Even without Germain, Killua would have, at some critical moment, faced his fear and noticed the Nen needle on his own—and removed it.
Illumi knew it. So did their parents.
They all knew Killua would never abandon Alluka.
The moment they implanted the needle, they already expected he would come back someday.
That kind of "We're doing this for your own good" manipulation… deeply hurt Killua.
Killua agreed to go with Germain—
Forced to return to that family covered in shadows,
To find the rare hope and warmth he'd once known.
Germain didn't leave right away.
He waited until August 1st—
Because something important was going to happen today.
Led by Chairman Netero, the Hunter Association's expedition team set out from Greed Island in batches, heading toward the Kakin Empire's colonial voyage assembly point.
At that port, they would join other Hunter Association members and those originally dispatched by the former V5, making final preparations until August 8.
Those staying behind on Greed Island said their farewells to the departing expedition members.
For Germain, this was a new kind of experience—he was usually the one being sent off with well wishes for his Dark Continent journey. Now, the roles were reversed.
Germain went around and said goodbye to Chairman Netero, team leader Morel, Vice Chairwoman Cheadle, Vice Chairman Mizaistom, and others like Knov, Kite, Palm, and Shoot.
Finally, he stood in front of Kurapika.
"Kurapika, take care of yourself," Germain said. "We'll meet again on the Dark Continent."
"See you on the Dark Continent," Kurapika replied, placing a hand over his chest. He bowed slightly, solemnly showing respect to the teacher who had changed his future.
Soon, the entire Hunter Association expedition team departed from the secret training ground of Greed Island. They split into several groups, flowing like rivers toward the Kakin Empire.
At the same time, other forces were already in motion. The V6, especially the state machinery of the Kakin Empire, began to operate at full capacity, humming with energy.
Under the starry sky, the BW1 ship stood like the sun, and the five support vessels were like planets. Together, they would set sail on August 8, moving like a solar system into the depths of space.
Compared to that grand, epic journey, the small, personal trip of Germain, Killua, and Gon returning home didn't get much attention.
Germain and Killua were returning to the Zoldyck family for important matters, while Gon was mainly there to keep Killua company—after all, Killua had recently joined him on a visit to Whale Island.
Midway through the trip, Killua started talking to Germain and Gon about something personal—his relationship with Alluka.
Alluka was his childhood companion, his younger sibling, and also his "little sister," though she preferred being called that.
Killua respected Alluka's gender identity and accepted it. Honestly, Alluka really did act more like a younger sister.
But that wasn't the only strange thing about Alluka.
One day, while Killua and Alluka were playing in the forest beneath Kukuroo Mountain, they came across a wounded little bird. It looked like it wasn't going to survive.
At that moment, Illumi suddenly seemed like a different person. Her eyes were pitch black. She easily revived the nearly lifeless bird and let it fly away.
Afterwards, Illumi quietly told Killua that inside her body, there was also his sister—Nanika.
Illumi wanted Killua to treat Nanika with the same affection as he would treat her.
Killua didn't think much of it and agreed.
At that time, the innocent siblings didn't see this as a burden, and instead, they were quite excited.
They believed that Illumi had gained special powers, like a warrior, and that she was going to protect world peace in the future.
However, as Nanika grew more active and demonstrated terrifying abilities, and as Killua matured and became more aware, he started to realize that things were far more complicated than he had imagined.
At one point, Killua tried to hide from Illumi about Nanika's abilities, but eventually, the truth came out to his parents and older brother.
The Zoldyck family was on high alert about this matter. Even the rarely seen Great-Grandfather Zigg specifically called Alluka into his room and kept her there for half an hour.
Later, Alluka told Killua that Zigg just stared at her for a long time, asked a few small questions about her daily life, and then let her go.
If Zigg, as calm as he is, acted this way, the reactions of the others were even more intense, especially Killua's mother, Kikyo, and his older brother, Illumi.
After that, Nanika started appearing frequently.
Kikyo and Illumi used the lives of the Zoldyck family's butlers and servants, conducting a series of experiments to test the various conditions of Alluka's and Nanika's abilities.
"Making a wish," "acting cute," "chain deaths," and more were all discovered during this period.
If Killua hadn't overheard Kikyo and Illumi repeatedly warning him, he wouldn't have known that Alluka and Nanika's abilities had so many limitations and dangers.
Alluka and Nanika had never asked him to do such unreasonable things when they were acting cute.
It wasn't until later that he realized this was because those conditions and consequences wouldn't affect him, so he never noticed the dangerous rules surrounding them.
Alluka and Nanika would never harm him—that was the fundamental condition for all their abilities to work. That was the top priority.
At this stage, Alluka's movements were restricted, and her interactions with others were limited. Even though none of this was her fault, it was all because of those "wish-makers."
If the initial "wish" hadn't been made, there would never have been any following "acting cute" toward the next person. Why didn't anyone understand that?
Killua was very displeased with the way Alluka and Nanika were treated.
At the same time, he sharply realized that the fact that he could "order" Alluka and Nanika without restriction must be kept secret.
Based on his understanding of his mother and older brother, once they learned of this ability to "order," they would definitely use him to control Alluka and Nanika.
In Illumi's understanding, both Alluka and Nanika have the ability to grant any wish. However, the price of "acting spoiled" that follows each wish becomes heavier with time.
If "commands" could be unlimited, wouldn't it make him invincible, with Killua on his left and Alluka on his right?
After listening to Killua's explanation, Germain couldn't shake the feeling that things weren't so simple.
Perhaps what was happening wasn't exactly a "command," but rather the result of Killua's long-term, careful companionship. He had already paid the price of "acting spoiled" far too much.
Moreover, Killua rarely made wishes to Alluka and Nanika, which explained the current strange situation.
In other words, if Killua started issuing "commands" constantly, he would eventually face the same outcome as other "wishers" and lose this layer of protection.
One day, due to his own greed, Killua would have to bear the price of someone else's "wish" and be forced to endure some truly cruel "acting spoiled."
It was likely that Killua's love for Alluka and Nanika had unintentionally saved him and the entire Zoldyck family.
From a gentle perspective, it was precisely because Killua didn't have excessive greedy desires for Alluka and Nanika and genuinely treated them as his sisters that Nanika didn't harm him or anyone Killua cared about.
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