"There were only four of us at the beginning," Nina said. "Me, Shizuku, Sally, and Big Brother. Back then, aside from Big Brother, Sister Sally was the strongest. I hadn't been using Nen for very long, and Sister Shizuku started even after me, but she soon surpassed me—and even surpassed Sister Sally."
"Misty, you joined later, but now, aside from Big Brother, you're the strongest among us. Even I feel like I'm being overtaken over and over again. I've put in effort, but my progress is slow. Sister Sally must feel it even more than I do. Maybe... leaving the team really is a better path for her."
Outside, Sally leaned against the balcony wall, looking out.
"Ruco, have you thought about your future?" she asked.
"Say it straight, Sally-senpai. Whatever it is, just tell me." Ruco could sense that Sally had something important to say.
"Alright, I'll be direct." Sally turned to her. "I plan to leave the team. My strength can't keep up anymore, and my abilities don't hold much value for this team. I'm thinking of starting a dojo, taking on disciples, settling down in this city."
"Ruco, do you want to come with me?"
Ruco was silent for a while. She had joined the Hunter Exam in pursuit of strength. During the exam, she had been overwhelmed by Ron's display of power. That was why, after the Hunter Exam ended, she went to the location Ron had designated—where she waited together with the others until Ron returned, and under his guidance, she began learning Nen.
Those first few days after gaining Nen were the happiest—receiving a new kind of power. But over time, as she came to understand the world of Nen users more deeply, Ruco had to admit that her strength wasn't enough, and her talent wasn't there either.
So when Sally made her invitation, Ruco realized that Sally must have already seen that truth—why else would she invite only her and not the others? It was because the others could still keep up.
"Sally-senpai, I'll go with you," she answered, having given it careful thought. Staying forcefully didn't mean much anymore. Compared to that, leaving with Sally was better—for both the team and herself. The team wouldn't be dragged down, and she could live more freely.
"Good," Sally said with a smile. "Then let's pack today and leave tomorrow."
"So soon?"
"The longer I stay, the more I'll second-guess this decision."
Meanwhile, Erina's dishes were ready. Over ten different plates were served to the table, and the aroma could be smelled even before they entered the dining room.
"They look amazing." Everyone was anticipating it.
"Sit down, let's eat," Ron said, taking the lead. The others followed and sat down.
"Try them and see how they taste." Ron already knew what to expect—on the way back, he had entered Sumas's space and had Erina prepare food, which he'd already sampled.
"This is so good!" Nina's eyes lit up.
"Delicious!" Ruco couldn't help but look at Ron. "Captain, how did you manage this?"
The food on this table far surpassed anything they had at Heaven's Arena. Sally and Ruco, despite having made the decision to leave the team, couldn't help but feel their spirits lifted somewhat by the meal's flavor. But the ones who felt it most strongly were Misty, Nina, and Shizuku.
The three of them had accompanied Ron to Gourmet Paradise, where they had sampled a wide variety of world-class dishes. The World Zone alone covered global styles of cooking. The Moon Institute students were above even that. The Graduate Zone, meanwhile, was on an entirely different level—anyone from there could be a top chef anywhere in the world.
Then there was the Candidate Tournament. Alice's cooking, infused with the Barkslong ingredient, had made them feel like they'd stepped into another dimension of flavor. And Linne's handmade desserts—each dish could be measured with something like a "flavor index."
To put it in numbers: regular restaurants scored in single digits. The restaurants at Heaven's Arena were above 10. In Gourmet Paradise, the World Zone ranked 10–20. The Moon Institute ranged from 15–30. The Graduate Zone surpassed 30. As for Linne's creations, they felt like they reached flavor scores above 80.
Everyone thought that once they left Gourmet Paradise, they'd never again taste such extraordinary food—but now, Ron's dishes were not only comparable, they might even be better.
"Is this the Captain's new Nen Beast?"
The group, somewhat familiar with Ron's Nen, knew he followed the Nen Beast path.
Nina glanced in Ron's direction, hesitating. Ron noticed.
"Nina, what's wrong?"
"Big Brother, was your new Nen Beast the one who made all this food?"
"That's right."
"But if you're focusing your energy on something like this... won't it slow down your growth?" she asked. "If you need these kinds of support abilities, you could let us develop them. Me, Shizuku, Misty—we could do it."
Her thinking was simple: Nen users had limited energy. For life-oriented abilities like this, if Ron really needed them, the rest of the team could take care of it. But Nina didn't fully understand Ron's ability—his Nen Beasts were created based on the traits he absorbed. Creating Erina hadn't cost Ron much effort. It happened naturally during a phase when he needed to slow down and enjoy a more relaxed journey.
Neither the Fallen One nor Barkslong had posed any real threat. And even if the others could create support-type abilities, they wouldn't be able to craft something like Erina. Their compatibility with Ron's "Gourmet Cell" ability was limited. For Ron, Erina's presence was necessary.
"If I ever need you for that, I'll let you know," Ron said, then paused. "By the way—what's Killua's situation right now?"
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