As long as he wasn't an assassination target of the Zoldyck Family...
Then the identity of a client could resolve many troubles at this moment.
Unless the Zoldycks were willing to tarnish their business reputation.
Gotoh and another butler watched Morrow expressionlessly.
They could sense Kikyo Zoldyck's fury and understood its source, the composed young man standing before them.
Yet they had no authority to intervene, only serving as gatekeepers flanking Kikyo and Kalluto.
Meanwhile, Zebro at the security booth had completely retreated inside after sensing the tense atmosphere.
Undoubtedly, the reason the atmosphere had frozen over was Kikyo's unrestrained aura.
Rage. Hostility.
These were the dominant notes in her aura.
"So you're Morrow?"
Not only did Kikyo ignore Morrow's earlier words, she asked rhetorically, her escalating aura continuously pressuring him.
Yet such tactics didn't affect Morrow in the slightest.
Even when Kikyo deliberately infused her aura with killing intent.
So what?
Even killing intent from masters like Zeno and Silva couldn't shake Morrow's resolve.
"Yes, Madam."
Facing Kikyo's rhetorical question, Morrow remained calm and poised.
Kikyo observed his reaction, her red electronic eye twitching slightly.
Her intention had been to suppress this young man with her aura, never expecting his mental fortitude to be so formidable.
Tsubone hadn't exaggerated.
This brat had some skill.
Kikyo's red electronic eye fixed unblinkingly on Morrow, her fury still burning, but rationality had taken the high ground first.
She couldn't touch this brat.
Within seconds, Kikyo reached her conclusion.
This wasn't about strength, the young man had seized the initiative by standing here as a "client."
Kikyo's usual behavior at home wasn't exactly unrestrained, but it was certainly willful enough.
In this regard, Illumi, who resembled her greatly, had inherited it perfectly.
However, where she surpassed Illumi was in understanding priorities and seeing the bigger picture.
No matter how furious she was at Morrow for disrupting Kalluto's psychological development, she couldn't tarnish the Zoldyck Family's reputation by eliminating this unstable factor here.
But just what was going on...?!
Her eldest son Illumi and second son Milluki had grown up smoothly, becoming qualified assassins under the family's expectations.
Yet starting with her third son Killua, problems kept arising.
First, Killua's personality began diverging from assassin ideals.
Despite never failing the family's expectations in training, meeting all requirements flawlessly and displaying the most outstanding talent in generations.
For some reason, Killua wanted to make friends and was prone to emotional outbursts...
These were absolute taboos for assassins.
Then came her fourth child Alluka... no, that one couldn't even be considered family anymore.
So with her fifth child Kalluto, Kikyo had poured her heart into nurturing him, showering him with affection.
She had always raised Kalluto as a "daughter."
Partly to satisfy her own desire for a daughter, partly to prevent Kalluto from following Killua's path. The facts proved that her parenting approach was correct. Kalluto was obedient and docile, and at a young age, he had already become a qualified assassin.
Most importantly, Kalluto did not exhibit the same issues as Killua.
He neither desired to make friends nor had the fatal flaw of being overly emotional.
Apart from lacking Killua's innate talent, Kalluto's growth had met all of Kikyo's long-standing expectations.
However, Morrow's appearance had introduced a glaring crack in what should have been a harmonious outcome.
This was the source of Kikyo's fury.
She needed to vent.
The earlier show of authority had been her way of doing so.
Yet it had yielded no results.
And because she had concluded that she could not act directly against Morrow, the only option left was to intimidate him and drive him away.
This was the sole course of action permitted under ideological restraint.
Thus, the flames of anger in Kikyo's heart only burned fiercer.
Her turbulent emotions were being recklessly unleashed through her aura.
As a result, the atmosphere in the room grew increasingly oppressive and strange.
Because from the moment Morrow replied with, "Yes, ma'am," the two at the center of the aura storm had not spoken another word, their gazes silently intertwining.
But to onlookers like Gotoh, though Kikyo and Morrow were merely staring at each other in silence, it gave the impression of an intense confrontation.
Beside Kikyo, Kalluto was beside himself with anxiety.
He could sense that his mother was weighing her options.
This also meant Morrow had been placed on her scales, if the weight tipped against him, he would be in danger.
Though he realized this, Kalluto was powerless to intervene. He didn't even dare to show the slightest hint of worry or distress.
As always, he could only bury all his thoughts deep inside.
Because if his mother noticed any outward display of emotions he shouldn't have, it would only fuel her rage further.
Kalluto pressed his lips tightly together, struggling to suppress his emotions.
The only thing he could do was fix Morrow with a cold stare, silently urging him to leave quickly.
Morrow was somewhat familiar with this shell-like gaze from Kalluto.
But he had no intention of leaving.
Killing intent.
This was the threat Kikyo deliberately crafted under the constraint of not taking direct action.
"If you don't leave now, I'll kill you."
Her frenzied aura, laced with twisted emotions, unmistakably conveyed this message.
Gotoh and the other butler, Kalluto standing beside Kikyo, and even Zebro, who had retreated into the security booth like an ostrich, all could clearly sense the overwhelming killing intent.
This is the first time I've seen the mistress so enraged.
Gotoh adjusted his glasses with his middle finger, silently reflecting.
As a servant, it was not his place to speculate about his master's thoughts.
Even if he tried, Gotoh couldn't discern the true reason behind Kikyo's fury.
Among all the butlers of the Zoldyck Family, perhaps only Tsubone could see the reason at a glance, it was simply because she didn't want history to repeat itself.
And yet, that young man shows no fear.
A trace of surprise flickered in Gotoh's eyes as he looked at Morrow, unable to comprehend the source of his confidence, yet unable to ignore his courage either.
In truth, Morrow's composure wasn't solely due to his certainty about the protective shield of being a "client." The true confidence actually stemmed from Kikyo's killing intent.
Being the first to bear the brunt, Morrow naturally could sense Kikyo's frenzied killing intent.
Yet the intensity he perceived was something Gotoh and Kalluto could hardly match.
Thus Gotoh was perplexed, and Kalluto was worried.
But Morrow could see a tiny gap beneath Kikyo's overwhelming killing intent.
She wouldn't kill.
Morrow was certain of this.
Perhaps Kikyo might suddenly slap him, but she wouldn't go for the kill.
That was enough.
Time ticked by.
Both sides remained silent, as if speaking first would mean losing.
Kikyo's madness and wrath, like a violent storm, were unmistakably on display.
Morrow's calm composure, like an unshakable mountain amidst the storm, remained entirely unaffected from start to finish.
Thus, Kikyo gradually lost ground.
Because no matter how fierce the storm, it would eventually subside.
But the mountain would always remain.
Yet Kikyo refused to concede.
This emotion was like a saw, relentlessly grating against her rationality.
The taut string seemed ready to snap at any moment.
In contrast, Morrow keenly detected these shifts in Kikyo's killing intent.
She was starting to get serious.
Realizing this, Morrow promptly adjusted his priorities between "staying" and "running," mentally preparing to bolt at any moment.
Just then.
A childish voice from the mountain path behind them shattered the increasingly oppressive atmosphere.
"What are you all doing here?"
Accompanying the voice was the squeak of skateboard wheels rolling over the road.
The speaker was a silver-haired boy who looked about eight or nine years old.
Hands in his pockets, the boy glided on his skateboard, his sapphire-blue eyes filled with curiosity as he surveyed the group.
The silver-haired boy was none other than Killua Zoldyck, the third son of the Zoldyck Family.
Seeing Killua approach on his skateboard, Kikyo instantly smoothed her twisted lips and retracted her overwhelming, distorted aura.
"Killua, you're back! How was the mission?"
Her gentle tone was dripping with affection, as if the earlier madness and wrath had been an illusion.
"Brother."
"Young Master Killua."
Kalluto and Gotoh turned to look at Killua in turn.
But Killua ignored them, braking with his foot to stop the skateboard near Morrow.
"You're pretty strong."
His azure eyes flickered over Morrow's face as Killua spread his hands. "Most people can't handle Mom's twisted killing intent."
"Ah, Killua, you—"
Before Morrow could react to Killua's words, Kikyo by the stone gate let out a startled cry, her right hand touching her cheek as her red electronic eye trembled violently.
Gotoh and the other butler tensed, lowering their gazes as if they had seen and heard nothing.
Morrow, however, met Killua's scrutinizing gaze with surprise.
With such a vivid example before him, the differences between Kalluto and Killua became even more apparent.
If it were Kalluto, not only would he never dare to speak to Kikyo like this, but he wouldn't even entertain the slightest thought of defiance.
Then, everyone present heard Kikyo's next words:
"Are you praising Mommy?"
"..."
The scene fell into silence. Killua gave Morrow a look that said, "See? This is how it is," then asked curiously, "So what are you doing here?"
"Killua, come here first."
Kikyo quickly waved her hand, signaling Killua to approach.
"No."
Killua turned his back on Kikyo without hesitation.
But Kikyo patiently coaxed, "Listen to Mommy first, okay?"
"I said no."
Killua suddenly turned sideways, casting a sidelong glance at Kikyo with an expressionless face. "You can make me kill as many people as you want, but don't interfere with my freedom."
"Killua..."
Kikyo raised a hand to cover her mouth in disbelief, her red electronic eyes flickering erratically, betraying her turbulent emotions.
Ignoring Kikyo's reaction, Killua turned his attention back to Morrow.
Meeting Killua's curious gaze, Morrow could only give a brief answer. "A commission."
"Huh? Just a commission?"
Killua sounded surprised. "But this doesn't look like just any commission. I've never seen Mom this angry before, like she wants to tear you apart. Though she's just putting on an act..."
"Oh?"
A faint glimmer of something unusual flashed deep in Morrow's eyes.
As expected of the most talented assassin in the Zoldyck family's history, he had even noticed the tiny crack beneath that twisted killing intent.
"It's just a commission."
Morrow confirmed with a serious expression.
Killua immediately felt a little disappointed. This was the first time he'd seen such a scene, and for him, it was something fresh and exciting.
That's why he was so curious about the reason behind it.
But it turned out to be the most boring explanation, just a commission.
Wait.
There's no way Mom would lose her composure over something so ordinary.
There must be a deeper reason here, and he even caught a faint whiff of something familiar.
At this thought, Killua's innate feline curiosity drove him to press further. "Can you tell me what kind of commission it is?"
"..."
Morrow glanced at Kalluto, thought for a moment, then calmly replied, "I need to find someone, so I asked Kalluto for help."
"So it's not about killing someone."
Killua nodded in understanding, then, with his bright blue cat-like eyes, asked curiously, "But if it's just about asking Kalluto to help find someone, Mom wouldn't have lost her cool like that. The reason she acted that way... Hmm."
At this point, Killua's eyes flickered slightly, and he didn't continue.
He already knew the reason.
It was something he had experienced before, no wonder it felt familiar.
"So, are you and Kalluto friends?"
Killua tilted his head slightly, staring intently into Morrow's eyes.
Morrow nodded naturally. "Yes."
Though perhaps it wasn't just a simple friendship, since they had fought side by side before.
The bond forged through life-and-death battles was deeper and more profound than ordinary friendship, fostering a unique sense of trust between them.
For example, Kalluto could understand the true meaning behind Morrow's seemingly nonsensical words, and Morrow could read the real intent behind Kalluto's cold gaze.
These were all manifestations of that trust.
A surge of envy welled up in Killua's heart.
As sharp as he was, once he confirmed the friendship between Morrow and Kalluto, he could roughly guess why his mother had lost her composure.
"Well, you should be careful around my mom. She's really annoying. But I think you're strong enough to handle her." Killua reminded them, then listlessly rode his skateboard toward the Testing Gate.
Passing by Kalluto and Kikyo, Killua completely ignored Kikyo but flashed a smile at Kalluto.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Killua pushed open the Testing Gate and stepped into the gloomy, desolate forest beyond.
Amid the rumbling, as the massive stone gate automatically closed behind him, no one could see the disappointment on Killua's face.
—--
He arrived at the path leading to the mansion and spotted the young trainee butler, Canary, standing guard there.
"Canary."
"Master Killua, how may I serve you?"
Canary, with her four braids and beaded staff in hand, bowed her head respectfully.
Killua took out a yo-yo and said, "Here, this is for you. It's really fun."
"Master Killua, I cannot accept it. I appreciate your kindness."
Canary kept her head lowered, rejecting the goodwill Killua extended.
Killua withdrew his hand, his eyes dull and lifeless.
Right. You wouldn't take it.
--------
Bonus chapter.
From now on, the chapters will be released at around 23:00 UTC.
Go check my new work "Cyberpunk: Beginning in 2071".