Gourmet Hunter (HxH Fanfic)

To Law, Meteor City was just a place to rest temporarily. After all, the first place he stumbled upon in this world was the landfill.

From the very beginning, Law didn't think he could stay in Meteor City for too long, nor could he have any sense of belonging to Meteor City.

Therefore, if the Council of Elders wanted to pursue him over Cook's death, he would just run away without any hesitation. Fortunately, the Hand of Ominous Signs he stumbled upon had significant value. So if he left it to Machi, he would be able to leave with peace of mind.

Though his tone and expression suggested Law was joking, both Chrollo and Uvogin, despite their brief acquaintance with Law, could sense that he was completely serious.

Faced with the potential sanctions from the Council of Elders, it would be impossible for anyone else, let alone Law, to willingly submit.

Law placed his hands on Machi's shoulders, but Machi's legs were injured and she needed Law's support to stand, so she could only hold Law's arms helplessly, resulting in a weird posture.

She really wanted to smack Law's hands away, but given her current condition, it was just wishful thinking.

"Chrollo, Cook was the first to start the fight. He deserves to die." Machi said. She chose to ignore Law's antics as she shifted her focus to Chrollo.

"Yes." Chrollo nodded and said solemnly: "But the Council of Elders only cares about the outcome."

"Then, how did the Council of Elders learn about this so quickly?" Machi asked, her tone sharpening as she fixed her gaze on Chrollo.

Chrollo's expression remained unchanged and he did not answer the question. Instead, he said calmly, "I'm surprised. While our acquaintance isn't particularly deep, I didn't think it was shallow enough for you to doubt me."

Machi shook her head slightly and said seriously: "It's not doubt."

She indeed didn't doubt Chrollo. She asked this only because she was confused. After all, she was the one who told Chrollo about yesterday's incident and the information about Law.

Chrollo was an outsider in this incident, but he not only knew the East District's Elder had discovered Cook's death, but also that the Elder was aware Law was the killer.

The Council of Elders hadn't taken any overt action yet, but Chrollo already seemed to have all the details.

She was puzzled by this matter, but she did not doubt that the reason why the East District's Elder knew about it so quickly was because Chrollo had informed him.

Chrollo looked at the serious Machi in silence, and realized that he had misunderstood her intentions. After a brief pause, he smiled faintly and explained, "Cook had a group of brothers, that's the reason."

He did not explain in detail, nor did he feel that it was necessary. This one sentence was enough to explain it clearly.

Cook had a group of brothers, so they must have known everything about what Cook was going to do when he went out. But Cook did not return last night, so they would naturally go to look for Cook. Inevitably, they found his corpse.

As for how Chrollo knew this, since he realized that Machi was questioning the basic conditions of trusting him, he did not waste any time explaining this matter.

The fact that Machi trusted him was enough.

Uvogin watched silently from his bed. Since he was injured, there was not much he could do, but if Law wanted to run away, he would definitely jump out of bed and help Law escape from the pursuit of the Council of Elders.

For this, it doesn't matter if he has to give up his life.

That was his way of repaying a debt.

"Well, I'm going to run away anyway, so there's no point in discussing these things any further."

Law said nonchalantly. He glanced at the Hand of Ominous Signs that was casually thrown on the ground with a relieved look on his face. If there was anything worth caring about, it was that he owed Machi the meal money.

Although he didn't know how many people the Council of Elders would send to hunt him down, or how strong those people were, he wasn't about to dwell on it. All he needed to think about was how to run.

This might be Law's carefree attitude, or perhaps his way of focusing on what really matters.

Since escaping was the priority, the only thing worth considering was how to do it faster.

Machi suddenly glared at Law and said with calm but firm tone, "Don't talk."

"..." Hearing that familiar line yet again, Law's face darkened. He was considering about saying this back to her the next time he had the chance. However, if he ran away now, the chances of them meeting again might be slim.

'Or maybe I should just let go of her shoulders and let her fall. But wouldn't that be too cruel?'

'Oh, right, there was also the 'Little Loli Development Plan'. If I run away now, there will be no hope for it.'

Law didn't want Machi to become a wanted criminal who killed people without blinking an eye. Even if he couldn't change her entirely, at least he wanted her to avoid harming defenseless innocents.

Machi was oblivious to the various schemes Law was considering involving her. After glaring at Law, she looked at Chrollo again. There was something she needed to clarify.

Chrollo's eyes moved between Law and Machi, openly displaying his curiosity.

In fact, he is becoming more and more curious about Law. Just like Machi's unique sixth sense, Chrollo also feels that Law is very special. As for what made him special, it was hard to say and it was more of a feeling.

At the very least, Law was someone worth studying closely, and he is different from anyone else in Meteor City.

"Chrollo, I know you have a way to keep the East District's Elder from pursuing this matter. Otherwise, you wouldn't have bothered saying so much." Machi looked at Chrollo and went straight to the point.

Subconsciously, Machi didn't want Law to leave Meteor City just to escape punishment. This was her honest feeling, which is why she told Law not to speak until she got the confirmation from Chrollo.

Of course, she still used the phrase 'Don't talk', which contained a hint of her own tsundere tendencies. After all, this was what she said to Law before, but Law borrowed it and threw it back at her during the arm-wrestling match.

"Yes."

Chrollo remained composed and admitted calmly: "That's exactly why I came here at this time."

Machi was very sharp in pointing out the key point, so Chrollo didn't bother hiding the truth and admitted it directly.

Chrollo's familiarity with the East Street's Elder explained why he knew the details of the situation so well. And the reason why he cared about this matter was not because of Law, but because of Machi, Uvogin, and Nobunaga.

Chrollo knew he wouldn't remain in Meteor City forever. Before leaving, he intended to form a team, maybe within half a year or maybe within a year, but it cannot exceed two years.

This was the thought that came to Chrollo after he awakened his Nen Ability. And Machi, Uvogin, Nobunaga, and Pakunoda were his designated teammates.

Meteor City, with its special environment, has bred a number of talents that cannot be counted on one hand, but only a handful of them can be favored by Chrollo. Therefore, before the day when the team is established, he naturally cannot let anything happen to Machi and the others.

Hearing Chrollo's admission, Machi let out a faint, bitter laugh, 'No wonder he had shown up so early. However, it was good news that Chrollo had a solution.'

Not only did Machi hope Law would stay, but Uvogin shared the sentiment. Despite only meeting Law yesterday, their shared experience of life-and-death struggles had forged a bond. Based on this alone, Uvogin regarded Law as his own.

"I understand the situation now." Chrollo took a few steps forward, bent down and picked up the Hand of Ominous Signs that Law had thrown on the ground, "Originally, I came here early to inform Law that he should leave Meteor City. After all, without Law, the three of you would have died."

"Before noon, this is the deadline the Elder gave me, but this is no longer worth worrying about."

Chrollo raised the Hand of Ominous Signs and spoke with a firm tone.