As expected.
Germain hadn't guessed wrong.
Killua's heart clenched at the sight of Tsubone's miserable condition.
Fear flickered inside him, but he forced himself to stay composed.
He turned his head and encouraged the girl beside him.
"Go, Alluka."
"Mm."
Alluka nodded lightly, releasing Killua's hand.
She stepped forward, as if completely unfazed by Tsubone's current state.
At first, she simply stood still in place.
Then both Germain and Alluka heard a familiar voice—the voice of Nanika.
"I want Tsubone's ring finger nail."
At once, Alluka stretched out her small hands toward Tsubone, her face innocent and pure.
"Tsubone, I want your ring finger nail."
During the first two requests, Tsubone had already lost her pinky nail and her middle finger nail.
Now it was her ring finger's turn.
And yet, far from resisting, she looked as if she had just received a pardon.
Rip—
Summoning a willpower that her weakened body should not have possessed, Tsubone brutally tore off her own ring finger nail.
Ignoring the blood dripping down her hand, she raised the nail high above her head, kneeling halfway like a knight offering tribute to her sovereign.
"This is… for you."
Alluka accepted the nail, and in the very next moment, it vanished into her palm.
Germain's sharp senses immediately caught where it had gone—into that dark space.
Then, he and Alluka heard Nanika's voice once more.
"Alluka, switch places with me."
A sudden chill swept through the room.
Alluka's eyes turned pitch black, devoid of any light or fluctuation.
This was Nanika—the entity that coexisted with Alluka.
For the first time, Germain laid eyes on Nanika.
But Nanika, through Alluka's perspective, had already seen Germain countless times before.
She gave him a small, gentle nod.
Tsubone collapsed to the ground as though a great burden had finally been lifted, leaving her granddaughter Amane to bandage and stop her bleeding.
Zeno, Silva, and Illumi had all encountered Nanika more than once, yet their expressions were filled with tension.
After all, Nanika seemed capable of granting any wish—but the way she fulfilled them was always unpredictable.
It likely depended on Nanika and Alluka's own understanding of the request.
Wish for money, and she might simply teleport the closest pile of cash that matched the amount right to your side.
But the consequences that followed? Those were yours to deal with.
Wish for a person, and that person might appear before you—but not necessarily whole, and not necessarily alive.
Wish for someone's death, and countless others could be dragged into the process, just to ensure the target truly perished.
And because of those dangerous aftereffects, the difficulty of the "requests" Nanika demanded afterward would increase dramatically, often becoming completely unreasonable.
"Make a wish," Silva said to Killua.
"Ask for your favorite chocolate candies. That way, the follow-up requests should stay simple."
But Killua had his own idea.
He wasn't entirely sure, though, so his eyes turned to Germain.
Germain immediately understood and gave him a firm nod.
Encouraged, Killua took a deep breath before stepping toward Nanika, whose eyes were now completely black.
"Nanika… please heal Tsubone's body."
The moment those words left his lips, nearly everyone present was stunned.
Especially Tsubone herself.
Though her strength had only just begun to return, she immediately protested.
"Lord Killua, there's no need to waste your wish on me. If I just rest for a while, I'll recover on my own."
What she truly feared was this: granting such a wish—healing her entire body—would make the three requests that followed unbearably difficult.
The other members of the Zoldyck family had been thinking the same thing, ready to stop it from happening.
But before they could move, Nanika had already given her answer.
"Alright."
Her innocent, childlike voice echoed softly as she slowly walked over to Tsubone's side.
At this point, Tsubone could only sigh. She allowed Nanika to take her hand and begin the treatment.
A glow of light spread through the room.
Moments later, not only had Tsubone's fingernails grown back, but even her weakened body was restored. The withered skin on her face became full and rosy once more.
She looked down at herself in shock, then lifted her gaze to meet Amane's eyes.
Amane immediately understood and moved closer to Nanika's side.
Nanika's pitch-black eyes slowly lost their color, returning to the gentle gaze of Alluka once again.
Amane had rushed over so that she would be the first person Alluka saw when she opened her eyes. That way, Alluka's natural instinct to seek affection would fall on her.
After all, as a butler, how could she allow the Zoldyck family to shoulder the cost themselves?
But to her surprise, Alluka didn't even glance at Amane.
Instead, she sucked on her finger for a moment, cast a quick look at Germain, and then suddenly turned her head, her eyes shining brightly.
Her gaze locked onto Illumi.
Like a mischievous prank, Alluka skipped straight toward him.
Illumi frowned. But right now, there was no other choice. If it was for Killua's sake, then so be it. After all, he was the brother Killua loved the most.
He waited, expecting some unreasonable or troublesome demand.
Instead, Alluka looked up at him and softly said—
"Illumi, pat my head."
Illumi's eyes widened slightly.
Around the room, every other member of the Zoldyck family widened their eyes as well.
Just that? For Tsubone's complete recovery… all it took was a simple "head pat"?
Or… was this just the first? Were there two harsher requests still waiting to follow?
Illumi couldn't make sense of it.
He glanced down at his hand, then awkwardly placed it on Alluka's head. After a brief pause, he quickly pulled it away.
Alluka gave a sweet smile, then stuck her tongue out and made a playful face at Illumi.
"This was Nanika's and my little prank on you," she said.
She didn't even demand the other two acts of pampering. Instead, she simply turned away.
That alone left Illumi stunned.
Then, she walked back toward Killua. But before she even reached him, her legs suddenly gave out, and she nearly collapsed to the ground.
As if he had foreseen it, Killua moved instantly and caught her in his arms.
Everyone saw Alluka's eyes close as she drifted into sleep, resting peacefully in Killua's embrace.
"What's going on here?" Silva asked with a deep frown, his gaze turning toward Killua. He knew his son must understand the situation better than anyone.
Killua gently stroked the back of Alluka's head, his expression calm as he explained, "Nanika isn't skilled at healing. That's why she has to make direct contact with the target."
"For her, repairing injuries takes an enormous toll on Nen. That's why, the moment a wish like this is fulfilled, she falls asleep immediately."
"Also, when the wish involves healing, she only asks for one act of pampering in return. It's always simple to grant and comes with very little cost."
"Nanika and Alluka aren't the monsters you all imagine. They truly want to help those who are kind-hearted… and punish those who are greedy."
"I don't want Nanika to be cast aside. She's already my sister. And even if she were to leave… it would have to be by her own will, not anyone else's."
Killua's eyes held firm resolve as he looked at his family.
He had already decided—he would protect both Alluka and Nanika as his sisters.
That was the very reason he had thrown himself into harsh training alongside professional Hunters on the Dark Continent.
He would never let go.
*******
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