Gourmet Hunter - Chapter 10 (Patreon)

Chapter 10: Arm Wrestling

Meteor Street isn't a city. Its exit could rather be called a gap, where leaving the cluster of buildings means leaving Meteor Street. To reach the Junkyard, one has to walk a distance of a kilometer.

Uvogin spotted Machi and Luo from afar. Despite the several hundred meters between them, he bellowed, "Machi, you're late!"

"Your voice is too loud!" Nobunaga leaned against the wall of a house, expressing his dissatisfaction.

"Oh." Uvogin, arms crossed, paid no mind as he watched Machi and Luo approach.

"Is that all your reaction? At least show some realization and say you'll be mindful next time." Nobunaga glared.

Uvogin just grimaced, "This is how I am, can't change that. If you're not satisfied, go ahead and crush my vocal cords."

"Hmm?" Nobunaga's gaze sharpened like a blade, his hand gripping the hilt of his sheathed wooden sword against the wall, seriously saying, "You said it, don't blame me for being unkind."

Uvogin didn't reply but turned to Nobunaga with a carefree smile, his sharp teeth giving off a chilling vibe.

On the street, hundreds of meters away, Machi hadn't yet noticed Uvogin and Nobunaga were about to start their usual squabble.

"Uvogin hates lateness the most. This is troublesome." Hearing Uvogin's loud voice, Machi's eyes went dead fish-like. She regretted lingering over Marza for too long.

"What will happen then?" Luo asked curiously, eyeing the distinct afro at the exit.

"The punishment is arm wrestling with him," Machi sighed softly.

"Really?" Luo was surprised, asking, "Have you been punished before?"

Machi replied reluctantly, "Once. My right arm ached for a whole week."

"No way, he actually went through with it." Luo found it hard to believe, considering the significant age, appearance, and size differences between Machi and Uvogin, especially Machi's delicate figure.

"Wait." Luo suddenly thought of something, asking, "You didn't seriously compete with him, did you?"

Though it was a punishment, arm wrestling is typically a contest of strength among men, driven by pride and a strong desire to win, usually exerting full force.

But if it was just about beating the petite Machi, there would be no sense of achievement. Machi didn't need to fiercely compete against Uvogin; pretending to be quickly overpowered would suffice, avoiding a week-long arm pain.

Luo likely pretended to forget he was recently bested by Machi in strength.

After hearing Luo's speculative question, Machi nodded.

Luo smiled bitterly, saying, "You really are competitive, a little girl competing with such a big guy?"

Machi glared at him, "I hate losing. Besides, Uvogin would be even less pleased if I didn't give my all."

Luo, left without words, rubbed his forehead with his index and middle fingers. He felt he was beginning to understand Machi—delicate and cute on the outside but with a rather masculine personality inside.

As they neared, Luo could clearly see Uvogin and Nobunaga's faces, quite different from his memory of them years later.

Uvogin, with dark skin and a noticeable black afro, was tall and muscular, but not as much as he would be years later.

Nobunaga, with a straight braid on his head, had delicate features and fair skin, the opposite of Uvogin, looking like a pretty boy, far from the disheveled uncle appearance years later.

This was Luo's first impression of Uvogin and Nobunaga, realizing the ravages of time were formidable. These two were dangerous, and the more dangerous one might also be in Meteor Street.

Luo suddenly remembered Hisoka, capable of freely hunting down examinees in the Hunter Exam. Wait, it seemed like those two were about to fight.

Nobunaga held his wooden sword, frowning at Uvogin.

"Crack."

Uvogin's knuckles cracked unusually, his hands clasped together, producing a crisp sound.

The atmosphere tensed, as if a fight could break out at any moment.

"Here we go again, you two," Machi said, hands on her hips, looking exasperated.

Luo observed Uvogin and Nobunaga up close. Members of the Phantom Troupe were nen masters, but Machi clearly hadn't encountered nen abilities yet. The readiness for battle in Uvogin and Nobunaga felt dangerous to him.

Yet, precisely because of this, Luo was certain Uvogin and Nobunaga also hadn't encountered nen

 abilities.

If not for their battle-ready stance, he wouldn't be able to tell. They were definitely not using "Ten."

"Nobunaga, if you guys start fighting, I'll use my threads to try and tie up your wooden sword," Machi warned, noticing they ignored her, her expression turning cold.

"Why me?"

Nobunaga's gathered momentum dissipated instantly, looking baffled at Machi.

"Haha." Uvogin laughed boisterously, not caring for decorum.

The tense air slowly dissipated, along with the previously charged atmosphere.

"Without even touching nen abilities, can they unconsciously generate an 'aura'? They must be close to stepping into the threshold," Luo thought, standing aside like an outsider.

Technically, this was his first meeting with Uvogin and Nobunaga. The first time they met, both were wearing gas masks and did not approve of Machi's decision, showing him no kindness. After returning to Meteor Street, they hadn't visited Machi's home.

"Put away your wooden sword. The fight would end quickly, avoiding a waste of time," Machi seriously replied to Nobunaga's question.

Nobunaga sheathed his sword, patting his forehead with a resigned expression.

Uvogin, laughing even more wildly, patted Nobunaga's shoulder, "Fists are a man's best weapon, get it?"

"Get lost!" Nobunaga swatted Uvogin's hand away without any warmth.

Uvogin, unfazed, suddenly turned to Machi, "Machi, you're two minutes late. According to the rules, you have to arm wrestle me. The loser gives up fifty percent of today's earnings."

Machi smiled bitterly. Two minutes...if she remembered correctly, it was actually just ten seconds late.

"Just two minutes. Does a grown man need to be so petty?" Luo immediately disapproved, hearing Uvogin's follow-up. Arm wrestling was one thing, but giving up fifty percent of the earnings seemed unfair, clearly disadvantaging Machi.

He stepped forward, positioning himself in front of Machi.

"Oh, it's you," Uvogin said, noticing Luo as if for the first time, his response cool.

Nobunaga looked at Luo, "Kid, even a second counts as late. It's not about being petty; it's about rules, got it?"

Seeing their reactions, Luo laughed, no longer annoyed, calmly saying, "Alright, then let me arm wrestle you."

More than words, overpowering Uvogin's arm would be the most effective statement.

Hearing Luo's challenge, Nobunaga showed interest, while Uvogin looked disdainful, knowing Luo's strength wasn't on par with Machi's.

"Luo, stop it," Machi pulled Luo back, then, seeing the slightly weird reaction from the trio, became puzzled.

"Stop it"...Such words seemed out of character for Machi.

Luo, Nobunaga, and Uvogin looked at her as if they were seeing her in a new light.

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