That wish he'd make to Alluka to return home didn't count as a life goal.
As for his old wish of staying ordinary, that was just him wanting to keep up a normal standard among his peers. A life goal was supposed to be something people strive for.
There was no way Kusuo could tell Illumi his whole life would be about putting family first and working for the family.
He studied science and computers so far to prove his value at home. At the same time, he tried not to be too outstanding in his powers, so he wouldn't be forced to kill. Sometimes finishing a project felt like beating a game, which was fun—but calling it a "hobby" was still a stretch.
A life goal—such a deep topic, but for someone who can do anything, it didn't really exist.
The key to talking with Illumi was not to lie. Living together every day, Illumi could tell.
The answer… was that there wasn't one. Surprising? A psychic with no goal at all was like a wanderer drifting without direction.
[Take one step at a time. I've never had a goal.] Kusuo said.
Illumi was silent. [I see. No goal.]
Someone without a goal was harder to handle. But Kusuo was family. He was his little brother.
He would find Kusuo a goal that suited him.
Saiki Kusuo: No, really, I don't need one.
"By the way, Kusuo, when you saved Alluka, you spoke, you know?"
Kusuo was puzzled. What did that mean? Kikyo's words had come from his own mouth.
"Since you were born, Kusuo, you've never spoken out loud. Being able to hear your voice—I thought you couldn't talk. That was the first time I heard it. Did you know you could talk?"
Wait, was that why they treated him like a problem child? In a normal family, wouldn't this be a big deal?! A baby born able to use telepathy, and the whole family just brushed it off? Their ability to accept things was way too strong!
[...Yare yare, I've always been able to talk.]
"Then from now on, the butler will call you with mission info."
[No no no, better to send a text. Words are clearer.]
"Why not just talk? Voice is easier, and if you have questions you can ask right away. It helps the mission go smoother. With text, the butler can only send you the most basic info." Illumi opened his eyes a little wider, looking puzzled.
[I can upgrade my phone later, then it can send photos and more complete stuff. As for calls…]
As he spoke, Illumi had already walked up to Saiki Kusuo. He reached out, touched Kusuo's forehead with two fingers, and said, "Just kidding, Kusuo. But if the phone really can show pictures and more detailed data like you said, it'll help us a lot."
Saiki Kusuo stared at Illumi's fingers on his forehead. That wasn't just some extra move—he could feel it. A small needle planted in his head years ago had just been pulled out.
Wait a second. Why did one of my weakening debuffs suddenly disappear?
Is he going to replace it with another needle? No… from his thoughts, there's no new needle.
Saiki Kusuo was surprised. Illumi actually had no intention of sticking in another one.
"You've known about this thing all these years, haven't you? Now you're grown up and can avoid danger on your own. You don't need it anymore." Illumi said.
So… he wasn't really the type who'd put needles in every little brother, controlling them all his life out of obsession?
"Knock knock." Someone at the door.
The two stopped talking.
The airship was already landing, about to reach Kukuroo Mountain. Gotoh came to remind them.
The airship touched down at the landing area near the main gate. Not long after getting off, they were already at the front of the house.
Yare yare, finally home.
Illumi: [I wonder how much strength Kusuo really has. I'm a bit curious.]
Ah, right, there's that.
The Zoldyck front gate doesn't have a lock, but seven giant doors side by side. The first layer weighs 2 tons, and each next layer doubles. To push open all seven on one side takes 128 tons of force, or 256 tons for both.
Saiki Kusuo only remembered that Killua's arm strength was 12 tons.
No way I'm weaker than Killua, right? Killua's talent is higher, sure, but I'm eighteen now, six years older than him, and I can use nen!
So maybe opening two doors would be the safe choice?
[W-what? Master Kusuo is going to push the door? Master Illumi, that's too much…] Gotoh was worried but didn't dare say it aloud.
[Illumi, you're finally back, hehe… my dear Alluka, I have something to tell you. Hm? Today Kusuo's opening the door…?]
Behind the door stood their mother, watching through Zoldyck's surveillance glasses.
No, I can't just expose my weakness after hiding it so many years. Better just open one door. Half is fine. Being looked down on doesn't matter anyway.
Saiki Kusuo put his hand on the gate. Behind it, his mother covered her mouth with a folding fan, standing with Kalluto and waiting.
The door creaked as half of it slowly opened. Kusuo carefully controlled his strength so it wouldn't swing too far.
"Ha!" A small sound came out, very cute. Looking down, Saiki Kusuo realized Alluka had snuck to his side and was also pushing both sides of the gate.
[Let's push it together, big brother!]
With your strength, it doesn't matter whether you push or not…
Forget it. Alluka's strength is basically zero. As long as he's happy, I'll just pretend he's not even there, slowly…
As the gate opened just a crack, Alluka spotted their mother inside.
[Ah, Mama's inside! We came back as licensed Hunters, we have to show her our effort and results! Hnnngh…!]
No matter how hard he tried, Alluka couldn't help much. Even his stance was all wrong. Yare yare.
But… you don't want to be looked down on by Mama, do you?
The door Kusuo was opening stopped just short of being fully open. Alluka clenched his teeth, but still couldn't move it another step.
If this is Alluka's wish…
Saiki Kusuo slowly shifted his force. To push the second gate behind it, he had to press more to the side.
The second gate began to open as well.
[So he decided to open two doors because of Alluka? And he even has strength to spare.] Illumi commented from behind.
The second door opened all the way, weighing about eight tons.
"Hehehe… welcome home, kids." Mom was really happy that the two children could show their strength. In Saiki Kusuo's heart, these were people worth caring about. Even if they had been weak before, using psychic power to push open a heavy door like this wasn't strange at all.
Looks fine.
Saiki Kusuo let out a big sigh of relief.
Next, he would have almost half a year to stay at home. During this time, he should work on making a smart touchscreen phone with a big display. Doing this research was honestly a bit hard for him. It would be best to have an assistant…
Saiki Kusuo thought this as his eyes fell on Milluki, who had come to greet them.
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