"Hello, everyone. I'm Gon Freecss, the man currently second-closest to the seat of the Hunter Association Chairman. Given what happened with Leorio in the original timeline, I can't say I didn't see this coming, but I guess it's finally time to steel my resolve."
The campaign speeches for the top eight candidates were held following the results of the second round of voting. Before the speeches began, the eight candidates who had been eliminated were asked for comments. A massive wave of applause erupted as the final person took the microphone.
Ging stepped forward, his head and jaw wrapped in thick layers of bandages and a cervical collar so heavy it looked theatrical. He furrowed his brows in annoyance.
『Giving a microphone to someone who can't talk? Is this some kind of harassment? I haven't eaten a thing since yesterday, and I'm depressed because I'm stuck on a liquid diet for the foreseeable future.』
Unlike Sanbica Norton, who chose to write out her thoughts due to her shyness, Ging communicated by shaping his aura into floating text since his jaw was out of commission.
"You actually stood your ground and took it, you deadbeat! I'll give you credit for that much!"
"You endured the pain well! I'm moved!"
『Shut up, shut up. I know you guys were out partying at the tavern last night, you bastards.』
Despite the boos and jeers from the previous round, public opinion had turned somewhat favorable because he had taken Gon's blow head-on without dodging. This was largely thanks to Leorio, who had treated Ging just enough to make his injuries look severe but keep them at a "jokable" level.
In truth, Leorio could have healed him completely. However, as a man who had become a father figure himself, Leorio couldn't forgive Ging for abandoning his child. He had healed Ging just enough so his life wasn't in danger and Gon wouldn't feel guilty, but left the rest as a "lesson."
『Look, this is my own fault, so I'll take it. But I won't forgive the fact that everyone I know—except maybe Cheadle and Sanbica—refused to treat me!』
"Accept it as your karma!"
"Sanbica! Please heal me of this lovesickness I have for you!!"
『Uh... that's creepy. No.』
"So you're saying it's okay for me to keep loving you?! Thank you for the verbal abuse!!"
『...Wait, is he invincible?』
As the chaos spread to Sanbica and Cheadle, the eliminated candidates left the stage. The remaining candidates prepared to begin their speeches once more.
The second round of speeches was a stark contrast to the first. While the first round was about individuals aiming for the Chairmanship, this round had turned into a tactical war of "who to push" into the seat.
(...I had a feeling it would turn out like this, but I hope they didn't hold a meeting behind my back without me.)
As the hacker Hunter Ickshonpe, ranked 4th, officially withdrew his candidacy via a screen, Cheadle struggled to decide her own position. Starting with Morel at 8th place, every Zodiac member who had ranked in the top spots had recommended Cheadle as if they had pre-arranged it. If all the Zodiacs' votes consolidated behind her, she would easily break the 100-vote mark and potentially overtake Gon in 2nd place.
(But is this really for the best? If Gon and I split the vote, can we even beat Pariston?)
Pariston's vote count hadn't changed at all from the first round, proving he had a rock-solid base of supporters. He was ahead of everyone from the starting line. No matter how much he was hated, it wouldn't be surprising if voters chose him simply because they wanted the election to end quickly or because they assumed Netero would be reinstated regardless of who won.
(As long as the 'Reinstating Netero' card is on the table, the longer this drags on, the more it favors Pariston. And more importantly... what does the Chairman think of the current Zodiacs?)
As Ickshonpe finished his speech, Cheadle took the microphone and looked toward the very back of the auditorium, where Netero remained seated. He didn't just look younger in a nostalgic sense; he looked physically rejuvenated, overflowing with a fresh, vibrant presence. His eyes, watching the stage with amusement, seemed to be testing her.
The past of the Association, the future of the Association, and what Isaac Netero truly wanted—too many thoughts raced through Cheadle's mind until a thread finally snapped. She opened her mouth, letting her instincts take over.
"I've realized that I'm not suited to be the Chairman. Just as the other Zodiacs have acted as they pleased, I will do the same. I, Cheadle Yorkshire, officially recommend Gon Freecss."
A massive stir ran through the crowd. Ignoring the shocked expressions of the other Zodiacs, Cheadle continued.
"Until now, the Hunter Association has relied too much on the strength and charisma of one man: Isaac Netero. As Hunters who take pride in our own strength, is that really acceptable? If the Chairman is unreliable, shouldn't we have the spirit to support them ourselves?"
Cheadle glanced at Gon, who was sitting on a miniature throne that had been gaudily decorated by a certain clown. That small body contained more muscle and aura than anyone else in the room. He might not know anything about paperwork, but in terms of raw power, Netero himself had admitted that Gon had surpassed him.
"Gon has demonstrated his strength. I am more than willing to lend him a hand in the areas where he falls short. Between us unreliable adults who just want to dump everything back onto Isaac Netero, and Gon, who has no intention of doing so—I believe the Association will be better off with him."
Cheadle scanned the auditorium, her resolve hardening as she saw Netero looking pleased, like a parent watching a fledgling leave the nest.
"The Association must change. To face the threat of the Dark Continent, we must all become stronger. If it's Gon Freecss, he can make this Association even stronger than it is now!"
While Gon looked itchy from the praise and Pariston's face went completely blank, Cheadle—who had always been more of a brilliant tactician than a front-line leader—finished her speech with gusto.
"For the sake of the Association's future, throw away your shame and your pride! Give your vote to Gon Freecss!!"
Cheadle's aura, having cast off her self-doubt, glowed with a new, beautiful intensity.
+++
Having been boosted so much by Morel and Cheadle, Gon couldn't simply ignore their feelings. While he maintained his stance of not wanting the job, he spoke his thoughts clearly. As the Hunters listened intently to him—moved by Cheadle's passion—Pariston sat in a deep sea of thought, his usual smile completely vanished.
(I didn't expect Cheadle to give up at this stage. He has more charisma and popularity than I anticipated.)
Pariston had assumed his enemy was Ging, or someone Ging was pushing. His prediction had missed the mark entirely, and now "pure violence" was warming up right next to him.
(I messed up. I shouldn't have been so busy laughing at Ging's pathetic state.)
He realized too late that enjoying the footage of Ging's disgrace had been a form of escapism. He had assumed the election would be a long game and hadn't made a decisive move, which had now backfired.
(Should I just go with the flow and let Gon be elected? ...No. That is the one thing I cannot tolerate.)
One of the reasons Ging valued Pariston was his tenacity—he didn't care about winning or losing as long as things ended in the way he desired. But Pariston's desired ending was Netero's return. Gon had just declared that he had no intention of reinstating Netero even if he won. They were fundamentally incompatible.
(For now, I must argue that we shouldn't leave the Association to a child. I'll move to ensure he doesn't get a majority. If I can survive this round, I can make as many moves as I—)
"What are you thinking about, Mr. Pariston?"
Gon had finished his speech and walked over to hand him the microphone. He was looking up at Pariston with those bottomless black eyes.
"...I was just thinking. It seems a very formidable opponent has been born."
Pariston put on his usual smile and reached for the microphone, but his movements stopped when he realized Gon wasn't letting go. The microphone felt as if it were welded to Gon's hand.
"I don't know what you're planning, but make sure you're very careful about where you reach."
"Not 'don't do anything,' but 'be careful of the range'? That sounds like you have a weakness you don't want me to touch," Pariston countered.
He thought he had a read on Gon's nature. He smiled inwardly, thinking he could handle this. No matter how strong someone was, they could be defeated if they had a weakness. A Hunter was someone who used schemes and traps, not just direct combat.
But Pariston, for all his brilliance, had misjudged the essence of the "Asura" before him, just as Ging had.
"Yeah. I have a lot of things that are important to me."
Even Netero had both the side of a Hunter and a warrior, but Gon's "Hunter" side was practically non-existent.
"So, if anything happens to the things I care about from now on... I'm just going to attack you first, Mr. Pariston. I don't care if you're actually involved or not. I'll punish you because you're the most suspicious."
The sheer tyranny of the declaration left even Pariston stunned. The moment Gon's small hand brushed against him, a vivid image of his own body being crumpled like a piece of paper flashed through Pariston's mind.
"I'll say it again. Don't make a mistake about the range. I'm not in the mood to become a murderer yet."
"...I will keep that in mind."
Gon handed over the microphone with a bright grin and returned to his throne. Pariston began his speech as if nothing had happened.
(This is truly ridiculous. Why do the Freecss men always find a way to irritate me so much?)
He had never intended to "win" against Pariston, but he was confident he could steer the outcome. He had assumed that no matter what happened, he would be the one laughing in the end.
(Now I can't touch anyone around Gon Freecss. In fact... I have to be the one to protect them.)
Since he would be the first one executed if anything happened to Gon's friends—regardless of who the culprit was—Pariston now had to ensure the safety of others just to ensure his own.
(I can't even try to fix this unless I can do something about Gon himself!)
It was unreasonable. It was unfair. But for Gon, it was permitted, and his overwhelming strength simply wouldn't allow Pariston's schemes to function.
(Even if I gambled my own life, the most I could do is cause a little harm to his surroundings. The loss and gain are completely out of balance. This is humiliating... being forced to move according to a child's whims!)
It was a form of coercion through simple violence, entirely different from Netero's craftiness or Ging's divine intellect.
"Everyone! Let's vote for the person you truly believe should be the Chairman!"
Pariston instructed his pawns to do as they pleased from now on, admitting his defeat with a stomach-churning bitterness.
(Fine. Become the Chairman. Then we'll start the second round.)
To add insult to injury, Ging was looking at him from the side with a look of insincere sympathy that was incredibly grating.
+++
"That's a shame. Focusing too much on me was your downfall."
In the hallway of the Association after the voting had ended, Pariston turned around to find Netero calling out to him. Pariston looked like a child who had his toys taken away, glaring resentfully at the grinning Netero.
"You're the one who passed Gon Freecss on the exam, aren't you? Please don't issue licenses to things that aren't even remotely close to being Hunters."
"About that... I'm truly sorry. I really didn't think he'd turn out like this back then. Well, his personality doesn't really matter for the exam; he probably would have passed somewhere anyway."
While Netero defended his choice, he gave a sincere apology to Pariston for the "threat backed by violence" he had just endured.
"But Gon was certainly keeping an eye on you. Did you try something?"
"I didn't. As you could see, I underestimated him just as Ging did. ...Not that it would matter even if I evaluated him correctly."
"Too true. When you have strength that transcends everything else, you don't need anything else. That's what happens when you give limbs to pure violence."
The two men, who until recently had been engaged in high-level psychological and intellectual warfare, sighed simultaneously. They felt a twinge of anxiety about the "simpler" Association that was about to arrive.
"But you held up well. Gon was threatening you quite seriously, wasn't he? Normally, a person would be screaming and wetting themselves."
"...I'm just good at hiding it."
Recalling the pressure Gon had radiated—which only a few had noticed—Pariston took off his flashy suit jacket in disgust. The parts of his shirt hidden by his collar were soaked with cold sweat, and his socks were damp from the sweat that had run down into his shoes.
"If someone like that is going to sit at the top once you're gone, maybe it's time for me to move on. I think I'll start helping Mr. Beyond in earnest."
"Ho ho ho! That might not be a bad idea. But I think you should wait a bit longer before you decide."
"...Oh? Is there still more to come?"
"Who knows? But just like me, I find it suspicious that you and Ging think it's already over."
Netero laughed at Pariston's hint of defection, feeling a certain conviction that there was more to follow. It was something he had seen while exchanging blows with Gon for so long—something that Ging and Pariston, who had only observed, couldn't understand.
"At the root of that boy's logic is the stupid conclusion that everything can be solved by hitting it. And yet, he's not a meathead who can't think—he's just a meathead who chooses not to. I can't predict what's going on in that head of his."
"...Well, as long as things stay interesting, I don't really care. I'll wait without expecting much."
A second victim had fallen to overwhelming violence, and the fateful results of the third vote were about to be announced. For many, the flow of events was completely unexpected. But for a few, things were proceeding exactly as planned.
As for who would be crying in the end—the "muscle" in charge of deciding that had already begun plotting with Beans.
***
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