HxH: Ryomen... Satoru?

The cleaner, who had returned from the garbage pile to his original spot, said nothing further and resumed his work.

There was no anger in his expression; he seemed to subconsciously accept the "might makes right" principle.

As long as one had enough strength, anything was permissible.

Ryo walked slowly back to District Twelve, carrying the baby. He didn't dare to use Blue — with his current physical condition, even using Blue caused him slight injuries. With this baby's frail body…

Using Blue would probably mean the child wouldn't make it to the church in District Twelve.

"I hate kids…" Ryo muttered with a look of disgust and a hint of unease as he stared at the scrawny, somewhat ugly baby in his arms that looked like a hairless monkey.

Too weak and fragile.

Even in his daily life back home, he avoided holding babies when relatives asked him to during functions.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up as he spotted a group of children passing by. He quickly rushed over, shoved the baby into the arms of one of the kids, and pulled his hands back, leaving them with just a quick line.

"Take him away."

The child, looking no older than five or six, accepted the baby with surprising skill and care.

"Syd! Another baby was dropped off!" The children hurriedly ran into the church, shouting as they went, as if this wasn't the first time.

Having passed off the burden, Ryo leisurely followed the children into the church, where a large group of kids continued their training.

Another group sat nearby, sweating and resting as they played around.

"Take him to the nursery," said the brown-haired, brown-eyed man, who looked more like a boxer than a priest. Sitting cross-legged on the floor, he opened his eyes calmly and looked toward a passage beside him.

The church had a designated nursery room with over a hundred infants.

The older children lived in vacant houses outside the church.

As long as they were in District Twelve, they didn't have to worry about harm coming to the kids.

"Okay!" The kids happily carried the baby to the nursery.

To them, it was just another sibling joining their family.

"So, 'garbage sorting' just means organizing trash? How boring." Ryo said, standing in front of Syd, eyeing the man's muscular build, visible even through his clothing, and reached out to touch it curiously.

"You've got some solid strength there." He prodded here and there, offering a casual compliment.

Another Enhancement type, perhaps? And a decent amount of Nen.

If he took a direct hit from Blue, he might just stumble back a bit without injury.

As expected in the dangerous world of Hunter, Meteor City was indeed full of hidden talents.

"…Are you done touching?" Syd spoke, trying to maintain his composure, his brows furrowing.

This kid had no sense of boundaries.

Were they close enough for this kind of familiarity?

"Just a few pats, don't be so stingy." Ryo withdrew his hand, tossing out a light complaint.

If he had the physique of a someone like Gyomei, he should act like one — standing around and letting people touch him freely.

Syd was left speechless by Ryo's unashamed attitude.

How many years had it been since he'd encountered such an aggravating kid?

A cheerful voice suddenly greeted them from outside.

"Hey, Syd, playing with your kids again?"

A blond youth entered the church with a muscular, scar-faced man, followed by two others carrying large bags of supplies.

"You're back again, delivering supplies for everyone? How long are you staying this time? Or will you be leaving tomorrow again?" Syd, clearly familiar with the pair, began chatting warmly with them.

Ryo, feeling at ease, helped himself to the supplies they'd brought.

Candy? Grab a handful.

Milk? Drink a bottle.

Apple? Eat one.

Bananas? Take two.

Out of the corner of his eye, Syd noticed the white-haired kid raiding the supplies like a bandit, making his gums itch with annoyance. Couldn't he wait until the visitors left to start eating? He didn't want it to seem like the church wasn't taking care of him!

"Cyr, enough with the snacking," Syd said, trying to keep his expression in check.

"Who are they?" Ryo ignored Syd's scolding, munching on an apple as he asked.

A blond, green-eyed youth in martial arts attire and a towering, 2.5-meter muscular man with spiky hair and a scarred face...

They looked a bit familiar. Even though they looked different as real people rather than 2D characters, some features were distinct enough for him to recognize.

"Shalnark and Uvogin. They're members of the largest organization that funds District Twelve. They usually come to Meteor City once a year and stay for just a couple of days. You happened to catch them this time," Syd explained, deliberately avoiding looking at Ryo and instead focusing on introducing Shalnark and Uvogin.

"Oh, so they're from the group funding District Twelve…" Ryo nodded calmly.

The largest organization funding District Twelve was actually the Phantom Troupe?!?

The Phantom Troupe, also known as the Spider, had members marked by spider tattoos. Composed of thirteen members, they stopped at nothing to get what they wanted, known for murder, arson, and plunder. Every one of them was an A-rank wanted criminal.

A group of A-rank criminals secretly doing charity work and raising children?

He probably hadn't read enough manga; otherwise, he wouldn't be so shocked.

And Shalnark, if he remembered right, was a Manipulator, which meant…

The two people carrying supplies behind Shalnark and Uvogin were likely under Shalnark's Nen control.

So they weren't exactly volunteering to carry those supplies.

"And this is…?" Shalnark's question seemed directed at Ryo, but his gaze shifted toward Syd.

"Cyr DeVille, a new kid at the church and the one responsible for yesterday's disturbance." Syd introduced Ryo in an unbothered tone, clearly not fazed by yesterday's chaos.

"Such a young ability user… are you even twelve?" Shalnark smiled, his sunny demeanor deceptively cheerful.

Anyone unaware of his true nature would be easily fooled by that appearance.

But Ryo knew better.

"You don't look much older than me — blond baby-face," Ryo replied dismissively.

"Ahem." Syd cleared his throat, giving Ryo a look as if to remind him to show some respect.

After all, these were the people funding District Twelve.

"I'll take that as a compliment on my youthful appearance." Shalnark didn't flinch, responding cheerfully.

"I heard the Vultures were after you yesterday? Pity we missed seeing you fight back. We don't get along with them either." Shalnark lied smoothly, his eyes bright with innocence.

In reality, the Troupe had no dealings with the Vultures, and the Vultures would never dare offend Troupe members.

"I'm not some clown here for your entertainment. If you want a show, go to the circus." The white-haired, blue-eyed boy's tone dripped with disdain, making it clear he was unyielding and difficult.

Hard to approach, entirely unappealing.

That was Shalnark's first impression of him.

Oddly enough, despite ignoring Shalnark, Ryo seemed intrigued by the silent Uvogin nearby.

"Your muscles say you're excellent at close combat…" The boy's white hair and blue eyes glinted as he casually reached out to touch Uvogin's arm.

"Let's have a match!" he said, as if suddenly inspired.

"I don't play with kids." Uvogin's voice was low as he refused.

"What's the harm? Just spar with Cyr." Shalnark, acting the friendly mediator, patted Uvogin's arm with a smile.

With one towering at 2.5 meters and the other at 1.8, the attempt at camaraderie looked a bit awkward.

Uvogin glanced at him. Although Shalnark's cheerful expression gave nothing away, he definitely had something in mind.

---

Author's Notes: Not trying to join the Troupe. Just using a bit of creative license based on past hints about the Troupe occasionally doing charity and funding weapons for Meteor City, which makes them supporting the children here believable.