Matthew originally tried to strike up a conversation by mentioning the bus, but when he realized that Lu Ou's group seemed not to have heard him at all—and that his attempt had failed—he naturally wasn't about to give up so easily.
So he took the initiative to introduce himself.
"Hello, my name's Matthew. I'm also taking the Hunter Exam. Aren't you going to take the bus to Sabba City?"
"I didn't expect you to come over again," Lu Ou replied calmly. "Then why aren't you taking the bus?"
Matthew kept approaching them because, in his eyes, Lu Ou's group consisted of three kids. Kurapika wasn't tall either, and although Leorio was the only one who looked like an adult, he also seemed rather foolish. All in all, they looked easy to take advantage of.
The Hunter Exam was truly a single-plank bridge crossed by countless competitors. Any method could be used. Compared to rookie-killer Tonpa, Matthew was much milder—he preferred sneaky tricks and freeloading.
Lu Ou naturally understood Matthew's mindset, so there was no way he would give him a friendly expression. Besides, in the original plot, Matthew pretended to sprain his ankle, made Gon carry him for a long distance, and then even had the nerve to ask Gon—who was helping him—for medicinal herbs.
"Even though time is tight, I hate crowded places, so I'm not taking the bus," Matthew replied after a quick turn of thought.
"Oh? I thought Matthew-san had discovered some problem with the bus and was deliberately keeping it from us," Lu Ou said. "Seems like I was overthinking it."
"Of course… of course you were," Matthew said awkwardly. "What problem could there be with a bus? What problem could there be?"
As he lowered his head, his eyes flickered slightly.
This kid isn't easy to fool.
The direct bus to Sabba City was, in fact, a complete trap—something already shown in the original story. The driver would deliberately wander around or drive in circles, and when asked when they would arrive, his answer was always: depends on my mood.
Mood my ass.
And that wasn't even the worst part. The worst was that the driver would park the bus directly on railroad tracks. If the examinees hadn't begged desperately, they would've been blown up on the spot.
That bus driver was also an examiner—and probably the cruelest one in the original plot. In the anime, Leorio eventually jumped off the bus in rage, with Gon and Kurapika chasing after him.
"I'm Gon. This is Leorio and Kurapika," Gon said warmly, introducing everyone. "And this is Ou."
Matthew greeted them enthusiastically and shook hands. Though Leorio often complained about how harsh reality was, he actually had little real-world experience and foolishly shook hands back.
From the very beginning, Lu Ou had made it clear he wasn't welcoming Matthew. After greeting Gon and Leorio, Matthew skipped Lu Ou entirely and walked up to Kurapika—but Kurapika merely looked at him coolly.
"Don't mind him. He's a weirdo," Leorio said, trying to comfort the awkward Matthew.
"Then let's walk together. We're all heading toward the cedar tree anyway," Gon said in the end, bringing Matthew along.
The cities in the Hunter world resembled Northern Europe from the 1970s or 80s. The square stone roads were plain and undecorated, while the buildings on both sides were mostly white, giving the streets a clean, refreshing look.
However, with so many examinees arriving, streets that were usually spacious now felt crowded.
"We didn't eat much during the storm on the ship. I brought some bread—let's eat first," Lu Ou said, signaling to Gon.
Gon immediately pulled out soft bread from his large backpack.
These were made by Aunt Mito before they left Whale Island. In the anime, Gon hadn't brought any—probably to avoid trouble—but Lu Ou didn't mind at all. After all, Gon was the one carrying the bag.
Everyone got a piece, including Matthew. Though Matthew said he felt embarrassed, his hand was the fastest to reach out.
After eating, they continued toward the cedar tree.
The cedar stood atop the mountain. As the saying goes, "You can run a horse to death just looking at a mountain," and Lu Ou's group didn't even have horses.
Blue skies, white clouds, green grass and trees, sunshine and flowers—everything looked beautiful.
Matthew didn't pull any tricks along the way. They walked, rested, chatted, and laughed, and soon arrived at the place where the white rhinoceros appeared in the original story.
Then—
"Ow—!"
Matthew cried out and tripped over a fallen log in the middle of the road. Not only did he fall, he also seemed to have twisted his ankle.
Gon, who had been walking in front, immediately rushed back. "Matthew-san, what happened?"
Leorio, as always, had a sharp tongue. "Seriously? You didn't even see such a big branch in the middle of the road?"
Kurapika simply watched without commenting.
Lu Ou, meanwhile, wore the expression of someone saying, "I see through your entire performance."
Matthew knew he couldn't fool the cold one or the smart one—his target from the very beginning had been Gon.
"This is only halfway up the mountain… The cedar tree is still so far away… but my leg…" Matthew sighed heavily.
Kindhearted and enthusiastic, Gon immediately said, "I'll carry you, Matthew-san."
"Thank you—"
Before Matthew could finish, Lu Ou interrupted him.
"There's no need for that. I once knew a doctor who taught me a very effective method for treating sprains."
Everyone looked at Lu Ou. Kurapika, in particular, noticed the mischievous smile at the corner of Lu Ou's mouth and seemed to understand something.
"A treatment for sprains? Ou, you're amazing—you know everything!" Gon said happily. "Matthew-san, let Ou take a look. He's a great cook too."
Gon's logic was simple: if Ou could cook delicious food, then he must also be good at treating injuries.
Matthew, however, felt extremely uneasy—especially when he saw that smile on Lu Ou's face.
Instinctively, he tried to refuse. "That won't be necessary. I think—"
"No need to be polite," Lu Ou said. "Gon, help me find a branch about two fingers thick."
Gon responded immediately and dashed into the forest. In the woods, Gon moved as naturally as if he were home.
Before long, Gon returned with several branches—some thicker, some thinner—worried he might not have chosen the right size.
Lu Ou selected one, measured it in his hand, and muttered something under his breath. What he said, only he knew.
Seeing this, Matthew assumed Lu Ou was going to tie the branch to his leg—a crude method that would allow him to walk temporarily, letting him continue pretending to be in pain and weak.
So that's all this guy's got.
Just as Matthew thought this—
Lu Ou moved.
"Matthew-san, you injured your left leg. Please extend your right hand."
…Right hand?
Matthew instinctively reached out, confused. This wasn't what he had expected.
Then, in the next instant—
SMACK!
CRACK!
Two sharp sounds rang out in succession as Lu Ou swung the branch down hard, striking Matthew squarely in the center of his right palm. The blow was so forceful that the branch snapped in two.