"Three years... I'll be waiting for you."
Silva watched Sean leave, a grin spreading across his face. "When the time comes, I hope you can give me a truly satisfying fight!"
His body flickered slightly. The current head of the Zoldyck family took a step and vanished from the spot.
The world instantly fell silent, leaving only the roar of the motorcycle fading into the distance.
"Vroom"
Riding the motorcycle through Meteor City, under the envious gazes of the "Abandoned People," Sean headed straight for the port to catch an airship.
He had been away from home for two days. Sean hadn't forgotten his promise to the old man about the four daily updates. But more importantly—
He had to crank out the manga's progress as fast as possible!
After all, whether it was body refinement, unlocking the "Wind" characteristic, or refining his Nen, he would need a massive amount of reader feedback points. Therefore... he had no extra time to waste.
"Young Master, are you not going to say goodbye?"
Noticing they weren't heading toward the church, the headlights that were Tsubone's eyes flickered, glancing backward.
Sean leaned forward, letting the strong wind blow his hair back from his face. "No time," he said, his expression flat.
'Snakes have their paths, and rats have their tunnels. Chrollo, Uvogin, or even Sarasa... In the end, I'm not familiar with them.'
Having read the original work, Sean knew very well that anyone not born in Meteor City shouldn't even dream of integrating into the small group centered around Chrollo. Hisoka was one example, and Kalluto was another. Nobunaga, Feitan, and the others only reluctantly agreed because of Chrollo.
So, a farewell was, first, unnecessary, and second, they, with their extreme xenophobia, didn't deserve it!
"Vroom" He hit the gas again, and the motorcycle shot forward like an arrow released from a bow.
About half an hour later, the outline of the port was visible in the distance, as was... Phinks's beat-up, no-name motorcycle.
Sean was a bit surprised. He hadn't reached out, but they had come to him first.
"Sean, I knew you'd leave without saying goodbye!"
Spotting Sean from a distance, Sarasa jumped off Phinks's motorcycle and spread her arms to block the road.
He slammed on the brakes, stopping.
Sean's gaze went past Sarasa to Chrollo and Phinks behind her, a faint arc on his lips. "What, a robbery?"
"No no no! I just brought these two over." Phinks waved his hands repeatedly. 'What kind of joke is this?' After witnessing how Eugene and Manda died, he had no desire to get his heart ripped out over some ridiculous misunderstanding.
"It was my idea to come," Chrollo spoke up, taking two steps forward to stand in front of Sean. "Can we speak privately?"
"No." Sean looked at him coolly. "I'm in a hurry. Either say it here, or get out of the way."
Chrollo seemed to have expected this. He nodded, looked up, and stared deeply at Sean. "I want to know... are those images real?"
He emphasized the word "images." Chrollo bravely met Sean's eyes.
Sean, sitting astride the motorcycle, looked down on him and chuckled. "Whether it's real or fake... it's not up to me. It's up to you."
"Get out of the way. You should know you can't stop me."
"Sean, I thought we were already friends!" Sarasa shouted.
Sean released the clutch, hit the gas, and sped past her, leaving Sarasa with a face full of exhaust fumes.
'Friends? If Silva heard that... he'd probably laugh himself to death.'
"Talk about it again when you can get identification and walk out of Meteor City openly!"
With a soft laugh, Sean, along with Tsubone, entered the port and quickly disappeared. He left Chrollo and Sarasa staring blankly at his departing back.
"Hey, you two. What's 'identification'?" Phinks leaned against his motorcycle, completely bewildered. "Leaving Meteor City is simple, isn't it? You just kill your way out."
"That's why he added 'openly'," Chrollo said softly, not explaining further to Phinks. "We will definitely meet again."
He pulled Sarasa onto the motorcycle. With a roar, they set off on a path completely opposite to Sean's.
The strong wind whipped Sarasa's ponytail. The girl frequently looked back toward the port. An airship was slowly climbing into the sky. A boy with his hands in his pockets stood by the window, watching them go, a playful smile quietly spreading across his handsome face.
"Young Master, have some tea." It was the first-class cabin again. Tsubone brewed a cup of high-quality black tea and handed it to Sean. "I didn't expect the Family Head to come as well. If I had known, I would have given a heads-up, and the Young Master wouldn't have been injured."
Sean took the tea and sipped. The rich aroma filled the air, dispelling his fatigue and even lessening some of the pain from his fight with Joyce Mattel.
He pouted slightly but said nothing. But when his gaze swept over the monitoring glasses on Tsubone's nose, he raised his middle finger and gestured at the glasses.
'What "give a heads-up"? The old men knew exactly what was happening. They clearly just wanted to watch me get beaten.' Unfortunately...
'They didn't expect my characteristic would be "Wind".'
Indeed. "A nature characteristic is truly something," Netero remarked, noticing Sean's middle finger. He chuckled, took off the monitoring glasses, and placed them on the table. He glanced at Maha. "Old man, it seems we've both been played."
"Just as you said, that kid Sean knew Silva was ambushing at the repair shop from the start. He was deliberately playing dumb, just messing with us."
"He deserves a beating, but you don't need to be the one to do it." Maha ripped off his monitoring glasses, tossed them to Zigg, and snorted. "This is why I say you're blind. You raised a son with no asshole, so you deserve to have no grandchildren."
'Why is the old bastard bringing that up again?'
Netero stood up and stretched lazily. "Yes, yes, you're old, whatever you say is right. As for me, I suddenly remembered I have some business to attend to at the Association, so I'll be leaving."
"So soon? Not staying for a meal?" Zigg shot Netero a look, signaling him not to get into a huff with Maha.
Netero, already set on leaving, waved his hand. "Next time."
He turned his head and winked at Maha. "Old man, maybe next time I'll bring my grandson to see you. Ho ho ho."
"Get the hell out!" Maha threw a stinking shoe at him. Netero dodged, pulled open the door, and slipped out of the cabin, laughing loudly.
"Shameless bastard. Record that and post it on the Hunter website," Maha cursed as the door slammed shut. "Let those little brats at the Hunter Association see just what kind of person their 'revered' Chairman really is!"
Zigg: "..."
He shook his head, amused. "Alright, Father. If he wants to see Sean again, just let him. Are you really worried he can trick Sean into leaving with him?"