Hell! Who's scaring who here?!
Didn't you see my son kneel before you?!
The ferocious fox father had a vein pop on his forehead. He clenched his teeth, looked into Roy's blind eyes, and finally let out a long, helpless sigh.
"Two hundred million… I'll transfer it right now."
He finally understood. Roy was clearly establishing dominance, setting a price and raising it at will. With a personality like his, if he didn't settle it now, the price might jump to 300 or even 400 million…
He grit his teeth and accepted his fate.
[Drip~]
[Your account ending in 7086 has successfully transferred ¥200,000,000. Please check.]
After receiving the funds, Roy gave a satisfied smile. He casually hooked his finger, and the "Armament Thread" wrapped around the ferocious fox father's ankle slithered back into his body like a spirit snake.
Free at last… at least for now.
The ferocious fox father sighed in relief and stretched his ankle a little, but his peace lasted only two seconds. As he turned, he met his wife's murderous glare. His body went cold and he instinctively shrank his neck.
Oh crap…
They just handed over 200 million for nothing. The tigress is going to rip him apart tonight.
Maybe he should hide in Saba City for a few days.
He began plotting his escape, while Roy, Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio finished their meal. As soon as the last grain of rice was gone, the fox father couldn't wait any longer.
"Congratulations to the four of you for passing the test! We'll set off for Saba now."
Flying to Saba and staying a few days should cool the tigress down…
"I'm not going!!"
The vicious fox daughter suddenly sat down, kicked her legs childishly, and pouted.
"I'm dizzy and starving! I can't fly anymore!"
Now what?
The fox father panicked. Long-distance flights consumed a lot of energy, and a single fox couldn't carry two people.
There were four humans and four foxes. That was perfect. But now? One fox down meant someone had to fly twice…
He peeked at his wife and instantly shook his head.
No way. Not happening.
If he made her fly again, she'd bite his head off.
"But… Dad! You're the one who ruined my dinner! I hate you!"
His daughter buried her head into the floor, plugging her ears. She wasn't listening to anyone anymore.
Roy stood up and walked calmly toward the door. Without turning around, he said,
"Just take the three of them. I have my own way of catching up."
The fox father snorted.
Tch. No matter how strong you are, humans can't fly. Let's see how you manage this.
Still, he couldn't resist a snarky reminder.
"There's no land route to Saba City, you know. You can only fly."
Roy stopped. He turned his head slightly and said coldly,
"Don't make me repeat myself."
…Yessir. You're the boss.
Let's see how he pulls it off!
The ferocious fox family took to the sky with Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio on their backs. Though still annoyed at Mr. Roy, they knew better than to cause more trouble. That man was not someone to provoke lightly.
"Hey, Uncle Roy," Gon waved from the air. "Why don't you go first? I'll wait here!"
He huffed, his little feet dangling above the trees.
"You don't have wings, so you can't fly, right?"
Kurapika echoed from behind, "It's okay, teacher. I can stay behind too."
They were trying to be polite, but…
"Oh, enough!"
Leorio groaned and grabbed at his hair.
"Fine, I'll stay too. You two stop talking already!"
Then he looked up at the vicious fox son carrying him and yelled,
"Hey, drop me down for a second!"
The fox son glanced at his father awkwardly, then looked down at Roy…
…and his fox eyes nearly popped out of his skull.
"W-WHAT THE—?!?!"
They all watched in stunned disbelief.
Roy, with a stick-blade in one hand and a wine gourd swinging at his hip, stepped casually off the ground…
And didn't fall.
He stepped again—into thin air—and ascended.
Like there were invisible stairs in the sky, every step he took sent ripples across the air, ethereal and effortless. It was impossibly graceful, like something out of a dream.
Roy uncorked his gourd, took a sip of wine, and exhaled gently.
"Wings? True, I don't have them."
He paused, the wind tousling his white hair.
"But if you have a path in your heart—"
"—you can walk into the sky."
He passed them mid-air, looking down at the dumbstruck group.
"Are you coming, or do I have to lead the way?"
Everyone was frozen.
The fox family, Gon, Leorio, Kurapika—all of them stared like statues. You could see the shock reflected in their pupils.
"Damn… Boss, you actually meant it?! You can really fly?!"
The fox father gaped as Roy walked across the sky like it was solid ground.
The worst part?
Gon squealed with excitement, shouting "WAAAA~" with stars in his eyes.
He squirmed so much he nearly sent both of them plummeting.
"Idiot Gon!" Leorio barked. "If we weren't in the air, I'd deck you again!"
He snorted.
"That kid's got no self-control. Unlike me—I always keep my cool under pressure."
"OH YEAH?!"
The mother fox snarled from below, glaring up at Leorio.
"You BASTARD! You hurt me!!"