Back at the exam preparation area, Silver and Ponzu returned ahead of the group. They cooked the vinegared rice and prepare the rest of the ingredients. Washed and sliced the cucumber and avocado. Prepared the nori sheets and sesame seeds.
Thirty minutes later, Gon and the rest of the group returned, baskets slung over their backs and fish still glistening from the river. Gon grinned ear to ear.
"We've got plenty!"
Silver gestured them over and began demonstrating.
"Okay, watch closely. Wet your hands, spread the rice without pressing it too hard. Add the cucumber and the avocado. Add the crab sticks and some mayonnaise. Finally roll it with this rice roller.
Lay the fish like this—clean cut, no jagged edges. Then press to the rice firm but gentle."
He finished the sushi roll in a smooth, confident motion. Gon and Ponzu nodded in understanding. Leorio frowned.
Meanwhile, in the background, the exam quickly devolved into culinary chaos.
One participant, breathing heavily from a desperate rush, slammed a lumpy rice ball on the plate—with a whole fish jammed into the center, its tail still flapping slightly.
"This is sushi!" he barked.
Menchi narrowed her eyes, took one look, and didn't even speak—just raised a sign:
FAIL.
Another nervously handed over his plate, which featured a live, wriggling fish laid awkwardly next to a mound of unshaped rice.
"It's... deconstructed sushi," he offered with a hopeful smile.
Menchi stared at the plate, blinked twice, and raised the FAIL sign again. "You call that a sushi, you donut!"
Then came a cocky-looking participant holding up a covered tray. With a dramatic flourish, he unveiled a grotesque creature: a spider-fish, its sleek fins gleaming, but eight crab-like legs twitching under its body.
Gasps echoed from nearby contestants.
Buhara, the towering secondary examiner, leaned in.
"A spider-fish! That's rare. And extremely hard to catch…"
Menchi nodded.
"Yes. Worth points in rarity. Unfortunately this isn't a beast-hunting challenge."
She then snapped her chopsticks in half.
"This is a sushi exam."
FAIL.
The participant slumped, devastated.
Silver tried not to laugh as he imagined a chef in Hell Kitchen barking insults left and right.
He then continued to show the group how to roll a second sushi.
"Let's just make something people can actually eat."
And with that, their group continued quietly crafting plate after plate—focused, calm, and in complete contrast to the chaos erupting around them.
With their sushi plates carefully arranged, Silver, Ponzu, Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio lined up at the examiner's table. One by one, they stepped forward to present their creations to Menchi and Buhara.
The atmosphere was tense—more so than during the fog run or even the spider-fish reveal.
Menchi looked over their arrangement and presentation. For once, her expression softened slightly.
"You five actually managed to make them look like sushi," she remarked dryly. "Points for aesthetics. Now let's see if any of them taste like sushi."
She picked up Leorio's first. He swallowed nervously as she took a bite. Her brows pinched.
"Too much pressure on the rice. You squeezed it like a stress ball. It's compacted into mochi."
Leorio groaned. "I thought firmer meant fancier."
Next came Ponzu. Her sushi rolls were colorful, with small flower petals from her bees' foraging as decoration on the side of the plate. Menchi took a bite. Her lips tightened.
"Way too much mayonnaise. This isn't a sandwich."
Ponzu blinked, then glanced sheepishly at her plate.
Kurapika stepped up next, confident. His rolls were clean and traditional, with a generous dusting of sesame seeds.
Menchi chewed. Then blinked twice.
"Did you dump an entire bag of sesame on this?" she asked flatly.
Kurapika complained. "It wasn't even that many."
"Are you the examiner or I am?" Menchi eyed him challengingly.
Then came Killua. He grinned like a fox in a chicken coop, handing over his plate with flair.
Menchi stared, unconvinced. She took a piece. The moment it hit her tongue, she gagged slightly.
"It's dessert sushi!"
"Exactly! Added sugar to make the taste better" Killua smiled proudly being a sweet tooth.
"Fail!" she complained nearly flipping the table.
"What?!"
And finally, it was Silver's turn.
His plate was simple, elegant—tight rolls, balanced colors, and a hint of grated citrus on top. The rice held shape without being packed too tightly, the fish sliced evenly.
Menchi stared for a moment before picking up a piece and biting into it.
The group watched her face anxiously—no reaction. No nod. No grimace. Just silence.
She finally set the chopsticks down and said plainly:
"It's good."
Silver exhaled.
"But not exam-pass good."
The silence hit like a slap.
"What?" Silver blinked. "But you said it's good…"
"Yes," Menchi confirmed. "Restaurant good. Not hunter-level good. The flavor is safe. Precise, yes—but lacking risk, lacking originality. Anyone can make this with time and effort. A hunter must take bold steps. You played it too safe."
The group was in disbelief.
"You failed Silver?!" Ponzu asked, incredulous.
Even Buhara raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
Silver lowered his head, stunned. That quiet confidence now cracked, just a little.
Menchi crossed her arms. "Next."
As the rest of the participants now knew how to make one, they hurriedly get back on track and submitted their creations to Menchi and Buhara.
And before Silver and the group could submit their second creation, Menchi stood up.
"Everyone! I am full, I will no longer be tasting your creation. EVERYONE FAILED."
"WHAAAAAATT!!!!?"