Mother Kikyo's belly grew larger by the day. Father Silva could often be seen supporting her, strolling in the garden after dinner to aid digestion.
At these times, Silva would often shed his stern fatherly facade and perfectly play the role of a considerate husband.
Roy emerged from Grandpa Zigg's place. This time, he had lasted three minutes.
He leaned against the windowsill, watching quietly, relaxing and recovering his mental energy while waiting for Gotoh to bring his meal. He heard a string of footsteps from afar, drawing closer... A head of striking white hair appeared. Grandfather Zeno arrived with his hands behind his back and stood beside him, gazing at the night view. In the garden, Kikyo was complaining about something, punching Silva playfully...
"Your great-grandfather told me to tell you, our family has had only one son for three generations, so we can't offer you any advice. Therefore..."
"In the future, hit him if you need to, scold him if you need to. As long as you don't kill him, the family has no objections."
"He went too far." Illumi was still hanging from the willow tree. He had declared... unless Roy personally untied him, he would never come down, preferring to hang there until he died.
Roy pretended not to hear. Silva and Kikyo, strolling, also pretended not to see. Milluki, however, had paid him a visit in the evening. He peed beneath him. If he could have reached, he probably would have peed on his head. Even this, Illumi endured.
"Manipulators are all like this. The more they can't have something, the more they want to possess it. Roy," Zeno turned his head and looked at the young man teasingly, "I reckon you'll have your hands full in the future."
'Is that so... The sun sets, but it will not disappear... The sun has never belonged to just one person, so how can it be possessed?'
Roy was unconcerned. "It's not a big problem."
"Cross the line once, get hit once."
"Until he doesn't dare reach out his claws again."
'It's indeed simple and crude, yet effective enough.' Zeno deeply agreed. He glanced at Illumi. The foolish little brother shivered in the cold wind. Zeno changed the subject, turning to serious matters. "Your request to use the family's intelligence agency has been denied by me."
Zeno said calmly, "Since you know some lines cannot be crossed, you yourself should abide by them even more."
The world of Hunters wasn't just about simple fighting and killing; it was more about intelligence gathering. The conversation with his father Tanjuro during the New Year was still fresh in his mind. Roy felt it was time to take further action. Not just to delve deeper into Conjuration to treat Tanjuro's illness, but also to secure a reliable and stable source of information. He needed to make an effort. Among the options... the official Hunter Association website was a good choice.
"I understand." Only the successive heads of the family had the authority to command the intelligence agency. This was an ironclad rule.
'In the original story, Milluki becoming a computer genius wasn't entirely unrelated to this reason...'
"You are sensible." Zeno turned around, looking at the young man with satisfaction. "Since you seek freedom, you must rely on your own abilities. I look forward to the day I hear your name across the continents."
"You will." The young man smiled brightly. "I won't disappoint grandfather, at least."
"Hehe..." Zeno chuckled, said nothing more, patted his shoulder, and left with his hands behind his back...
It was getting colder. The old master was spending more and more time holed up in his room. He needed to visit him from time to time. If for nothing else, giving him a massage to loosen his muscles and bones would be good...
"Tap... tap..." Zeno walked away.
In the garden, Kikyo got the ice cream she wanted and contentedly linked arms with Silva...
Roy watched quietly for a while, then turned and returned to his bedroom. Just then, Gotoh pushed the serving cart in. Seeing the young master staring strangely at his face for a long time, Gotoh suspiciously touched his own beard and placed the food on the table.
"This morning, Illumi disguised himself as you and got into my bed..." Roy said flatly, taking a bite of the roast meat pizza sprinkled with chopped onions.
Gotoh: "..."
He didn't know how to respond. His appearance... getting into bed... No wonder he had been wondering this morning why the young master was so angry. Now it made sense... He deserved punishment!
But, since the matter involved Young Master Illumi, it wasn't appropriate for a servant to ask too many questions. Gotoh served Roy his meal while reporting, "The tickets young master asked me to buy have been booked in advance."
"Departing on December 27th, with one transfer in Gaslan. Departing again on December 29th, estimated arrival in the Saheruta United States on January 2nd, then taking a boat to reach Whale Island."
Roy had anticipated that his request would likely be denied, so he had asked Gotoh to prepare a backup plan: pursue the Hunter Association website route and get a Hunter License first...
"Gaslan, is that the entertainment capital famous for its performance industry?" Roy finished his pizza and took out a napkin to wipe his hands.
Gotoh pushed up his glasses. "Yes, the circuses there are very famous. We have a one-day layover, young master can go sightseeing."
Roy gave a noncommittal grunt. Mentioning circuses reminded him of someone, someone with rich experience in apple cultivation, who also played cards well. His starting place seemed to be Gaslan... at the Molitonio Troupe, famous for the "Flying Swim" performance.
'"Hundred-Face" John Doe'... perverted serial killer... the Nen ability "Oppress Till Death"... Roy glanced at his status panel. His "Life Energy" was at zero, urgently needing replenishment.
"Go prepare. We can't be late for the Hunter Exam on January 7th."
"Yes."
Gotoh cleared the table and went downstairs...
For the next few days, Roy ate, drank, and trained as usual. In the blink of an eye, it was December.
The weather grew colder. Unlike Whale Island, which was like summer year-round, Kukuroo Mountain in winter had lost its greenery when viewed from afar. The bareness was filled with desolation...
In the morning, Roy drank poison and practiced "Sun Breathing" to strengthen his constitution. In the afternoon, when the poison took effect, he sunbathed, visualizing the sun. In the evening, he climbed up from the ground to pay respects to Grandpa Zigg. The days passed, busy and fulfilling.
During this time, Illumi hung in the tree for several days. One night, when no one was looking, he cut the rope himself and jumped down... The young man emerged from the ground, hands in his pockets, and followed Roy towards the basement.
One on the left, one on the right, neither touching the other...
After a long pause, Illumi asked, "Why were you able to see through my disguise?"
Clearly, this question had been bothering Illumi for several days.
"Because there is no light in your eyes."
'Lack of light is blasphemy against the sun,' Roy stated truthfully.
Illumi: "..."
He stopped, raised a hand to touch his own face, unconvinced... Who said there was no light?
Every night he would transform into his appearance and carefully compare it in the mirror. Back then, there was clearly a lot of light!
"Hey!" The young man called out to his older brother. "Even if you saw through me, don't think you can shake me off, even if you run to the Dark Continent!"
Roy didn't stop walking, didn't look back, and had no intention of replying. He glanced at the corner...
The camera in the corner flashed a red light, clearly capturing the young man's words.
'So, my foolish little brother, perhaps you should pay attention to yourself first.'
That night.
"Reporting to the master, Young Master Illumi says he is going to the Dark Continent."
"Is that so?"
The moon was high in the sky. Illumi had just cut the rope and come down, only to be hung up again...
Maha gave the order, Zeno relayed the message, Silva did the deed, and Milluki provided the urine...