"Truly worthy of being the opponent I acknowledge."
Rarely receiving such high praise from his master, Wing said seriously, "From the first time I met him, I knew he was incredibly strong."
An eighty-one-win streak was legendary even at Heaven's Arena.
"Besides Roy, there's another one called Illumi who's quite formidable too." Wing recalled that hollow-eyed young man, appearing two years younger than himself, with eighty consecutive wins. He'd just recently killed the Emitter-type Nen user who'd targeted him. "Though his methods are somewhat cruel. He's fond of killing."
"They're brothers."
"What?" Wing looked at Biscuit in surprise. After a long moment, he smiled with understanding. "No wonder they're so similar. The Zoldyck family is truly impressive."
"Knowing they're impressive, you still want to challenge him?" Biscuit stopped, turning to look at Wing seriously. "As you are now, you may not be a match for little Roy."
Little Roy? Seems Master really thinks highly of that guy. Wing said firmly, "Challenge him? Of course. He's strong in his own way; I'll walk my own path. Following my heart—isn't that what Master always teaches me?"
"Hehe, now that's our Shingen-ryu boy." Biscuit stood on tiptoes, patting Wing's head. "After you beat that Morris guy, go issue your challenge letter. There's still a ninety-day waiting period. Master will give you special training. Make sure to show the Zoldycks what you're made of!"
"Thank you, Master."
"Silly boy, you're my disciple. Why are you thanking me? Keep being so polite and I'll punch you."
Biscuit showed Wing her small fist. Wing shuddered, instantly backing down. "Yes, Master."
"Young master, that girl is not simple."
After Wing pushed Biscuit away, Gotoh attended to Roy enjoying his dinner. Recalling how Biscuit used just one hand to help Wing resist his Ren, his expression grew serious.
Roy methodically chewed his pizza, chuckling. "She's no girl. Speaking of age, the two of us combined aren't as old as her."
In the original story, when Biscuit first appeared at Yorknew investigating the gem "Blue Planet," she was already fifty-seven. Counting back thirteen years, she'd now be forty-four—calling her a middle-aged beauty wouldn't be excessive.
"What?" Gotoh was shocked. He believed the young master's judgment—he wouldn't lie to him. Then the other party had disguised herself too well! "Could she be Transmutation?"
Casually changing body shape—besides some rare Specialist Nen users, only Transmutation Nen users could achieve this.
"Stop standing there. You eat too." Roy said no more, grabbing a pizza slice for Gotoh with no room for refusal.
Deep down, he knew the old woman wasn't simply a Transmuter. If forced to give her a title, Roy preferred calling her a "one-woman army"!
Biscuit herself was combat-oriented. Yet her Nen ability, "Magical Esthetician: Cookie-chan," possessed various professional beauty techniques and was extremely skilled at eliminating fatigue and clearing negative effects—making it an excellent support ability. In the future, when training Gon and Killua for the fight against the Chimera Ants, she'd assist Gon with massages to eliminate fatigue, greatly improving their training efficiency.
Gotoh accepted the pizza, taking small bites. "Seems so. With her backing, no wonder that Wing dares keep pursuing you. After he finishes this match, he'll probably issue the young master a challenge letter."
"That's ninety days away."
The 200th floor was a watershed—above were Nen user battles, below were amateur matches. Heaven's Arena regulations stated Nen users must rest ninety days after each battle before issuing new challenges.
Roy drank his milk indifferently. In ninety days, he didn't know what he'd become. Since Wing wanted to try, let him see for himself.
Roy finished his pizza, went to shower, then threw himself onto the soft bed to sleep. Too much had happened today—the hijacking, Biscuit's "ambush," plus the severe pain from constitution enhancement. The young man was already mentally exhausted, feeling this day had lasted longer than a lifetime. He quickly fell into dreams.
Gotoh stood guard overnight on the nearby sofa, occasionally tucking in his blankets. Seeing him sleep soundly, a gentle smile appeared on his face.
Waves rolled onto the beach. Exiting the colorful tunnel to the familiar Cognitive Ocean, Roy rolled up his pants to linger at the shallows, clearing chaotic thoughts from his mind before pushing open the Demon Slayer door.
Meeting Makomo's beautiful eyes as always. The girl seemed to enjoy watching him sleep, always curled up beside him. Noticing him open his eyes, she quietly told Sabito, leaning against the pillar, "Hey, I always feel like Eiichiro can really see me."
'You're so close, nearly in his arms. Unless Eiichiro's blind, opening his eyes naturally means looking at you.' Sabito complained weakly, following Sakonji Urokodaki, who was cutting radish strips in the kitchen, busy working.
During the Taisho period, winter vegetables were nothing but radishes and cabbage. Roy had eaten too much meat recently. Sakonji Urokodaki worried about nutritional imbalance and specially prepared pickled radish for supplementing dietary fiber and vitamins.
"You're awake. Porridge will be ready soon."
Porridge warmed on the brazier with some smoked meat inside. The aroma filled the air. Makomo sniffed disappointedly.
Roy found it amusing, simply staying in bed longer. Rolling over to look outside—vast snowy white country, tranquil, lonely, spacious, bringing feelings of peace and calm.
How nice. If he could retire here long-term, reading and gardening daily, plus raising two cats and dogs for company, that'd also be a good choice.
Retirement thoughts suddenly emerged in his mind, quickly dismissed by Roy. Excluding family factors, he was still young—things to do, scenery to see, responsibilities to bear, a vast world to explore. Far from time to stop and rest.
Just as Father Tanjuro had told him through Tanjiro, Roy belonged to the world, destined never to be trapped by one mountain, one scene.
The porridge was ready. Sakonji Urokodaki also finished cutting radish, plating it and bringing it out. Roy ate breakfast, insisting on washing dishes before heading out again, entering the wind and snow with his training sword.
Daily "ten thousand basic swings" activated!
The young man trudged through accumulated snow, one deep step, one shallow. Behind him, Sakonji Urokodaki silently watched. A cold wind blew, erasing footprints while driving a crow to deliver a letter.
Signature: Giyu Tomioka.