Mozi said: Life cannot be extinguished.
— "On Life"
Before the original character of Kōt was born, you must not stop having children, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
That bastard Illumi, smooth-talking but unreliable, almost defrauded me of 50 million yen in deposit. I curse him to stumble badly on his mission!
If you walk by the river often, you're bound to get wet. I refuse to believe it!
I curse him to be brought back half-dead and lying down!
Hmph, if the mission goes wrong, he'll be punished after recovering. I have myself as an example. At that time, I will definitely watch Illumi being punished with popcorn in hand!
Let's not talk about him, it's upsetting.
Regarding having children, even if the woman disagrees, as long as the man is willing, there are many ways to get the target pregnant with his child. Please refer to some literary works for details.
Given Kikyo's masochistic tendencies, it wouldn't be that troublesome. If Silva directly commanded her, she would probably accept it with joy, right?
Silva (CEO-style command): Woman, give me a child.
Kikyo (Masochistic excitement): Okay, okay, okay.
...I imagine the scene would be something like this.
The key is how to persuade Silva.
I'm not sure what Silva's attitude is towards having another child. I thought that unless they couldn't afford it, most men would want their genes to be passed down more, right? This is the instinct for reproduction engraved in their genes.
Speaking of which, it's always Kikyo who unilaterally shows affection, while Silva seems reluctant to elaborate. Could it be... could Silva be gay, and having children is just fulfilling a task? And the woman doesn't want to have more, which suits him perfectly?!
No, please don't let that be the case, then it would be too difficult to persuade them to have another child!
Calm down. Thinking about the Zoldyck family tree from Killua's perspective in the original work, Silva and Kikyo's relationship is marked with a heart. With Killua's sensitivity, over ten years of interaction, he couldn't possibly not see if his parents' feelings were genuine, right?
Phew, that was close. I almost thought Silva was gay. Thank you, Killua, for helping me rule out this possibility.
How to persuade Silva without Kikyo's consent?
It feels difficult to bring up. It's like "The upstairs is too noisy, so I go up to knock on the door to ask them to be quiet, but when the door opens, it's a tattooed tough guy." It requires great (suicidal) courage to speak up.
Just thinking about it makes me... makes me numb.
Silva is different from Kikyo. He is "Dad.jpg", the current head of the Zoldyck family, a man of few words and decisive action. I can't use soft tactics or try multiple times. As soon as he says, "This matter does not concern you," I have to stop my persuasion.
Besides, it's really not my place to interfere. I'm in the wrong.
This is too difficult for me.
Actually, I've considered the traditional method that has been circulating in the "real world" for a long time: tampering with condoms.
When I went out alone to clear dungeons, I searched the internet cafe for "how to tamper with condoms without being discovered" before returning home. There were many results, and I studied them quite carefully. I realized that the biggest hidden danger is that this method can be discovered after one use, unless the woman is a good actress with quick reflexes and handles it properly.
As an observer, I can't implement this plan. Fortunately, I investigated its feasibility before taking action, otherwise, it might lead to social death.
Moreover, I don't have the ability to sneak into Kikyo and Silva's room to look for condoms without anyone knowing!
Do I have to break through head-on?! I have no confidence at all! I don't know how to start or what reason to use.
Let's be more relaxed and try to test the waters with a joke. "Comrade, you only need to spend one minute a day, no, 30 seconds should be enough, it's very quick!" or something like that?
I feel like I'll get a "Are you teaching me how to do things?.jpg" response.
No, Millus, isn't your greatest strength being fearless of death? Why are you so pathetic now?!
Oh, the main reason is that I don't want to die meaninglessly and become a laughingstock.
No, that thought itself is a joke.
I've been troubled for two months, most of which was spent on psychological preparation. Alas, why do I have to bear such great pressure at such a young age!
I finally braced myself and blocked Silva's path in the corridor. Specifically, I peeked around the corner of the corridor and let Silva discover me, so he called out to me, "Do you need something, Millus?"
Nodding, I asked him if he had time.
He said he did. I said I had something I wanted to tell him, and thus I got the opportunity to enter the "Silva Boss Dungeon."
"That..." I gathered my courage and asked, "Dad, are Mom and you really not going to have any more children? There are all brothers in the family, no sister. Aren't you going to have another sister?"
"This matter?" Silva's reaction was calm. "Mom should have told you. We both feel that five children are enough, so we don't plan to have more."
That's pretty much the same answer as Kikyo. I can't follow the same path, otherwise, it will lead to the same outcome as Kikyo's route. I need to say something different and present a more compelling reason, even if it means taking more risks.
"I... I've even thought of a name for the sister (brother)! Let's call him Kalluto!" I went all out. "I have a premonition that if this child is not born, Killua might be in danger in the future."
Among the characters with names in the original work, the protagonist's younger brother, Kalluto, although a supporting character, left a deep impression on readers. The impact of Kalluto's deletion cannot be estimated. I haven't lied to Silva at all. I truly believe that Kalluto's deletion might trigger a chain reaction, ultimately causing Killua's storyline to deviate from the main plot and lead to his accidental death.
The Zoldyck family values Killua extraordinarily. Using Killua as a reason should attract attention.
"Do you have any evidence?" Silva remained unmoved but asked the question.
Needing evidence was the development I expected, but I truly had no evidence. The butterfly effect of Kalluto is entirely my personal speculation. Even if I were willing to reveal my "player" background completely, I couldn't prove that my speculation was 100% correct.
"It's just..." I could only try my best to show my genuine urgency. "It's just this strong feeling, I can't explain it, and I can't be entirely sure. Let's have another child, Dad. For Killua's sake, let's have another child. If we have it sooner, they can grow up sooner, and there will be one more person to protect Killua. It won't hurt."
"Mill, you're overthinking," Silva easily dismissed my reasoning. "We don't need a child younger than Killua to protect him. We will protect him, his two older brothers will protect him, and you, as his sister, will protect him, won't you?"
"..." I knew my reasoning was very weak and powerless. That's why I chose the Kikyo route initially, hoping to achieve my goal through soft persuasion, rather than the Silva route.
Silva doesn't have much time to waste on me. When confronting him, the outcome can be determined quickly because, as the current head of the Zoldyck family, his time is precious.
"Isn't it good to have one more sibling?" I clenched my fist. "I just want a sister, why can't I? It's not a difficult thing. Once the child is born, I will definitely take care of them with all my heart!"
"You guys just give birth, and I will take responsibility for raising the children!" I bravely looked directly at Silva. "Whether it's money, time, or energy, I'm willing to contribute it all. I can even take sole responsibility. If you don't believe me, I can sign a contract!"
After a moment of surprise, Silva's attitude seemed to soften slightly. "We can't guarantee the gender of the next child. What if it's not a sister, but a brother?"
"I will take responsibility for them equally!" I patted my chest and promised. "And I will never mention having children again. This can also be included in the contract."
"Speaking of which, having a child is a matter for two people. You still need to persuade your mother," Silva said.
I can't believe Silva doesn't know that I failed to persuade Kikyo a few months ago! This is bad. He's starting to "pass the buck." Silva didn't choose to support me.
"She refused," I stated the outcome directly.
"Oh?" Silva feigned ignorance. "Is that so? Why?"
"She said, 'Five children are enough,'" I replied.
"Is that so. Then there's nothing we can do," Silva said with an open-minded demeanor. "In matters like this, I naturally have to respect the opinion of the other party and cannot force it."
As expected, this is the pattern of "passing the buck" and then letting it go unresolved.
The conversation would quickly end under Silva's control. I can't retreat so easily. I need to be sharper to make this trip worthwhile.
"No, if you give the order, Mom will be very happy," I couldn't help but say. "She likes strong-willed people. You know that, Dad? I want to know, from a personal perspective, what is your reason for not wanting another child?"
"Mill, you've got one thing wrong," Silva said, lowering his hand from his chin. "Besides orders and obedience, there is also love and respect among family members. Regarding personal matters, I have never interfered with you, have I?"
No, I think he doesn't interfere because it doesn't affect things he cares about.
His choosing to respect Kikyo's opinion on having children is simply because their opinions happen to align.
The distinction between command and respect is actually defined by him. He is distorting the concept and using rather high-sounding justifications. Doesn't he find it a bit strange for the head of an assassin family to mention "love and respect"?
Although he looks like an upright tough guy, he is actually a very cunning man, always changing tactics. I remember his sinister smile in the original work very clearly.
In terms of eloquence, cunning, and strength, I have no chance of winning in any aspect. He holds all the leverage and moral high ground, leaving me with no loopholes and nowhere to start.
I knew this would be the outcome long ago, but I'm still unwilling, very unwilling. The gap is too big.
I stood up with a "whoosh," saying, "Then I'll have a child myself to be my sister!"
This is what they mean by "the incapable man uses his last trick."
"Okay."
"?!?!" What? Silva, what did you say? Did I hear you correctly?!
"Mill, you've grown up, and I will respect your choice."
No, um, Silva, aren't you going to try to stop me?!
"I'm leaving... I'm really leaving!" I retreated step by step towards the door.
"As you wish," Silva closed his eyes slightly.
"..." I grabbed the doorknob.
Hey! Aren't you going to persuade me at all?! Even a little bit! Even pretend to! According to common theories in fanfiction, the Zoldycks value bloodlines greatly. So, was I secretly removed from the Zoldyck household registration, and I no longer carry the surname "Zoldyck"? No wonder my name doesn't follow the naming convention game! Was the foreshadowing here?!
I'll just go through with it today, run away from home, and never come back!
I opened the door, took a step out indignantly, and heard Silva call my name, "Millus, come back. Don't be ridiculous."
Oh.
Are you treating me like a dog? Am I supposed to come back just because you tell me to?!
I don't need command and obedience, I need love and respect!
I have a dream, I need freedom!
I looked back at Silva, gave him a devilishly handsome and cool smile, flashed past, closed the door, and slipped away, all in one smooth motion.
No one stopped me along the way. (Crying)
Kikyo must have gone somewhere, why didn't she show up?
After leaving the Testing Gate, I turned around in extreme anger and kicked the Testing Gate several times, leaving a series of shoe prints, and walked away with my fists clenched.
Damn Zoldycks, I'm going to smoke, drink, get tattoos, and get perms, and become a rebellious bad girl!
You just wait and see!