

Inside the interview room, Cyr leaned back in his chair, watching Killua sitting across from him.

As usual, he went through the standard process, asking two questions. But instead of dismissing Killua, he suddenly pointed to a photo on the table.

"You don't recognize this guy?" he asked.

Killua glanced at the photo, tilting his head.

"Some weirdo like that? No way." His voice was completely certain.

Cyr's smile widened.

"That's your big brother."

"…You're kidding, right?" Killua slammed his hands on the table and stood up.

What kind of sick joke was this? That freak was his brother?!

Illumi didn't even look like that!

"…Wait. That guy isn't here to drag me back home, is he? Oh, crap…" Killua muttered, his eyes suddenly dimming.

"I heard you injured your mom and second brother to escape," Cyr said casually.

The way he said Mom and second brother sounded so natural, like he was referring to his own family.

"Yeah, so what? They were in my way," Killua answered without an ounce of regret.

"What if Illumi really does try to take you back?" Cyr asked, genuinely curious.

Ah, the classic brother vs. brother conflict. How dramatic.

"I…" Killua hesitated.

For the first time, he found himself unable to answer.

He couldn't even picture going head-to-head against Illumi.

No. He would run.

Cyr reached out and patted his head like he was dealing with a clueless kid.

"Weak little boy," he sighed.

Killua still hadn't noticed that someone had left something in his mind.

With his current strength, he really stood no chance against Illumi.

"Who the hell are you calling weak?!" Killua snapped, instantly pushing his hand away.

"If you call me 'Onii-chan,' maybe I'll back you up," Cyr suggested, a teasing grin creeping onto his face.

Not backing up. Stirring the fire.

"Oh, gee, thanks so much," Killua rolled his eyes dramatically.

"Alright, you can leave now. Next."

Cyr's expression turned ice-cold in an instant, and without hesitation, he kicked Killua out and called in the next candidate.

"...Is he some kind of face-changing master?" Killua grumbled, clenching his fists as he stomped out of the room.

When Killua caught sight of the nail-faced freak, he froze for a moment before silently looking away.

He still hadn't figured out how to face his big brother.

On the way to the final exam venue, everyone noticed how uncharacteristically quiet Killua was. But no one knew why.

Not until they arrived.

Netero announced that the final stage would be a one-on-one elimination tournament. That's when it finally clicked—Cyr's interview questions suddenly made sense.

Because Netero had used their answers to decide who they would be up against.

However, it wasn't a simple win-or-go-home match. As long as someone won even once, they would pass.

Losers, on the other hand, had to keep fighting against other losers.

Which meant that, in the end, only one person would fail the exam.

---

The examiners were all present at the final tournament arena.

Standing in the corners were several black-suited committee staff members, silently watching like an audience.

A white tiger lay lazily on the ground, and Cyr—without hesitation—sat on it like a fluffy carpet.

Every candidate had something they refused to give up on, which meant that the battles weren't always the most intense, but they were definitely…

Long.

No one was willing to surrender.

They fought tooth and nail, refusing to admit defeat.

And no one embodied this more than Gon.

The bald ninja had beaten him within an inch of his life, knocking him unconscious multiple times.

But every single time, he got back up.

Killing was against the rules, and if the bald ninja went too far, he would fail automatically.

Yet beating Gon into submission was proving impossible.

The match had fallen into a bizarre, endless loop.

"If it were me, I'd just break 177 of his bones," Cyr said casually.

"Why 177?" asked Sora, whose mind was completely blank.

The other examiners also turned to look at him.

"Because the human body has 206 bones in total," Cyr replied in an almost bored tone.

"The skull has 29 bones, and if those break, he'd die. So it's better to leave them intact."

It couldn't be helped—he wasn't as soft-hearted or rational as the bald ninja.

If it were him in that match, he would've probably just dropped out of the exam and killed the stubborn bastard.

His mindset was all wrong for a shounen protagonist.

"…I feel like I'll visit you in prison one day," Lippo said with a deep, knowing smile.

"That's impossible. If I ever did something like that, it'd mean I was confident I wouldn't have to face any consequences," Cyr shrugged, speaking as if stating a fact.

If he didn't have the power to get away with it, he wouldn't act recklessly.

But in the Hunter Exam, killing only resulted in disqualification.

Everyone had signed waivers accepting the risk, so there were no real consequences.

Besides, there was always next year.

After what felt like forever, the bald ninja finally shot Gon an exasperated glare and reluctantly forfeited.

Any more and Gon would actually die.

And he wasn't willing to go that far.

The second he admitted defeat, Gon collapsed, and the medics rushed him to the infirmary.

"…Shounen protagonist, huh…" Cyr muttered under his breath.

He wasn't the type to mock Gon's refusal to give up.

If he were in the same situation, he would have done the same thing.

For a weak person, surrendering was humiliating.

But if you were strong enough, it didn't matter.

You could lose a hundred times, and no one would look down on you.

Then, as soon as the nail-faced freak stepped into the arena to face Killua, Cyr finally sat up, eyes locked on them.

It was like he was back in front of a screen, watching an anime episode unfold.

Even though Killua already knew who he was up against, the moment his opponent spoke, he still broke into a cold sweat.

In front of everyone, the nail-faced freak pulled out his nails.

In an instant, he transformed into a long-haired, ghostly figure with empty eyes.

"I heard you stabbed Mom and Milluki," he said in an eerily flat tone.

"Mom was so moved she cried."

"Because you've become very independent… But she's worried about you being out here alone."

He spoke like a spirit whispering from the abyss, saying things that normal people would find deeply unsettling.

The more he spoke, the more Killua's expression wavered.

Little by little, the light faded from his eyes.

"Killua, you're not suited to be a Hunter."

"You're a hollow puppet, void of any real desire."

"The only thing that makes you happy… is watching people die in front of you."

Ah. So that's how it played out in the original story.

Cyr watched the scene unfold, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he glanced towards Killua who was tearfully declaring his wish to be Gon's friend.

"No, you don't," Illumi denied without hesitation. "You don't want friends. You don't need them."

"Maybe I should just kill Gon right now."

Killua stood still, head hanging low, silent.

Next was one of the two random versus Leorio.

Illumi's gaze remained locked onto Killua.

Then, as if something had snapped inside him, Killua's blank eyes went completely lifeless.

Like a soulless killing machine, he moved.

With terrifying speed, he closed in on one of the fighters.

Just as his hand was about to pierce through the opponent's chest and rip out their heart—

A powerful suction force pulled him sideways.

His hand struck nothing but empty air.

The target vanished from in front of him, reappearing somewhere else—

Like they had been swept away by the wind.

Cyr hadn't even moved from his spot.

Sitting in the corner, he had casually stretched out a hand and yanked Killua over to his side.

"Hey, hey, I already said killing someone means automatic disqualification," he said lazily, resting his chin in one hand while absentmindedly petting the white tiger's horn with the other.

"And don't interfere in someone else's fight."

"Double violation. You're out, Killua."

His voice was light, almost indifferent, as he turned to Illumi.

"Take your family drama home."

Then, looking back at Killua, he added calmly—

"See? I told you you're weak. That's why you couldn't resist your big brother."

"If you were strong enough, this wouldn't have happened."

"Of course, I could help you…" Cyr's eyes flickered with amusement as he rubbed his chin.

"But growth comes from taking a beating every now and then."

After all—

How else would a shounen protagonist get stronger?

"Work hard, get stronger, and then pin your brother to the ground and beat the hell out of him."

He patted Killua's shoulder encouragingly.

A tiny flicker of light returned to Killua's eyes, though they were still dull.

At least he had snapped out of his trance.

"Hey! This guy acts more like Killua's big brother than you do!" Leorio shouted.

Killua was a bit weird, sure, but what the hell was up with that other guy?

What kind of older brother tells his sibling they only exist to kill?

Killua had literally said he didn't want to kill anyone.

That guy was forcing him to.

What was the point of a brother like that?

Hell, some random stranger off the street would be better.

Cyr glanced at Leorio.

Wow. Way to add fuel to the fire.

Saying that to the ultimate brocon…

Illumi's hair slowly lifted, defying gravity.

A nen needle appeared in his hand.

Across the room, Hisoka smiled.

But just as suddenly as his rage flared, Illumi put the needle away.

His hair fell back down.

"Killua. It's time to go home. Mom misses you."

His hollow eyes locked onto Killua.

Illumi's thoughts: That guy is a proctor. He's also Hisoka's little apple. His strength is unknown, and I might not even be able to beat him.

If I fight him, Hisoka will attack me too.

And there's no bounty.

Not worth it.

°°°

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

Link: Patreon/Moziel