Hunter x Hunter : Germain Joins The Hunt

After the passionate, moist kiss, Shizuku finally jumped off from Germain.

Germain didn't notice any change in Shizuku's expression, but he could read her emotions—concern, confusion, relief, and joy—through her large eyes.

The two of them stood in the moonlight, whispering to each other.

"I told you, Germain will be fine." 

From the darkness, a familiar figure appeared—Bisky, small and dainty, with her twin ponytails swaying as she walked out.

"Ugh, so cheesy, those two…" she muttered.

Though she said that, Bisky, who had sensitive tear ducts, was blinking away tears, needing to pull out a small handkerchief to wipe her eyes.

She was really scared. The two she had just watched might never see each other again.

If that was the case, they'd be added to the list of tragic ships Bisky had supported for over fifty years.

"Their bond is special," Morel said, raising his large pipe and using it as a cane, resting his hands on it. "Youth is truly wonderful."

Morel, also a sentimental person, couldn't help but feel a bit tough when Bisky sobbed beside him. There was no way he was going to cry with her.

Bisky sighed gently, then turned to him, "Well, at least we've reunited six of us. That's not too bad."

Just then, out of the cave, came Sanbica, supporting a limping Menchi.

Seeing Germain, they couldn't help but relax.

The team's strongest fighter and the guarantee of a safe return made everyone feel at ease—something that was hard to put into words.

Especially after the panic they had gone through earlier in the day.

When Germain entered the cave with the others, Morel dutifully created another illusion using mist, concealing the cave once more.

At the same time, he released a swarm of white smoke rabbits, sending them in different directions to search for the remaining two.

Most of the little rabbits would be torn apart by the monsters in the mountains, but a few—just like they had found Germain—would manage to find the others.

Unfortunately, up until now, there has been no news about Ging and Knuckle.

Morel wasn't actually worried about Ging's safety; what worried him was his disciple—Knuckle.

But there was nothing he could do now, so he could only stay calm and pray that Ging and Knuckle were together.

While Morel was scouting and searching through the mountains and guarding the cave entrance, the others had already sat down inside the cave.

"I knew it would be like this." Bisky pointed at the dark crown above Germain's head and then at the Contempt Armor he was wearing. "Let me deal with those first."

Bisky manifested "Miss Magic Beautician Cookie," asking Germain to lie down.

"Miss Cookie" was about to give him an indulgent, relaxing massage feast.

Germain's head rested on Shizuku's soft, plump thighs.

However, when he looked up, due to the angle, he couldn't see Shizuku's face at all. The heavy shadow completely obscured his view.

"What did you all go through after coming out of the dark space?"

Germain had no choice but to turn his head to look at Bisky, but the "Miss Cookie" kneeling beside him and massaging him blocked his line of sight.

He turned back and continued to look up, but this back-and-forth motion made Shizuku feel a little ticklish, so she reached out and pressed Germain's head down.

Bisky started explaining:

"The dark space was probably designed to make us all go through a tormenting state and then randomly place us in different parts of Steep Mountain Range."

"But luckily, those who were taken by the twisted vortex at roughly the same time would be transported to a nearby area."

"Because of this, Menchi and Sanbica ended up together, Shizuku and I were together, and Morel ended up alone."

"Since we were all in a state of torment, Menchi and I made similar choices. That is, we found a safe place first and used 'massage' or 'food' to ease our suffering."

"We four have all been freed from the torment of the Dark Crown…"

At this point, Morel interrupted, saying, "I wasn't so lucky. Since I was alone, I had to endure it for half an hour before the torment finally stopped."

"After that, I started releasing the White Smoke Bunny to search for the others. The first ones I found were Menchi and Sanbica."

"At that time, Menchi and Sanbica had already been freed from the torment, but they were attacked by monsters."

"Sanbica lost one of her hands, and Menchi had a fractured thigh bone. In an emergency, Sanbica had no choice but to use 'Breath of the Archangel' on herself."

"My arrival allowed Sanbica to free her hands and treat Menchi's injured leg. After we defeated the enemies, we found this cave to use as a base."

"After noon, my White Smoke Bunny found Bisky and Shizuku together and guided them here step by step, just like I did for you earlier."

Germain, while enjoying the treatment, calmly listened and nodded.

"As long as everyone safely regrouped, that's good."

The cooperation between the group created a wonderful chemical reaction, which is why they managed to survive this dangerous day in the steep mountains.

Of course, it wasn't completely safe.

Sanbica was forced to use 'Breath of the Archangel.'

Even though the situation wasn't life-threatening at the time, she had to use a one-time survival card to recover her strength and restore the ability to heal others.

Menchi's thigh was fractured, and her 'Breath of the Archangel' had already been used, so she couldn't use it again.

However, with Sanbica's treatment, Menchi's injury would heal in about half a month. It would be inconvenient for her during this time, though.

Menchi was naturally strong, and even though she was immobile, she still cooked dinner for everyone, easing their physical and mental pressure.

Having all experienced the torment themselves, they knew the pain of that state, so they didn't refuse Menchi's kindness.

Less than an hour after dinner, they learned from Morel that someone who looked like Germain was approaching.

Later on, everyone found out what happened.

"So, during this time, did any of you see the Human-Keeping Beast Pap?" Germain asked.

Everyone paused for a moment, then shook their heads repeatedly.

They had been too focused on figuring out how to escape their torturous state, how to reunite with the others, and how to handle the threats from the monsters. There was simply no time to pay attention to the Human-Keeping Beast Pap.

Moreover, the Human-Keeping Beast Pap was the type of creature that lurked in vast underground caverns, so unless they went to those specific areas, it was almost impossible to spot them during the day.

Since no one knew, Germain proceeded to explain in detail his encounter with the Bloodthirsty Claw Beast and the Human-Keeping Beast Pap during daylight.

The group listened in fear, shuddering at the thought.

If the Human-Keeping Beast Pap could release chemical substances that caused addiction-like symptoms, similar to a drug addiction, which induced hallucinations and pleasure, then they needed to be cautious.

The addictive nature of this "pleasure" was probably extremely high. Even Germain, who was a "Champion-level" Hunter, had been shaken for a moment. 

So it was no surprise that those of them who were "Master-level" or "Elite-level" would be even more vulnerable.

Hearing this, Sanbica cautiously moved closer and timidly asked, "I… I can… give you an examination?"

As a "Virus Hunter" and a doctor for the Hunter Association, Sanbica despised substances that caused addiction, and her brows were now tightly knitted.

"Okay." Germain agreed without hesitation.

Thanks to Sanbica's "Magical Beautician Miss Cookie" and Menchi's cooking, Germain was finally free from the Dark Crown and the Contempt Armor, feeling light and relaxed.

At this moment, Germain underwent a "physical check-up and hospital records" scan from Sanbica, who obtained detailed data about his body.

This was the kind of data that could only be obtained after many tests in a large hospital, yet it was all available in Sanbica's hands.

In this world, apart from Germain and Shizuku, Sanbica was the third person who knew Germain's body like the back of her hand.

It wasn't until later that Bisky learned everything from "Magical Beautician Miss Cookie."

Sanbica looked at it for a while, her brows slowly relaxing, and said:

"I... Give me some time... to adjust the ratio of the 'Herb for All-illnesses' and other medicines... It should be able to curb the addiction..."

She was about to continue, but Shizuku suddenly waved her hand at her.

Everyone looked at her in surprise, then saw Shizuku reach out and gently stroke the head of Germain, who was resting on her lap, as if she were petting a black cat, running her hand through his hair.

Germain, without anyone noticing, had already closed his eyes and fallen asleep.

The tension and pressure of the day, combined with the ongoing torment, slowly started to release once he saw his companions. Fatigue quickly overtook his body.

Surrounded by his teammates, he could sleep peacefully.

Bisky made a "shh" gesture, then quietly got up, retrieved a blanket, and draped it over Germain.

Shizuku lowered her head, then turned her face away, avoiding the mountain's obstruction. Unconsciously, she showed a faint smile at Germain's profile.

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