"It really is the same," Gon said after looking carefully, nodding in confirmation.
"So this place is also one of the checkpoints in the Hunter Exam," Kurapika concluded.
Leorio stared at the buck-toothed old woman. "This old lady is actually an examiner?"
Thump. Thump.
Thump. Thump.
Thump. Thump.
The sound was like a heartbeat—chaotic yet orderly. But for the short-tempered Leorio, it was invisible torture, making it impossible for him to calm down and think clearly.
"The Heartbeat Two-Choice Question Room," the buck-toothed old woman suddenly shouted, shattering everyone's train of thought.
Aside from Lu Ou, who had been mentally prepared, the rest of them were completely dumbfounded.
Gon, carrying his fishing rod, stared at the old woman with a blank expression, clearly unsure what to make of this.
"A… quiz?" Leorio asked reflexively.
"Next, I will ask a single question," the old woman said. "You will have only five seconds to think. If you answer incorrectly, it means you are unqualified and must give up becoming a Hunter."
"So it's finally the heartbeat two-choice scene," Lu Ou thought. "According to the original story, this is a test of human nature."
Back when he first watched this scene, he had struggled with it for a long time. If it were him, what would he choose? Choose neither? Or force himself to choose one? It looked like there was no correct answer—but when truly faced with the decision, what should one do?
"You may only answer using the designated options," the old woman added. "Any other answer will be considered incorrect."
"Wait," Leorio said. "Are the four of us answering just one question together?"
"Wouldn't that be faster?" the old woman replied.
"But if he answers wrong, wouldn't that drag me down too?" Leorio said anxiously, pointing at Kurapika.
It was unclear where Leorio got the confidence to compare intellect with Kurapika.
Back when Lu Ou watched the anime in his previous life, he actually liked Leorio quite a bit. He wasn't as brave or pure as Gon, not as calm or intelligent as Kurapika, and didn't have Killua's mysterious background. That was why Leorio seemed unremarkable early on. But in truth, bravery, integrity, intelligence, and composure—he possessed all of them.
Kurapika, never known for patience, snapped back immediately. "Impossible. In fact, the chance of it being the other way around is so high it makes me want to cry."
"But as long as one of the four of us answers correctly, that's enough, right?" Gon cut in confidently. "I'm not very good at questions, but I believe Ou can definitely get it right."
At that, Kurapika and Leorio stopped arguing and simultaneously turned their heads toward Lu Ou, who was standing calmly just behind Gon's left.
Leorio muttered, "That's true… He definitely won't mess this up."
Kurapika didn't say anything, but he clearly agreed with Gon.
Being stared at by several pairs of overly bright, expectant eyes almost made Lu Ou embarrassed. He exhaled softly and said he would do his best, instantly calming everyone's nerves.
The buck-toothed old woman glanced at Lu Ou. For someone to inspire such trust from their teammates, they must have worked together for many years.
What she didn't know was that Lu Ou had achieved this level of trust in less than a week—using Nen.
"Your son and daughter have both been captured by bad people," the old woman asked.
"You can only save one. Which will you choose?
1. Daughter
2. Son"
Leorio immediately saw through it. "Don't try to fool us. How can there be a question like this? A question that depends entirely on the person—does it even have an answer? Or are you just expecting us to guess the answer you like? In that case, we might as well give up and find another route."
On the surface, Leorio seemed quick to give up at the slightest trouble, but in reality, he was seeing the bigger picture. Earlier, the rules had been clear: answer wrong, and you must abandon the Hunter Exam. This question had no standard answer—meaning whether you passed or not depended entirely on the examiner's judgment.
"It's too late," the old woman said coldly. "The test has already begun. It cannot be stopped. Don't worry, Leorio—we will definitely pass," Lu Ou said, patting Leorio's arm in reassurance.
To be honest, Lu Ou had originally aimed for Leorio's shoulder—but reality didn't quite allow it, so he had to settle for the arm instead.
"He's right," the old woman said in a gloomy tone. "Once the test begins, refusing to participate counts as unqualified. And once unqualified, you will never again be allowed to take the Hunter Exam."
"1. Continue answering.
2. Give up.
Which will you choose?" the old woman asked.
"One. We choose one—continue answering." Lu Ou answered instantly.
In the original storyline, Majtani had safely arrived at the Heartbeat Two-Choice Town alongside Gon and the others. However, during the questioning, he openly stated that he had never regarded them as companions, rushed to answer on his own, and was judged as having "passed."
But there was a wordplay here—passing did not mean qualified. As a result, Majtani took the route filled with wild beasts and magical beasts. The outcome was obvious. His screams, as he was hunted down, were overheard by Gon and Kurapika, allowing Kurapika to deduce the real answer.
Now, because of Lu Ou's interference, Majtani had already been left behind in the forest. Without that "test subject," the butterfly effect had created a problem that Lu Ou himself needed to fix.
The test began.
"Countdown starts. Five—four—"
The old woman began counting immediately, with no intention of waiting for them to prepare.
Kurapika's face was tense, brows furrowed as his mind raced. He had some ideas, but couldn't fully sort them out. He turned toward Lu Ou, hoping to communicate through eye contact—to get some hint.
Seeing his gaze, Lu Ou lightly nodded, signaling him not to speak.
From the moment the question was asked, Gon had been standing there with his head lowered, deep in thought, wearing a troubled expression—clearly at a loss. For someone as kind-hearted as Gon, this question was simply too cruel.
Leorio opened his mouth, about to shout something—but when Lu Ou glanced at him, he remembered that he had agreed to follow Lu Ou's lead. He tightly shut his mouth, fixing his gaze on Lu Ou instead.
Though five seconds usually passed in an instant, at moments like this, five seconds felt unbearably long.
Lu Ou didn't speak.
Leorio clenched his fists.
Lu Ou still didn't speak.
Leorio ground his teeth.
When the old woman finished counting to five, the scene fell completely silent. Everyone stared ahead, utterly still—so quiet that even breathing could be heard.
Though, perhaps that wasn't entirely accurate.
Because Gon's heartbeat could be heard clearly even in the silence.
Even Ou doesn't know how to answer a question like this… Leorio thought.
Yet he didn't blame Lu Ou.
After all—it was that kind of question.
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