Several minutes later…
"MORE! MORE! MORE! MORE! MORE!"
"Nom-nom-nom, slurp-slurp-slurp, nom—khah! More!"
"Hooray!"
"Whoa!"
"Refills over here, stat!"
Right now I was in the cafeteria, with a whole crowd cheering around me while the mastermind of this circus — Pariston — was literally taking bets on which plate number I'd finally stop at.
Either they all adore Pariston, or nothing interesting ever happens around here.
Wouldn't be shocked if it's both.
Probably a quarter of this crowd are his people anyway.
As that thought drifted by, I was way more stunned by how all this food was fitting into my stomach.
Is this the power of an anime protagonist?
I'm not gonna turn into a giant like Buhara, am I?
I've eaten enough meat to fill three of my own bellies!
But despite my worries, I didn't feel pain or even that overstuffed heaviness.
On the contrary, my stomach kept rumbling for the next round, drool wouldn't stop, and with every plate I felt more and more energized—like nothing I'd ever experienced.
Damn… so this is how Goku, Luffy, Naruto, Natsu and the others constantly feel…
This is actual torture!
***
"Damn it, I was just about to grab a bite, and everyone dumped their 'urgent requests' on me…"
In an empty elevator, Kanzai was venting to no one in particular.
Ding.
Hearing the chime, the doors slid open.
"Alright, if I didn't forget, the cafeteria should be… here…"
Rounding a corner and stepping inside, the first thing he saw was a massive crowd with Pariston at the center.
Seeing Pariston merrily hosting, the veins on Kanzai's forehead bulged as the blood roared in his ears.
He was just about to growl when someone nearby shouted, deafening him.
"PARISTOOOON!"
The one yelling was Cheadle Yorkshire, and there was an unusual, iron weight in her voice.
The cafeteria fell silent in an instant; everyone turned to look.
At the sight of her angry face, people went pale and began scattering in a hurry.
No one wanted to end up on her bad side—she was effectively #3 in the entire Hunter Association.
"Oh, Cheadle, perfect timing. I was helping our newcomer get acquainted with his colleagues working here at HQ."
Pariston lied through his snow-white smile while Mousse smacked the table, choking from that sudden shout.
Yeah, business as usual.
At least the meeting will finally start now.
Kanzai thought gloomily, fully aware that Cheadle still wouldn't be able to put this bastard in his place.
While she scolded him, he calmly showed a list to the cafeteria worker at the counter.
***
"I see you've all gathered."
Netero arrived with Beans, five minutes after Cheadle pinged him.
In the conference room sat all 12 Zodiacs — and the three rookie Hunters: including me, Bodoro, and Ponzu.
Until Chairman Netero showed, we were a bundle of nerves under the curious looks of the Association's top brass.
The moment he entered, we could finally breathe as most eyes shifted off us.
Only four kept staring:
Pariston Hill.
Cheadle Yorkshire.
Kanzai.
Ging Freecss.
If the first two were obvious, and Kanzai had noticed me earlier in the cafeteria (hence the puzzled look of why I'm here), then why was Ging staring at us…
No — staring at me?
"Before I announce the assignment, allow me to introduce our three guests.
These are this year's rookies."
Netero paused, and all gazes snapped back to us.
Catching his nod, I realized what he wanted and stood quickly.
"My name is Mousse. Please take care of me!"
"I'm Ponzu, pleased to—"
"I am Bodoro, and—"
After our introductions, attention returned to the Chairman.
"These rookies are directly tied to the task I'm giving you.
You can refuse if you want. I'll definitely hold a grudge.
I mean — I won't!"
He absolutely will.
That thought flashed through every Zodiac's mind.
"And the assignment is — to teach them Nen!"
"What?!" (Kanzai)
"Hey, hold up!" (Cluck)
Only two voiced their surprise; the rest waited for details.
"Two of them — Ponzu and Bodoro — I'm rating at Rank D difficulty.
As for the boy…"
"I'll take responsibility for his training."
Ging raised his hand, looking at Netero.
So he felt it too…
We three really are birds of a feather.
Netero started stroking his beard, but still decided to continue.
"His difficulty level — H."
"!!!"
Silence fell—heavy with shock and the weight of what that meant.
Every Zodiac was surprised except for Pariston, Cheadle, and Ging.
Noticing the lack of reaction from those three, the rest turned to Cheadle, the one they trusted most among them.
Cheadle could only nod, face serious.
But internally she was sweating of absurdity of this situation.
I knew he'd put on a show, but I expected the ceiling to be Frank — not the "easiest" one!
This is a naked provocation. A challenge!
The Hunter Association uses eight difficulty tiers for official missions: A (hardest) through H (easiest).
But assignments personally issued by Chairman Netero were inverted thanks to his mischievous nature.
In his system of perception, F equaled an official rank A, and even if you map G to rank A+, H still sits in a class of its own — S-rank.
Meaning: regardless of particulars, it's practically impossible.
The Zodiacs knew this firsthand — Netero loved giving nightmarishly tough assignments to those who caught his eye with extraordinary talent and outstanding skills.
Only by breaking past their limits did they succeed.
Most present had earned their Hunter Stars that way, joining Netero's personal cadre — the Zodiacs.
Even among them, the hardest they'd seen was G-rank, faced by only a few.
One of those few was Pariston, who rocketed to Triple-Star Hunter in a relatively short time.
Say what you like about him and his current politics — under him the Association underwent major (and, to many, positive) changes, winning support from numerous Hunters and internal committees like the Exam and Review Boards.
The very designation of H rank was practically impossible — and that's exactly what grated on several Zodiacs' nerves.
It's just Nen training — how could it be that hard?
Does he have zero affinity to Nen?
This was roughly the thought that was going through the minds of all those who didn't know about Mousse.
Only Cheadle and Pariston had directly witnessed his absurd talent, and Ging had sensed a peculiar resonance that piqued his interest.
"Ah, almost forgot."
By now Netero was picking his ear, flicking away a bit of earwax from tip of his finger.
"From this moment, he'll be listed as the 13th Zodiac, codename "Cat".
Please take care of your new junior."
"What?!" (×6)
"You're kidding?!" (×4)
"Ho-ho-ho, ho!"
The Chairman chuckled, delighted by their reactions.
***
Uh… did anyone plan to ask me first?"