She gently stroked Shizuku's short black hair, muttering something under her breath, her expression troubled. She glanced at Germain before leaning in to whisper softly into Shizuku's ear.
Shizuku blinked, gave Germain a quick look, and shook her head.
Bisky sighed, her expression one of resigned helplessness. She pulled out a small comb and began tidying Shizuku's black hair, carefully tucking loose strands behind her ears.
"Miss Cookie," on the other hand, quietly removed Sanbica's hat and mask. She gently tilted Sanbica's chin upward, revealing her face.
Sanbica, however, looked as if she had been stripped of her clothing, shy and defenseless. Her gaze darted away nervously, avoiding any direct eye contact with "Miss Cookie."
"Miss Cookie" smiled in a teasingly big-sisterly way, a grin reminiscent of Bisky's usual demeanor. She seemed to enjoy Sanbica's blush, deepening as she applied makeup.
Come to think of it, this was one of the rare times Germain had seen Sanbica's uncovered face.
Beneath her pink, shoulder-length hair was a delicate, youthful face now flushed with a rosy hue.
No wonder Sanbica was so well-known in the Hunter Association. Many professional hunters likely hoped to receive treatment from her after an injury.
Still, if Germain were to judge beauty solely by his own tastes, Shizuku's charm outshined Sanbica's.
Not that Sanbica wasn't lovely—it was just a matter of personal preference.
Meanwhile, Menchi wielded her knives, the sound of precise chopping echoing as she worked on the cutting board.
Buhara crouched in front of a large stainless-steel pot, stirring a rich porridge with a ladle, carefully adjusting the seasoning.
There were six of them here, each with distinct tastes—some preferred Eastern dishes, others Western, and a few leaned toward unique, niche cuisines.
During moments like this, Menchi and Buhara skillfully catered to everyone's preferences, delivering varied and satisfying meals every time.
Their prowess as Gourmet Hunters was evident in the harmony they brought to the table.
Germain, on the other hand, was the most relaxed of the group. He leaned against the wall, engrossed in a novel he'd brought back from Greed Island.
"All right, all right! Breakfast is ready!"
After a while, Menchi's loud voice interrupted everyone's morning activities.
The group gathered around Menchi and Buhara, drawn by the aroma of the freshly prepared breakfast that made their mouths water.
Under Bisky's and "Miss Cookie's" handiwork, both Shizuku and Sanbica had a light blush on their cheeks and subtle lipstick applied. Their appearances seemed noticeably brighter.
However, Shizuku, with her usual scatterbrained antics, would likely end up accidentally wiping off her makeup throughout the day.
In contrast, Sanbica remained overly obedient, maintaining her porcelain doll-like appearance until the very end.
Bisky was quite satisfied with this. While eating a ham sandwich, she casually scanned the crowd with her eyes, looking for her next target.
When her gaze swept over Menchi and Buhara, both of them felt a chill and instinctively raised their porcelain bowls to shield their faces.
"Don't look at me, don't look at me..."
Menchi could manage, but Buhara's broad face, as large as a basin, couldn't be covered no matter how much he tried.
Fortunately, Bisky wasn't interested in Buhara. Asking her to give him makeup, and to make it look good, would be too much of a challenge.
Germain, however, calmly met Bisky's gaze. He was the only person in the group who wasn't threatened by her.
Sure enough, Bisky merely glanced at him before quickly turning her attention elsewhere. However, Sanbica, sitting next to her, could clearly hear her sigh.
"What a great foundation, what a pity... Such a stubborn temper, what's wrong with me touching your face?"
After breakfast, everyone, satisfied, either sat down or went for a walk, waiting for their food to digest.
Once they felt that digestion was nearly complete, they all headed to the base of the tower together.
During this time, Germain and Bisky had pushed over several nearby cubic stone pillars outside the sea of blood, using them as building materials.
The transport work could be handled by Shizuku's "Blinky."
Sometimes, however, Germain and Buhara would carry the broken stones from the pillars with their bare hands, directly bringing them next to the tower.
As for Bisky, who also had superhuman strength, she refused to carry stones, saying, "I'm a delicate lady, how could I do such rough work?"
Though everyone here had seen her "True Form," she still tried to avoid showing that body to others, maintaining her fragile image.
The subsequent tasks were taken over by either Menchi or Germain.
Menchi's twin daggers, Germain's Cleaver, were used to cut the stone into the right size. The group then placed the stones in a circle around the tower, using them as the floor and foundation.
They weren't in a hurry, working at a relaxed pace.
By nearly noon, the area around the tower had taken shape, resembling a small Stonehenge. Only then did they stop.
Menchi and Buhara went to prepare lunch. They usually ate breakfast and dinner at the top of the tower, but lunch was made at the bottom, following the principle of convenience.
At this time, Bisky had "Miss Cookie" help everyone with massages to relax their bodies and minds.
Sanbica also joined in. Although medical massages weren't her specialty, she was the type of female doctor who knew a little about everything, so she was able to help out as well.
During lunch, Germain casually mentioned while eating his chicken cutlet rice.
"This afternoon, I was thinking of taking a walk outside the ancient labyrinth. Didn't Ging, Bisky, and Menchi open a path? I'll just follow that road out."
"Going outside to hunt?" Menchi's eyes lit up. She was about to put some sushi into her mouth but stopped and said, "I'll go too, I haven't had any new recipe ideas lately."
Seeing his partner wanted to join, Buhara also gave a hearty smile and said, "Then I'll go too. My 'Gluttony' can come in handy."
Menchi slapped Buhara on the back with a loud "smack," wide-eyed as she said, "Of course, you're coming! We'll work together, and the 'Dark Continent Cookbook' will become even more diverse."
"I... I'll go too..."
Even without looking, everyone could tell it was Sanbica speaking just by the timid tone of her voice.
"Out there, maybe... we'll encounter some germs... rare germs..."
Shizuku adjusted her glasses and raised her hand like a good student. But those who knew her well knew she wasn't really the studious type.
"I'll go too."
She said simply, without even offering a reason like "My 'Blinky' can help carry things for you." She just wanted to go, so she would. No one was going to stop her.
Bisky paused for a moment, looking around confusedly and pointed to herself, saying, "You all aren't planning to leave me, an old lady... no, I mean, a young girl all alone here, are you?"
With everyone leaving, it would take at least two or three days for them to return.
The fifty-something-year-old girl, Bisky, wasn't really worried about encountering any danger here. If anything went wrong, she could just hide inside the high tower; she'd be mostly safe.
But being alone was a little too lonely for her.
So, everyone started discussing again, planning to let only three people leave this time to explore outside the ancient labyrinth, and rotate the remaining three for the next trip.
However, before they could finalize the team for this trip, Menchi, who had been enjoying the cool breeze off to the side, suddenly pointed in a direction and shouted excitedly.
"Ging, that's Ging, right? He's back!"
Everyone looked up in surprise and followed Menchi's pointing finger. Sure enough, they saw a familiar figure.
But they quickly fell silent, not showing much excitement. It was indeed Ging, but he wasn't alone.
********
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