HxH: Ryomen... Satoru?

The airship, entertainment lounge.

"Not playing anymore," the white-haired, blue-eyed boy muttered, furrowing his brows and tossing his cards onto the table in frustration.

Game after game, Cyr had failed to draw even a single pair. He kept losing, over and over again.

No one was cheating—his terrible luck was entirely to blame. And since Cyr refused to cheat himself and wouldn't allow others to go easy on him, he hadn't won a single hand.

The other players didn't know what to do. None of them wanted to beat someone who could easily pin them to the wall with a single punch. But his luck... it was just that bad.

Cyr sat back on the sofa, expressionless but clearly displeased. The others exchanged nervous glances.

"Um... should we... head out for now?" one of them ventured, forcing a strained smile.

Their attempts to be conciliatory were painfully awkward. None of them were accustomed to such submissive behavior. After all, a villain's face never looks kind, no matter how hard one tries to make it appear so.

Cyr glanced up lazily, and the group took it as an unspoken command to leave. They fled the room in an instant.

"Useless," Cyr muttered, propping his chin in one hand and yawning. "Boring bunch."

The examinees on the airship were clearly just a small fraction of the total. Every year, thousands reportedly registered for the Hunter Exam online, with several hundred making it to the actual testing site. Yet there were only a few dozen examinees aboard this airship.

Hmm... wait a minute. Since when were Hunter Exam officials this considerate? Picking up examinees like this?

In the original plot, the protagonists met the examiners only after solving various challenges and reaching the official testing site. There was even that arc with the nen beast pretending to be an examiner to deceive the candidates.

But Cyr's Six Eyes confirmed that the two examiners were unquestionably human—and powerful ones at that.

So why aren't they waiting at the main testing site? Why show up early on the airship?

Whether at the testing site or on the way there, the candidates were constantly being tested. That meant these few days aboard the airship wouldn't necessarily be safe either.

"What kind of test will they spring on us here?" Cyr wondered, a spark of interest lighting up his otherwise languid demeanor.

Come on, examiners, step it up. A simple test would be so dull.

"Knock, knock." A muffled sound echoed from the door.

Cyr didn't respond. It wasn't like this was a private office or a conference room. Was knocking really necessary?

Hearing no answer, a timid voice called from the other side.

"Um... excuse me. May I come in?"

That voice... Cyr recognized it immediately. It belonged to that kid.

His name was too memorable to forget.

Wasn't he just sent to the medical room? He's back already?

"Come in," Cyr said, his tone unchanged, lazy and indifferent.

The door creaked open, and Maro entered cautiously, every movement exuding unease.

The first thing Malo saw was the boy on the sofa. Surrounded by the oversized cushions, Cyr's small frame seemed to sink into the furniture. His legs were crossed, his chin rested in one hand, and his half-lidded eyes barely glanced up at the newcomer.

Even so, those half-lidded blue eyes were impossible to ignore.

Maro thought they were the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen, far outshining even the fabled Scarlet Eyes auctioned at Yorknew City.

Those red eyes, ripped out and displayed in glass jars, had seemed grotesque and twisted, as ugly as the people fighting over them.

"L-Lord Cyr!" Malo stammered, his golden hair still matted from earlier injuries. Though his face bore bruises, the bloodstains had been meticulously cleaned.

"I came to thank you."

"Thank me?" Cyr echoed, his tone lilting with faint curiosity.

"You asked the examiners to take me to the medical room..." Maro's emerald-green eyes sparkled with gratitude.

"And... you were absolutely amazing back in the training room!" Malo exclaimed, using a subtle, almost reverent tone of formality since the moment he entered.

Cyr smirked and shrugged. "That's because you're too weak. You were just in the way."

"There's no shortage of punching bags in the training room who can't fight back," he added, standing up and stretching his limbs with a teasing tone.

Malo froze for a moment, then lowered his head, his voice subdued. "It's just that... I always feel like I shouldn't fight back..."

"Oh?" For the first time, Cyr turned back to look at him directly.

Now that he paid attention, this guy didn't look half bad. His appearance stood out compared to the "villainous" faces of the other candidates—a different style altogether.

Blond hair, green eyes, and from the major locale of Yorknew City.

And then there was the fact that his life energy was evenly matched with his opponents, yet he stubbornly refused to fight back...

Clearly, there's more to this story, Cyr thought.

In a game, this guy would definitely be a unique NPC, maybe even the type to trigger a side quest.

"Alright, let's hear it," Cyr said, sitting back on the sofa. "If your reason's good enough, maybe I'll teach you a thing or two."

Malo hesitated before finally speaking, his voice slow and halting.

"...It's because I've always been the one getting beaten. If I fought back, it would just make more people gang up on me..."

"If I didn't resist, they'd lose interest sooner," he added sheepishly.

Cyr listened without surprise. In fact, he found the explanation entirely predictable.

Calling this guy a wimp would be an insult to wimps.

"Well, you're a total loser, aren't you?" Cyr commented bluntly, his expression flat and his tone tinged with boredom.

This kind of personality was just... tiresome.

"Hit me," he said suddenly.

"What?" Malo stared blankly, then quickly lowered his head as realization struck. "You must be joking, right?"

"If you can't even lift a hand against someone, you might as well give up on this exam now," Cyr said casually.

People who could only endure and never fight back wouldn't last long in the Hunter Exam.

Giving up early might actually extend their lifespan.

I really am such a kind, virtuous person, Cyr thought with some satisfaction.

"I... I can do it," Maro said suddenly.

"Oh? Are you serious?" Cyr asked, stroking his chin as he scrutinized him.

"As long as it's not you, I can do it!" Maro clenched his fists as if to reinforce his determination.

"Great! Go to the training room and pick someone to fight," Cyr said lightly, clapping his hands together.

No one could kill on the airship, after all. The worst that could happen was someone getting beaten up badly.

Who knows? Maybe Malo would have a sudden epiphany and decide to quit the exam altogether.

Man, I really do think about others' well-being a lot. I'm such a considerate guy.

"I'll prove it to you," Malo said resolutely. He walked out with clenched fists, practicing his punches as he went.

Cyr could hear him muttering under his breath as he left: "I can do this... Just one punch and run... I can manage that."

It didn't sound convincing at all.

"Guess I'll head back to my room and sleep." Cyr didn't have the slightest expectation for what would happen next. Without looking back, he left the entertainment lounge.

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