HxH: Ryomen... Satoru?

The two magical beasts were far larger than ordinary tigers, their muscles resembling solid chunks of stone that radiated immense strength and ferocity.

Standing there, they seemed like two small mountains, blocking out the sunlight and casting a massive shadow.

An invisible wind swirled around them with every breath they took. With just a thought, that gentle, harmless breeze could transform into a deadly attack.

With each inhale and exhale, Cyr's hair and clothes swayed in rhythm with their breathing.

"Human, put down my child," one of the tigers said, raising a paw and pointing at them, speaking in a deep, resonant voice.

The tiger spoke!

Oh, right—they were magical beasts. In the Hunter world, it wasn't unusual for magical beasts to talk. In the original story, Killua and the others encountered a magical beast disguised as an examiner during the Hunter Exam, and there were even magical beasts that cooperated with the Hunter Association as test proctors.

What's more, these two seemed to control the wind.

Feeling the shifting wind patterns around him, Cyr's gaze settled on the two massive tigers.

The rest of the group had already adopted defensive stances, ready to spring into action at any moment.

But the tigers didn't seem intent on fighting. Instead, one impatiently pawed at the ground, leaving deep claw marks in the dirt.

"What do you mean, 'your child'? This little guy clearly looks more like he's related to me," Cyr said, holding up the white tiger cub and giving it a small shake. He pointed at the cub, then at himself.

Same white fur, black stripes, and blue eyes.

Honestly, it was hard to tell whether the tiger had turned into him or he had turned into the tiger.

"Do you see any resemblance between it and you?" the white-haired boy boldly questioned the two large tigers.

Your kid is great, but now it's mine.

The two tigers fell silent, their breathing still rumbling like thunder, their presence overwhelming.

The wind picked up, growing more intense. It whipped across their faces, stinging sharply like tiny needles.

The tigers were clearly deep in thought.

As self-proclaimed kings of this forest, they were fully capable of raising their young—even if this particular cub looked nothing like them and was far too frail.

But that frailty also meant the cub wasn't promising.

They had initially planned to abandon it. Yet in the end, they chose to return.

These were magical beasts with intelligence equal to humans. They balanced reason with instinct, and in this case, reason outweighed their animalistic nature.

Otherwise, they wouldn't be building fires, roasting meat, and eating cooked food.

Tigers are solitary creatures. They don't care for their young indefinitely; eventually, they drive them away once they're old enough.

A weak cub like this one would likely die the day after being expelled from their territory.

Now, a human had appeared, wanting to take this cub they were prepared to abandon.

The tigers had seen humans come into the forest before to capture animals. Those humans had been rough, cruel, and ruthless. None of the captured animals ever returned. They had likely died outside the forest.

The two tigers exchanged a glance, then both fixed their gaze on the boy holding their "good-for-nothing son."

Say what you will, but that human boy's appearance did resemble their cub's…

Still, could magical beasts really trust a human?

"Human, can we trust you?" the male tiger asked in a deep, resonant voice. Even though he kept his tone low, the sheer power behind it made Cyr's ears buzz.

Apparently, in addition to controlling the wind, these two tigers could also use their roars for sonic attacks.

Cyr blinked expressionlessly. After a moment of thought, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his Hunter license.

"I'm a Hunter. You magical beasts should know about Hunters, right?"

Even if his personal credibility was impeccable, these two tigers wouldn't believe him. It was better to rely on his identity as a Hunter.

At least in this world, Hunters had an excellent reputation.

The Hunter license was essentially a universal pass—valid anywhere you needed it.

"What's a Hunter?" The two tigers, however, looked utterly confused.

Their massive tiger faces were full of bewilderment, making it clear they had no clue what he was talking about.

Cyr's mouth twitched as he put away the now-useless license. He ran a hand through the back of his hair and sighed. "...Are you two shut-in tigers or something?"

No way, they really didn't know what a Hunter was?

"Other magical beasts know about cooperating with the Hunter Association and have even become test proctors. And then there's you two… You've never even heard of Hunters."

The white-haired boy's face was a picture of disappointment, like a parent scolding a child for failing to meet expectations.

"Look at the other magical beasts and then look at yourselves. Aren't you embarrassed? No wonder you were planning to abandon your kid."

Must be a lack of education, Cyr thought to himself with a huff. Educated ones just choose not to have kids at all.

The two massive tigers were stunned by his words.

What? Magical beasts cooperating with humans? What kind of world was this turning into?

"It's not surprising they don't know," the man with the explosion of hair said thoughtfully. "They're a newly discovered species, after all. If they weren't so reclusive, we'd have found them ages ago. Plenty of magical beasts like them live deep in this forest, far away from humans, practically in hiding."

The two tigers were silent for a long time. Finally, the tigress spoke.

"Human boy, I trust you."

As a tigress, her ability to judge males was unparalleled. Just by his aura, she could tell that this human boy held a high position among his own kind.

"You can take it with you."

Once the tigress had spoken, the male tiger immediately backed down. It was clear who was in charge—it was a classic case of a henpecked tiger.

"A wise choice," Cyr said with a snap of his fingers, grinning as he gave a thumbs-up.

Otherwise, he might have ended up as the murderer of the little white tiger's siblings and parents.

He had no other option. If he wanted to raise the tiger, he had to have it.

Anyone or anything that stood in his way—whether human or magical beast—would have to die.

Though the boy's face carried a smile, his eyes remained cold. His gaze swept briefly over Kite, the rest of the group, and the tiger family. He said no more.

"Well then, human boy, would you like to give it a name?" the tigress asked.

"...Let's call it Sora," Cyr said lightly, looking at the blue-eyed white tiger cub.

"Very well—Sora, you shall now follow this human boy. You will protect him, fight for him, and serve him until the end of your life," the tigress said, turning to her child.

The horn on her forehead suddenly glowed with a gentle black light.

"The contract is sealed."

The black light split into two beams, one entering the cub and the other Cyr.

As the ritual ended, the tigress visibly weakened, her energy fading before their eyes.

"Ma'am! Are you alright?" The blond youth scanned her nervously from head to toe, seemingly wanting to examine her more closely to figure out what the black light might have done.

"Ice mirror," Cyr ordered casually.

"Yes." Maro immediately raised his hand, conjuring a human-sized sheet of ice.

Cyr studied the cub for a moment, then turned to the reflection in the mirror. After a while, he stuck out his tongue.

On his tongue was a distinct black mark—a wind sigil, or perhaps more accurately...

—a rose compass pattern.

°°°

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