Chapter 3: First Results
Pulling out the tricolor fruit he'd picked along the way, Osren carefully selected the best-looking one. He wiped it clean on the hem of his shirt before gently placing it on a plate, which he then set neatly on the dining table.
Face Fruit – Second Ability: The Right of the Host.
Once the bearer of the Face Fruit formally invites someone to a meal, it cannot be refused.
Osren's one redeeming trait was his analytical mind. From the ability's description, he concluded that the keyword here was "formally."
So what counts as a formal invitation? In his opinion: a table, a chair, and actual food.
Just to be safe, he even presented the fruit on a plate.
"Good afternoon, Aunt Mito. I'm Osren. My luggage got washed away by the tide, and I was just saved by Gon. So I might need to impose for a few days. On the way here, I found this fresh wild fruit—please have some," Osren said, stepping up to Mito with a sincere expression and offering the plate.
"Oh? Well… thank you."
Mito blinked. The stern look on her face softened as she looked at the delicate little boy. She glanced at the wild fruit on the table and, almost instinctively, sat down and began to eat.
The moment she took a bite, the rich fragrance of the fruit spread through her mouth.
Gon was stunned, glancing back and forth between Aunt Mito and Osren.
"Aunt Mito, for my sake, please don't be mad at Gon anymore," Osren said gently, eyes a bit tense as he watched Mito's reaction.
Face Fruit – First Ability: Equal Face.
Based on the value of the food given, the person who accepts it must return face of equal worth.
He reasoned that since Mito ate the fruit, that counted as accepting it—and now, she must respond with equal face.
In the original story, Gon failed to catch the King of the Swamp for six days. On this very day, he had a falling out with Aunt Mito, and it wasn't until the next day that she gave him the fishing rod left behind by Ging—allowing him to succeed on the final day.
So, Mito wasn't truly angry. Deep down, she knew she couldn't keep Gon on the island forever. Her "anger" was really worry disguised as frustration.
Plus, the wild fruit Osren had offered was quite rare.
Considering all this, he believed that a single rare fruit should be enough "face" to resolve the situation.
Of course, this was based on Osren's own analysis of his Nen ability, combined with his understanding of Aunt Mito's personality from the source material.
If he misjudged anything, the ability might fail.
If Mito were genuinely furious, then one fruit wouldn't cut it—a full feast would be needed. That's why he was nervous.
But upon hearing his words, Mito felt her anger—once ballooning inside her—pop like a soap bubble. She sighed deeply.
"Osren, thank you. Sorry you had to see that. Come in, please," she said with a sigh, shooting a glare at Gon before ushering Osren into the inn.
Gon was amazed. Just one fruit, and Aunt Mito's fury vanished? That was like magic. He even started wondering if he should go find more of the same fruit.
"Aunt Mito! I caught the Swamp King—the big fish! That means I can take the Hunter Exam now, right?" Gon jumped in quickly, trying to keep the momentum going.
"Hmm… I see," Mito nodded absentmindedly, surprised, then turned to get dinner ready, motioning for Osren to sit.
"Here, Gon. Try a fruit," Osren said mischievously, grinning and waving him over like he was calling a cat.
Gon didn't like fruit much, but since it came from a new friend, he took it and ate anyway.
As soon as Gon finished chewing, Osren leaned in and asked,
"Hey, Gon—do me a favor. Tell me: how old were you when you stopped wetting the bed?"
"Huh? That kind of thing… of course I'll tell you! I was still wetting the bed at three!"
Gon hadn't meant to answer—especially not something so embarrassing. But for some reason, he just couldn't say no. The words came out of his mouth without hesitation.
The moment he realized what he'd just revealed, his golden eyes went wide in shock.
He had no idea why he'd answered that… or why it had felt impossible to say no.
Gon scratched his head, probably thinking he was willing to share because this new friend seemed like a good person.
From this small interaction, Osren gained some critical insight:
His Face-Fruit Nen ability didn't require continuous activation. If someone willingly accepted food from him, then his second ability wasn't needed at all. Just like earlier—Gon had eaten without hesitation, and the "equality of face" was still achieved.
"So, the core power of the Face-Fruit lies in when someone refuses your offer. That's when the second ability must kick in—like with Aunt Mito earlier. Even when she was arguing with Gon, she ended up eating because of my secondary effect, which she couldn't resist."
"But that raises a few questions," he thought.
"Is there a minimum requirement for using this ability? Do I have to set a table or offer a full meal for it to count as an official 'invitation'? And what about its limits? For instance, if someone were about to kill me, and I laid out a proper meal and formally invited them—would they have to eat before making a move?"
These were questions Osren still didn't have enough data to answer, but with Gon around, he figured he could run a few more experiments.
Just then, Gon—who had been happily eating—suddenly stiffened, his instincts flaring as if danger were near. He choked a little before finally swallowing, looking around cautiously. But seeing nothing strange, he went back to eating.
"Oh ho… as expected of a single-celled creature. Animal instincts really are sharp," Osren chuckled inwardly.
There was no need to rush. Some things took time. He quietly restrained his thoughts—after all, there was a long road ahead.
That evening, after enjoying the delicious meal Aunt Mito had lovingly prepared, Osren agreed to her invitation and ended up sharing a room with Gon.
The sun rose and set, marking another turn in the cycle of life. When golden sunlight spilled once more over the land, a new day began.
"Gon," Osren asked after breakfast, planning his next move, "I heard from Aunt Mito that you have a foxbear friend?"
"Yup!" Gon beamed. "He's awesome! He always brings me tons of food. I'll introduce you guys!"
Seeing Osren didn't respond immediately, Gon patted his chest and reassured him,
"Don't worry, he won't hurt anyone—especially not my friends."
"I believe you, Gon. Let's go meet your friend."
Seeing how excited Gon was, Osren smiled and nodded.
"Shhh," Gon said, pulling out a whistle from around his neck and blowing a few short bursts before heading toward the forest—with the giant kingfish in tow, ready to release it back into the wild.
"Wonder what that would taste like…" Osren murmured, eyes gleaming as he stared at the fish.
He'd eaten everything from sky to sea to land—but never something amphibious like this. Just thinking about it made his mouth water.
But alas, Gon had solemnly declared that the kingfish was off-limits. A delicacy you could see but not eat? Now that was true suffering.
Still, it sparked a realization in Osren's mind.
If his Nen ability relied on food in exchange for "face," then logically, the stronger the target, the better the food would need to be—higher quality ingredients, more exquisite flavors.
But even the tastiest food had a ceiling, right?
...Or maybe not—in the world of Hunter × Hunter, there was no shortage of absurdly rare, otherworldly ingredients.
"With all the mystical beasts, unearthly spices, and ingredients not found on Earth, there's no limit to what I can offer—and that means, no limit to the 'face' I can earn."
---
Post-Chapter Gag Scene:
Osren: [gesturing to a full banquet]
"Step right up! Walk by, stop by, show some face—and drop a Like while you're at it!"
---