"Cousin Ron?"
Killua froze for a moment. Hearing Ron's name, he felt no objection. Lately, Killua might seem "rebellious," but it depended on who he was dealing with. In front of Illumi, Kikyo, or Milluki, he could act very defiant. Yet with Ron, Silva, and Zeno, he wouldn't. He respected Ron more than he did Milluki or Illumi.
"Is your cousin asking us to wait so we can go to Heaven's Arena together?" Gon wondered.
Killua thought it over; that sounded likely. He recalled that Ron wasn't alone at Heaven's Arena—he had friends and companions there, all of them quite strong.
"I remember Ron is a Floor Master, right?" Kurapika asked Killua.
Killua nodded. "Something like that." Then he turned to Zebro. "Zebro, did Cousin Ron say how long we need to wait?"
Zebro shook his head. "Shinji didn't specify, but he sounded like it wouldn't be long."
Leorio couldn't hold back his curiosity and asked, "Mr.Zebro, mind if I ask something? Years ago, when Ron's friend visited the Zoldyck estate, did they go through the same sort of tests we did?"
He was referring to Wendy. Leorio knew Wendy had pushed open the Testing Gate, but he and the others had faced more than just the gate: they'd undergone several trials.
"As far as I know, no," Zebro replied. "Wendy arrived with Master Ron, and after she opened the gate, they both headed straight inside. That was it."
Leorio fell silent.
Just then, the Testing Gate opened from within, and two figures stepped out. Killua and the others looked over.
"Cousin Ron."
"Master Ron."
"Ron."
All of them were taken aback by the person standing behind Ron.
"Ponzu?"
"What are you doing here?"
The four of them recognized Ponzu from the Hunter Exam—they'd all been examinees in the same round, and they'd even worked together on the ship.
Ron gave a quick explanation. "Ponzu's one of my team members now. I brought her along. Sorry to keep you waiting—have you been here long?"
Killua shook his head. "We just got here ourselves."
Ron nodded. "I heard from the butlers that you and Gon plan on heading to Heaven's Arena. I'm also going, so I asked Zebro to hold you up for a moment."
He looked to the group. "Let's go together."
The six of them set off downhill. There was no bus today, no "free ride," but none of them minded. Considering the first phase of the Hunter Exam was tougher than this, the walk was hardly worth mentioning.
Zebro watched them go. "Master Ron's aura is completely beyond me now…like Illumi or Master Silva. I wonder how strong Killua will be the next time he comes back. The talent of the Zoldyck Family never ceases to amaze me. That's why I'm content to stick around as Mike's caretaker."
Soon, the six disappeared from Zebro's view. He returned to his little room, settling down with a cup of hot tea, a radio, and a reclining chair—his unremarkable, day-to-day life.
......
..
.
Walking down the slope, Leorio finally gave in to his curiosity and sidled up to Ron.
"Hey, Ron, can I ask you something?"
"Sure, go ahead," Ron said.
"I know this isn't really your fault, and I don't hold any grudge. You helped us a lot during the Hunter Exam, and I'll never forget it." Leorio paused. "I just want to be direct, so don't take it the wrong way. Gon, Kurapika, and I are all Killua's friends—especially Gon. But when we came to see him, we had to pass a ton of trials. They were pretty tough. Gon once said, 'We're here to visit a friend, so why all the tests?'
"Zebro just mentioned you brought your friend here once, but it doesn't sound like they faced all these trials. That's what's bugging me."
This question had also crossed Kurapika's and Killua's minds. Gon had been curious about it before, but he'd already moved on—he was the sort who forgot such worries quickly.
Ron took in Leorio's words. He understood their little grudge; people disliked being treated unfairly, especially when they saw someone else getting different treatment under similar circumstances.
"No," Ron replied. "When Wendy came to visit, she didn't have to go through any tests. She only opened the Testing Gate because she was curious. If she hadn't, she still would've been allowed straight into the estate."
Leorio and the others stared at Ron in surprise. Before they could feel any deeper frustration, Ron went on:
"But your situation was different. First of all, I asked for permission in advance from Grandfather Zeno and Great-Grandfather Maha before Wendy arrived. They agreed. You came without any arrangement—Killua never discussed it with Grandfather Zeno or Uncle Silva. You also showed up separately, not as an obvious, recognized group. That meant your identities weren't fully confirmed.
"And, honestly, there was another reason: you might see those trials as difficult, but they never actually endangered you. It was more like a follow-up test to the Hunter Exam."
Killua and the others all tensed. "What do you mean?"
"You've got your licenses, but you're not truly Hunters yet. The butler's tests might've seemed intense, but they never really meant you harm. It was just a glimpse into the real world that Hunters inhabit."