Chatting Through the Multiverse

[Nine] >< First Phase

The Kiriko' dropped the four aspiring hunters in an alley in Zaban City. The father, mother, and daughter left after saying their goodbyes and wishing them luck, while the son transformed into a human and started leading them to the exam venue. Gon and Izuku got distracted at every stall, the latter wanting to buy ever oddity and knickknack he saw. Of course, this world functioned on a different currency, so he couldn't.

"It should be..." the four of them stopped in a large, tiled square near the center of the city, "...that building there." He pointed at a building that was at least thirty stories tall. At least, it had that many rows of windows.

"Wow," Gon exclaimed. "This building it really tall!"

"So, this is our exam venue," Leorio commented as they approached. "So, this is where the mightiest of all..."

"Gather from all over the world to become Hunters," Kurapika finished.

"It's the first Hunter Exam challenge," Gon grinned, determination brimming in his smile. "I wonder if my dad felt as I do now."

'This is this world's equivalent of a licensing exam, huh?' Izuku thought. 'Am I really ready for this?'

'No,' he shook his head. 'It doesn't matter if I'm ready, or not. Like I said to the old woman, it is my duty to try. As a hero, I have to defy the odds and overcome the impossible; and that starts here. For too long, I've let fate push me around. It's time to forge my own destiny!'

"Hey, you!" The son called out, gathering their attention and pointing in front of him. "It's right here."

...He was pointing at a dining shack.

"You must be kidding! This looks like a normal diner!" Leorio chuckled dismissively as he walked towards the disguised Kiriko."don't tell me that all the aspiring Hunters from around the world come to gather here?"

"That's right," the son answered plainly. "This is where millions of aspiring Hunters gather to test their skills. Nobody could've thought of it, right?"

"I couldn't..." Leorio muttered.

"It makes sense," Izuku commented. "The average person would expect a prestigious organization such as the Hunter Association to have some huge venue, like that building we were looking at; so, having a smaller one like this nearby, with that bigger building to draw the attention away from it, would be the perfect place for it. Like trying to find a ten-yen coin in a jar full of one-hundreds."

"Exactly," the son nodded. "Let's go inside."

They walked in through the sliding door, and were met with a variety of pleasant smells and sounds. Meat frying in oil; salted water boiling into steam; rice heating within steaming baskets. It reminded Izuku of the authentic cafe across the street from the Topaz Tavern, which he and his staff had gotten dinner at after closing the previous day.

"Welcome!" The man standing behind the counter, stirring a chicken within a pan of boiling oil with a pair of chopsticks, said as they entered.

"Are there any rooms available?" The son asked as Izuku shut the door behind the group.

"Can I take your order?" The man asked, pausing for a moment.

"I'd like an illuminating steak set lunch," the Kiriko responded. A code phrase, obviously. "For four."

"For four?" The man perked up. "How should I cook it?"

"Grilled with low heat and roasted carefully until it's we'll done."

"Alright, have your seats," the man continued without so much as a missed beat. The son lead them past the bar to a room in the back, which had a table surrounded by four chairs.