His stomach let out a faint, almost imperceptible rumble.
"The last time you came looking for me, you seemed to say the exact same thing…"
Uvogin swallowed the food in his mouth in one heavy gulp.
Then he raised his fist toward Phinks.
"But last time, I beat you until you ran off."
"Huh?!"
Phinks' smooth, browless forehead twitched violently.
"That was only because my motorcycle got caught in the crossfire!!"
He laughed in extreme anger.
"If I hadn't been worried about my bike back then, how could I have let you walk away so easily?!"
"You're only tough with your mouth harder than your damn skull!"
"And your fists are softer than rotten trash!!"
The two of them immediately began shouting back and forth, curses flying without restraint, vulgar insults escalating by the second.
"I'm telling you two…"
Just as the atmosphere thickened and they were about to roll up their sleeves and settle things physically.
Moge rolled his eyes.
"Can't you see someone is still eating here?"
"Who exactly are you trying to ruin the appetite of with that nonsense?!"
"Tch."
Uvogin clicked his tongue and finally shifted his gaze away from Phinks.
Instead, he gave him a look full of open ridicule.
After all, he had just eaten Moge's food. He still had to give him some face.
Uvogin wasn't shameless enough to curse the person who fed him.
On the other hand …Phinks' attention shifted for the first time.
His eyes landed squarely on Moge.
"You're the one who gave them this food?"
Enhancers possessed sharp instincts.
With a single glance, Phinks identified the real source of the feast.
After all, Uvogin and Machi were usually no better off than him.
Being able to fill their stomachs was already lucky let alone eating like this.
Even now, Phinks couldn't stop swallowing.
"It was me. So?"
"It was you? That makes things simple."
The corner of Phinks' mouth twitched.
Then his face arranged itself into the same expression he had once used when dealing with Chrollo an attempt at friendliness that somehow only made him look fiercer.
"In that case…"
He forced his tone into something resembling politeness.
"Do you have any more food?"
"I do."
Moge's lips curved upward slowly.
"What, you want some?"
'After asking like that, who wouldn't want some?!'
Phinks screamed internally, throat bobbing again as he tried to maintain his forced composure.
But before he could respond…
"If you want to eat…"
Moge finished the last bite of braised pork and potatoes in his fruit bowl, wiped his mouth casually, and smiled.
"You can ask me."
"Or make a request."
Phinks fell silent.
Feitan narrowed his eyes slightly at Moge.
Uvogin, however, burst into laughter.
"Phinks, you bastard you actually have a day like this!!"
Watching him stand there stunned filled Uvogin with pure schadenfreude.
From Uvogin's perspective, that condition was excessive.
Earlier, when Moge had told him to "beg" out of curiosity, it had irritated him greatly.
Publicly lowering one's head?
For kids like them, born and raised in Meteor City, that was harder than taking a punch.
Even though Uvogin vaguely sensed that this might simply be Moge's way of doing things for Phinks, it would probably sound like blatant humiliation.
"Looks like we'll have to rely on strength again to decide who eats!!"
Uvogin clenched his fists, already prepared for a fight.
At the same time, a thought surfaced in his mind.
Maybe when Moge said "beg" before, it wasn't mockery.
Maybe it was a condition.
A rule.
A strange prerequisite tied to his ability?
For once, Uvogin's brain began to turn seriously.
And then he froze.
"Just… make a request?"
Phinks regained his composure and repeated the question.
After receiving Moge's calm confirmation
"I see."
He nodded solemnly.
Then, without hesitation:
"I request that you give us the same kind of delicious, fragrant food that fills the stomach just like what Uvogin had."
His tone was decisive.
Uvogin: …Wait.
He asked you to make a request and you actually did it?!
Where's your backbone?!
Where's that arrogant look from earlier when you were shouting about revenge?!
How can you bow so easily for food?!
Uvogin stared in disbelief.
But inside, Phinks sneered coldly.
"You're full. Of course you don't think it's a big deal."
He glanced sideways at Uvogin, easily reading his thoughts.
"You've got a round belly and grease on your lips. We're still starving."
"You're a man who's eaten enough what do you know about hunger?"
"You finished eating five minutes ago and now you're acting tough."
"Besides," Phinks continued calmly, "he only asked for a request. It's not like he asked us to kneel or crawl."
"What's the big deal?"
There was no shame in his expression.
Only practicality.
In Meteor City, pride did not fill the stomach.
He had endured far worse humiliations in exchange for scraps of food before.
This was nothing.
This was Meteor City.
Not a playground.
People died here.
Food was survival.
If making a simple request could guarantee a full meal then eighty percent of this place would line up to do it without hesitation.
"And didn't you two also get food because of him?"
Phinks' gaze toward Uvogin sharpened.
"You're clearly freeloading too, and you're mocking me?"
"Don't make me laugh."
"Hey! What kind of look is that?!"
Now it was Uvogin's turn to roar in anger.
But Phinks ignored him completely.
Nothing mattered more than food right now.
Feitan remained quiet beside him.
Though making a request left a faint discomfort in his chest…
He always stood with Phinks.
And truthfully the aroma was unbearable.
Especially when he saw Machi carefully scrape the final grains of rice from her black fruit shell and eat them without wasting even one.
His throat tightened again.
"No problem."
Moge's voice broke the tension.
"Since you made a request…"
"I'll fulfill it."