Hello everyone, this is Gon Freecss, whose sense of fulfillment is off the charts with days full of sparring and training. I hope these peaceful times continue.
About a month had quickly passed since Gon's group visited the Shingen-Ryu main temple dojo, and at a time when only Shingen-Ryu-related people happened to be there, new Hunters had joined.
"Hey, Gon! Why does Gin keep following me around!? Cheadle and Sanbica are glaring at me and it's scary!"
"It's because you keep giving him snacks like Leorio does. Also, I think he wants distance from the women because they dote on him too much."
"How can I not give him snacks when he looks at me with those too-round eyes and cries so weakly!?"
The delinquent in a magnificent pompadour and white gang jacket—professional Hunter Knuckle—lowered the corners of his eyes at small Gin crying at his feet and gave him the snack he'd been holding.
"That's exactly what you were just told not to do. Sorry, Gon. This idiot's always loud."
"I'm totally fine! I'm also learning from both Mr. Knuckle and Mr. Shoot in sparring."
"Rather, we're the ones learning."
The kimono-clad man with tied-up long hair and hollow cheeks—Shoot, who shared the same teacher as Knuckle—apologized to Gon with a wry smile.
Both were still young but had solid achievements as capable practitioners, with sufficient combat power as promising young Hunters.
Brought here by Single-Star Hunter Morel, who was close with Knov, as his prized disciples, they'd just been added to the sparring members after passing the baptismal sparring.
Immediately after joining, they'd taken interest in the out-of-place young Gon and Killua and sparred with them. Though marveling at their out-of-spec nature, they were mentally strong enough to frequently interact, determined not to lose.
"Will Gon spar with Chairman Netero again today? I'd like you to be my opponent afterward."
"I'm fine with that, but is it okay? The Shingen-Ryu instructors are pretty strong and helpful too, you know?"
"I'm troubled that I can't take that one more step forward. I want to overcome it but it's not going well. So I thought I'd follow Killua's example and update my maximum values for fear and such."
Shoot had high potential and diligence in constantly training himself, but mental weakness—call it "chance ✕" or "last moment ✕"—in being unable to make the final decision to leap at opportunities inevitably held him back.
His teacher Morel had his eye on Netero's request hoping for even a small trigger, and that plan was already showing signs of improvement thanks to the out-of-spec Gon and Killua.
"Of course I'll be your opponent too. I don't feel shame losing to someone younger, but I'm pissed at myself for being helpless against little ones like you!"
"No, from Gon's perspective, you're smaller."
"Shut up! This cute Gon is the real Gon! That scary muscle isn't the real Gon!!"
Knuckle, pounding the ground and refusing to understand, also had problems—a strong aversion to violence completely unsuited to his delinquent appearance.
Starting from being loved by animals, to attempting dialogue first with anyone he could communicate with—his goodness was called too soft even by his teacher Morel, who was himself called soft by others.
Unless facing perfect evil, he couldn't finish when he should finish. His attempts to minimize damage meant letting targets escape or receiving unnecessary counterattacks daily.
Such too-soft Knuckle had gradually begun changing his thinking after seeing Gon's group's sparring that stepped well beyond death matches.
Because he learned that unleashing potentially lethal attacks on irreplaceable friends was an expression of bottomless respect and trust.
"What are you three doing? If you don't get to the dojo soon, Biscuit will scold you."
"We were making a sparring promise! He wants to do it with Killua again too."
"Knuckle and Shoot are nice—they can do condition battles despite head-on matches. If we're both energetic, please."
Gon and Killua walked toward the dojo as is, and Gin, having finished his snack, jumped onto Gon's head.
That back overflowing with ability and confidence looked tremendously large to Knuckle and Shoot, who'd been beaten up in sparring, yet possessed demonic charm that made them want to reach out and somehow catch up.
"Let's go, Knuckle. We can still get much stronger."
"Yeah! I'm nothing but grateful to our teacher for bringing us to such an amazing place!!"
The two with unbreaking strong spirits stepped forward vigorously, and to outsiders, they gleefully stepped into hell's Gu poison.
Incidentally, in sparring, neither could deal any damage whatsoever to Gon, and matches concluded without either touching even a finger to Killua.
And the two didn't yet know that their proactive seeking of advice from Gon's group would incur the Clown's displeasure and send them tumbling into even greater hell.
Late at night in Swaldani City, with the date about to change.
At the bar counter of a hotel built on prime land, two men quietly tilted their glasses.
One was the pitiful man Knov, daily overworked as Netero's driver.
The other was a large man with long white hair wearing sunglasses—Morel Mackernasey, teacher of Knuckle and Shoot.
"But it's rare for you to invite me for drinks. Does shuttling the chairman stress you out that much?"
Unlike Morel, a man of the sea who couldn't get enough of alcohol and cigarettes, Knov had meticulousness befitting his appearance—disliking miscellany and commotion.
However, he didn't dislike drinking or socializing, so the usual pattern was Morel inviting drinks and Knov selecting the place.
"No, I just had some thoughts. I wanted to talk with you."
Saying that, Knov downed his glass's contents in one go.
Clearly stronger alcohol than he usually drank, gulped down not to enjoy flavor but to get drunk—even long-time friend Morel was seeing this for the first time.
(Looks like something seriously happened. Given his personality, even if I ask, he won't say honestly. Guess I'll wait for him to get drunk and lose inhibitions.)
Afterward, they continued emptying bottles with few words, and before long, the interior became a quiet space with only the two and the bartender remaining.
Just as Morel was thinking of wrapping up considering the morning, vacant-eyed Knov spoke softly.
"Morel, are you strong?"
"...? Well, definitely not weak. Not as out-of-spec as you, but I've never thought anyone could beat me in Hatsu versatility. What, lost confidence in your strength?"
Morel understood this was Knov's issue and became certain Netero had regained strength beyond imagination.
Knov was irreplaceable personnel who, given advance preparation, could wield cheat-level abilities like long-distance travel and isolation with almost no demerits.
Despite that, he had attack methods through ability application, and he himself had properly mastered martial arts with high ability.
(But precisely because his talent's too high, his heart's weak. Well, he'll eventually reconcile and recover on his own, so let him drink more.)
Thinking Knov was depressed after having the gap shown by Netero, whom he thought he'd caught up to, Morel apologized to the bartender with gestures and tried to order more alcohol.
"...I'm thinking of stopping getting stronger."
The hand raised in apology grabbed Knov's chest. Standing Morel lifted the seemingly smaller body and brought his face close, raising his voice.
"When the hell did you become such a spineless bastard? At least saying stupid shit in sleep is still bearable. Want me to crack open that weak head?"
Morel's genuine anger affected his aura, and smoke-like aura leaked faintly from his mouth.
As the bartender wiped spilled alcohol with trembling hands, expressionless Knov smiled slightly while touching the hand gripping him.
"You really are kind. I'll explain properly, so could you put me down? Sorry, bartender—give me a glass of water."
When grimacing Morel released his hand, he lit his kiseru pipe taller than himself and took a deep breath.
The bartender braced for massive secondhand smoke from the tremendous inhalation sound, but the exhaled smoke was a modest amount less than regular cigarettes—moreover, it took the form of a deformed gorilla and began vigorous drumming.
"...Tell me. What happened at the Shingen-Ryu main temple dojo? You said you'd stop getting stronger—are you quitting as a Hunter too?"
Knov gulped water, looked up at the ceiling once, then bit by bit put his thoughts into words.
"I won't quit as a Hunter. I still have things I can do. From now on, I won't train to get stronger, but train to strengthen Hide and Seek."
"Don't get it. Isn't that basically getting stronger?"
"The final goal changes. In your terms, it's like not diving into the sea anymore."
Unlike his usual logical, orderly speech—annoyingly roundabout and abstract phrasing, but Morel understood a little.
Simply put, Knov had wanted to become stronger than Netero.
Whether through age-weakening or trapping with abilities, he'd wanted certainty that ultimately he was stronger.
The ambition of high-talent, high-pride Knov was predetermined harmony that should have been realized in another ten years at this rate.
"If you see the current chairman, you'll doubt your eyes. He has strength surpassing the person I—I admired."
After draining the second glass of water in one breath, he closed his eyes as if remembering, then continued while laughing self-deprecatingly.
"That's not human. Something in human form. Not something gentle like Kannon. ...That's Asura."
"...I thought you could use that as driving force."
That was no consolation whatsoever—Morel's genuine feeling from knowing Knov well.
Since Knuckle and Shoot, who'd joined Netero's sparring before him, also reported joyfully about the best environment, he felt discomfort about Knov's broken spirit.
"The chairman's strength is one reason, but there was something more unbearable. Your disciples are something else—they're facing those three head-on."
His hand reaching for a third glass of water trembled. Suppressing it, he spoke of the three who'd broken his spirit.
"The first is a young man around twenty. His aura, his spirit is dyed pitch-black. Yet he normally blends in. It's like squid ink in white stew—still not mixing but coexisting."
Knov was smart with excellent observation.
Besides Gon's group, Biscuit, and Netero, he was the only one who'd noticed the abnormality of Hisoka existing among everyone else.
There's no way such mentality should be possible, no way others should be able to interact while finding him creepy.
A murderer holding blood-soaked weapons among ordinary people—a situation stressful to witness to that degree.
"And the second—he's already stronger than me in his early teens. Moreover, he hasn't even been sensing Nen, sensing aura for two years. Despite that, I don't feel I could touch him with even one finger."
Though still young, Knov had undoubtedly continued refining himself since before Killua was born.
He'd struggled, stopped sometimes. But certain talent and effort had unfailingly bloomed.
How much the reality of being unable to touch with even one finger a child who'd lived shorter than the time he'd trained had wounded Knov.
"Truly the Joker of Death and Lightning Child—I learned viscerally I can't match them at all."
"Wait, what about one more? You've only explained two."
Morel asked the natural question at what seemed like wrapping up, but his eyes widened at Knov, whose trembling had spilled water from the glass.
Despite valiant efforts to stop trembling, Knov forcibly gulped down water mixed with alcohol.
"Pathetic, right? After all these lengthy excuses, ultimately it's him—that boy broke my spirit!"
Hugging his trembling body, he vomited his feelings like spitting blood.
"What is that!? That thing that's lived only a little over ten years is a kid!? Why do Chairman Netero, Lady Biscuit, and people around see that as human!?"
The glass gripped too hard shattered. Though cutting his hand and bleeding, he didn't care and continued.
"He's a monster even now—what kind of existence do you think he'll become!? That thing could seriously, no joke, destroy the world!?"
Morel gently placed his hand over the increasingly bleeding wound. After Knov's rough breathing calmed, he spoke quietly in complete contrast.
"I know. He's undoubtedly on the good side, and personality-wise an excellent Hunter without problems. Moreover, he's a child—an existence we adults should guide if he seems about to stray."
"Exactly. Even if we lose in ability, there must be things we can do."
To Knov, quietly receiving treatment from the bartender after receiving a new glass and water, the final question flew.
"So? What's that kid's name?"
Knov spoke quietly, yet with myriad feelings.
"His name is Gon Freecss. Double-Star Hunter Jin's son and a promising new Single-Star Hunter. And... a demon."
The world had begun noticing Muscle's existence.
Though still few correctly evaluated him, little by little, that threat was being recognized.
Though already too late, when that violence became known, everyone would push responsibility onto him.
Even while a grand responsibility problem occurred where he didn't know, Jin, who was no god, wouldn't notice until that moment.
***
10 Advanced Chapters Available on my Patreon!
https://patreon.com/Well_being