Chapter 71 – Aftermath of the Results
"Only one person passed…"
That single sentence echoed endlessly in every examinee's ears.
Several people even dug at their ears, convinced they must have misheard.
They had to have misheard—right?
A Hunter Exam, and only one person passes the second phase?
And eliminated in such a bizarre way?
Impossible. They must have misheard.
Hanzō was completely stunned as well.
He had done his best—better than his best.
His own homeland's cuisine became the exam topic, and he still got rejected?
The only explanation he could come up with was that he must have…
opened the lid wrong.
The crowd began to stir.
No one was willing to be thrown out of the exam like this.
Failing because you couldn't make a dish was one thing—but being eliminated over "taste preference"?
They weren't applying to be chefs!
This was absolutely unacceptable.
"I knew this was going to happen…"
Osren rubbed his forehead helplessly.
Menchi's emotional intelligence was like a landmine.
It was only a matter of time before someone exploded.
And with someone like Leorio around—hot-headed and explosive—Osren felt he needed to monitor him carefully before he did something regrettable.
Spotting Gon and the others, Osren moved toward them.
"Osren… what do we do now…?"
Gon looked like a wilted eggplant, shoulders slumped, spirit deflated.
He only perked up a little when he saw Osren approaching.
It was understandable.
Anyone who entered full of confidence, only to get eliminated immediately for a reason like this…
would feel crushed.
"Logically speaking, this shouldn't be the end."
Osren patted Gon's shoulder lightly, hoping to ease his worries.
"What do you mean? What logic?"
Leorio asked immediately.
He was the kind who couldn't hold questions in—and Osren's words felt like the last lifeline in a storm.
Osren explained calmly and clearly:
"Phase One tested endurance, willpower, and mental fortitude.
Phase Two is actually testing things like observation, attention, and courage.
The cooking itself isn't the real criterion.
No one ever said all Hunters must become Gourmet Hunters.
The profession has countless branches—everyone is free to choose.
They can't force people down one path."
He continued:
"So yes, Menchi was too strict.
But in cases like this, the Hunter Association won't just ignore the problem.
And based on overall performance, we're all doing extremely well.
Don't worry—good candidates won't be thrown away so easily."
He hoped the analysis helped steady their hearts.
The retest was coming—he knew it.
And keeping a clear mindset was crucial.
"…Yeah. Osren makes sense."
Kurapika thought it through and agreed.
His mood finally lightened a bit.
Obtaining his Hunter License and hunting the Phantom Troupe—this was his obsession, his purpose.
He wouldn't let something like this break him.
If Kurapika's hopes were really shattered here, even he didn't know what he might end up doing.
"Osren's probably right."
Killua crossed his arms, looking relatively unfazed.
To him, this was just a game—if it stopped being fun, he'd just switch to something else.
But after spending so much time with Osren and the others, Killua found their company interesting…
And for the first time, he wanted to take this seriously together.
"Mm! Osren is amazing. It must be like he said."
Gon, forever the loyal fanboy, trusted Osren unconditionally.
"Then we wait and see."
Even Leorio admitted Osren's explanation made sense.
He decided to watch the situation unfold before doing anything rash.
But the rest of the examinees weren't nearly as calm.
Without Osren's analysis, the group was on the verge of a riot.
"What is this supposed to mean?"
Hanzō tried to maintain ninja discipline, but his clenched jaw betrayed his frustration.
"You've gotta be kidding me."
Tonpa's face twisted with rage.
"This result—who could possibly accept it?"
The Amori Brothers were grinding their teeth, visibly seething.
Menchi looked around at the angry examinees closing in on her and blinked in confusion.
Wasn't failing supposed to mean you leave? Why weren't they leaving?
She had absolutely no idea what was happening.
Buhara wore an expression that clearly said, I knew it would come to this, but also I have no idea how to fix it.
The examinees surrounded Menchi, faces full of indignation—some even looking ready to fight.
Menchi, seeing herself cornered, got angry as well.
She felt she had done nothing wrong.
This was how a proper culinary evaluation should be conducted.
With a huff, she pulled out her phone to call the Committee.
"I said what I said! It's fine—I'm just reporting the results to the Committee."
Menchi's confidence in her culinary standards was absolute.
No one knew what the person on the other end of the call said,
but Menchi's voice shot up instantly:
"Impossible! The results are already final!"
She refused to budge.
"Once Menchi's picky-gourmet mode activates, there's no stopping her…"
Buhara sighed helplessly.
How did things escalate this far?
"Buhara, shut up! Don't interrupt me!"
Menchi snapped, louder than the phone call itself.
"This can't be happening…"
Even veteran Tonpa was lost—he had taken so many Hunter Exams and had never seen anything like this.
"The judging for this phase is my responsibility.
If any of you have a problem, come say it to my face."
Menchi sat on the sofa, furious, voice sharp enough to cut.
"You've got to be joking!"
"We're failing the Hunter Exam because of COOKING? That's insane!"
"I don't accept this!"
Their outrage only grew, like fuel thrown on a fire.
"This is getting out of hand…"
Satotz, the professional bystander, began to worry.
How were they supposed to resolve this?
"In any case, my conclusion won't change.
Second Phase passing count: one.
That's final."
Menchi declared to the Committee in a firm, uncompromising tone.
"Uh—excuse me! Wait! Stop! Please wait a moment!"
Nobody noticed when Gon suddenly sprinted forward and snatched the phone from Menchi's hand.
He trusted Osren's prediction, but he also believed in taking action.
Instead of waiting helplessly, he would carve his own path.
"What are you doing!? Give the phone back!"
Menchi grabbed for it angrily.
"Listen to me—I have to pass this Hunter Exam.
It's the only way I can find my father!"
Gon said firmly, standing in front of Menchi with unwavering determination.
Despite being the main character of a shounen series, Gon was far from the typical heroic archetype.
If anything, his alignment leaned more toward chaotic neutral—
if breaking the rules helped him reach his goal, he'd break them without hesitation.
"That's unfortunate, but the standards of the Hunter Exam are decided entirely by the examiner—in this case, me.
Understand, little boy?"
Menchi said coolly.
Once she made a decision, she rarely changed it.