Chapter 64 – Sushi (Part 1)
"Hunters are amazing…"
Gon stared at Buhara with wide, sparkling eyes. The sight of someone devouring seventy-one whole boars had shaken him to his core.
"Amazing, sure—but I definitely don't want to end up like that."
Killua rubbed his own cheek with a grimace.
He respected Buhara's strength and ability…
But becoming a walking earthquake?
Absolutely not.
"It's too bizarre. Completely illogical."
Kurapika frowned.
"The amount he ate far exceeds his own body mass. Where could all that meat possibly go?"
No matter how he analyzed it, he simply couldn't arrive at an acceptable explanation.
"You're still analyzing it? Just accept it."
Leorio waved a hand dismissively.
"The real mystery is how Osren predicted the exact result. That's what freaks me out."
"Yeah! Osren's predictions are always spot-on."
Gon nodded hard.
Everyone else had been guessing randomly, but Osren spoke as if he'd already seen it happen.
Well… he had seen it happen—in the anime.
If Osren could have said that aloud, he would have.
It was already unbelievable that a creature could lift 400 times its body weight.
But Buhara?
He made that look modest.
The comparison simply didn't exist.
"I still don't understand how it's possible," Kurapika muttered.
"That someone could not only eat that much… but that Osren could predict it so precisely…"
"It's actually not that hard to deduce," Osren said calmly.
"When the examiners announced the test, did Buhara ever specify how many pigs he intended to eat?"
Everyone shook their heads.
"Exactly.
That leaves only two possibilities:
First, the exam was intentionally designed to eliminate most candidates.
But the moment I saw Buhara eat the burnt ones and the half-raw ones without hesitation, I eliminated that theory.
Which brings us to the second—and only remaining—possibility.
Even if it seems impossible, once every other explanation is ruled out,
the impossible one must be the truth."
"…Osren, why do your conclusions always sound like proverbs?"
Leorio scratched his head. Something felt off—but he couldn't argue with the logic.
Osren only smiled.
Because Menchi, not far away, was starting to erupt.
"Buhara! Are you seriously telling me every pig was delicious?
If you're going to be this undiscriminating, what kind of examiner are you supposed to be!?"
Menchi planted her fists on her hips and glared as if her entire worldview had been betrayed.
From a perfectionist Gourmet Hunter like Menchi, Buhara's "eat everything" attitude was practically sacrilegious.
"What's wrong with it? I already eliminated plenty of people.
And besides—this test wasn't about cooking skill."
Buhara licked his lips contentedly.
If his stomach had allowed it, he clearly would've kept eating.
But alas, the boars were gone.
He looked around one more time to make sure he hadn't missed a single roast, then sighed in satisfied resignation.
"You're way too easygoing."
Menchi rubbed her forehead.
"You're a Gourmet Hunter! You should be obsessed with flavor! But whatever… I can't change your mind anyway."
CLANG!
Menchi struck the gong again.
"The Great Stamp Test is complete! Seventy-one candidates have passed!"
"YES!!"
"We did it!"
"Awesome!"
A wave of cheers spread through the group.
For those who had fought tooth and nail to get here, relief washed over them like warm sunlight.
"Osren, we passed!" Gon beamed.
"Yeah… it really is good news."
Osren smiled faintly.
Knowing ahead of time was one thing—
but hearing it confirmed still felt different.
"Great! Let's crank it up and push forward!"
Leorio pumped his fist, already imagining the Hunter License in his hand.
Kurapika and Killua shared a small smile as well.
This was undeniably a milestone worth celebrating.
The entire venue buzzed with excitement and relief.
At this moment, the camera must give a shot to the off-field judge, Satotz.
Perched on a tree branch, unmoving whether wind or rain—
such dedication deserves at least one close-up.
Satotz cleared his throat, continuing his solitary commentary:
"Seventy-one people passing… that's an excellent number.
Even though the boar's forehead is a fatal weak point—and it becomes easy once you figure it out—attacking such a ferocious beast still requires courage, instant judgment, and an exceptional degree of natural talent."
He paused, then said gravely:
"But now comes the real hurdle.
That girl is an extremely troublesome examiner.
She became a Gourmet Hunter at a very young age and even earned the title of Top Gourmet.
Menchi—one of the very few master chefs in the world—wields her artistic taste like a weapon. Her curiosity drives her to sample every ingredient under the sun; once she tastes something, its flavor is etched in her mind forever.
She's only twenty-one, but she's already a prodigy leading the Gourmet Hunter world."
A sigh followed.
"But with her extraordinary talent comes an equally unpredictable personality.
If things go poorly, the candidates are about to find themselves in an impossible situation."
Satotz listed these details with absolute fluency—like a walking encyclopedia.
Unfortunately… nobody was around to hear it.
Only heaven, earth, Satotz, the tree, and Osren—who already knew the plot—heard his monologue.
A tragic waste of commentary.
(Also, since Satotz doesn't have a mouth, it's unclear whether he even has saliva to waste.)
And just as Satotz predicted, Menchi immediately created trouble.
"Alright everyone, quiet down. We're starting the second part of the exam."
Menchi clapped lightly, drawing all attention to herself.
"I'm not like Buhara. I'm not easygoing—and my judging is extremely strict.
For the second half of the exam… the dish I require you all to make is—
sushi."
She turned in a small circle, reaffirming her choice with the decisiveness of a queen issuing a decree.
"Sushi?"
"Sushi."
"Sushi?!"
The candidates echoed the word one after another, each tone different—
but all equally lost.
"What even is that dish?"
Hisoka was confused for once.
He was an expert in fighting and deception, but sushi was beyond his field entirely.
"Do you guys know what it is?"
The Amori brothers exchanged glances.
All three shook their heads vigorously.
"What are we supposed to do? We can't even grasp the direction…"
Togari ground his teeth anxiously.
"If we don't even know what kind of dish it is, how are we supposed to make it?"
Pokkle muttered, his face tense.
A wave of confusion spread among the candidates—
and Menchi's real test had officially begun.