The next morning at 10:00, Saiki Kusuo woke up.
[So sleepy... The kids are at school, should I do some laundry?]
[I should get lunch ready.]
[Yuuta is going to high school soon, I'm worried...]
The neighbor's thoughts.
The ordinary world gave him a sense of normalcy, and the ordinary thoughts around him made him feel comforted.
What a happy moment, I wish it could last forever.
[Using thoughts after death? It's too weird, why could he come back to life?]
[What does he know about the Zoldycks? There's no way Killua would do something like that.]
I almost forgot, this world has a "walking disaster," I need to get up and do something right away.
Saiki Kusuo used equal exchange to get dressed, washed up in his long-missed home, and teleported downstairs.
This lavish use of superpowers shows his easy control over them on this new day.
In the living room, the three sofas were full, and the TV was showing the news.
TV: "Recently, a group called The Phantom Troupe has appeared in Russia. They are all teenagers, and they are carrying out illegal activities everywhere. Using Telegram groups as a base, they are insulting non-Slavic people online. Recently, The Phantom Troupe held a gathering in Ukraine, and the police arrested over 200 people..."
Oh...
Saiki Kusuo's home has three sofas: a small one-seater, a medium L-shaped one, and a large long one, standard setup.
Chrollo was lying on the medium sofa, looking at some documents, surrounded by many books. He could hear the news, but didn't react.
Illumi was reading a newspaper, but now his eyes were on the TV.
You couldn't see a head on the long sofa, but Saiki Kusuo stood behind it and, with a quick glance, saw right through to the person lying there.
Hisoka.
He was lying on his side, propping his head up with one hand and pressing the other to his waist, laughing as he watched the news, "Hehehe~ They're all number four."
Over 200 number fours is a little shocking.
"If they're fans, I can understand the actions," Chrollo made up, based on the setting Saiki Kusuo gave him earlier, "After all, according to the setting here, people don't think anyone is number four in The Phantom Troupe."
Even after learning it's another world, this guy still uses his star persona without batting an eye.
"Chrollo, can you read Japanese? Read it to me."
"Learn it yourself, I've already written out a table matching Hunter characters to Japanese."
What a hardworking exploration teammate from another world.
"Too much trouble, just read it for me."
"I'm afraid I'll want to kill you if I read it."
What a rough morning, was this guy always this grumpy?
Saiki Kusuo picked up a croissant from the table, along with healthy milk and a heart-shaped fried egg, a loving breakfast that only his mom would make.
Every time Saiki Kusuo eats it, he feels like he's won against 99% of the world in terms of his mother's love.
"Hehehe~ Whatever you say, Chrollo, I'm looking forward to it~"
"This author named Yoshihiro Togashi..." Chrollo put down the dictionary and picked up a Hunter x Hunter manga, "Is amazing."
Huh? Saiki Kusuo finally sensed something was wrong from their thoughts, and looked up.
"Hehehe, I understand the conditions of your ability~ Are you going to pull tricks in our next death match?" [I can't understand the words, but I can get the gist from the pictures in the manga.]
How can you understand the pictures in that mess of words?
"Is that a trick? It's my ability." [That does seem like something I would plan.]
"Battles like that aren't fun at all," Hisoka complained about his manga self.
"The ending is all that matters: my win."
"Hehehe... Did Chrollo really win?"
"I would win."
Facing off, Saiki Kusuo finally figured out they had both read the manga.
They even read the Heavens Arena, the fight between the leader and the clown arc.
How did they find that? Ugh, we got the entire Hunter x Hunter set after coming back last time. Is it okay for them to know that information from the manga? Should I hit them on the head with a metal pipe?
"Hehe~ I really like that page in the manga." (After killing Shalnark, putting his body on the park swing, I wonder what Chrollo's face will be like when he sees it...)
The air around Chrollo dropped, and he openly showed his displeasure with Hisoka.
"I didn't expect some people to target ordinary people who can't fight."
That's why I said don't steal your members' abilities, don't you know your skills have limits?
Saiki Kusuo looked around, worried the two would start fighting at any moment.
"Hehehe, but the manga is just a manga, I'm not that weak."
How is that weak? Using people as human windmills to break through a wall of flesh, only getting superficial injuries after a bunch of human bombs.
"There are many abilities that can beat you. You only use a few fixed abilities in the entire fight, and use so much aura, it's a waste. It's more like a show than a death match." Meaning he wouldn't be that weak.
That's a critique, and you aren't worried about the conditions of your ability being exposed?
So I don't need to hit them with a pipe? Perfect, even though my control over my powers is better, I'm still worried about smashing their heads off.
[Okay, you're both amazing. Just don't fight here. I'm going to find a way to leave.] Just in case, Saiki Kusuo still warned them.
"Why?" Chrollo was surprised. [You want to solve it alone?]
[Why what?] Of course I know more about Kusuke than anyone else. I can't use thoughtography to see the cat tanks, but there will be a way.
"Illumi and I have already learned Japanese. We had some ideas after looking at the information last night, maybe we can help?"
[You learned it last night? How long have you been here? Can normal people learn another writing system so quickly?]
"This Japanese is pretty similar to the Hunter language. Each character is linked to fifty kana, so it's easy to learn. It's these Chinese characters that are a little hard to recognize, you have to hear the pronunciation."
"Grandpa really liked Chinese characters, so I learned them faster," Illumi said, closing a book, another Hunter x Hunter manga.
Saiki Kusuo recognized the cover as the Chimera Ant one.
Crap, Illumi now knows how deep Killua and Gon's friendship is.
Illumi: [As I thought, the manga is just a manga. Killua would never be that useless.]
Great, that was pointless.
But is it okay for them to know about the manga? They both want to see more. Even if the world's course has changed, they'll still find out personal secrets... Like Kurapika's ability conditions!!
Saiki Kusuo immediately took away all the Hunter x Hunter manga.
[Yeah, it's just a manga, don't read it.] Good, the books in the living room are all from after the ant arc... Kurapika's dolphin ability isn't exposed, right?!
Saiki Kusuo glanced at Chrollo, who looked confused.
[Did you see Kurapika's ability in the manga?]
"I saw it."
Don't look at it.
"It'd be great if that dolphin ability that uses up life force to protect others was real. I wouldn't even have to deal with him, he'd just die."
...Are you looking down on him?
"And how does he know exactly how many years he has left? What if he only has fifty years left, he's already used them up?"
Don't ask me, ask your creator, Togashi-sensei.
"Kusuo."
Saiki Kusuo was alert and turned around.
Illumi sat on the sofa, but his body wasn't relaxed at all. He sat up straight, his unblinking eyes fixed on Saiki Kusuo, his gaze seemed to swallow people's souls.
"Why is there a manga like this? The description and use of Killua's abilities are exactly right, and it knows about the needles I put in Killua."
"Where did the manga come from...? Kusuo, what are you doing with the family's money?"
This is really bad.
Saiki Kusuo met Illumi's gaze. For a moment, he thought of many ways to change his memories or travel back a day, but the honesty suggested by the prophetic poem also mattered to him.
He thought about being honest, but worried it was too soon. When would be a better time?
After a moment, Saiki Kusuo finally sighed in his heart.
It's too tiring to hide everything. Today is the day.
First, I'll explain to Illumi, his family.
[Brother, if I have a lot of things I'm hiding from the family and I want to be honest with you today, would you be willing to listen?]
Faced with Saiki Kusuo's seriousness, Illumi brushed his long hair behind his ear, "Of course, I'm willing. If my little brother wants to talk to his big brother, I won't refuse. Maybe I already know a lot?" [I know the existence of the clone, is Kusuo going to tell me that? Including the Dark Continent is...]
What?! Wait, Illumi knows Kusuko is my clone? Knows I created the Dark Continent? How does he know...?
Illumi: [It was created by you, the maker of Greed Island, and a chimera ant with human intelligence who has a cooperative relationship with the Hunter Association, on an uninhabited island in the Dark Continent using the power of the Moon God, imitating the growth game of Greed Island.]
Is that the clone's story or something you made up in your head? What's the power of the Moon God? Was that ever mentioned?
Well, it looks like there are some misunderstandings to fix, there are even more things to explain.
Saiki Kusuo was about to speak when he suddenly noticed that the others on the other two sofas were listening intently.
Chrollo immediately raised his hand and swore, "I'll listen quietly and won't interrupt, I won't reveal anything you don't want others to know."
I was confessing, but you made me sound like some kind of secret keeper that still hides things even after telling them.
Hisoka also raised his hand and swore, "Hmm~ I'll listen quietly, and I won't interrupt, and I won't..."
You don't know anything, do you?
How will Illumi react to this?
[I'll watch closely to see who Kusuo wants to know what information, and what the focus is.]
Why don't you just kick these two out?
Hisoka sat up from the long sofa, and Saiki Kusuo, holding the confiscated manga, sat in the space he left.
In his limited social circle, these three are familiar. If he's going to talk, he can't just kick them out. It's also dangerous if something goes wrong.
Whether they hear about my powers or traveling to other worlds doesn't matter. It won't affect my status in this world.
Saiki Kusuo began his speech.
...
In the evening, Saiki's mom and dad practiced in front of the door before going home.
"Mom, what will you say if they mention Nen?"
"I, I won't say anything!"
"Yeah, perfect! As expected of my wife!"
"Then Mom, what if those three mention Gon and Killua..."
"Don't ask me, I don't know anything! I have no idea who the protagonists of Hunter x Hunter is!"
"Great job! You're the best, let's just go with the 'say nothing' plan, just say your throat hurts!"
[Geez, if your throat hurts, how can you say "my throat hurts"?]
"I'll help Mom say it... Kusuo?!"
[I just got back, the door's open.] Right, the reason the two adults didn't come in was they accidentally forgot the house keys.
"Don't worry, Mom, I'll protect you no matter what happens!" Saiki Kuniharu hugged Kurumi Saiki and carried in the shopping bags as they entered the house. "I'm home! Kusuo and his classmates..."
He was greeted by Illumi standing at the door, looking them up and down.
"Aaaah!" The excellent adult fell back in shock, exposing his wife to the assassin.
Illumi reached out, and Saiki Kuniharu looked at his hands, thinking of Killua's hands with claws from the manga.
Cats are cute, but not this kind of cat!
However, Illumi only took the shopping bags from Saiki Kuniharu, nodded silently, and turned around to take the bags to the kitchen.
Saiki Kuniharu sighed in relief, while his mom wasn't as nervous.
"Dad... Are they really villains?"
"Yes, yes they are, definitely!"
Inside the room, Saiki Kusuo leaned on his knees, looking exhausted.
It's rare for a psychic to be in this state, but imagine constantly teleporting people throughout the afternoon.
Using clues from all sources to work out where Saiki Kusuke placed the cat tanks.
For example, the cat tanks use a special energy and need special tiles to transmit it efficiently. There are only a few reliable suppliers for the energy and tiles in the world. Saiki Kusuo and the others directly hacked into their past transaction databases under heavy surveillance, found the delivery locations for the energy, and checked them one by one.
That wasn't even the time-consuming part. Telepathy and teleportation solved those problems quickly.
The scary part was that the delivery locations that Kusuke Saiki ordered were all transfer stations.
Not only were they transfer stations, but they also set up mental traps.
Saiki Kusuo had Hisoka and Chrollo, two intelligent people by his sides and Illumi at home helping with computers.
It still took them an afternoon to find three real delivery locations.
Then there was getting the invisible glove and using psychometry to explore the past of everything nearby, looking for possibilities.
And the answer he got...
Was still some kind of code he couldn't understand.
Now Chrollo was holding the paper with Saiki Kusuo's writing, studying it.
He covered his mouth, thinking, and found a seat without realizing it.
There had always been a massage chair on the side of Saiki Kusuo's living room with a piece of paper on it saying "No sitting unless you're Mom. Violators will be electrocuted," with a winking face drawn next to it.