Everyone was stunned by the Chairman's statement — especially Cheadle, who hadn't anticipated anything like this.
Only Pariston and Ging kept neutral expressions.
So that's how it is.
I expected something like this the moment Chairman Netero called him his pupil, but "wow!" is this exciting!
Pariston sat thoughtful, chin lightly pinched between his fingers, and soon his face lit up again.
Ging alone kept his usual indifference, raising a hand and turning toward Netero.
"Why assign this to us? With the other two I can see the point, but the boy — you could've taken him yourself."
Everyone agreed with Ging's judgment and turned to Netero.
"That was the plan, more or less." Netero said.
"But thanks to his 'conditions' about apprenticing his friends, I got lazy and decided to dump them on you.
And since they'll already be your responsibility, you can teach him the basics too.
As for those conditions… he's got amnesia and has forgotten a lot — writing included.
Please hammer some common sense into him.
Alright, meeting adjourned.
I've got somewhere to be."
He clapped once and brazenly headed for the doors — but Ging's sudden question stopped him.
"How long will you be gone, and why are you leaving?" (Ging)
"Ho-ho-ho, sharp as ever.
I'll be away for about half a year.
As for the reason…"
Netero fixed a steady gaze on Mousse.
"I noticed I've gone soft.
Time to get back in shape.
In short, I'm going into closed-door training."
Everyone knew how strong the Chairman was, which made the subtext — I must become stronger — all the more startling.
Only about half the room grasped the real reason for Netero's abrupt decision, and all of them stared straight at Mousse, who was just beginning to realize the hole he'd fallen into.
So the old man feels threatened and pressured by him?
Now this really lights my interest.
Ging no longer hid his grin as he looked at the boy.
***
More restrained, but similar interest flickered among the battle-oriented Zodiacs.
What surprised me was Pyon's attention — until it clicked in my head and realization dawned upon me.
Right, she's a Hunter specializing in ancient scripts and languages.
Looks like she'll be handling my literacy lessons.
Interpreting her look in my own way, I gave her my signature (dumb) smile.
In return, I got a disappointed sigh.
Did I mess up again…?
***
After Netero left and they had a short discussion, we were ushered outside so they could hold a follow-up on our training.
All three of us were dying of curiosity, but Ponzu and Bodoro stayed put.
They knew what En could do and had a rough sense of our future mentors' levels, so stealth-eavesdropping felt hopeless.
As for me…
I'd already pressed my ear to the wooden door.
The sound barely came through — I could tell who was talking, but not what they said.
Just as I gave up, I heard approaching footsteps.
Click — door unlatching.
Thump.
I'd stepped back, but still banged my head against the door.
"Oh?"
Kanzai poked his head out to find me on my butt, rubbing my forehead, while Ponzu and Bodoro tried to make themselves smaller behind glossy magazines.
"Hold on—were you just… Pfft! Hahaha!"
My face went scarlet with a mix of indignation and embarrassment at being caught red-handed — and laughed at.
"Bwahaha! You're a riot!
If you wanted to eavesdrop, you could've just cracked the door.
We don't mind at all, hahaha!
Whew, thanks for the laugh… Anyway, get in here.
As for you two — we'll start your training after your Nen is awakened.
You can head out or meditate here; doesn't matter."
Waving to them, Kanzai hauled me inside, slinging an arm around my neck in a buddy-buddy choke that forced me to hunch forward.
"You can call me bro — Cat and Tiger are basically family, y'know.
If anyone gives you trouble, come to me. I'll flatten'em one-handed."
"Shut your trap and can both of you sit already?" (Cluck)
"Ignore her.
Sit by me."
Obediently, I sat and — equal parts wary and curious — took another long look at the Zodiacs.
Cluck — Botanical Hunter
Mizaistom Nana — Crime Hunter
Pyon — Paleograph Hunter (Ancient Texts & Languages)
Saiyu — Blacklist Hunter (Fugitive/Bounty Hunting)
Ging Freecss — Deadbeat Fa… I mean, Ruins Hunter (Archaeology)
Botobai Gigante — Terrorist Hunter (counter-terror)
Kanzai — Treasure Hunter
Pariston — …???… Vice-Chairman of the Association?
Ginta — Poacher Hunter (anti-poaching / wildlife protection)
Cheadle Yorkshire — Disease Hunter
Saccho Kobayakawa — Problem Hunter (scope unspecified)
Gel — Poison Hunter
They then discussed my schedule: Nen foundation plus remedial "common sense" through general knowledge.
I'd assumed Pyon alone would teach me, but each Zodiac volunteered to cover a domain:
Flora & Fauna — Cluck & Ginta
Medicine & Pharmacology — Cheadle & Gel
Law & Regulations — Botobai & Mizaistom
History & Languages — Ging & Pyon
Civics & Society — Saccho & Pariston
Martial Arts Primer — Saiyu & Kanzai
I accepted with giddy gratitude — what an insanely great opportunity!
Soon enough, while I didn't regretit, I did scold myself for not helping shape the timetable.
By Day 8, I was draped over a desk with steam coming out of my head.
Strangely, the easiest turned out to be martial arts.
Next were Pyon and Ging's lessons — their classes clicked thanks to the auto-translator in my head and Ging's engaging history tangents.
Botobai and Mizaistom were tougher, even though they simplified the legalese.
As for flora & fauna…
Ginta and Cluck truly love their calling, but as teachers — meh.
To be fair, I might be their first true zero-baseline student.
Right behind them…
If Saccho's lessons were perfectly reasonable, then Pariston's... —
After a couple of intro sessions I found the groove.
Honestly, he might be an even better teacher than Ging — who wins by sheer enthusiasm and a wildly broad knowledge base.
So why are Pariston's classes second-to-last on the list I want to mention?
Because recently he floored the gas.
Setting aside all the 'case studies' whose gray zones would make law-purists like Botobai and Mizaistom blow a gasket, each day Pariston pulled in more fields: bureaucracy, management, political science, etc.
In short — everything that constitutes and operates "society" itself.
I once doubted whether Pariston deserved Triple-Star status.
Now I know — he absolutely does and qualified for that.
I shudder to imagine what he'd do if he weren't bound by the Vice-Chairman role and Beyond's Dark Continent Expidition plans.
If he ever ran one of the world's superpowers — like countries from V5…
A world war would happen on his signal — if he felt like it.
And that still isn't the worst part of my rapid education.
I expected medicine & pharmacology to mean first aid, emergency response, and a formulary: effects and (in)compatibilities…
How wrong I was.
I should've suspected something when Cheadle — right after common language — told Pyon to teach me another language with a Latin ring to it.
Now I'm parked under their watch, chewing through medical tomes like I'm cramming for board exams to become a doctor.
"Someone… please… save me…"