The woman was pinned down by Kaizen.
She couldn't move.
No matter how hard she struggled, she couldn't break free.
Killua looked at Kaizen, then at the woman, silent for a long moment.
Killua's mood was complicated.
Part of him was frustrated by his own carelessness. If he hadn't left an opening, the woman wouldn't have been able to erupt with such power in the first place.
But more than that...
The woman—someone not even on his level—had been completely overpowered by Kaizen without him even lifting a finger.
Just Kaizen's presence alone had pinned her down like an invisible weight.
"Kaizen… can you let her go?"
"You sure about that?"
"I am."
Killua nodded. "I took the job. I killed her father. It's only natural she wants revenge."
"And…"
He paused.
"Kaizen… I want to face her on my own next time. With my own strength."
"I don't want your power cleaning up my mistake."
Kaizen gave a quiet nod.
"Alright. Handle your own business."
He pulled back his hand, and the heavy pressure in the air instantly vanished.
The woman regained control of her body—but the fear Kaizen had instilled in her kept her frozen in place.
She didn't dare make a move.
Her eyes stayed locked on Kaizen, wary.
"Let's go back, Killua."
"Yeah."
The two of them walked back toward the airship cabin—Kaizen in front, Killua behind.
The woman watched their backs as they left, her eyes following them until their figures disappeared from view.
"He really let me go…?"
Empowered by her recent outburst, she'd been confident she could kill Killua.
Avenge her father.
But Kaizen's sudden appearance had shattered that illusion.
He showed her the overwhelming difference between them.
"…Assassins, huh?"
For so long, all she'd lived for was revenge—for her father's sake.
It was her only reason for surviving.
Just like Kurapika's drive to avenge the Kurta Clan.
Killua had become her sole target.
But now… for the first time, she started questioning it.
What was an assassin, really?
"Why didn't they kill me?"
"They know I'll come back for revenge."
"They know I was here to kill him."
"So why?"
She couldn't wrap her head around it.
If their roles were reversed, she was sure she wouldn't have shown the same mercy.
She'd kill without hesitation.
...
"Killua."
"Team leader."
Killua and Kaizen returned to their seats.
A short while later, the woman stepped back into the cabin as well. Her eyes drifted toward the two of them, brows furrowed.
But she didn't act again.
With Kaizen present, she knew she had no chance of killing Killua—no hope of revenge.
Gon glanced over, concern in his voice.
"Killua, are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
Killua shook his head.
Then he went quiet.
It wasn't just the woman who was lost in thought.
Killua was, too.
He couldn't stop thinking about how her power had surged so suddenly.
Before, he hadn't been sure whether the aura she displayed had truly come from her.
But after Kaizen's appearance, Killua was certain—it wasn't an external force.
The change came from her.
And that fact bothered him.
...
The airship continued its flight without incident.
Half a day later, it landed in a different city—just a transit stop, not their destination.
As they disembarked, the woman approached Killua.
"You're really not going to kill me?"
Killua met her gaze calmly.
"I already told you, didn't I?"
"…Why?"
"No reason."
"You assassins… are all of you like this?"
"I don't know."
Killua shrugged. "Being an assassin's just a job to me. I kill, I get paid. And I accept the risk of retaliation."
"Your father died by my hand. You came for revenge. That's fair."
"But just this once."
"Next time, I won't let you go."
The woman stared at him.
"…I'll come at you again. If I fail next time, I'll give up. I won't seek revenge anymore."
With that, she turned and walked away.
Killua watched her go.
Then looked away.
...
Their next airship wouldn't depart until the afternoon, so the group of four left the station and headed into the commercial district of the city.
Kaizen told Altan to start reviewing restaurant reviews.
Eventually, they settled on one of the city's top-rated spots.
Naturally, it was also extremely expensive.
They took a private room.
Each of them was handed a menu.
"Order whatever you like. I'm treating," Kaizen said casually, flipping through the menu and marking down everything that caught his eye.
"This place is crazy expensive…" Ponzu muttered, her pupils shrinking as she glanced at the prices.
"It's fine," Kaizen replied. "We don't get to eat out often anyway."
The food here was definitely pricey.
Not the most cost-effective option—but Kaizen didn't care about that.
Thanks to the gourmet cells in his body, his main concern was taste and quality.
Compared to the improvements these high-end ingredients could give him, the money was trivial.
Altan could easily earn it back later.
Killua and Gon weren't bothered by the prices either.
Though for different reasons.
Killua had made plenty of money himself. Maybe not on Kaizen's level, but enough to be comfortable.
His time in Heavens Arena alone had earned him hundreds of millions in prize money.
Gon, on the other hand, had grown up on Whale Island.
After leaving, he passed the Hunter Exam, went to Zoldyck Manor…
And then ended up here.
He'd never really had opportunities—or reasons—to spend money.
To him, money just wasn't something he thought about.
Soon, the food began to arrive.
The massive round table was almost completely covered with dishes.
Both Gon and Killua had large appetites.
But Kaizen easily out-ate them both.
With gourmet cells enhancing his digestion and absorption, his appetite was on another level.
Ponzu—though a capable Nen user herself—was still visibly shocked by the speed at which they polished off the meal.
The server who came to clear the dishes looked stunned by the empty plates.
They quickly replaced them with desserts.
As Kaizen was digging into his second bowl of shaved ice, Killua glanced over at him.
"…Kaizen, I have a question."
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Fanfic is completed on patreon.com/FanficsHub (1047 chapters in total)