HxH: Noah’s Heart

"Supposedly, we're here to choose suitable newcomers, but where can we find people with good basic qualities, good temper, and who can be peaceful butlers?"

Passing through the outskirts of the junkyard, Noah and Ashu arrived at the real residential area of Meteor City. Looking at the bustling crowd of pedestrians and the densely packed houses around, Noah couldn't help but scratch his head.

Beside him, Ashu glanced at him and said, "Just find people whose situation is similar to ours."

"Similar situation? Come on, I have no idea why I joined this apprenticeship for butlers in the first place. I hopped on the 'car' midway through," Noah immediately sought Ashu's guidance.

Upon hearing Noah's question, Ashu seemed to recall something. His gaze darkened for a moment, and after a few seconds of silence, he replied, "Why? It's all for money, isn't it? The one million Jenny fee is enough to tempt many people."

Becoming a butler for the Zoldyck Family also meant losing one's freedom, becoming a tool of the Zoldyck Family.

Despite this, many were still drawn to it. The reasons boiled down to two: the enticing compensation of one million Jenny per year and the chance for some to escape pursuit by their enemies.

How many would dare to seek revenge on the world-famous assassin family?

"Money, huh? That's quite a tempting thing," Noah nodded thoughtfully.

"Weren't you going for the money back then?" Ashu asked, curious about Noah's apparent lack of interest in the substantial salary.

In truth, Noah wasn't someone who lacked ambition, but during his time at the Zoldyck Family, he hadn't really worried about money.

In the perfect daily life where his clothing and meals were more than sufficient, Noah hadn't had many opportunities to spend money.

Moreover, as far as he knew, there were countless ways to make money in the Hunter world, with sums in the billions being quite common. So, for Noah, time was much more valuable than money.

"As long as it's enough to get by," was Noah's philosophy.

"Well, let's start looking then," Noah replied somewhat casually to Ashu's question about why he had become a butler.

Seeing that Noah wasn't keen on further discussing the topic, Ashu didn't press the matter.

Several familiar faces crossed his mind. After a moment of hesitation, he spoke up, "I know some people around here. Should we pay them a visit? Maybe we'll find someone suitable?"

"Acquaintances? Sounds good. At least we'd know what we're dealing with. Lead the way," Noah readily agreed to Ashu's suggestion.

Honestly, he wanted to find ten people quickly and head back to continue his training. Time was far more valuable to Noah than money.

Following Ashu, the two moved through the streets of Meteor City. An hour later, Ashu's steps came to a halt at the entrance of a somewhat dilapidated two-story building.

"Are we here? So, you used to live here," Noah remarked, looking at the two-story building. Living in a place like this indicated that Ashu had done reasonably well in Meteor City in the past.

"It's not bad. Come with me," Ashu said as they returned to a familiar place, revealing a smile that Noah had never seen before, one that could be described as gentle.

Opening the door at random, they entered a spacious living room. Several slightly worn-out sofas were arranged around an old television set.

A shirtless figure, facing away from the door, was quietly watching the animated show playing on the TV.

Hearing the sound of the door opening behind him, the shirtless figure suddenly stood up from the sofa and turned around.

"Who's there?"

Noah had only completed half of his fierce expression when the young man with freckles on his face froze in place.

He stared at Ashu, who stood at the doorway, his expression changing from surprise to sheer delight.

"Ashu, big brother!"

Finally, the freckled young man let out a joyous shout, leaping over the sofa blocking his path and standing in front of Ashu.

"Ashu, is it really you?"

Seemingly unable to believe his eyes, the young man stared at Ashu intently, muttering, hands held up in front of him, looking somewhat bewildered.

Upon seeing this young man, Ashu's face finally broke into a clear smile. He took a step forward, extending his arms and hugging the young man tightly.

"Long time no see, Jerl."

"Big brother Ashu, welcome back!" Jerl, as he was called, finally confirmed that this was not a hallucination. He hugged Ashu back, beaming with happiness.

A few minutes later, in the living room, aside from Noah, Ashu, and Jerl, two more figures appeared.

"This guy with the blue hair is Wood, and this perpetually smiling guy is Yan. As for him, he's Jerl. They were all my former comrades." Sitting on the sofa, Ashu introduced his friends one by one to Noah.

"This is Noah, a butler of the Zoldyck Family, just like me." After introducing his friends to Noah, Ashu also introduced Noah to the three of them.

"Are you also a butler of the Zoldyck Family? The Zoldyck Family actually has a little kid like you working as a butler?" Looking at Noah, who was sitting alone on a sofa, Wood furrowed his brow, dug his ear, and expressed some doubt.

It was February 15, 1981, and Noah's birthday was on February 10th. He had just turned sixteen. In the eyes of people in their twenties like Wood, Noah was indeed just a kid.

Hearing Wood's words, Ashu's expression darkened, and he gave him a stern look, saying in a cold tone, "Wood, I've told you before, you can't judge a person by their appearance. There are plenty of formidable individuals in Meteor City. What do you gain from judging someone based on their age alone?"

Ashu had been the leader of the three friends even before he became a butler of the Zoldyck Family. He had earned enough respect in their hearts.

Now that Ashu had become a butler and learned Nen, his sharp gaze made Wood feel a pressure he had never experienced before. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

"Wood, haven't you forgotten that just a few days ago, you got the short end of the stick from a kid? And now you dare to look down on a butler of the Zoldyck Family? Be careful, he might get angry and thrash you." Seeing this, Yan, the always-smiling guy, chuckled.

Swallowing hard, Wood cautiously glanced at his big brother Ashu, then apologized to Noah, "I'm sorry, I was too arrogant."