"If both your mother and your girlfriend were captured by bad people, and you could only save one, who would you choose? 1. Mother, or 2. Girlfriend."
This time, there was no noisy distraction from the children, no shouting of heartbeat two-choice! Answer immediately!
Instead, the Quizzing Lady simply posed the problem directly.
It was, in fact, a great courtesy to the fox family.
"You have only five seconds to think. If you answer incorrectly, you fail."
She said slowly, clarifying the rule.
"You may only respond with one of the given options. Any other answer is considered wrong."
Luke: "..."
The Quizzing Lady fixed her gaze on Luke's eyes.
"What is your answer?!!"
"Such a question..."
Luke smiled and shook his head after hearing this familiar question.
"This is a very difficult moral dilemma. There's no absolutely correct answer, as it involves multiple factors, including personal values, emotional commitment, and cultural background."
He looked at the Quizzing Lady: "From a legal perspective, in many cultures, children have an obligation to support their parents, while they do not have a legal relationship with their girlfriend."
"From a moral perspective, a mother gives you life and raises you, and she holds a deep debt of gratitude; a girlfriend is your future partner, bound by an emotional commitment."
"This is a difficult decision."
"It's also a very personal choice, with no standard answer."
"It depends on your inner values, emotional connection, and long-term goals."
"No matter which side you choose, there may be guilt or regret."
"But the important thing is to learn to accept and face the consequences after making a decision."
Luke paused before saying, "This is just a hypothetical question, so the correct answer to this question is..."
Then Luke looked at the silent Quizzing Lady: "There shouldn't be one."
"So my best response is to remain silent, just like you are now, Granny."
"However, after hearing the question, I can't help but want to say a few more words."
"After all, in reality, none of us ever wishes to encounter such a dilemma."
"I suppose that's the main reason you asked this question, isn't it?"
"... That's right."
After Luke finished, the Quizzing Lady was silent for quite some time before slowly nodding.
"When such a painful, unavoidable choice comes one day... What should one do?"
Her tone carried a trace of melancholy.
"Try to imagine every cruel possibility in advance, because misfortune always strikes suddenly..."
"So do everything you can to avoid that misfortune."
Luke gave a carefree smile. "Or, if it truly can't be avoided..."
"Then give it your all, pay any price, and leave behind no regrets."
"If you can be at peace with your conscience, that's the best choice."
"A person's abilities are limited, after all."
Luke walked past the Quizzing Lady as he continued.
"Even Netero, the so-called strongest Hunter in the world, surely had things beyond his reach."
"As long as I give my best, I can accept any outcome, because all of them are parts of my life."
"Life itself is a one-way journey; regrets are the milestones, and a clear conscience is the companion."
"Only by not being trapped by the past, nor burdened by choices, can one live with true clarity..."
Before the fox family, Luke stopped and turned to the Quizzing Lady with a smile.
"What do you think, granny?"
...
"I feel like Granny's quite fond of you."
Walking along the dark corridor leading to the Lone Pine Tree, the Fox Father said sentimentally, "Although she didn't say a word, I could sense she was already a bit moved."
After Luke's reply, the Quizzing Lady said nothing.
She simply tapped her cane lightly, and the children opened the large door of the passage for them.
"Actually, I'd heard some rumors before."
The Fox Father's ears perked up, almost taking on a fox's shape again.
"It seems the Quizzing Lady once had her own family, and her husband was also a professional hunter."
"He seemed to be a Blacklist Hunter, and he earned a good reputation by catching criminals."
"But later, during one of his missions, her husband accidentally let one unremarkable criminal escape."
"And then..."
The Fox Father didn't finish his sentence, but Luke understood what he meant.
Now the Quizzing Lady lived alone, having adopted so many children.
"People who suffer great tragedy or misfortune, some manage to survive and move on, but others become twisted inside and seek revenge on society..."
The Fox Father mentioned a recent scandal.
"Like that, Chairman of the Mom's Help Foundation."
"Who would've thought he was a demon wearing human skin, doing things more beastly than us magical beasts."
"You know about that, too?"
Luke asked in surprise.
"Don't think that just because we live on this island... we would be left behind in the news."
The Fox Father smiled. "Our information network is actually quite sharp."
"The most important thing is that we can't become disconnected from the world."
"You know, the Hunter Association's staff standards are very strict."
"If we can't keep up with the times and fail to meet the requirements to be guides, I might lose this great job."
He shook the huge backpack on his back and laughed.
"I've got a wife and two kids to feed, after all."
Still young at heart, the Fox Father was talkative and had a bit of humor.
Which made sense, if he didn't have that sense of humor, he wouldn't have faked an ambush later on to test Gon and Kurapika.
Soon, the group passed through the corridor and arrived beneath the giant pine tree.
There stood a small wooden cabin built simply under the tree.
"This is where we live."
The Fox Father welcomed Luke inside. His wife and children went ahead to put their things away in the inner room.
"Come in. It's simple, but cozy. Sit down, I'll make you some tea."
When it came to hospitality, the Fox Father was warm and polite, no different from a human host.
After sitting down, Luke looked around and found that the entire cabin was built purely from wood, forming a living room, dining area, and inner bedrooms.
"These... You built them yourselves?"
Luke tapped the table in front of him; it was solid wood, too.
"That's right. Since we're at the top of the mountain, it's not easy to get craftsmen to come build for us."