[Hunter] Kate

?Although Xiaojie was worried about not being able to take the hunter exam with Layla, but out of expectations for the hunter profession and Layla's own stubbornness, he left Whale Island with a backpack on his back and went to the nearest port to officially Embark on a journey to become a hunter.

Leila looked at Xiaojie who was rowing away, and her heart was full of reluctance. She really wanted to jump on the canoe and leave with her brother, but——

No!

Absolutely not willful!

The hunter exam is full of dangers, and if you are not careful, you will die. With your flexible skills and keen intuition, your brother may really succeed in becoming a hunter!

...But if you bring yourself, you will hinder your brother.

Just like in the forest, my elder brother climbed the tree well, but in order to catch himself who suddenly fell, his arm would be pulled out of the joint by himself; Swimming back to the river bank by myself, I was so tired that I was out of breath. The usual drag can be recovered, but in the hunter exam, if one is not careful, heaven and man will be separated forever!

So, she can't go.

At least, not with my brother.

******

"elder brother!"

Hearing the familiar sound of wind chimes, Leila immediately put down the bowl and ran to Xiaojie's room, but the smile on her face froze the moment she opened the door.

no……

nothing...

The night wind poured into the room from the wide open window, disturbing the wind chime on the window sill, and made a crisp and coherent sound, but the room was empty, and the room that lost its owner was full of loneliness.

"pat-"

Mit stepped over Layla and slammed down the window.

"Xiaojie, that kid forgot to close the window before going out. Really, that kid was a little too careless."

Leila was filled with a sense of loss and regret.

"Aunt Mitt, I miss my brother."

"...Layla."

Mitt doesn't know what to say, Xiaojie is so much like his father, and now he is like his father, taking the damn hunter exam, even leaving home at the same age, the sour feeling that emerges is vague Mitt's eyes.

Golden back.

The back figure that appeared in my mind again and again.

It seemed that the yellowed and old film reappeared in front of Mitt's eyes again, quickly rolled through his mind, and then disappeared in front of his eyes bit by bit, mercilessly, until it disappeared completely...

"Okay, Leila, it's useless to regret it now, go back to eat quickly, Xiaojie just left this morning, how could he come back so soon, so... go back."

Mitt forcibly suppressed the choking in his throat, pretended not to care, pushed Leila out of Xiaojie's room, and closed the door with a snap.

******

Missing someone really makes time go longer.

Obviously, the days and nights are the same as in the past, but I always feel that something is missing, something is wrong. Leila has experienced this feeling for a long time when Kate just left. Now, her Her brother left, and she experienced this feeling again, and it was stronger than before, more... uneasy.

'Has brother boarded the boat at the port yet? '

'Has brother started to take the hunter exam? '

'Did brother have a good meal? '

'Brother, will he make new friends? '

as well as……

'Brother, is he still alive? ! ! ! '

A person's life trajectory has not been disrupted, but a part of life has been forcibly stripped away. Since Xiaojie left Whale Island to take the hunter exam, Layla wakes up from nightmares almost every night, staring at the night outside the window in a daze. until dawn.

The peaceful life and highly tense thinking tore up Leila, making her restless. Xiaojie has been away for almost 15 days, and there is still no news.

Whether it is good news or sad news, there is nothing!

******

On this day, Leila was still watching the shop in the bar as usual. Since she was five years old, this has been most of her daily life. For wine, after the guest has eaten and drank enough, let him come over to pay the bill, give change, and then present a sweet smiling face.

"Miss Mitt, I have a letter from you today!"

A loud and loud voice appeared at the door with the familiar sound of wind chimes. Uncle Pete, who often came to drink, raised the letter in his hand and walked in. After seeing Leila, he lowered his voice slightly and forced his fierce face out. Kind of a smile.

"Is it Leila who looks after the store? Forget it, it's the same to tell you, Xiaojie sent a letter back, here it is, a thick stack!"

The envelope in Pete's hand rang loudly when he shook it.

Leila's eyes widened all of a sudden, her eyes were stuck to the envelope, and she couldn't move them off, her mind even made a buzzing sound, and she jumped off the chair before her thoughts moved. , Pete, who usually hides behind Mitt in fright, rushed over there!

"Uncle Pete, thank you for getting the letter for us, can you give it to me now?"

The usually slow and shy voice suddenly became high, and it jumped out of Leila's mouth with the speed of a telegram.

"Hahaha, Leila is really impatient!"

Pete didn't tease her too much, bent down, and handed the letter in the little guy's raised hands. Before he could put it down, the thick stack of letter paper "swish!" from his hand. It was taken away at once.

"Aunt Mitt! Mother-in-law! I have a letter from my brother!"

After seeing the familiar words on the envelope, the corners of Leila's mouth couldn't help but twitch, and regardless of whether there was anyone in the store, she shouted the names of her family members and happily ran towards the tree house behind the store.

"Really, don't be so anxious."

Pete looked at the disappearing figure, scratched his head, and muttered to himself in embarrassment.

"...I was going to have a drink by the way."

Although the letter paper Xiaojie sent was very thick, he did not write many things, especially the content of the hunter test, which was basically skipped, and only mentioned a sentence at the end, [I have passed the hunter test! ], instead, I introduced the friends I made during this outing, Kurapika who turns into rabbit eyes when he gets angry, Leorio who looks like an uncle but is surprisingly young, and someone who is as old as him , the most compatible Qi Ya.

Leila shed tears of joy as she watched the joy and annoyance jumping out of the letter paper.

Unlike the scene in the dream, her brother is alive and well, has made so many interesting friends, and has passed the hunter qualification test. She will see him again soon!

However, because the good friend named Qiya was forcibly taken home by his brother, in order to let Qiya live the life he wanted, Xiaojie will go to his house first after the hunter exam and have a good talk with his family Talk and come back later.

Layla, Mitt, and the mother-in-law read the letter over and over again. They seemed to have been waiting for these few pieces of paper for a century!

Finally, Mitt put away the precious letter and put it in the iron box next to the bed.

"Today...let's...close the shop first, I...cook a table of dishes, let's...celebrate...for...for Xiaojie..."

Mitt's eyes were red at some point, and he had to pause every few words to calm himself down. Although he didn't cry, it took a few minutes to finish a complete sentence.

"Okay."

The mother-in-law had a relaxed smile on her face, at least Xiaojie was not like that stinky boy like Jin, who lost all news as soon as he left, and left Mitt alone. Looking at the contents of the letter, Xiaojie should be back soon.

"Well, Aunt Mitt."

After knowing that Xiaojie passed the hunter test safely, Leila relaxed and agreed with Mitt's words without hesitation. She firmly believed that her brother would go home after going to a friend's house for a few days to play.