Lu Ou felt his mind jolt violently.
The gift box in his head shattered directly into fragments, then gradually reorganized into rows of glowing text:
[Specialization-Type Nen Ability: Face Fruit]
First Ability: Equal Face
Using food as the exchange standard—after receiving food from a Nen user, the target must give the Nen user "face" equal in value to the food received.
Second Ability: The Rights of the Face Fruit's Owner
As the owner of the Face Fruit, the Nen user cannot be refused when formally inviting someone to a meal.
Third Ability: No One Has More Face Than Me
Heaven and earth, your face is the biggest.
Forcefully uses "face," designating a target who must give face.
Restriction:
Can only be used once on each individual.
After use, the user must compensate the person who gave face with food worth five times the value of the face received.
Face Fruit?
Lu Ou immediately thought of another famously joked-about "Face Fruit" owner—Red-Haired Shanks. But that was just internet banter. Why had it actually shown up here?
Togashi's Nen system was famously complete and internally consistent—Lu Ou remembered this vividly. And most importantly, a person's Nen ability was closely tied to their personality.
Take Hisoka, for example—fickle and unpredictable, with a Transmutation ability like Bungee Gum and Texture Surprise. Or Gon, simple-minded and straightforward—a pure Enhancer with his Rock–Paper–Scissors technique.
Lu Ou himself was a Specialist.
That should represent individualism and leadership qualities awakening as Nen… but exchanging food for "face"?
Just how obsessed with face was he supposed to be?
As for food—well, in his previous life, as a thirty-something single man who specialized in analyzing game mechanics and exploits, he really didn't like going out. His one true hobby was eating.
Still, this ability was honestly hard to complain about without feeling powerless.
Thoughts churned wildly—his past life, the Hunter world—until he realized there was no way back. Everything was already set in stone.
Lu Ou let out a long breath, as if trying to expel all his unwillingness, anxiety, and fear at once—only then could he face what lay ahead.
He looked up.
Gon was already cleaning the King Fish. Lu Ou gave it a brief glance, then focused on his own body.
Earlier, he had been clamped tightly by the King Fish's claws. Normally, that should have left him dead—or at least severely injured.
But now that the shock had worn off, he realized something strange.
There were no serious wounds.
At most, a few abrasions.
Scrapes?
Lu Ou carefully examined himself again. Indeed—just some light scrapes, barely bleeding at all.
Granted, people in anime worlds had physiques far superior to those in reality. Think of The Prince of Tennis and its murderous tennis balls. But in Hunter × Hunter, even ordinary people shouldn't have bodies capable of tanking an attack from the so-called "Lord of the Swamp."
Lu Ou checked again.
Still just minor abrasions.
Not serious enough that even Gon hadn't offered to help treat them.
"This body has…"
Before the thought finished, Lu Ou's gaze sharpened.
On the surface of his skin was an extremely thin, nearly imperceptible membrane—so faint it looked like it could vanish at any moment. Without close inspection, it was completely invisible.
A membrane?
Different…?
Lu Ou immediately thought back to the text that had appeared in his mind earlier.
A Specialization-type Nen ability.
He should have realized it sooner—if he had a Nen ability, then that meant he had Nen.
Digging through his memory of the anime, Lu Ou concluded that his current state matched one of the four major Nen techniques:
Ten, Zetsu, Ren, and Hatsu.
This was Ten—maintaining the aura flowing throughout the body, stabilizing it to enhance defense in combat.
Naturally, that would explain how he had resisted the King Fish's claws.
Realizing this, Lu Ou focused carefully. After a brief but intense attempt, he managed to grasp Ten's operation.
Concentrating, he slowly withdrew the aura. The faint streams of energy surrounding his body gradually vanished.
When he finished and snapped back to reality, he found Gon's face suddenly right in front of him.
Lu Ou jumped in surprise.
"Do you need to use the bathroom? I saw your face turn red. If you want, I can take you into the forest," Gon suggested earnestly.
"No need."
Lu Ou quickly regained his composure.
"My name is Lu Ou. You can also call me Ou. I ran into a storm at sea… so that's how things ended up."
"Ou! My name's Gon. What a coincidence—we met like this. If you ran into a storm, you must've lost all your belongings. Why don't you stay at my place for now? It'll be lively, and Aunt Mito will be happy too."
Gon invited him without hesitation.
Lu Ou didn't refuse.
Though Gon was a single-celled organism intellectually, his warmth and sincerity were undeniable. In an unfamiliar world, sticking close to someone like Gon was the safest option—especially since following Gon meant following the plot.
"Ou, I'm going to take the Hunter Exam. Are you going? How old are you?" Gon asked while packing up his fishing rod.
Judging by the height, Lu Ou estimated, "Eleven. I can take the Hunter Exam too?"
"Of course! I already caught the King Fish—Aunt Mito will definitely let me go now. Let's go together! Catching it on the sixth day—so lucky!"
Gon dragged the massive King Fish forward, pointing the way.
"The sixth day… so the second-to-last day of the agreement?"
Lu Ou remembered that in the original story, Gon and Mito had agreed on one week—and Gon caught the King Fish on the final day. Lu Ou's arrival had advanced the timeline by one day.
They passed through the forest and soon reached town. Along the way, Lu Ou noticed a strange fruit with three different colors. After asking Gon and learning it was edible—and rare due to the season—he picked a few.
Gon continued dragging the massive King Fish, walking lightly at the front. Lu Ou followed closely behind. Though he didn't fall behind, he still found it unbelievable.
He was the one who supposedly had Nen already—yet in terms of physical ability, Gon left him several streets behind.
Truly worthy of being Ging's son. Outstanding genetics.
It was already late afternoon. The island sky was beautiful.
"Aunt Mito, I'm back!"
Gon set the massive King Fish outside and pulled Lu Ou along as he cheerfully pushed the door open.
"Why are you back so late? Can't you just give up? What's the point of persisting this far?"
The moment Lu Ou stepped inside with Gon, a cold female voice slammed into them.
Short blonde hair. Delicate features. A hint of stubbornness between her brows. A strong, resolute aura.
That was Lu Ou's first impression of Mito.
"Aunt Mito, I won't give up."
Though Gon looked uneasy and troubled, his eyes shone brightly—filled with determination.
"What is wrong with you? Why won't you listen to your elders?" Mito snapped angrily, eyes wide.
Gon stood there silently, not saying a word—but he didn't retreat a single step.
Lu Ou stood awkwardly to the side. Watching the standoff wasn't helping, and as an outsider, it was even more uncomfortable.
Then he thought of his Specialization-type Nen ability.
And the chairs and tables inside Mito's inn.
An idea formed.
The Face Fruit's ability—first activation…