Tulips of Truth [Ⓗⓤⓝⓣⓔⓡ Ⓧ Ⓗⓤⓝⓣⓔⓡ]

Chapter 5: Unskilled x in the x Kitchen

It felt like hours since the traumatic experience with her father's deceased body. Cassandra knew that it was an illusion just to trigger her, but still. It didn't have to be THAT extreme. After minutes of walking through the woods, Cassandra slumped against a tree. That's when a voice could be heard. Footsteps padded against the terrain at a rapid pace as if someone was running to something or... away but in a different direction. "Hey! Miss!!"

Gon ran to her and knelt, taking her hands into his. He saw the blood smeared on her face and arm. The bloody stick sat beside her left leg. "Are you okay?!" he said.

She didn't respond. Her chest heaved as she kept the cold sweat coming. In an act of kindness, Gon hugged her. He could hear her heartbeat going crazy like she ran a marathon. But slowly, it regained a normal pace. Her eyes fluttered closed as she passed out, her breath now coming out in small yet light huffs. Gon then lifted his head from her shoulder and gently picked her up, amazed at how light she was in his arms. Walking out of the forest, he met up with Kurapike and Killua. "Oh– it's the girl from the first phase!" Killua gasped.

"Did she pass out?" Kurapika asked.

"Yeah. I didn't get a response as to why she did, but... she seemed scared," Gon replied, worriedly narrowing his eyes.

Both of the boys stayed silent as the green-haired boy put Cassandra under a tree, using Leorio's shirt as a blanket. "And now we just wait for her to wake up," Killua muttered.

Kurapika pursed his lips and walked to sit beside the passed-out girl, letting her rest her head on his shoulder. While this happened, Satotz spoke while standing in front of two large bronze-like doors. "The Second Phase of the exam will occur here, in the Visca Forest Preserve. So, I shall take my leave. Best of luck to all of you."

And with that, Satotz left, walking away in his weird toy-like way. The people watched, then turned their heads quickly as the doors began to open. Gon came to Cassandra who was still asleep, and picked her up, slinging her and her tote bag over his shoulder. The doors fully opened to reveal the preserve plus many cooking areas. "All applicants who have passed the First Phase, please enter!"

Sitting at the head in a chair was a girl with teal hair, tan skin, and a black bra under a translucent crop top. Behind her was a man of large weight with a yellow shirt that didn't cover his stomach. These were Menchi and Buhara; the Second Phase examiners. All of a sudden, there was a loud rumbling sound. It came from Buhara's stomach. "So wait– we have to cook?!" someone exclaimed.

"I'm not a chef!"

"Neither am I some kind of person that works in a goddamn restaurant!"

"That's a chef, idiot!"

Menchi rolled her eyes and explained that they had to make something with a pig. They were Gourmet Hunters. Their job was to look for exotic ingredients all over the world. That's when Cassandra woke up. She wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and changed her shoes back to her black flats. She shakily stood up, and Leorio was the first to see she was awake. "Hey– miss. Are you feeling better? Do you need any medication?" he asked.

"N-No... I'm fine... I just had some traumatic experience," the redhead replied.

Leorio pursed his lips and ghosted a hand over his swollen cheek. He didn't want to get too personal with her, so he walked with her in silence to join the group again just as Menchi told the many applicants to scurry and find the pig they were going to roast. "So what do we do?" Killua asked.

"I think they're out in the forest," Gon replied.

He led his friends and the redhead into the forest where they and the other applicants began searching for the pigs. That's when Gon stopped in shock. He had found one. Killua hadn't noticed as he kept walking, bumping into him. Both of them crashed at the bottom of a hill. Soon, Kurapika, Cassandra, and Leorio joined them, in that order. "Ow... I should've kept my sneakers on..." Cassandra groaned.