4 E G G

In the middle of the crowd, examiners Menchi and Buhara faced off against one of the applicants who was complaining against the test's unfairness.

"What a letdown~" Suddenly, a wild Hisoka appeared, pouting in disappointment despite the amount of bloodlust he was constantly giving off. Behind him, a clicking Gittarackur followed. Both of them having seemingly walked to the far back to get away from the group of people crowding together.

"Even if you're frustrated, you still can't fight the examiners, Hisoka~" Juzou pointed out,. smiling as he leaned on a stove.

"Click click click." Said Gittarackur, seeming to agree with Juzou.

"Hehe~ No need to worry, I am good at enduring~♣️" Hisoka reassured, only to get three doubtful looks in reply.

[Press ❌ for Doubt]

"Well, the exam's not over after all." Juzou said calmly, causing the other's to be confused about what he meant.

"Hmm~?" Hisoka questioned but received no answer.

"Anyways, would you like some entertainment while we wait?" Grinning mischievously, Juzou waved his phone, suddenly having the urge to infect the natives of this planet with Earth's most prided weapons. Memes.

"I don't see why not~" With an intrigued smile, Hisoka answered, not knowing just what kind of rabbit hole he'd end up getting pushed into.

"Click click click." A series of clicking interrupted, pausing the inevitable destruction of common sense temporarily.

"Oh? Have you met each other, Illu- ah, Gitta-kun?" Hisoka asked, acting surprised despite actually knowing the answer. He was watching secretly when they met after all.

"Click click click." The purple man clicked.

"I see~♣️" Hisoka nodded in understanding amongst the bafflement of those listening in to their conversation. "He wanted me to tell you his name was Gittarackur."

"Wow! You can actually understand him! That's amazing!" Juzou exclaimed. "Well, nice to meet you, Gittarackur. My name is Juzou~"

Stiffly, the man called Gittarackur nodded to him in acknowledgement while the applicants began to fight with the examiners in the background. One of them just got smacked so hard that he bled from both his nose and his mouth.

...

"Click click click." Gittarackur had his arms crossed stiffly on his chest.

"Oh don't be like that Illu- ah, Gitta-kun~ You have to appreciate other people's sense of humor~" Hisoka smiled although any person could see that he actually agreed to whatever Gittarackur said.

"Click click click." Gittarackur clicked, seeming to be explaining something important.

"Well, it is indeed true that some are particularly hard to understand... Especially that one with the Honse." Hisoka said rather thoughtfully.

"Don't mind it. That's just how GenZ humor works~" Juzou interjected, reading between the lines to understand what their conversation was about.

"GenZ?"

But before he could explain, a sudden loud crashing sound interrupted their conversation as an old man fell from the sky and confronted Menchi, the examiner.

Well, that surely caught everyone's attention. No better way to make a grand entrance that yeeting yourself from an airship after all.

"Who's that geezer?! He must've jumped down from 60 feet high!" An extra exclaimed.

"That's Chairman Netero." Menchi said, her expression sinking after probably realizing the trouble her recklessness got herself into. "Head of the Exam Committee."

Guess they won't have to retake the Hunter Exam next year after all.

"See? Told ya~" Juzou grinned at Bourbon as the mysterious old man began to confront Menchi.

...

"I'll resign my post and withdraw my evaluation." Eventually, Menchi came to this decision after a short conversation.

"To redo the current test... would compromise the results of the exam." Chairman Netero said thoughtfully. "Instead, I would like to stay as an examiner."

"However, you will participate in the next test to set an example for the examinees." The old man, if he wasn't obviously glancing at Menchi's cleavage, would've been quite impressive but, after seeing his perverted action, all admiration just flew away. "How does that sound?"

"Alright... Then, why don't we try boiled eggs?" Menchi, unaware of the Chairman's glances, replied. "Chairman, may we get a lift to Split Mountain?"

"Why, yes, of course." The Chairman answered, seeming to be satisfied with this turn of events.

Meanwhile, when everyone else were surprised at the sudden decision, three people stood at the very back of the crowd, listening to ungodly music with relish.

"Tight as a virgin, boy don't get nervous."

"Tight~?♦️"

"I'm here to serve you customer service."

"Right~!♥️"

"Click click click (I am in misery)."

"I save dick by giving it CPR~♥️"

"Reese's puffs! Reese's puffs!"

Bourbon covered the earholes of his youngest snake and walked away from the other three as everyone began to board the blimp.

"I don't know any of these people." Though that was what he said, he still sighed and lowered his head, picking up the empty Pocky box Juzou threw away carelessly.

...

After a short ride on the Chairman's blimp, they were dropped off at the edge of a cliff.

Looking down at the deep ravine, the examinees gulped hesitantly. For sure, Mount Split in Half, was quite literally, a mountain split in half. It was interesting how perfect the split was. It almost looked like it was cut open by a giant ax.

So, their task this time was to get a spider-eagle's egg, also called Dream Eggs, from the web deep within the ravine.

How to do that? The examiner, Menchi, was currently demonstrating to them by taking the lead in jumping off the cliff.

Looking towards the distant sky, Juzou squinted his eyes and watched as several winged spiders which had their whole bodies covered in feathers fly off into a far away forest, perhaps hunting for prey.

"This world really has the strangest looking spiders." Juzou said in wonder upon seeing a giant winged spider flying while carrying a helpless cow wrapped in sticky webbing.

For some reason, after hearing that comment, Hisoka who was nearby began to chuckle with a creepy grin.

After a short wait, the examiner soon came back up, riding on an updraft. "After that, you just have to boil the egg and done!"

"Neat! Now, there's a test!" The green child from before exclaimed in excitement. "Let's go!"

With that said, the green child, along with his three companions jumped down without even waiting for the follow up explanations of the examiner.

In any case, as more and more people followed them down, Juzou yawned, feeling his sleepiness increase with each moment but still pulled himself towards the edge.

"Then, I'll be off." Juzou gently placed his weapon down on the grass as dozens of people began to actively commit suicide in the background. "Be a good boy while I'm gone, okay, Jason~?"

"Let's go." Bourbon snorted at Juzou's actions before leading them both to the cliff edge and jumping down along with the rest.

"Umph!" As Juzou successfully grabbed onto a web, he managed to hear Bourbon's quiet grunt amidst the cacophony of noises.

"Hmm? Rum, are you good?" Juzou asked the older man in concern as Bourbon winced.

"I probably strained my shoulder muscles. Nothing too serious though." Bourbon answered, calmly assessing the injury.

"You should have done stretches before jumping~" Juzou hummed. "So, how are you going to get the eggs now with your shoulders like that?"

"Aren't you forgetting something, kid?" Bourbon snorted, eyes glinting in condescension. "I don't need to use my hands to get it."

Juzou tilted his head, looking at the man in confusion.

"I have snakes." And right as Bourbon said so with a sinister grin, a thick python slithered out of his sleeves, coiling around the web which held them and quickly made its way to the nearest net of eggs, passing atop the hands of several other examinees.

"Hiiee!!! Snake!" An examinee screeched as Bourbon's snake slithered on his fingers, accidentally letting go of the web in fear. "AaAaaahhh!!.."

And like that, another one was gone.

"Another one bites the dust~" Juzou sang playfully and moved to occupy the spot the fallen man previously was on, closer to a net of eggs.

"Sss..." Bourbon's snake hissed as Juzou watched it slither atop his hands with an egg already carefully held in it's mouth, heading back to it's master.

"Ah, I should start getting mine too." Juzou muttered and counted how many people were between him and the eggs.

Three.

"Okay~ H-up!" Gripping the web tightly, Juzou swung his body upwards so he could grip the web with his legs, then, he flipped himself the other way around. So, now, he was sitting on the web.

"What in the world are you doing?!" Bourbon hissed as he watched the younger stand upright on an unstable web.

"Tightrope walking! Or was it slack rope..? Nevermind!" Juzou giggled in excitement at the feeling of being so close to death. "I'm off~!"

Giving the other examinees little to no preparation, Juzou ran off, nearly stepping on hands as he balanced himself dangerously.

"Fuck! My finger!"

"Sorry~" With a final leap, he arrived right on top of a net of eggs, amidst the amazement and disbelief of the other applicants, hung on the net by his legs, and grabbed an egg whilst hanging upside down.

Meanwhile, on a nearby web, a certain clown was watching all this unfold with an entertained grin.

Now having gotten his egg, Juzou swung himself back on the web and yawned.

"Egg done! Nap Time~" Juzou then promptly closed his eyes while laying precariously on the web while his hand was carefully hugging an egg.

"At least go back to land before sleeping!" Bourbon scolded the young man who calmly slept while hanging in a dangerous location.

In the end, they managed to get back up safely. How? Even Bourbon had no idea.

Now, with those who passed surrounding a giant pot which boiled their eggs, the examiner cleared her throat to catch their attention.

"See, here's a chicken egg-" Menchi held up two different eggs to show them. "and here's a spider-eagle egg. Try one!"

With her command, the examinees each held their eggs and took a tentative bite.

"..." Bourbon raised his eyebrows, the creaminess of the egg catching him by surprise. It really wasn't like any egg he'd ever tasted.

"I should have gotten the entire net." Juzou pouted in regret, glancing towards the ravine, thinking of jumping off to steal more eggs.

[42 examinees remain.]

...

"I should introduce myself properly to all of you. I am Netero..." Back inside the airship, the remaining applicants stood together, facing a single old man. "Chairman of the Selection Committee of this year's Hunter Examination."

Towards the Chairman's introduction, the examinees collectively remained silent, either seriously listening, or zoning out.

"I figured that I wouldn't have to show up until the final round but now that I'm here, I suppose..." The Chairman trailed off, causing to mood to grow somber as the examinees began theorizing if this was another test, but the next words immediately destroyed that notion.

"I'll accompany you for a while and enjoy this nice, Tense atmosphere!" Chuckling humorously, the Chairman gleefully took in the various colorful expressions of the examinees.

This old man sure changes the mood quickly.

"We'll arrive at 8 o'clock in the morning tomorrow." A familiar green bean informed as the Chairman finished speaking. "Until we notify you, please relax and enjoy the amenities aboard the airship."

As the rest of the examinees were left to do their own thing, Juzou remained seated at a secluded corner where people would rarely pass, fully concentrated on a coloring game on his phone.

He barely even registered when someone sat beside him and started building a tower of cards.

We all know who that is. And it isn't Bourbon, for sure.

Well, if it WAS Bourbon, it would've been a tower of snakes instead of cards. But no one really wants to see that sight. Unless...

Contrary to public expectations, Hisoka does have his quiet moments where he just sits in a corner on his own as he begins to build his tower of cards.

"You managed to build this tower so quickly?" Juzou's eyes widened in surprise, finally looking up from his phone to see who it was beside him, just in time to see the jester place the last two cards on top. "That's impressive~"

"Fufu~♣️ This is how I reset." Hisoka smiled, looking up from his cards briefly. "And you?"

Juzou tilted his head thoughtfully. Reset... A way to calm your mind quickly when in tense situations, something you do in order to avoid being overwhelmed by your own emotions and/or thoughts. Take it as another form of meditation.

"I suppose it's redoing my stitches... But, now, it can also be making sure my Jason is in top condition~" Juzou said, unsure. "The guy who used to do my Jason's maintenance is no longer here so I have to do it myself."

"I see~" Hisoka hummed, golden eyes narrowed in deep thoughts as he poked at his tower of cards and watched it all crash down.

"Well, I should get going~" Juzou hummed, eyes flicking to his phone's nearly empty battery. "Need to find a charging port~"

"Farewell, for now~♣️" Hisoka smiled and watched Juzou's figure slowly disappear into a corner.

Looking down at the pile of cards on the ground, Hisoka tapped the floor thoughtfully for a few moments and chuckled meaningfully. Eventually, he packed up his cards and stood up, disappearing towards one of the many hallways in the airship.

Arriving at a vacant bedroom, Juzou dumped his bag and weapon onto a bed and rummaged for his charger, squealing in glee upon having found it along with a half-eaten chocolate bar.

Finally at a place where he could rest freely, he yawned sleepily but still decided to take a bath before sleeping so, with a change of clothes, he headed towards the bathroom after having plugged his phone to charge it.

In an unpredictable test like this, who knows when the next time he'll get to bathe properly and rest will be? Better take advantage of it now.

Though that was what he said, he only ever slept for 5 hours before being woken up by loud, angry stomping from the hallway, causing him to get up groggily.

Normally, he would've gone back to sleep like nothing happened, but the overpowering smell of blood kept him awake long enough for the rest of his sleepiness to go away.

"Well, guess I'm not going to sleep now~" Juzou grumbled helplessly and sat up, deciding to look for food instead.

"I sure hope they clean that up~" Upon exiting his room, he stumbled across a bunch of dead bodies with their hearts seemingly gouged out.

Having no further reaction aside from shrugging the strange sight off, Juzou proceeded to look for the kitchen. At this time, it was nearly midnight and the cafeteria was already closed... Probably.

Though, when he arrived at the kitchen, he realized he wasn't the only one with that idea upon seeing a familiar examiner munching on a plate of tempura.

"Hm? Looking for a midnight snack as well?" Menchi spoke with her food half sticking out of her mouth, acknowledging the presence of the examiner.

"Yes~ The cafeteria was too far away from my room and it might already be closed at this time so I decided to look for the kitchen instead~" Juzou said politely, placing his bag down on a chair and looked at the assortments of well-made food on the table.

Now that he thought about it, Juzou was considered a genius in many areas, such as combat, strategy (surprisingly), and infiltration. But never cooking. So, now that he had a good learning material in front of him, he might as well take this chance to learn something. "Menchi-san, by any chance, do you have any good advice on cooking for a beginner?"

"Hueh~? You're interested in cooking?" Menchi raised an eyebrow in surprise. This wasn't how things were supposed to go! The examinees were supposed to mock the profession of Gourmet Hunters and then she'd show them their place by beating them up! That was how the script goes.

"Well, a little..." Juzou smiled awkwardly. "I've never really learned how to cook. My companions (subordinates/colleagues) used to just bring me along with them whenever they eat out or when they'd cook at home so there was no need to. But-"

"Ah, I'm the only one left now." Although he was smiling, to Menchi's eyes, he looked as though he were just using a smile to hide his pain, making up ten thousand words filled with a story of pain and loneliness in her mind.

"O-oh... I uh- I'll teach you how to cook." Menchi's eyes reddened as though she were about to cry, causing Juzou to tilt his head in confusion while he dumped several eggs into a coffee pot. Whatever, Menchi probably misunderstood something from his words.

"Wait! What in the world are you doing?!" Suddenly, Menchi screeched, finally noticing what the examinee was doing.

"Hmm? Weren't you just crying a while ago?" Juzou asked in amazement upon seeing no trace of the tears which previously occupied the examiner's eyes.

"Shut up! I'm prone to mood swings!" Menchi yelled, wielding a spatula like it were a weapon. "Now, tell me what exactly are you doing to those eggs! Wait, aren't those Dream Eggs?! You got a whole net of those?! When did you-"

"These are Dream Eggs, yes. I stole them before boarding the airship~" Juzou answered mischievously. "And, ah... I just thought, if tea eggs exist, I wonder why coffee eggs aren't a thing."

"..." Menchi turned silent, appearing to be thinking of Juzou's words seriously. "Boy, I like the way you think."

Eventually, Menchi grinned ominously and patted Juzou's shoulder, making the examinee shudder due to reasons unknown to him. Though, he soon came to find out what that reason was after three hours of torturous learning sessions.

...

By the time they were done, it was already 3 am and Juzou was feeling incredibly mentally and emotionally drained after being cursed at in a way that would make even Gordon Ramsay proud.

So, now, he was walking around, trying to find the room he was previously sleeping in to take a short nap before they eventually arrive at the next test site.

Stretching his back, he yawned as he began walking along the hallways like a drunk man.

Juzou opened a door, realized he had gone to the wrong room upon seeing three people already in there, but the intriguing conversation topic made him stay.

"And thus, on the eighth day of creation, Yeezus smoked a joint and said 'Let there be crack'!" It was Imori, one of the Amori brothers.

"Hey! Are you guys still recruiting new members for your cult? I'm interested!" Juzou declared, shocking the three brothers who didn't realize they had an audience.

"Ack! Heathen!" The three brothers hissed simultaneously.