"...?"
Upon hearing the question, Gon once again lifted his head and looked at Pariston.
The other party still wore that gentle smile, as if showing concern between ordinary friends. Moreover, his face was also full of eager anticipation.
Gon: "…"
For some reason, Gon suddenly felt a bit uneasy under that smile.
At that moment, he began to sense that Pariston might not be someone easy to deal with.
"I don't know about that either…"
After giving a simple reply, he quietly moved his body slightly to stand beside Lan, even hiding behind him.
Yes, Gon is straightforward and pure, but that doesn't mean he's stupid or naive!
Pariston's gaze remained fixed on Gon with the same smiling expression.
He noticed everything: Gon's slow movements and his attempts to avoid him.
Without saying a word, Pariston continued watching as Gon hid behind Lan.
Only when Lan fully blocked Gon from view did Pariston raise his head and look at his true target.
"You're Mr. Lan, right? Lan… That name really does sound nice."
Pariston still wore that same gentle smile, just like when he spoke to Gon.
He clapped his hands and praised: "I've heard that name so many times, it's been deeply etched into my memory."
"I've always been curious, what kind of person would have such a nice-sounding name?"
"And today, I finally got to meet you."
The corners of his mouth lifted even more. "I must say, I'm very lucky!"
"Then today, you've indeed seen me." Lan nodded slightly, then gave a subtle glance to his side.
"If there's nothing else, please let us pass. We haven't had time to explore the Hunter Association's headquarters yet."
"That's perfect!"
Pariston immediately picked up the conversation. "I don't have anything important to do right now."
"If you want to look around, I can be your guide and show you the place."
As he spoke, he subtly glanced in the same direction Lan had looked earlier.
"That won't be necessary."
Lan didn't even think before bluntly refusing: "We just want to walk around by ourselves, without anyone tagging along."
"You're the vice chairman, you must be busy, so we won't trouble you."
With that said, he didn't give Pariston any further chance to speak. He lifted his foot and walked away.
Gon followed closely behind him, keeping pace.
Still, his good manners showed, before leaving, he turned and gave Pariston a polite bow: "Goodbye, Mr. Pariston. We'll be going now."
With that, he quickly caught up with Lan.
Pariston didn't say anything more. Instead, he kept watching the two of them as they left.
His gaze grew deeper, and from time to time, a trace of contemplation flickered through his eyes.
"What was Lan looking at earlier?"
He was pondering the glance Lan had given to his side.
Based on the intel he'd gathered recently and the information he had about Lan…
Pariston knew: this was someone with a strong sense of purpose, whose actions were always goal-driven.
In other words, Lan did everything with clear intent and reasoning.
So that glance just now couldn't have been random.
But whether then or now, Pariston had looked carefully around that area…
And found nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
"Was it his Nen ability? Something that lets him see things others can't?"
"Or maybe something that lets him deduce information about a person based on their surroundings or aura?"
Pariston lightly pressed his lower lip with his pinky.
To be honest, both Lan and Gon were quite interesting to him.
The latter was Ging Freecss' son, who had passed the hunter exam at just twelve years old.
One could tell at a glance that he was incredibly talented, perhaps even destined to become a fearsome hunter someday.
Of course, this Gon didn't seem to be as much of a scoundrel as Ging was.
Judging by his personality, he seemed to be a polite and pure-hearted child.
If he guessed correctly, someone very kind must have raised and guided him when he was young.
That kind of upbringing was a far cry from Ging's wild, self-grown path.
At first impression, Pariston found Gon to be genuinely likable.
The boy had a certain kind of magic.
Or rather, charm, likeability.
The kind that made people instinctively want to approach him, walk beside him, talk with him, and become friends.
"In terms of personal charisma, he really is a lot like Mr. Ging."
That was the conclusion Pariston came to regarding Gon.
At the same time…
"If I ever had to deal with him, he'd be an easy target. His weaknesses are too obvious."
As that thought passed through Pariston's mind, a number of strategies for dealing with Gon also flashed through his head.
He kept those ideas to himself for now.
When the time came to act against Gon, he could put them to use.
And so, having figured out what kind of person Gon was, Pariston filed him away mentally and moved on.
Now, his focus returned to the one person he had been especially interested in today.
That man's name was Lan, whose name had kept coming up over the past two years.
Whether it was his feats, his rumors, or his identity and connections…
All of it fascinated Pariston deeply. So much so that, upon learning Lan had come to the Hunter Association, he made a special trip just to meet him in person.
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