"That's how it is. In order to achieve the goals I just mentioned, I've already discussed everything with the owner. Tomorrow, the shop will be handled entirely by us."
Lu Ou was exhausted just thinking about it. To keep himself alive, he really was putting in painstaking effort.
But when he imagined how things would play out tomorrow, his heart felt like eating an ice cream in the peak of summer—'satisfying' didn't even begin to cover it.
"Handled by us?"
The others exchanged confused looks, clearly not understanding what he meant.
"Leorio."
Lu Ou raised his voice.
"Here!"
Leorio responded reflexively.
"From now on, you're in charge of purchasing ingredients. The shop already has quite a stock—everything the owner left has been handed over to us. Your job is to make sure all of tomorrow's ingredients are prepared. I'll give you the list later. I expect the food to be both fresh and cheap."
Lu Ou gave a mischievous grin and continued,
"Of course, there's a fixed budget. As long as you buy everything on the list, no one will care how much you actually spend."
Hearing this, Leorio's blood practically boiled. He cracked his knuckles, already eager to get started.
This was the perfect opportunity to make some money.
"Kurapika, tomorrow you'll be responsible for receiving the examinees. You can go talk to that pretty waitress to learn more about the situation."
Lu Ou felt Kurapika's attention to detail and keen perception made him well suited for the job—and less likely to offend other examinees. After all, in this world, killing people didn't require much justification.
"Alright. No problem."
Kurapika had already noticed that every time Lu Ou came up with a plan, it was something unexpected—but it always led to good results. Thinking about the benefits that followed, he found himself looking forward to it.
"Gon, today you'll help Leorio move supplies. Tomorrow, you'll assist Kurapika with reception."
"Okay, bro! I got it."
Gon nodded.
Once again, Lu Ou felt grateful that he seemed to be favored by fate. At least his first trip into such a dangerous world paired him with Gon—who trusted people completely—instead of dumping him somewhere like Meteor City or an Ant nest.
Thinking about the few special individuals he'd need to pay attention to tomorrow, Lu Ou knew he had to prepare in advance.
"Gon, put your backpack down. I'll need it later."
"Okay."
Gon obediently set it down.
"Leorio, this is the Jenny card the owner gave us. It contains today's budget for ingredients. Whatever's left is yours."
Lu Ou smiled.
"Oh, don't worry. I'll definitely complete the mission."
Leorio grinned just as widely. He never had enough money—and now that he had a chance to make a decent sum, he certainly wasn't going to let it slip.
Originally, Lu Ou thought that buying the ingredients with his own money might produce better results. But after repeated experiments, he discovered that as long as something passed through his hands—or was personally prepared by him—it would still have an effect.
Since the outcome was the same, he naturally chose what benefited him most.
After all, his savings of barely a hundred thousand Jenny put him firmly in the "poor farmer" category—while a brother-obsessed assassin like Illumi charged ten billion Jenny per kill.
The contrast was downright painful.
Everyone moved efficiently. Leorio left with Gon as soon as he got the funds. Kurapika went to gather information nearby, determined to do everything to the best of his ability.
Lu Ou had his own errands. He'd already asked the owner about the best candy shop in town—it was time to prepare.
It took him most of the day to find the boutique confectionery the owner mentioned. With a pained heart, he spent tens of thousands of Jenny on a small amount of limited-edition candy.
Passing the Hunter Exam really did require sacrifices.
Time quietly slipped by amid everyone's preparations.
A new day was about to arrive.
And with it—the official start of the Hunter Exam.
White birds, startled by the sun peeking over the horizon, spread their wings and flew into the sky as it shifted from gray-blue to a clear azure.
A new day had begun.
"Hah—"
Standing in the morning light, Lu Ou let out a deep breath and stretched. He shook off his fatigue and prepared to face a new challenge.
Today was bound to be interesting.
Most importantly—he had to stay sharp and execute the plan.
After confirming that all preparations were in place, Lu Ou changed into the chef's outfit generously provided by the owner and stood by the stove, ready to begin.
To prevent Leorio's explosive temper from becoming a problem, he'd arranged for him to stay with the owner and the waitress.
Gon and Kurapika were already in position. Everything was ready.
Ding—ding—ding.
The doorbell rang as the first group entered. Lu Ou glanced up—no one familiar. Just some random examinees.
"Boss's steak set," someone said, giving the password.
Honestly, Lu Ou always felt passwords would be much cooler if they were something like "The king covers the ground tiger."
Time passed. People came and went.
Finally, one of Lu Ou's target individuals appeared.
Wearing earth-toned clothes with a green vest over them, short brown hair slicked back to reveal a shiny forehead marked by three wrinkles, his expression honest and simple—
Tonpa, the rookie crusher.
This was the protective charm Lu Ou had prepared specifically for Leorio. He needed special treatment.
Lu Ou took out a bottle of special jam he'd set aside and poured it over a steak. This sauce was something he'd personally created, using two rare fruits.
"Gon, take this steak to that gentleman."
Lu Ou pointed as Gon delivered the steak—identical in appearance to the others—to Tonpa, laying the groundwork for what would follow.
"Kurapika, take the rest of the steaks out to the others."
Lu Ou instructed Kurapika to serve the remaining dishes.
The Hunter Association provided free food to all examinees so they could prepare for the trials ahead—giving Lu Ou the perfect opportunity to make subtle adjustments.
Think about it: during something as tense as the Hunter Exam, if the food wasn't officially provided, who would dare eat something offered by a stranger?
Aside from Gon, that is.
The hook was set.
Lu Ou was now a proper hunter—pit dug, patiently waiting beside it for prey to fall in.
Soon, another target arrived.
Dressed in playing-card attire, face painted thickly with makeup, idly shuffling a deck of cards—
If it wasn't Hisoka, then who?
Lu Ou took out a top-grade steak he'd bought specifically for this moment. After a brief pause, he reached for the chimera serpent egg he'd acquired earlier.
To give this enough "face," he had to go all in.
Crack.
He broke the shell, poured the egg into a bowl, and marinated two steaks in it.
This was special preparation—for Hisoka and Illumi.
One steak was cooked and finished with the custom fruit sauce. Gon delivered it to Hisoka, along with juice that looked identical to the others—but was, of course, specially prepared.
Just seeing Hisoka made Lu Ou's body tense instinctively.
This was a natural reaction to danger.
"Good thing I didn't take over the password role too…"
Lu Ou let out a quiet breath.
Facing Hisoka right now would be nothing short of suicide.
He needed to grow stronger—fast.