Milluki: [Why is Second Brother looking at me like that…?]
Yare yare, it's a secret.
But before Saiki Kusuo could officially drag Milluki into the lab, Grandpa showed up.
"Alluka, come with us," Grandpa said.
Alluka looked up at Brother Kusuo, but her view was blocked by Illumi.
"Kusuo has something else to do. Alluka, you go with Grandpa alone," Illumi said.
He was clearly being careful about Saiki Kusuo, like something wasn't right.
But nothing could be hidden from Saiki Kusuo.
Kikyo: [The old man's condition has stabilized. After hearing about Alluka, he asked for her by name to start training. She's already 12, so this can't wait.]
Illumi: [If everything goes well, Alluka will become a big help to Killua in the future.]
Illumi: [Kusuo's relationship with Alluka will affect this step. We have to make sure Killua stays number one in Alluka's heart. For now, we need to restrict Killua and Kusuo's movements. Hopefully, they'll both behave.]
… Yare yare.
That guy who used to stay underground with Grandpa Zzigg? That should be fine.
Saiki Kusuo calmly waved to Alluka and turned away.
Saiki Kusuo: [Milluki, I have some research to do. You'll help me out.]
"Huh? Just get a few butlers to help, right? Brother Kusuo, do your research yourself! I can't keep up!"
"Have some confidence, Milluki. Since Kusuo chose you, just say yes—Milluki, you can help. Kusuo almost never asks for help. Don't you think this could earn you a lot of favors?" Illumi jumped in right away, seeing a good chance.
"Favors?" Oh right, Brother Kusuo is super rich! And when Illumi speaks, I can't refuse. Milluki said, "So, what do I need to do? How many days? But I still have shows to finish…"
Yare yare, who's rich? I'm just a humble billionaire.
Unlike Saiki Kusuo, everyone else had their own wishes—especially Milluki. There were so many things he wanted. He was a tech geek, always wanting to buy the latest and most expensive stuff.
[Follow me and you'll see.] Saiki Kusuo led him to his lab.
But not long after entering the lab, Saiki Kusuo sensed Alluka's cry for help.
[Brother… Kusuo… Brother! Brother Kusuo!]
Saiki Kusuo had told Alluka before that no matter where on Kukuroo Mountain she was, if she called out to him in her heart, he would come.
Even though Illumi and Mom clearly didn't want him to see Alluka, Alluka was asking for help.
Kikyo was going too.
Saiki Kusuo stood up, but Gotoh was blocking his way.
"Young Master, do you need any help? Just tell me," Gotoh said respectfully.
[Can't let Young Master Kusuo leave. This is Young Master Illumi's order…!] Gotoh's inner voice.
Saiki Kusuo: [Do you know what the family is planning?]
"Young Master, I'm just a servant. I don't know anything…"
That was true—his mind didn't have anything.
Saiki Kusuo raised his foot and instantly teleported to the underground area of the old mansion.
At the far end of the underground passage, Alluka was sitting in front of the door.
The place that had been sealed off layer by layer was now wide open, and a strong dark energy was pouring out, making people too scared to get close.
All the elders from Saiki Kusuo's family were gathered here, along with one big brother.
But… they were just waiting for Alluka to go in alone?
Saiki Kusuo looked at the situation.
He teleported to the hallway leading to the basement entrance, where Tsubone was guarding the door. So he appeared right behind Tsubone.
At that moment, Tsubone finally noticed him. She slowly turned her head, towering over him with an intimidating presence.
"Are you going to stop me?" Saiki Kusuo looked up, but saw Tsubone's face suddenly change from stern to a bright smile.
"Oh my, young master Kusuo, long time no see!"
Saiki Kusuo: …
[Can I come in?] Saiki Kusuo asked politely. After all, this seemed like Tsubone's duty, even though he was already inside.
"Young master Kusuo, you can go anywhere in the Kikyo family home. I'm just a servant; Kikyo would never stop you…" Tsubone bowed respectfully, her huge frame stepping back to make room at the door.
The movement drew everyone's attention to Saiki Kusuo.
"Kusuo? Weren't you doing research?" Illumi asked.
[Alluka didn't look well, so I came over.]
"How do you know Alluka's not doing well?"
Saiki Kusuo stayed silent and changed the topic: [Mom, Dad, what are you planning to make Alluka do?]
The family had their own logical guesses about this.
The parents' generation: [In the Zoldyck household, Kusuo getting access to the cameras and figuring things out with his brain would be easy.]
Illumi: [It must be that older brother's instinct that "something will happen to my little brother." Very good. Only a big brother would have that kind of instinct. I understand.]
There's no such thing.
"It's fine if you know," Silva said, arms crossed. "Your great-grandfather suggested this while you were away. He wants Alluka to train with him."
Oh, that sounded like a good thing, right? Saiki Kusuo looked into the room. Even though there was a lot of dark energy, in the very back there was a white-haired man, fully conscious, looking even younger than their grandpa.
But Alluka and Nanika would still be scared, because this was a stranger they'd never met before, and he gave off a power that even Nanika feared.
"What is Alluka afraid of? The person inside is your great-grandfather—your grandpa's dad. He won't hurt you," their mom said.
"We don't know what will happen if we touch this kind of dark power. But Alluka does have a dark being inside him, so going in should be fine," Grandpa said, standing with his hands behind his back.
But that was exactly the problem.
Alluka was scared of strangers and didn't dare go in. And nobody else could take him in, because with that dark energy, no one wanted to touch it—they didn't know what would happen.
So that was it.
Saiki Kusuo walked straight over to Alluka. No one tried to stop him.
"Brother…!" Alluka stepped back twice and hugged Saiki Kusuo.
[Is Nanika afraid of that power?]
"Nanika says it feels very fierce…"
[Like how Mike acts toward strangers?]
Mike? Alluka blinked, thinking of her love for big animals.
[Mike is really mean to strangers, right? Might even eat them. But to family, he's just like a big puppy.]
That's true! Alluka nodded hard.
[Family doesn't hurt family. But Alluka's never met great-grandfather. Nanika doesn't know his power either. So from the outside, great-grandfather seems scary—just like how strangers see Sanmao.]
Alluka's little head slowly started to understand.
[Got it!]
[But… I still don't dare go in alone… Do I really have to go in? Brother Kusuo, I don't want to…]
There was nothing to do about it. Alluka had never been taught to be brave, never had any strength, so of course he had no confidence to face this. Being timid was just how the family raised him.
Alluka, everyone let you meet Great-Grandfather because he wants to teach you knowledge. Alluka, whether it's Killua, Milluki, or me, we're all learning. We read books, we fight, and we learn from the butlers and professional teachers.
But Nanika is special. Only Great-Grandfather can teach you how to understand Nanika and help Nanika understand herself again. Alluka, did you forget you also wanted to help back then?
Saiki Kusuo mentioned the final trial of the Hunter Exam, and that reminded Alluka of the determination he once had to become stronger.
"Do you still want to go in now?" Saiki Kusuo asked.
Scared, but yes.
Saiki Kusuo heard that in his heart.
Yare yare, guess there's no choice.
Saiki Kusuo held Alluka's hand.
"Kusuo, I'm warning you. If you teleport Alluka away, I'll consider using a contract to seal your ability," Illumi suddenly said.
Huh? You can do that? Contracts are that powerful? Can I ask big brother to seal my telepathy too? Hearing countless thoughts every day is so noisy.
Even though making that kind of contract would cost me a lot, if Kusuo is destined to become the one blocking the family from controlling Alluka… then it's worth it. Illumi's thoughts.
Forget it, thanks for caring, Illumi.
Alluka looked nervously at Saiki Kusuo. Saiki Kusuo pulled Alluka along and walked toward that basement room.
"Kusuo? This isn't a joke! Stay away from that power!" Grandpa shouted to stop him.
"Kusuo! You'll die like this! You'll be eaten by the black aura! Ah!!" Mom screamed.
Hey, Mom, with you saying that, there's no way Alluka will dare to go in.
Yare yare, it can't get much worse than this. Saiki Kusuo wasn't scared at all. He had stayed in the Dark Continent before and nothing happened, right? He even destroyed a huge part of it.
Saiki Kusuo reached his hand into the black mist.
His hand went in, and nothing happened. This was proof for everyone, and also for Alluka.
Don't be afraid. We'll be fine. But if the others come in, who knows? The elders really need to stay clear-headed.
Silva: Kusuo… he actually went this far for Alluka's growth.
Grandpa: He doesn't know the power of the Dark Continent. This is a cursed power. Of course, nothing happens right away, but over time…
Illumi: Forcing Alluka to go in with a needle isn't impossible, but he chose such a dangerous way…
Tsubone: Young Master Kusuo… he's always been such a gentle person. Truly moving…
As for Mom, her cybernetic eye flashing already showed her emotions were unstable.
Only after seeing Saiki Kusuo safe did Alluka and Nanika finally relax. They dared to follow Saiki Kusuo step by step into the room.
In the end, Saiki Kusuo and Alluka disappeared into the darkness, and no one stopped them.
After a while, Saiki Kusuo came out alone, without a trace of darkness on him, but Grandpa instantly wrapped him in his En and checked him thoroughly.
Isn't that being a little too cautious?
"Tsubone," Silva said.
"Yes, I've already asked the medical department to prepare a separate special check-up room."
Huh? Saiki Kusuo was speechless. Isn't this too much?
"Can you still teleport? Do you feel anything strange in your body?" Illumi reached out to him.
Saiki Kusuo: I'm totally fine. That power doesn't affect me at all, really.
But family concern isn't something he can refuse.
I've already called three Nen users who specialize in medical skills. They'll arrive one by one in three days. They should be able to give Kusuo a full check-up. Silva's thoughts.
Sounds like asking an old friend for help… what's going on? I was only in there for a few seconds, and now it sounds like the check-up will take forever! What about my research? I don't have time to waste. I still need to take off the wristband and study it.
Saiki Kusuo was completely helpless as everyone pushed him toward the medical room.
Yare yare, seriously… what troublesome family members.
…
Later, Saiki Kusuo quickly turned into a crazy scientist researching smartphones. With Milluki's full support, his progress skyrocketed.
About a month later, one afternoon, Saiki Kusuo was studying a phone chip when the slacking Milluki suddenly shouted.
"Bro, Killua went out!"
After just a month together, the way of calling him had already turned into a close "Bro."
[Oh, good for him. Did he bring Alluka?]
"How could he bring her? Isn't Alluka playing with Great-Grandpa?"
That's training, training.
"Damn it, I haven't even punished him yet! He hurt me, you know!"
So that's what happened. But Milluki, after that you've just been using it as an excuse to stay home, "recover," and laze around, right?
Speaking of which, haven't you gotten a bit fatter lately? Well, makes sense, since you've been stuck inside doing research with me.
Saiki Kusuo went quiet for a moment.
[Gotoh.]
"Yes, young master, what is it?"
[Take Milluki out for training.]
"Yes."
Milluki, munching on chips, heard his name and froze, the chips scattering everywhere. "Huh?! Bro! You're just like Big Bro!"
[Yare yare, it's really hard to keep your body in shape, you know. I can't let all the progress fall apart on my watch. As a reward, once this is done, I'll take you out to have some fun.]
"Yeah right, who'd believe that? You're just a shut-in…"
And what's wrong with being a shut-in? Even shut-ins go out when it's really necessary.
"Oh yeah, Bro, about the reward Illumi mentioned earlier—you'll give it, right?" Milluki asked unwillingly, just before being dragged off to train.
The reward is still far away. Asking me directly… does that mean you already have something in mind? Saiki Kusuo listened in on what Milluki was really thinking.
— The Greed Island game console.
A familiar name. GI, huh!
No, not even I could get that. One person always buys up the whole lot. If I remember right, the highest bid was over 60 billion? Even if I liquidated all my assets, I'd only have around 600 billion, and on top of that, I still owe the family 120 billion. Getting that game console would really be pushing it.
But when he looked up and met Milluki's eyes… yare yare. Twelve-year-old Milluki's face was round and a little chubby, still with traces of baby fat—but not too much. His eyes, not hidden by the fat, were clear and full of nothing but desire for that console.
Milluki's thoughts were already heard by Saiki Kusuo, though he hadn't spoken them yet.
If he knew the console would go for at least 20 billion, no way I could buy it. If Bro found out I needed that much, he'd kick me off the project in advance! Damn it, damn it… this sucks! I need to find a way to make Bro want to buy it too!
Milluki, all your thoughts are out in the open.
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