Gotoh considered the time it took him to learn Nen—several months to successfully awaken it. The difference was immense. But this didn't frighten Gotoh; instead, he became even more interested in Loki.
Seeing everyone had nearly finished eating, Gotoh smiled and approached.
"My esteemed guests, after your meal, how about a little game? Consider it a post-meal digestive exercise."
"Game?"
The sudden suggestion of a game puzzled Gon and the others. Shouldn't they be going to see Killua immediately?
Loki narrowed his eyes at Gotoh.
"A game? I'm not interested."
"Of course, if Mr. Loki dislikes it, it's perfectly fine, but…" Gotoh said, raising his head. "Mr. Loki is in a different situation than Mr. Gon and the others. Killua will come down the mountain, but the person Mr. Loki wishes to see will not."
Loki frowned.
"However, we will not prevent Mr. Loki from doing anything."
'The person Loki wants to see!' Gon and the others glanced at Loki. They knew Loki wasn't specifically here for Killua, but they didn't know his purpose.
"Hmph!" Loki, instead of showing anger, let out a derisive chuckle. "Interesting. Very well then, I shall humor you, Mr. Butler."
Gon felt a concern for Loki. He sensed a level of anger in Loki's smile that he had never felt before. While not intense, it was quite noticeable.
Gotoh ignored Loki's barely concealed anger and moved the table aside, leaving the garden unobstructed.
"The rules are simple: coin-tossing. Each person has a basket behind them. One hundred coins. The person who gets the most coins into their opponent's basket wins."
Two butlers placed two slanted baskets ten meters apart in the center of the garden, with a line drawn between them. Gotoh, standing in the center, adjusted his glasses and looked at Loki with a sideways glance. "Of course, during the toss, you can use any method to stop your opponent's coins. You can even catch them and throw them back into their basket."
Two low tables were placed at the center of the boundary line, each with a small plate containing one hundred coins.
"Then!" Gotoh fixed his gaze on Gon and the others. "Why don't you three try first? If you manage to win, you'll be able to see Master Killua much sooner."
"Coin tossing? Tch! Gon, let me go first! This distance is nothing; I'll get all one hundred coins into his basket!" Leorio declared, removing his suit jacket, loosening his tie, and rolling up his sleeves before stepping forward. He picked up a few coins from the plate and looked at Gotoh.
"Shall we begin?"
"Mr. Leorio seems very confident. Then, let us begin!"
"Leorio, go!" Gon cheered from the sidelines.
Leorio turned to respond, but at that very instant, a coin zipped past his cheek.
Bang!
A sound like a gunshot rang out. The coin grazed Leorio's cheek, leaving a faint cut, before suddenly slowing down and accurately hitting the center of the basket. It bounced only slightly before settling precisely into the basket.
Leorio stood frozen, wiping the trace of blood from his cheek.
"That speed… was that coin really thrown by hand?"
"Mr. Leorio, that speed wasn't even my fastest. I can maintain that speed for an entire day!" Gotoh replied.
"Uh!" Sweat beaded on Leorio's forehead. He hadn't expected his opponent to be this strong.
"Damn it, I won't lose to you!"
Leorio grabbed a coin and threw it towards the basket behind Gotoh. The distance, speed, and angle were excellent; while not as precise as Gotoh's throw, it would easily land in the basket.
However!
Mid-flight, Gotoh extended two fingers and effortlessly pinched the coin thrown by Leorio.
"This…" Leorio swore he had used his full strength, and the coin's speed wasn't slow. How could it be so easily intercepted?
Without further ado, Gotoh grabbed two handfuls of coins, all one hundred coins, into his hands.
Thwack thwack thwack thwack!
The coins, propelled by Gotoh's thumb, flowed into the basket behind him like a stream. One hundred coins were neatly stacked in ten piles of ten within the basket.
Gotoh glanced at his wristwatch.
"Game over. Twenty-one seconds. Unfortunately, Mr. Leorio, you're out."
Leorio's remaining coins tumbled to the ground, scattering everywhere. His face pale, he slowly moved towards the sidelines. Gon and Kurapika stared at Gotoh for a few seconds before approaching Leorio.
"Leorio…"
Faced with an insurmountable difference in strength, Gon didn't know how to comfort Leorio. Kurapika clenched her fists tightly.
'Damn it! Is this guy really just a butler? How can he be so strong? Even someone like that isn't a match for him. How am I supposed to get revenge on the Phantom Troupe?'
"Then, it's my turn next!" Loki declared, rising to his feet and walking towards the center of the arena with a smile.
"Mr. Loki, you intend to make your move so quickly? Wouldn't you like to observe a little longer?" Gotoh asked. His reason for letting Gon and the others go first was to demonstrate his abilities to Loki. Even though Loki seemed strong to Gotoh, he was still just a child. Gotoh didn't want to take advantage of a child.
"Unnecessary! That level of ability is wholly insufficient!" Loki stated directly, making it clear that he didn't need to observe Gotoh's abilities to defeat him.
"Is that so? Mr. Loki seems very confident. Then, let's begin!"
"Very well! Let's begin!"
After those words, Loki simply remained where he stood, showing no intention of picking up his own coins. Gon and the others stood to the side, watching Loki's inaction, unsure of his plan. After witnessing Gotoh's coin-throwing speed, which was almost as fast as a bullet, they began to feel worried.
"Your control is quite remarkable. You unleashed considerable power yet managed to precisely de-activate your ability just as the coin landed in the basket," Loki observed.
If Gotoh couldn't do that, the baskets wouldn't be able to withstand the impact of so many coins. The coins' initial speed and power were enough to pierce the baskets, yet he reduced their impact in the final few meters to a level the baskets could withstand. This required not only Nen power but also incredibly precise control.
"Mr. Loki, are you intending to let me make the first move?" Gotoh asked.
"Correct. You stated the rules. I don't believe I need to use my own coins," Loki replied.
Gotoh's eyes narrowed sharply, veins bulging on his face.
"Excellent!" He grabbed a handful of coins. "Mr. Loki, be warned. Although these are ordinary coins, their power could crush your hand. It's best not to attempt to catch my coins with your bare hand."
"That's not something you need to be concerned about. Bring it on!"
"Mr. Loki is very confident. It's been quite some time since we've encountered a guest such as yourself," Gotoh said.
Bang!
Gotoh's hands instantly unleashed a powerful surge of Nen, imbuing the coins before flicking them out with his thumb.
Even though Loki didn't know much about Gotoh, the Zoldyck butler, he could guess that there was a 90% chance he was an Emission type, with a 10% chance of being an Enhancement type. However, if he were an Enhancement type, choosing coin-throwing as a fighting style would be incredibly foolish. Therefore, Gotoh was undoubtedly an Emission type Nen user.
Loki watched Gotoh coldly.
'Only one coin?'
He raised his left hand, his white cloak billowing behind him, extending his index and middle fingers.
'That move… he dares to try and catch my coin with that?' Gotoh's eyes narrowed.
'Even if he's an Enhancement type Nen user, it's absolutely impossible to catch it. Prepare for a ruined hand… what?' Gotoh's eyes glazed over as he watched in disbelief.
Loki had caught a deformed coin, still emitting smoke.
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