An involuntary shout instantly exposed the name 'Law'.
Buhara inwardly cursed his mistake. He looked up at the ceiling, whistling a clumsy tune, his demeanor utterly incongruous with the situation.
Watching Buhara's fidgety, uncomfortable appearance, Law couldn't help but chuckle inwardly a few times, 'Being exposed wasn't a big deal, so why be so nervous?'
Those who had a clear reaction upon hearing the name 'Law' were Menchi, Xiaoyu, Killua, and Gon.
For a moment, they stared intently at the figure wearing loose robes and a headscarf covering his head and face.
The building fell into an unnatural silence. The examinees who were out of the loop showed confused expressions.
Leorio and Kurapika, seeing Gon and Killua's reactions, felt strange.
Under the gaze of these few individuals, Law remained unmoved, silent as a statue, as if waiting for Buhara to announce that he had passed this test.
Tonpa glanced at the reactions around him, then stealthily peeked at the silent Law, a glimmer in his eyes, though it was unclear what he was thinking.
One second, two seconds, three seconds...
Time passed in the eerily silent atmosphere until suddenly, a loud laugh broke the tension.
"Haha, of course! The Law-style Lion's Head produced by yours truly is definitely explosively delicious!"
Tonpa put his hands on his hips, laughing with his head thrown back, posing as if he were the top expert.
In reality, he really wanted to taste those large meatballs too, regretting that he had forgotten to ask Law to make a few more earlier.
Seeing this, Buhara was stunned for a moment, but then, noticing the subtle look Tonpa gave him, he caught on somewhat cleverly and nodded, taking up the thread. "It's really delicious!"
Just like that, the conversation between the two inexplicably continued.
'You're... quite lively now,' Law thought to himself, watching Tonpa's embarrassingly awkward acting.
Originally, Tonpa's skills in spinning tales and lying were top-notch, otherwise, he wouldn't have tricked so many rookie examinees over the decades. This showed he had quite a talent for acting.
However, he only thought about covering for Law and didn't consider things thoroughly, so he forcibly took the big blame Buhara threw his way, naturally performing far below his usual standard.
'Law-style Lion's Head?'
Menchi looked at Tonpa as if he were an idiot.
'Is this guy being too arrogant, or does he think I, Menchi, am blind?'
Killua and Xiaoyu still had their doubts. Only Gon showed a disappointed expression. Being naive, he didn't see through Tonpa's awkward performance.
He looked at Tonpa and, while disappointed, asked puzzledly, "Tonpa-san, is 'Law' your nickname?"
Tonpa stealthily glanced at Law. Seeing the other showed no reaction, he calmly said, "Actually, my full name is Tonlawpa."
What was shame? He had lost track of that decades ago.
Hearing this, Law almost choked on his own saliva.
Gon showed an 'I see' expression, but couldn't hide his disappointment.
Killua and Xiaoyu didn't believe it at all. Their eyes shifted between Tonpa and Buhara, finally settling on the silent Law.
The few veterans who knew Tonpa showed expressions of utter disbelief.
"Mr. Tonlawpa, you pass," Buhara said, not caring anymore, and announced Tonpa's passing on the spot.
Seeing this, Menchi sighed softly, ignored the two clowns Buhara and Tonpa, and fixed her gaze like a nail on Law's headscarf.
Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't have so many reservations. If she wanted to see whether it was a donkey or a horse, she would just directly remove the headscarf.
After all, based solely on a name and one dish, the probability of it matching that one unique coincidence in the vast sea of possibilities over the past ten-plus years was pitifully small.
So, better to kill by mistake than let go. Just take off this guy's headscarf.
'Do it, Menchi!' Menchi inwardly shouted.
However, just the thought that this man might be Law made Menchi feel nervous, afraid of causing offense.
That man from over ten years ago, who told her how to neutralize blowfish toxin at the fish market. That man who rode a small mast boat and teased her about being a future Triple-Star Gourmet Hunter.
Such a brief contact so many years ago had nevertheless turned into a deep memory stored in her heart.
Whenever Menchi had the thought to remove the headscarf, that memory inexplicably became clearer and more vivid, as if warning her, or infinitely magnifying her reservations.
Thus, torn between options, Menchi directly conceded defeat.
This wasn't in line with her usual style, but she admitted defeat, right there in front of that pitifully small probability.
Tonpa, oh no, Tonlawpa, became the first examinee to pass Buhara's test. Under the gaze of the surrounding examinees, he turned and walked towards the corner.
As he turned, in a way no one could see, he frantically winked at Law, as if saying: This is all I can do for you, the rest is up to you.
Seeing Tonpa putting in such effort, even going so far as to adopt the name 'Tonlawpa', Law thought that if he didn't play along, he didn't know if 'Tonlawpa' would have a mental breakdown.
With this in mind, Law ignored the frequent, intense stares from Xiaoyu and Killua. He looked at the slightly unnatural-looking Buhara and pointed to the other plate of Lion's Head on the table.
Seeing this, Buhara again tossed the Braised Lion's Head into his stomach. Then, regardless of what Menchi might be thinking now, he picked up the Steamed Lion's Head and wolfed it down.
Amidst his satisfaction, he called out Law's number and announced that he had passed the test.
Menchi silently ate the four Lion's Heads she got from Buhara, then closed her eyes, lost in thought.
After passing the test, Law retreated to the corner by the wall, directly sat on the floor, bent his right knee, placed his right hand on it, closed his eyes, and feigned sleep, paying no attention to the exam progress in the venue.
Seeing that both Law and Tonpa had passed the test, the fifty-plus examinees who had hunted Great Stamp finally began making their own Lion's Heads based on the available information and their own ideas.
The sixty-forty split… it was uncertain whether the sixty was fatty meat or lean meat. But probably because humans generally tend to prefer meat, most examinees chose sixty percent lean and forty percent fat.
Considering the complexity of the braised method, after deciding the sixty-forty split, they basically all chose the steamed method.
For a time, the venue resembled the back kitchen of a nine-star hotel, with the stoves suddenly becoming lively as each examinee showed their skills.
Killua absentmindedly chopped the meat on the cutting board, occasionally glancing towards Law sitting in the corner.
Xiaoyu had had contact with Law before, but she focused more on the test, putting all her effort into cooking the Lion's Head.
Time passed minute by minute. Examinees continuously returned to the venue carrying Great Stamp. As more and more examinees poured in, the stoves in the venue soon became somewhat insufficient.
The Needle Guy, aka Illumi in disguise, arrived late and found all the stoves occupied.
Click clack.
His head swayed slightly, his dull eyes slowly sweeping across the venue. They paused on Killua for a moment before withdrawing.
No stoves left? Then he just had to take one.
That's what he thought, as the conditions for passing the test were simple and easy to understand.
So, he pulled a pin with a round head from his body and casually threw it into the venue.
Whether by coincidence or on purpose, the pin shot towards Gon's temple.
Gon seemed to sense something and suddenly looked in the direction the pin was coming from. His eyes widened, but it was too late.
Killua could have reacted faster than Gon, but he was distracted. By the time he noticed, it was also too late.