Gourmet Hunter - Chapter 154 (Patreon)

Chapter 154: Aftertaste

As the setting sun casts a twilight glow, it stains the horizon red.

In the hotel, Machi wakes up in the suite, alone in the room.

A muffled noise comes through the slightly ajar door.

“Luo…”

Machi pauses briefly, then gets out of bed, opens the door, and steps out of the suite.

Outside, in the lavishly decorated spacious living room, Uvogin and several others are gathered around a table laden with a variety of dishes.

“You’re awake, come and eat with us,” Uvogin says, his mouth stuffed with meat, cheeks bulging, making his words indistinct.

Machi glances around the living room. Uvogin, Nobunaga, Pakunoda, Feitan, Franklin, and Chrollo are all there… but Luo and Sanbica are not.

She bites her lip, her gaze lingering on Uvogin.

His right eye is swollen, squinting into a slit, and his face bears several bruises and swellings, even his typically explosive hairstyle cannot hide the bumps.

This is Uvogin’s current state, as if he's been severely beaten, but he stubbornly continues to eat more eagerly than anyone else at the table, regardless of his injuries, and washes down each bite with a swig of beer.

“Where’s Luo?” Machi asks.

“Nobunaga, explain it to Machi,” Uvogin says, busy devouring his food, while the others continue eating.

Nobunaga, with a chicken leg half-eaten in his hand, looks at Machi and says, “That bastard Luo left two hours ago.”

His sword was broken by Luo, and mentioning it now fills him with resentment.

Machi hears this and suddenly presses her hand against the doorframe, crushing it with a little force.

Nobunaga glances at the damaged doorframe and calmly says, “Come eat something first to calm down, then I’ll tell you how Luo beat Uvogin into a fool.”

At that moment, a chicken bone hits Nobunaga on the head with considerable force, nearly knocking him off his chair.

“Bastard!”

Without looking, Nobunaga knows who threw the bone.

He picks up the chicken leg he had put down, hesitates for a moment, then devours the meat before flinging the bone at Uvogin’s face.

For a moment, it looks like the two are about to start fighting again.

Seeing this, Machi sighs lightly and sits next to Pakunoda.

Seeing her sit down, Pakunoda hands her a new set of chopsticks and bowl.

Machi takes them, and although she's hungry, she has no appetite looking at the rich spread of food.

Pakunoda, observing Machi’s subdued mood, whispers, “Luo left a contact number before he left.”

“Did he say anything else?” Machi asks.

“The offer remains open indefinitely,” Pakunoda highlights the most crucial point.

Machi pauses, her lips pressed tightly, as if imagining Luo saying those words, probably in a flippant manner.

“Let’s eat first, and I’ll tell you more later,” Pakunoda says.

Machi nods slightly, knowing that with the number, finding Luo wouldn’t be difficult.

After everyone has eaten, Pakunoda tells Machi about the events that followed.

After Pakunoda was knocked out by Luo, Uvogin took on Luo. He started arrogantly, demanding at least ten fights, later declaring that Luo must become the Troupe's dedicated chef.

However, the battle lasted only three rounds before Uvogin was beaten and retreated, his face bruised and swollen, a clear outcome.

After Uvogin’s defeat, Nobunaga stepped up, faring slightly better than Feitan but still ended up re-engaging in a second round due to unresolved issues, resulting in his beloved sword being cut by Luo.

Though it was a beloved sword, it was just a regular katana.

The battle to recruit Luo ended in failure, and afterwards, the group moved to the nearest city.

Luo booked a presidential suite, left some money, and then departed.

Before leaving, he left his contact number and clarified with Uvogin and Nobunaga that the condition to join the Troupe remained open indefinitely, then casually mentioned he might be free to hang out.

“Luo said anytime he’s free, we could come and find him to hang out,” Uvogin shares.

“So you just let him go?” Machi asks.

“What can I do? I couldn’t beat him,” Uvogin admits.

Nobunaga shrugs, “Anyway, we have his contact. We can find him whenever we want.”

The Troupe originally had only two rules, allowing great freedom. Unless there's urgent business, members can attend to their own

 activities.

Though Luo isn’t nearby, transportation is well-developed. With his contact, finding him is straightforward.

Machi understands why Luo made a point of keeping that offer open – he wanted to deter them temporarily from trying to recruit him.

Achieving Luo’s level of ability would take years of rigorous training, and their knowledge of Nen techniques was limited.

The conversation about Luo ends as they turn to more pressing matters – the Troupe’s upcoming plans.

“First thing, we train, then find a ‘qualified’ Nen user,” Chrollo says, sitting on a couch addressing everyone.

Regarding this, no one has objections.

While they are not well-versed in Nen techniques, finding a ‘qualified’ Nen user to learn from, and improving their own strength, are their priorities.

After all, the strength Luo displayed today served as a benchmark, illustrating the gap between their abilities.

Chrollo has to admit, his current strength is far inferior to Luo’s, but chasing that level is also an intriguing pursuit. Moreover, he understands a principle, or rather, everyone in the Troupe does.

To do as one pleases… one needs the strength to back it up.

To get what one wants, one must have the skills necessary, something those from Meteor Street are acutely aware of.

“A Bounty Hunter, huh…”

Chrollo’s eyelids droop as he recalls Luo’s parting words, spoken uncertainly and offhandedly.

The exact words were, “I might become a Gourmet Hunter, or perhaps a Bounty Hunter, oh, you guys don’t know what a Bounty Hunter is, right? It’s a hunter who specifically captures wanted criminals, probably a quick way to make money.”

After saying this, Luo shifted the topic back to gourmet interests, which was also what he mentioned to Uvogin about being free to find him.

Among them, probably only Chrollo took that comment seriously, because, in his view, Luo’s explanation about being a Bounty Hunter seemed somewhat superfluous.

But it’s just a minor concern for now; he’s only looking at the immediate future.

After setting their upcoming itinerary, the Troupe members are not in a hurry. Having just left Meteor Street, and with the money Luo left them, they decide to have some fun first.

Machi, holding Luo’s contact number, doesn’t use the room’s phone but instead goes out to a street phone booth.

She dials Luo’s number, and after a few melodious ringing tones, the call connects.

“Hello?”

On the other end, Luo’s voice comes through clearly.

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