In a well-decorated café, the four of them sat in two rows.
Killua and Gon naturally sat together, pushing Joey to sit next to Palm.
Joey offered her a polite smile and turned to the waiter. "A cup of black tea, thank you."
"I'll have the same," Palm replied softly.
"And another, extra sugar, please," Joey added before the waiter could leave.
"Two juices," Killua chimed in without looking up.
"Thank you," Palm said to Joey in a small voice, not quite daring to meet his eyes.
Joey shook his head. "Let's get to the point. I just got out of NGL too, so I understand why Gon and Killua are in such a rush."
"First, let me introduce myself. I'm a student of Master Knov. He said I'd be a burden, but I insisted on coming anyway," Palm said seriously.
"Knov? Who's that?" Gon asked, looking at Killua.
"Probably one of Chairman Netero's companions," Killua guessed, though his face showed uncertainty.
"Exactly. The man in the black suit," Palm said, her eyes glazing slightly with admiration. "He's so dignified and smart... so calm. Of course, I only respect him... well, maybe a little bit of love too. Ufufufufu. After all, being able to respect someone is important in romance…"
"Ah! But he doesn't know, I've never told him! Probably never will…" Her cheeks turned red.
Joey calmly took the tea and juice from the waiter, handing them to each person in turn.
Killua and Gon, meanwhile, stared in blank silence, stunned by Palm's sudden descent into full-blown lovebrain mode.
Palm, realizing how much she'd said, turned beet red and bowed her head as she slowly spooned sugar into her tea.
"I have a question," Killua said, eyes fixed on the sugar spoon. "Are we going to have to fight you?"
"Eh?" Palm blinked. "Ah, right, sorry! Chairman Netero told Master Knov not to bring anyone along, but I insisted. I poured all my passion and sincerity into the request. In the end, they gave me a conditional yes."
She lifted a pale, slender hand.
Everyone thought she was about to state the condition—
Instead, she beamed and declared, "Master Knov may seem cold, but—"
"Could you pass me some sugar too?" Joey interrupted smoothly, reaching for the sugar bowl beside her.
Palm visibly flinched at his closeness.
"O-oh, sure," she stammered, pushing it toward him, only realizing after the fact that she was still holding the spoon. Awkwardly, she handed it over too.
Joey accepted it with a smile. "Thanks. So, what was the condition?"
Rude or not, he couldn't care less about her infatuation with Knov.
Palm's expression shifted into something more serious. "You have to defeat Knuckle and Shoot."
As she said this, Nen swelled visibly around her hand, coating the teacup. The liquid inside suddenly expanded—red tea rising rapidly until it spilled over.
"Miss Palm, stop! Please stop releasing your aura!" Gon cried in panic.
But Palm had already launched into a rapid-fire mutter, venting her rage at Knuckle and Shoot—calling them vulgar, unrefined, boorish...
Joey wasn't listening to her insults. He was watching the tea overflow from the cup, fascinated.
That looks like Enhancement... What about me? What's my category?
He turned to Killua. "Hey, Killua. Is there a way to test which Nen category I'm in?"
"There is. It's called Water Divination."
Killua called a waiter over, asked for a glass of clear water, then plucked a leaf from the plant on the table and placed it in the glass.
"All you have to do is channel your aura into the water. Depending on what changes, we can determine your type."
Joey nodded, placed his hand on the glass, and began to release Nen.
"If the water increases, you're an Enhancer. If the color changes, you're an Emitter. If the taste changes, it's Transmutation. Crystals forming means Conjuration. If the leaf moves, you're a Manipulator. If none of those, it's likely Specialization."
As Killua explained, the water in Joey's cup slowly began turning a vivid sky blue.
"Well, there it is. You're an Emitter," Killua announced, shrugging.
"Emitter, huh? No wonder you and Kite clashed so easily!" Gon grinned. "And you gave away so many tells—Killua and I actually suspected you were an Emitter! Nailed it!"
"…What's that supposed to mean?" Joey shot Gon a baffled look.
"There's a theory," Killua explained, "that you can guess a person's category based on their personality and aura. It's not foolproof, but surprisingly accurate."
"Supposedly, Emitter-types tend to be brash, short-tempered, and impulsive. And they tend to butt heads with Conjurers—people who are meticulous, detail-focused, a bit neurotic."
"I am not brash or impulsive," Joey protested. "The only reason I slipped up was because I didn't know enough about Nen! You guys didn't catch anything either, right? It's all Kite's fault for being such a freak!"
Joey pouted. "And besides, we've only known each other a day, but now he's my teacher. We get along just fine, thank you very much. It's not like I'm fighting him for dominance—he just... completely overpowered me from the start."
His last sentence came out as a grumble.
"Haha, fair enough," Gon laughed. "But hey, Emitters pair well with Enhancers. So maybe you and I would make a good team."
Joey smirked. "I prefer Enhancers too. Way more straightforward than you flaky Transmuters."
His tone was light, but in his mind, he added silently:
(Palm, please chill. Remember your beloved Knov, not me.)
"I actually think we get along pretty well," Killua said, undeterred.
Joey deflected. "Back to the main topic. Knuckle and Shoot—Gon and Killua are the ones meant to fight them?"
He didn't move the water cup away. He had something else he wanted to test—something that had been on his mind ever since he lost his left hand.
If his hunch was right, he might just have a way to heal himself—before it's too late.
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