"Then, Tonpa-san, do me a favor—give me some face. For the rest of the way, could you carry me for a bit?"
Lu ou said earnestly.
"I know Tonpa-san really cares about us rookies. Whenever someone has trouble, you always lend a hand. And with stamina as good as yours, this should be no problem at all."
This little brat really thinks I'm some kind of saint…
Tonpa felt deeply uncomfortable and was about to refuse, but then another thought crossed his mind.
This kid is seriously suspicious. I can't let him ruin my plans every single time. If I observe him up close, maybe I'll find something off.
According to Tonpa's estimate, the test should be ending soon anyway. Taking advantage of this request to investigate Lu ou—without drawing attention—was the perfect opportunity.
What a great idea.
More importantly, I can show off my abilities. My stamina is top-notch. Even a perpetual failure has dignity. A perpetual failure deserves attention. A perpetual failure needs a stage to shine on.
With his blood quietly boiling, Tonpa found it impossible to refuse.
"Well, since Ou has said so much, it really wouldn't sit right with me if I didn't help. Come on up."
As he spoke, Tonpa crouched down, looking as though he had thought everything through.
"Alright. Sorry to trouble you, Tonpa-san."
Lu ou thanked him and, without the slightest hesitation, climbed onto Tonpa's back, settling there securely.
"Ou, do you want me to help too?"
Gon looked worriedly at Lu ou, who looked completely exhausted as he lay on Tonpa's back.
Killua frowned and also moved closer. Though he didn't say anything, his actions spoke for him. This was his first time trying to show concern for someone else, and he honestly didn't know how. Carrying someone was out of the question—Killua had never learned how to carry people in his life.
"No need. Tonpa-san is a kind, helpful man, and he has plenty of stamina. There's no way he'd need your help, Gon. Definitely no need."
Lu ou replied calmly.
"That's right, it's fine. Gon, I'll handle it. My stamina is well known."
Tonpa smiled honestly, looking simple and good-natured.
Gon scratched his head and said nothing more, but he stayed close in front of Tonpa, clearly prepared to advance or retreat together.
"So this works too…?"
Leorio muttered to himself.
He had been watching closely and didn't think Ou's way of dealing with people was particularly special. So why did he have such huge "face"?
Leorio felt a little envious. If he had that kind of influence, why bother taking the exam at all? Just ask the examiner to give you some face and pass you.
In the end, all his thoughts condensed into one sentence:
"Ou really is a good kid."
Lu ou, who had just been handed a "good person card" without knowing it, was completely unaware of Leorio's thoughts. If he had known, he would have said:
If I had the ability to find such rare ingredients and cook them for the examiners, I wouldn't bother following the rules and taking the exam step by step.
Of course, not wanting to miss all the excitement along the way was also part of why Lu ou convinced himself not to take shortcuts.
"This is fun. Finally, it's not boring anymore."
Killua smiled faintly, feeling that coming to the Hunter Exam for fun had been the right choice after all—especially when it meant watching someone with ill intentions willingly help others.
Now, we must pay attention to Kurapika.
"Did I misjudge him earlier? Is this Tonpa actually a good person? He even agreed to carry someone during the exam…"
Kurapika rubbed his temples, feeling the need to reorganize his thoughts.
Tonpa's earlier behavior had always felt off to him. After all, anyone capable of passing the Hunter Exam must have endured countless hardships—so why would someone be so warm and enthusiastic toward competitors, especially a veteran who had participated many times?
Yet when Lu ou made the request, Tonpa didn't look particularly troubled—he even seemed inclined to agree. That already made Kurapika doubt his earlier conclusions. And now Tonpa had agreed without conditions, which was simply shocking.
Helping others while taking the exam himself—this was textbook selflessness.
One of the "Top Ten Most Touching Hunters" would definitely have to include Tonpa.
"Let's go."
With Lu ou secured on his back, Tonpa called out to the group that had stopped and continued forward.
Lu ou was still quite young and short, and didn't weigh much. And Tonpa's ability—having taken the official exam thirty times—was unquestionable. Carrying him felt effortless.
"Ou, you probably don't exercise much usually. This exam really tests endurance. How do you normally train?"
Not long after setting off, Tonpa began probing casually, hoping to uncover something suspicious.
"No special training. I just go into the forest with Gon to play, make friends with animals, and then eat."
Lu ou answered casually. That was basically it. If Tonpa could find anything unusual from that, he was welcome to try.
Truly impressive, Hunter Tonpa.
"Play? Eat?"
So he really was just a kid—only knew how to play and eat. Being popular among kids didn't mean he was actually capable.
Tonpa relaxed a little more because of this, feeling there was no need to stay on guard. Next time, he'd definitely find a way to bring these people down.
Having convinced himself he'd found the answer, Tonpa stopped probing and followed the main group forward at a steady pace.
As for Lu ou, he behaved obediently, curled up on Tonpa's back, closed his eyes, and began conserving his energy for the Drowned Swamp.
That place was far more dangerous than running—and with what he planned to do later, lacking stamina was not an option.
Leaving a small part of his attention on Gon and the others, Lu ou quickly entered a recovery state. He trusted that after this training, his physical endurance would be noticeably stronger than before.
Tap, tap, tap.
Everyone was pushing themselves to the limit, but the closer they got to the end, the more people were eliminated.
Satotz's pace hadn't changed in frequency, but each step now covered more distance, giving the impression that his limbs were stretching—almost like Luffy's.
More and more people fell behind, which also meant the finish line was drawing closer.
"Huff… huff…"
Leorio panted heavily, like an old ox, as if doing so could ease his exhaustion even a little.
Ever since he refused the skateboard, he'd been relying purely on willpower to push past his physical limits. Being tired was inevitable—what mattered most was that his body's potential was nearly exhausted.
Leorio grew increasingly restless.
"Leorio, hang in there a bit longer—we're almost there."
Lu ou spoke up.
"Alright. Got it."
Knowing the finish line was close, Leorio finally felt a sense of relief. Otherwise, things would've ended badly—after all, he'd been the one who insisted on no skateboard and no help.