Gourmet Hunter - Chapter 58 (Patreon)

Chapter 58: Preparing to Leave

The night deepened.

Machi fell into a deep sleep, perhaps the presence of Luo had allowed her to transition from the second stage of light sleep to the fourth stage of deep sleep.

Trusting Luo, and with him by her side, she felt a sense of security she herself wasn't even aware of.

Luo wasn't asleep. With his hands under his head as a pillow, he stared at the ceiling, recalling the battle he had just had with Hisoka.

This was a habit he had developed during his combat training; even maintaining a perfect record, he would reflect on the fight afterward to identify any mistakes made or any decision that could have been executed differently.

Identify them, remember them, and strive not to repeat them.

As he reminisced, his eyelids gradually grew heavy.

Unconsciously, Luo fell asleep.

The next morning, Luo woke up, while Machi was still sleeping.

Glancing at the sunlight filtering through the gaps in the window, Luo stretched lazily. Without eating, he simply washed up and began his daily Nen training.

He took a stone the size of a washbasin and practiced separating and reassembling it, a cycle that continued for an hour.

An hour later, Machi woke up.

Luo noticed immediately and asked, "What would you like for breakfast?"

"Anything you make is fine with me."

Machi replied casually before hopping out of the hammock and heading to the bathroom.

Luo smiled, tidied up the training area, then left the house intending to visit the market.

Planning to depart the next morning, Luo decided against any combat training today. Instead, he aimed to buy some groceries for a luxurious feast.

The market on Meteor Street was pitifully small, but it had a decent flow of people. However, the variety of products in the shops was generally limited.

One type of shop had a relatively large inventory, the electronics stores.

The products, ranging from TVs to radios and refrigerators, were all picked from the junkyard and barely functional after simple repairs.

Arriving at the market, Luo headed straight for the food section.

The quality of meat and vegetables was similar, leaving little room for selection. He quickly purchased the ingredients, with pork taking up most of his budget.

On his way back, Luo stopped in front of a clothing store.

The shop was small, with a wooden door on the left and a glass showcase on the right, the glass barely held together with tape.

Clothing was a luxury in Meteor Street. Even Chrollo only had a few sets of clothes, and someone like Uvogin, who lived relatively well, would typically wear shorts and a t-shirt.

After arriving at Meteor Street, Luo also had only a couple of outfits, and Machi, still wearing her white practice gear, long sleeves on top and shorts below.

What made Luo pause was a pair of purple mid-calf socks displayed in the glass showcase.

"The same color as Machi's hair."

After a moment's hesitation, Luo pushed the door and entered.

The interior was as cramped as the exterior suggested.

At the entrance was a counter with an old woman dozing off, a brass pipe in her mouth, puffing away without any intention to greet Luo.

The smoke was thick, but Luo, remembering where he was, relaxed again soon after.

He was mainly interested in the purple socks, so after a brief look around, he turned his attention back to them.

Seeing that the old woman made no move to assist, Luo didn't hesitate to reach behind the curtain and take the socks from the showcase to examine them.

The material felt average, likely new and imported. Judging by the size, they seemed to fit.

After a moment, Luo decided to buy them, walked to the counter, and placed the socks on it.

Only then did the old woman look up at Luo.

For the first time, Luo noticed that the old woman was maintaining Ten, indicating she was a Nen user.

Surprised, Luo didn't inquire further but asked, "How much for these socks?"

"13,000 Jenny," the old woman replied with a deep voice, exhaling a puff of smoke.

That's a rip-off…

Luo, seeing the indifferent attitude of the old woman, didn't bother to haggle and paid.

After taking the money, the old woman showed no change in expression, continuing to puff away without any follow-up action.

Luo paused, then asked, "Do you have a bag?"

The old woman glanced at him coldly, "No."

Luo twitched, deciding to respect his elders and not make a fuss, took the socks, and left.

Only after Luo had left did the old woman look towards the door, her old eyes reflecting contemplation.

"Not bad."

She tapped her long pipe.

...

Luo returned home to find Machi waiting for him.

"Here, try these on."

He handed the purple mid-calf socks to Machi, who stared at them blankly for a moment.

"What are you spacing out for? Take them." Luo urged with a deadpan expression.

"Oh."

Machi snapped out of her daze and mechanically accepted the socks. This was her first time receiving a gift, and she was visibly not used to it. Moreover, her heart inexplicably began to beat faster.

"Try them on for size. I'll go make breakfast."

Without waiting for Machi's response, Luo grabbed the groceries and busied himself.

"Mhm." Machi responded quietly, then silently admired the purple socks in her hands, a gentle smile forming on her lips.

Purple, just like her hair color. She liked them very much.

Calming the indescribable excitement in her heart, Machi sat on the bed, took off her shoes, and slipped the socks on.

"They fit perfectly."

Machi stood up, the velvety socks reaching just below her knees, covering her slender calves.

She looked at the stretched socks, bent over to adjust their height slightly, creating a few folds.

"Yeah, this looks much better."

Satisfied, Machi nodded, her thoughts drifting to Luo's busy figure, feeling a soft warmth in her heart.

...

After breakfast, Luo and Machi went to find Uvogin and the others.

Instead of practical combat, they gathered at Uvogin's place for a while to train their Nen abilities.

Around noon, they invited Chrollo and Pakunoda to join them.

Luo prepared a lavish lunch to treat everyone.

After the meal, seeing everyone's satisfied faces, Luo said, "I'll be leaving the day after tomorrow morning for Yorknew City."

"What?" Uvogin's face changed, and he stood up abruptly.

"Calm down, it's just for about half a month. When I return, you'll have plenty of opportunities to challenge me." Luo replied with a wry smile.

"Challenge..." Uvogin's mouth twitched, unable to refute.

After a brief explanation, they understood that Luo was leaving for Yorknew City on a task given by the Elder Council, with a reward of five million Jenny.

Learning that Luo would be gone for nearly half a month, Uvogin and the others were visibly disheartened, feeling the upcoming half-month would be a disaster without Luo's cooking.

Luo didn't mention the threat he was facing, and Chrollo, being in the know, wasn't likely to disclose it either.

The day passed quickly.

As night fell, everyone went their separate ways.

Luo and Machi returned to their small room.

"Luo, the rules of survival in Meteor Street apply anywhere." Machi suddenly said, lying in the hammock.

Lying on the bed, Luo replied after hearing her, "But they don't suit me."

Machi fell silent for a moment before seriously saying, "I just don't want you to be at a disadvantage."

"At a disadvantage, huh..." Luo chuckled bitterly, "The rules of survival in Meteor Street are too ruthless."

"But I survived because of them," Machi immediately retorted.

"I know." Luo nodded.

Then, silence fell between them, filling the room with quiet.

"Machi, don't kill the innocent."

Thinking of the survival rules of Meteor Street, Luo remembered Cook, whom he had killed, and the future actions of the Phantom Troupe.

Thus, he uttered this seemingly random statement.

At this moment, Machi was just a girl who had recently encountered Nen, her hands still clean, cleaner than Luo's, who had taken a life.

"What do you mean?" Machi looked puzzled.

"Never mind, rest now."

Realizing his thoughtfulness, Luo smiled silently and brushed off the question.

The next morning, without asking anyone to send him off, Luo arrived at the eastern exit of Meteor Street ten minutes early, where four people were already waiting.

-------

Table of content - Next Chapter >>>

• Your invaluable feedback and ratings mean the world to me. Please take a moment to rate this novel at Novelupdate.

• You can also check out the other Novels I'm currently translating by clicking HERE.