I lied to Killua. I had no intention of ditching the Zoldyck butlers. Not only did I need them for chores, but more importantly, I needed them to act as bodyguards for Killua and Alluka.
The Zoldycks are the world's foremost assassins, infamous and drawing much attention. I'm no exceptional Nen user like the top five, just a weak, pitiable, and helpless ordinary emitter. My only Nen ability is pure support, with zero offensive power—a harmless game backpack. How could I possibly have the confidence to protect two children alone?
Even protecting only Killua, I wouldn't have absolute certainty. The world of Nen is vast and profound; it's easier to dodge an open attack than a hidden dart.
Mihgo's combat power isn't strong. Despite the Zoldyck genes and learning Nen, his stats far exceed those of ordinary people. However, he's currently a novice Nen user with shallow experience. He's above average but not exceptional; I can only hope he can protect himself, not rely on him to help protect Killua.
Therefore, the combat power of two Zoldyck butlers is quite necessary for me.
While Killua and Alluka explored the airship, I revealed the lie I told Killua to the butlers and Mihgo, asking them to improvise and cooperate without revealing the truth.
According to my plan, the butlers would pretend to be ditched by me, then hide their presence and aura, following secretly. As for Mihgo, I hope he can distinguish friend from foe and not mistake the butlers tracking us with Zetsu for assassins.
With the precautions properly explained, I was in a good mood. I took out my favorite lime-flavored potato chips and generously offered them to Mihgo.
I never expected him to refuse!
What's going on?!
"Mihgo, you... you're not..." Thinking about his sugar-free cola that he wasn't drinking, I realized something significant, "You're not in love, are you?!"
"?" Mihgo looked innocently confused, "What do you mean?"
"Aren't cola and potato chips your favorite things? You're not touching them! Are you trying to lose weight, hmm, preparing to meet a girl you met online?!" I suddenly understood, "Ah, no wonder you're willing to take your brothers out! So you're scouting ahead for a date location to check it out!"
In fanfiction circles, when Mihgo is the male lead, two common tropes are meeting a female protagonist or Shalnark from the Phantom Troupe online, hitting it off, meeting in person, liking each other, and then a series of events leading to them becoming a couple.
"Don't worry, your sister won't tell anyone about your business. Your sister totally supports this kind of thing!" I moved closer to him, lowering my voice, "Come on, tell your sister, what kind of girl is she? Or is it a boy? Your sister doesn't mind if you pursue a same-sex relationship; after all, love knows no gender!"
"Information exchange." Obviously, Mihgo has limited trust in me. "Does my sister have anyone she wants to date?"
"..." I nodded, planning an extreme one-for-one trade.
"My sister is lying," Mihgo, although physically weak, wasn't easily fooled by his intelligence in the original work. "Our trade is off."
Tch, "my" brothers are not cute at all, except for Killua.
Whatever, Mihgo's love story isn't something I'm particularly interested in. He can do whatever he wants.
Unlike the natural and primitive landscape of Kukuroo Mountain, the bustling cityscape and concrete jungle teeming with people made Killua and Alluka feel a sense of novelty, and they both exclaimed, "Wow!" in unison.
"So many people!" x2
It's as if the species "human" is something rare. Speaking of which, the protagonist of a certain anime, upon suddenly realizing "there are so many people in the world" as a child, understood his insignificance and felt the world was boring. He then began to strive for an extraordinary and interesting life.
So inspiring. However, if that protagonist had been born in my "real world" country, visiting any scenic spot during a major holiday week would easily let him experience "crowds of people," and he wouldn't be so surprised.
People people people people people
People people people people people
People mountain people sea people
People people people people people
People people people people people
The crowd covered the mountainside, an endless queue, moving only one meter every five minutes. It was numbing and left a deep psychological scar on my younger self, making me never want to visit popular scenic spots again, especially mountainous ones. When the number of people explodes and exceeds the carrying capacity of the scenic spot, tourists can get trapped on the mountain and unable to descend.
It's not inspiring at all; it's a horror story.
No mountain climbing during holidays!
It's different now; I have money, so I can choose my travel locations and times freely, making it easy to avoid areas with extremely high population density.
There are many people on the street. It's necessary to hold a child's hand to prevent them from getting lost. I happily held Killua's soft, warm little hand, while Mihgo held Alluka's.
The pedestrian traffic light at the intersection was about to turn green. I signaled Mihgo with my eyes, indicating that he could make his move and, along with the large crowd crossing the road, pick up Killua and Alluka respectively, pretending to ditch the two butlers following us.
Mihgo nodded at me, then turned to the two butlers behind him and said, "You two, wait at the hotel."
"Yes." x2
The two butlers accepted the order without any objection, turned, and left.
"???" x3
Killua, Alluka, and I were dumbfounded.
"We can cross the road now," Mihgo reminded me. "Sister."
I wanted to question him, but everyone was moving forward, and it wasn't good to stop and block others. So, holding Killua, I walked to the other side of the road and then questioned Mihgo, "Do you look down on me?! Or do you look down on me immensely?!"
If I had known the butlers could be sent away so easily, wasn't the strategy I specifically explained to the butlers and Mihgo just a joke?!
"That's not true, sister," Mihgo explained. "I was just testing the feasibility of the command."
"..."
"Sister, you also know that my athletic ability is insufficient, and I can't keep up with your speed, let alone with Alluka in tow?" Mihgo said. "Moreover, chasing in a crowded place can easily cause chaos and lead to accidents, which would be troublesome."
"...Couldn't you have said these things earlier?" I felt like a fool for giving him eye signals and meticulously planning to ditch the butlers!
"I apologize, I only thought of it later and didn't have a chance to discuss it with you," Mihgo said, patting Alluka's head. "As long as the goal is achieved, it's fine. Sister, don't be angry; the brothers will be scared."
"..." If it weren't for the public street, I would have definitely taught Mihgo a lesson! What does he think my authority is! I'm very unhappy!
My cheeks puffed up with annoyance. I shot him daggers with my eyes. He maintained his poker face, acting like a "dead pig unafraid of boiling water." I reluctantly relented and, taking Killua's hand, continued walking.
Killua and Alluka walked between Mihgo and me, holding the travel guide from the airport bookshelves, looking at it as they walked. That travel guide was produced by the local tourism bureau and distributed free to all tourists, aiming to introduce local attractions and cuisine to further promote tourism development.
The travel guide was primarily image-based, with a cute hand-drawn map indicating popular locations with cartoon icons. It was very thoughtful; even illiterate people could receive effective guidance from this booklet.
The first stop was the aquarium, which we had decided on before setting off.
It's rare to see people visiting aquariums alone. Couples and parents with children are the most common combinations, with the latter being the majority, meaning there are many children. After the initial novelty of seeing large schools of fish, Killua and Alluka became interested in the children around them.
A group of children gathered around the aquarium guide, occasionally asking questions about the guide's content, creating a lively atmosphere.
"Little Kill, you won't get along with them," Mihgo said to the eager Killua. "We're not of the same..."
I raised my hand and covered Mihgo's mouth.
"What does it matter? When you're out, you should do whatever you want," I said. "Mihgo, let go."
Mihgo released his hand, and Alluka slipped from his grasp. They looked up at us, and after receiving my affirmative nod, happily held Killua's hand and went to join the lively group around the guide.
Perhaps those children were too ordinary, lacking the traits to pique the interest of story characters. Killua and Alluka had no intention of developing friendships with anyone else.
"Didn't I tell you?" Mihgo didn't forget to repeat what I had interrupted him saying. "We are not people of the same world."
"..." Mihgo, you're so annoying.
"The conclusion they reach after experiencing it themselves is more convincing," Mihgo said. "It seems Sister's method is better; I'll remember it."
"..." Remember what? Remember the feud of losing to me?
I recall that Mihgo's psychological darkness wasn't low in the original work, and his long-term position at the bottom of the Zoldyck family, coupled with pent-up sadism and a desire for attention, made him generally a villain. The Zoldycks are villains by nature, so this is quite normal.
We spent the entire afternoon at the aquarium, watching a dolphin show during that time. The dolphin show actually included other marine life. There was one show in the morning and one in the afternoon each day. Killua and Alluka watched one show and felt it wasn't enough, wanting to come again tomorrow.
I explained that we had other travel plans for tomorrow, and disrupting the schedule would prevent us from visiting all our intended destinations within the given timeframe. Mihgo said that when you go out, you should do whatever you want, not treat it like a mission, and that there would be many more opportunities to visit other planned locations.
Although, damn it, is this the mindset of the rich?!
Yes! Since we have money and free time, there's no need to confine ourselves to a planned itinerary! Otherwise, how can people say "the rich are willful"?!
"Although, Mihgo, the way you use my words to refute me is really annoying," I clenched my fist at him. "Sister's advice is that if your emotional intelligence is too low, you won't find a girlfriend, or a boyfriend."
"Mm," Mihgo didn't argue.
This doesn't mean he agrees with my point of view. He's just placating me to avoid trouble, likely dismissing my words as idle chatter.
Mihgo, of all people, his single status has nothing to do with me. Who cares!
For dinner, I had planned to eat at fast-food restaurants like McDonald's or KFC to give the two rich young masters (heh) from the Zoldyck family their first experience of commoner dining. Unexpectedly, Mihgo, who was least likely to refuse fast food, vetoed the proposal, saying that these greasy foods were not good for children's bodies.
Mihgo, you're the last person qualified to say that!
"Yes, you see, I am the biggest negative example," as if he could read minds, Mihgo preemptively responded, "You absolutely cannot become as inconveniently mobile as I am."
"..." x3
A living example is very convincing. I, Killua, and Alluka were all speechless.
"Then let's go to..." Mihgo flipped through the travel guide.
I held Killua's left hand and Alluka's right hand, walking towards the entrance of McDonald's.
"...Sister," Mihgo, a surprisingly agile胖子 (fat person), successfully blocked our path. "Do I need to explain further? Not here."
"It's about health, right? Mihgo, you've been cooped up at home for too long. You don't know that they have Happy Meals here, which are definitely healthier than the junk food you usually eat," I said, tilting my chin up. "Move aside, or I won't mind kicking you in public."
"..." x4
The issue of food was not a minor one, and with the villainous aura added, the atmosphere became tense, with a hint of impending conflict. Killua and Alluka nervously gripped my hands.
"Really? They have Happy Meals," Mihgo feigned a sudden realization. "Mm, then there's no problem."
I saw that he was just desperately looking for an excuse to back down, as I was already prepared to kick him the next second.
"I'll go find a seat first," Mihgo, having changed his stance, became much more proactive. He opened the door ahead of us. "For my order, I'll have the same as Sister. Or order something else, and we can swap."
Tsk, so easy to talk to? A guy who bullies the weak and fears the strong.
Since Mihgo was finally paying attention to health issues, I decided to order him a Happy Meal.
Most of the dishes in this world tasted a bit different from those in my "real world." Yet, McDonald's and KFC were miraculously identical in taste to their "real world" counterparts, perhaps due to their relatively standardized processes.
Ah, homesickness. Homesickness is a golden-brown french fry. I'm over here, and the ketchup is over there.
Delicious!
"...So why did we all order Happy Meals?" Mihgo said. "And isn't the content basically the same as other set meals on the menu, just smaller portions?"
"You don't understand at all, Mihgo," I wagged my finger. "Happy Meals come with a surprise toy blind box. Aren't free toys irresistible?"
"Mm?" Mihgo opened the last paper box in the Happy Meal box and poured the toy into his palm. It was a small Pichu. "This? It's so small."
"This is free, Mihgo. Considering the cost, it's certainly not going to be a beautiful girl figurine like you want." I extended my hand to him. "I'm paying. Give me the bill."
Alluka got a Keroppi from the blind box, Killua got a Pichu, and when I opened my own blind box, it was also a Pichu. Even though it's a popular character, the repetition rate is too high!
Damn it, with my current financial resources, I feel like buying ten Happy Meals at once for a "ten-pull" to get all the other toys!
Break free from the poor mentality and bravely step into the consumerism trap, starting today!
I stood up.
To avoid wasting food, after explaining the situation, I paid, took only the blind boxes, twenty blind boxes in total, brought them back on a tray, and managed to collect all five types of toys!
Each type of toy had duplicates. Killua and Mihgo weren't very interested in this set of toys, so I gave Alluka the opportunity to pick her toys.
After he finished choosing, the remaining toys could be combined into two sets. That's nice.
I propped my chin on my hands on the table, contentedly admiring the neatly arranged results of my conquest.
"There's one set left over," Alluka said.
"Not left over," I said. "It's just enough to give Kalluto a set."
"Kalluto?" Alluka looked up. "Who is Kalluto?"