Total Time: 2 hr 45 min

Servings: 16

Ingredients.

12 lbs bone-in pork

3 1/2 cups apple juice

6 1/3 tbs brown sugar

5 1/2 tbs Gloucestershire

7 tbs dijon mustard

4 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp pepper

Directions.

Preheat oven 350 degrees F. Take pork out of refrigerator. Place pork into roasting pan fitted with rack, fat side up. Season with salt and pepper. Put in oven 1 hour.

In saucepan over medium-high heat, bring apple juice to boil 10 minutes. Whisk in brown sugar, Gloucestershire, and mustard. Simmer until thickened.

After the pork is roasted, brush on glaze every 15 minutes. Cook until roast reaches internal temperature 150 degrees F, about 2 hours. Remove from oven and coat final layer of glaze. Let pork rest, uncovered, 15 minutes before carving.

Serve roasted pork.

.

Everyone stare quizzically at their emails, each with a different recipe included in the body. Kurapika rubs her chin, trying to dissect its meaning.

"Seeing as how the next stage isn't for another twenty-hours, the examiners must be expecting us to prepare the item in the recipe and bring it to the next location," she whispers to Leorio. "If so, we'll need a kitchen."

"Oh, there are rental kitchens in the city. We should hurry though, before they're all booked," Leorio says, a little too loudly.

Kurapika facepalms, as a flood of eavesdropping applicants simultaneously take out their phones, dialing for the nearest kitchen.

While Leorio scrambles to secure them a kitchen, Kurapika focuses on the email again. Something still seems off. What were the proctors thinking, to interrupt a hacking exam with such an irrelevant task.

Hanae claps her hand over her mouth, needing to muffle her giggles. What good fortune! None of them get it!

"What a pain. Think they really expect us to cook?"

"I'm sure you can just buy it."

"But they listed specific ingredients and everything…"

"Maybe we can hire a chef?"

"What the fuck is a croquembouche."

Hanae is choking on her breath, just imagining the poor person who shows up with that. She yelps when all eyes snap to her. Oh snap, they know she knows something! Better ninja out before she reveals too much.

Kurapika watches applicant 294 dart out of the room, expression one of knowing giddy. She holds back a sigh. As she expected, there is a trick.

Grumble.

Everyone turns to Gon, who gives a guilty laugh. "Sorry, all this mention of food is making me hungry."

Leorio exhales, then nudges up her shades. Indeed, they have been coding nonstop for six hours. "Okay, let's grab dinner! Whatever this next stage is, we still have twenty-four hours to figure it out. No need to think on an empty stomach."

"I'll call us an Uper," Kurapika says, inputting their location.

"What do you want to eat, Killua?" Gon asks.

Killua leans back into her arms. "Hm, something filling."

The email gives Gon an idea. "We can do roasted pork!"

"Ooh, I know a great Sinochu restaurant for that," Leorio says. "How about it?"

Gon and Killua exchange looks of excitement. "Yeah!"

.

At the restaurant, Leorio suspends her spoon, watching in disbelief as Gon and Killua wolf down their fifth bowl. Plates empty at alarming speeds, contributing to the pain she feels for her wallet. Why did she offer to treat everyone again? Damn her generosity!

By her side, Kurapika lowers her tea. "Don't worry, I'll help cover the bill."

Leorio gives a nervous chuckle, ignoring the bruising on her ego. Was she that obvious?

"Nhm-hn?"

Gon passes the choy suey. "Hm-n-gm!"

Cheeks full, Killua gives a thumbs up. "Dm!"

Gon swallows. "Welcome!" she says, another piece of meat already in her fork.

They simultaneously raise their bowls for more.

"Say Gon," Leorio says, "is someone coming to pick you up? We're happy to help you make some calls."

Gon lowers her bowl. "Eh? Oh no, I don't have any relatives in Franciscosan. I don't know anyone here, actually. Except for y'all."

Leorio backs up. "You're here alone?!"

Now that Leorio thinks about it, she never did hear Gon's story. The plane ride over, she was too caught up arguing with Kurapika. Gon was just the passenger who had the misfortune of sitting in the middle seat. Sure, an unsupervised child is a rare sight, but Leorio assumed there would be an adult waiting on the other side. She shakes her head. "Where are you staying then?"

Killua slows down her chewing but does not look up from her food.

"The Orenji hostel," Gon answers.

An image flashes across Killua's mind. Interesting. Gon is staying across the street from her.

Leorio seems to recognize the place as well. "In the Porterhouse district?"

"That's the one!"

Kurapika catches the change in Leorio's expression. "Is something wrong?"

"Yeah. Porterhouse was notorious for drugs, gang violence, and even contract killing in the 80s. The neighborhood has improved since, but the crime rate is still no joke. Last time I stayed, we had two homicides over the span of a month."

The information has Kurapika in alarm. "What were you doing there?" she asks.

"I was interning at the clinic. Porterhouse also hosts many social services for lower-income families and the homeless. It's complicated." Leorio leans back in her chair. "Anyway, I was sixteen at the time and part of a larger volunteer group. But Gon here, it's way too risky for her to be staying there alone."

Killua considers saying something, but Gon beats her to it.

"Do you know a good place to stay then, Leorio?"

"Hm, have you considered Mariotto? That is where I'm staying. Kurapika too, isn't that right?"

Kurapika nods.

From her pockets, Gon retrieves her wallet. She pops it open. "Mr. Mito gave me ten thousand jenny. Is that enough?"

Next to her, Killua sweatdrops. In a city like this, ten thousand jenny is enough to cover two lunches and a drink. Poor girl will go broke in a day.

Killua is about to make a suggestion when Kurapika says, "I have yet to confirm my booking. If you need a place to stay, Gon, I could upgrade to a double for us. I'd be paying the same anyway."

"Really?"

"If you don't mind sharing a room."

"Not at all!"

Kurapika smiles until she notices the slightly frustrated look from the other girl. "What about you, Killua?"

Killua catches herself. "Oh, don't worry about me," she says with a dismissive wave. "I can take care of myself."

"You should join us at the Mariotto!" Gon suggests cheerfully.

Killua reaches for her drink, mulling the idea over. She supposes she could cancel her current room. It is not as if she left anything important behind.

At the concierge desk, Killua shows Gon her newly-acquired key card.

"We're in adjacent rooms," Gon notes. "How lucky!"

"Well, this is it for me. See ya!" Leorio gives a languid wave of good night. Kurapika sees her off, before turning to the two girls frolicking in the lobby. Killua throws Gon's fishing rod again, clearly aiming for some mischief. Gon is laughing, having tripped over the carpet while on Killua's skateboard.

"Gon. Killua."

"Coming!" they simultaneous state, before turning to each other. "Jinx!"

On the elevator ride up, Gon and Killua hotly contest who owes whom a soda. Kurapika remains quiet, contemplating over the exam. She is rereading the email for clues when Gon notices.

"Oh! I forgot to mention. That's not a recipe."

Kurapika stops. "What do you mean?"

"Err, well, it is a recipe. But not like a recipe in a cookbook."

At their confused looks, Gon sweatdrops. "Y'all never cooked, have you?"

.

Mito pats his hands on a towel. He is reaching for a spatula when the phone rings.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Mito!"

"Gon?" Mito hurriedly beckons for his granddad in the living room. "Gon, is that you?"

Gon sits cross-legged on the bed. From the carpet, Killua watches her go from cheerful to frazzled, the booming phone held at arm's width.

"Sorry, Mr. Mito," Gon says, rubbing her neck. "My phone broke yesterday. Then I fell asleep and forgot. Yes, I know. No sir. No sir. Yes sir. Yes, I will. Err..." Gon snaps her eyes shut at the next round of shouts, before peeking open an eye. "Okay."

Mito huffs, shoulders lowered. Honestly, this girl! Nonetheless, he could not help but smile.

He blinks. "Pork roast?"

"Yeah!"

After Gon hangs up, she turns to the rest of the group. "Mr. Mito agrees with me. The recipes are fake. If you try to follow them, you'll get something raw, burnt, or plain inedible."

Kurapika closes her laptop. "You're right. Based on what I gather from recipes online, these ratios are off, even after adjusting for serving size."

A knock on their hotel room door. Killua flips up, unlocking it for Leorio.

"Hey-o, guess who got all the ingredients!" Swaggering in, Leorio holds up the bags upon bags of groceries.

"Marshmallows for you. Here's your mustard, Gon." Items fly, as Leorio digs deeper into her bags. "Man, it took all morning, but I finally found a ChowCo. Prices here are outrageous, you know that? Kurapika, were you the one who needed the balsamic?" she chirps, holding up a bottle of balsamic vinegar.

The rest of the group exchange a look. Someone should tell her...

Two minutes later,

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT'S NOT FOOD?"