"Yelling only wastes stamina—and it's noisy. Besides, the test never restricted what items you can bring."
Kurapika had been tense ever since the exam began. Hearing Leorio shouting nonstop inevitably made him feel irritated.
"This guy too…!" Leorio ground his teeth. No one was supporting him at all.
"Kurapika, don't worry. This test won't be a problem," Luo said calmly, speaking slowly and evenly. His tone instinctively put people at ease.
"I understand," Kurapika replied. He closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, the lake-green depths were completely calm.
Leorio also visibly settled down, no longer flaring up at the slightest provocation or looking like he was about to explode.
"You're a rookie too, right? There must be a lot you don't understand. How about I—"
Tonpa, ever opportunistic, seized the opening. Seeing Luo resolve the conflict so easily, he immediately tried to ingratiate himself.
But Killua was no ordinary kid.
A Zoldyck's instincts were sharper than eyesight itself. And Tonpa's caliber was clearly lacking in his view. On top of that, Killua disliked busybodies.
With a sharp glance, Tonpa instantly fell silent.
Killua maneuvered his skateboard nimbly and rolled up beside Luo and Gon.
"What?" Gon asked, noticing Killua's gaze lingering on him.
"Did you ask me my name earlier?" Killua asked.
"If you don't want to answer, that's fine. I'm Gon, I'm 12 years old. This is Luo—he's also 12," Gon said cheerfully.
Luo smiled and nodded politely at Killua. He had no intention of clinging to him—but there was also no reason to offend one of the main protagonists. Showing goodwill was the smarter choice.
"Twelve years old?" Killua repeated.
The same age as him. He'd never met someone like that before.
Killua crouched down, flipped smoothly, grabbed the skateboard, and landed lightly on his feet. The entire sequence was fluid and effortless.
"Huh? You're not using it anymore?" Gon asked, puzzled. He had been skating just fine—why stop?
"Hey, mister, how old are you?" Killua asked curiously.
There was no helping it—Leorio stood out far too much among all the youthful faces. It was impossible not to notice him.
"I'm no different from you guys! I'm also in my teens!" Leorio shouted.
Louder means more convincing, right?
"Liar!"
The group spoke in perfect unison.
Their shocked expressions clearly said, Don't lie—we all know better. That was how little they believed him.
Even honest Gon thought Leorio was lying.
Honestly, if Leorio said he was thirty, that would actually sound reasonable. But claiming to be a teenager—just look at Gon, Kurapika, Luo, and Killua beside him. It was impossible to believe.
"Even you, Gon? That's too cruel. I'm cutting ties with all of you," Leorio said dejectedly. He'd taken critical emotional damage—wilted like a blade of grass, utterly drained.
"I believe Leorio is telling the truth. He really is in his teens," Luo finally spoke up, having enjoyed the show enough.
Judging by how he handles things—rolling up his sleeves and picking fights at the drop of a hat—if he were thirty, he'd be asking to get beaten up. That's obviously immaturity, Luo thought.
"Luo, you're a good person!" Leorio looked as if he'd been given a second chance at life. At least someone believed him. There was still hope.
"He just aged too fast. That's not his fault—it's an uncontrollable factor. He was deceived by life itself," Luo explained.
"Hahahaha!"
Everyone burst out laughing at the second half of his statement.
"Yeah, life really did deceive Leorio," even Gon said, covering his mouth as he laughed.
Tonpa laughed too, patting Leorio's shoulder in consolation while sneakily farming goodwill points.
Never underestimate the power of the crowd. Seeing that at least everyone believed his age now, Leorio finally let out a sigh of relief—though the process had been painfully humiliating.
Then Luo's last remark made him start yelling again.
After running for a while longer, a fork in the road appeared ahead.
"Who exactly is that guy? He looks about the same age as me," Gon said curiously, watching Killua running slightly ahead.
"What does that have to do with you? You really have zero sense of tension," Leorio muttered, still brooding over no one believing his age earlier.
"That kid is dangerous," Tonpa added. Killua's sharp sideways glance earlier had left a deep impression—one he wouldn't forget anytime soon.
"What's there to be curious about? Just ask him," Luo said.
"Hey, man up front—we already introduced ourselves. Shouldn't you introduce yourself too?"
Killua paused at Luo's call, turned his head back to glance at them, then ran back to Luo and Gon.
"My name is Killua. I'm also 12," he said after a moment, hesitation coloring his voice.
After all, Killua had probably never introduced himself so formally in his life. You don't exactly introduce yourself politely before killing someone. That image was… hard to imagine.
"So we really are the same age! That's awesome!" Gon grew excited at meeting another peer.
"Nice to meet you, Killua," Luo said politely.
Being well-mannered was a given—but this was also laying the groundwork for what came next.
Killua nodded, tilting his head slightly. He said nothing more and simply ran alongside Luo and Gon.
Still, he occasionally glanced at Luo.
There was no helping it. Although Luo was still managing to keep going, the sweat on his forehead and his slightly heavy breathing betrayed him.
"Gon, give me some candy," Luo said.
They'd been running for three hours already. Even with prior training, he was reaching his limit. It was time to replenish.
"Okay," Gon replied, pulling a handful of candy from the backpack and handing it to him.
Luo immediately unwrapped one and popped it into his mouth, silently praying,
Luo's body—please give me some face and hang in there a bit longer.
Imported candy was expensive, but its effectiveness was undeniable. Before long, Luo felt slightly better.
"Leorio, Kurapika—do you want some?" Luo asked.
Leorio waved him off. He was sweating buckets and clearly wouldn't last much longer.
Kurapika also declined, forcing himself onward with sheer willpower. He actually looked far more relaxed than either Leorio or Luo.
As for Gon—brimming with endless energy—there was no need to worry about him at all. This was the kind of kid who could move the Earth with just a lever… though unfortunately there was no Earth to lever here.
"Killua, have a couple too. They're imported—taste pretty good," Luo said.
Though phrased as a question, his hands didn't pause. He grabbed a few candies and stuffed them straight into Killua's hands.