Reason [BNHA x HxH!Reader]

[45] Unease

"Chairman Netero, you requested our presence?"

Standing tall, almost rigidly so, was a man with an appearance similar to that of a cow, his expression serious and searching. "Beans said this would be a C-ranked mission?"

Isaac Netero gestured for the two people before him to sit - neither did. Seeing they were going to continue standing, Isaac Netero gave a somewhat dramatic sigh. "Won't you humor an old man for a bit?"

The two hunters exchanged wry, somewhat exasperated glances, before sitting down across from the older man. Netero didn't speak for a moment, not until a green-haired woman spoke up, peering at the chairman through round glasses.

"It's about that mission Pariston Hill went on, isn't it?"

The way she said Pariston's name held a twinge of disdain, but other than that her voice was composed as she always. Netero shuffled through some papers, seemingly ignoring her, until he drew out a file marked 'CONFIDENTIAL', handing it to the two. The green-haired woman - Cheadle Yorkshire - gingerly grabbed the folder and opened it. Despite the bright red letters marking its security, the folder was nearly empty, containing just a picture and a couple of what looked to be reports.

"[Y/n]," Cheadle read out, confusion lacing her voice as her eyebrows furled. "I apologize. What is this for?"

Netero stroked his beard, seeming unbothered by what was a serious situation. "Hm... I suppose, I'll have to go back to the beginning," he mused, ignoring the huff that came from Cheadle by his roundabout antics. "Over a century ago, I traveled across Lake Mobius to explore the Dark Continent by following Don Freecss' East Guide. It was a harsh journey. Over in the dark continent, terms such as 'victory' and 'defeat' simply do not exist. Instead, Mother Nature rules over all. For those who travel there, death is certain - however, every discovery over there has been beneficial to humanity."

The man dressed like a cow, Mizaistom Nana, interrupted Netero with a straight face, sitting up eerily straight in his chair. "What does this have to do with," Mizaistom paused and tapped the file in Cheadle's hands, "this [Y/n]?"

"My my, we have some time. Just listen to my story, got it?"

"Anyways, as I was saying about the Dark Continent, there was a later expedition sent by the Mimbo Republic to obtain a resource called the Trinity Elixir."

Cheadle pushed her glasses up, pursing her lips. "I read about that. The expedition team encountered one of the Five Threats, Ai. Those who survived had gone insane, and they hadn't been able to get ahold of the elixir."

Netero tapped his nose. "Yes . . . And no."

"No?"

Netero's eyes slid to look to the side, seeming to recall the memory of when it happened all those years ago. "This hasn't been the first encounter with the gaseous life form, Ai," he said, finally meeting their eyes with a seriousness that wasn't often seen in Isaac Netero. "Unfortunately, there have been sightings of it in the Known World, with the being presenting itself in a different way every time one appears, which makes it so difficult to track and contain."

Mizaistom's eyes were thoughtful, eyeing the file in Cheadle's hands. "And this has to do with that girl because...?"

"[Y/n] hosts one of the Ai life forms."

—·—·—

"I am so sorry that I now have appointed bodyguards," you apologized hastily to Hitoshi as the two of you set on a bench. Beside you was Leorio, who laughed while eating his crepe.