What is home?
Home is a warm harbor, a spiritual destination, and an emotional anchor.
Pushing open the "Gate of Trials," Silva stepped with brisk strides into the private territory of the Zoldyck family on Mount Pinyin. He had walked this path for forty years; he could picture every blade of grass and tree along the way with his eyes closed.
It had rained last night, but today was a rare clear day. The muddy ground was half-dry, and the earthy smell of rain was gone. The wind carried the scent of the damp, lush forest.
Fresh and pleasant.
Silva remembered his childhood, youth, and young adulthood, all unfolding on the same land. It seemed as if nothing had changed, yet everything had.
The Zoldyck family hadn't changed; the family business, passed down to him, continued to operate smoothly as usual.
He was the one who had changed. He had become the head of the family, a husband, a father.
The role of "father" was the most difficult to play.
The children were all… very individual, each with their own personality.
There were troublesome aspects, and there were pleasant ones, a mix of joy and sorrow.
Though not perfect, and never could be, family ties were the only bonds that could never be severed. Whenever he thought of home, his heart felt warm.
This was the only home for the Zoldycks.
Every Zoldyck returned home.
The butler’s report mentioned that Alluka had returned home yesterday, in stable condition, and was being personally attended to by Kikyo.
After the brain surgery, Alluka’s condition had been consistently stable, according to Kikyo, who was monitoring Alluka’s actions at home. Kikyo’s judgment was quite convincing, and in any case, it was a relief.
Having completed several missions consecutively before returning home, Silva was somewhat tired. After listening to the butler’s report on recent family affairs, and finding no issues, he relaxed and fell asleep.
At the same time, Alluka, in Kikyo’s bed, opened her eyes, feeling somewhat weak.
After a whole night of intense training by Kikyo, tossing and turning, and an unknown number of sprints to the finish line, she had become disoriented. Alluka, who thought she could only manage three rounds a night at most, couldn't keep up. She only remembered drinking several cups of water and feeling thirsty again.
Was this the "thirty and still wanting" phase?
Alluka’s limbs felt limp, her muscles aching even at the slightest movement.
The experience gap was too great. The opponents Kikyo and Alluka had encountered were not on the same level. Truly, she was an exemplary wife who had borne five children. Alluka felt completely at Kikyo’s mercy.
She couldn’t help but wonder how Silva usually handled Kikyo. After all, Silva was one of the three bosses of the Zoldyck family.
As Alluka was lost in thought, Kikyo, looking refreshed, sat by the bed and stroked her head. “You can’t rush these things, Alluka. I’ll teach you more later. Get some more sleep, Alluka.”
Kikyo had re-pinned her hair and wasn't wearing her electronic eyes because she had realized Alluka was more affectionate towards her when she wasn't wearing them. Such a simple thing, and she had only just realized it now.
Alluka couldn’t recall when the bedding had been changed. Since she lacked vocal cords, Alluka could use lip-reading or a [wearable] vocalizer when awake. However, during yesterday’s chaos, the difference between Alluka reflexively opening her mouth and lip-reading was hard to distinguish. As she lost consciousness, she could no longer accurately convey her true intentions, leading to a deepening misunderstanding. Kikyo only stopped when Alluka no longer responded.
“…” If not for the Zoldyck’s robust physique, Alluka felt she might have died of dehydration last night.
Speaking of Kikyo’s signature devilish training, Alluka remembered the hunger training she experienced as a child, designed to cultivate willpower against starvation. That was the most terrifying training of her life.
How great was the power of hunger? In severe famines, cannibalism had even occurred.
Hmm, she had slept for several hours. It must be close to noon now.
As Kikyo tucked Alluka in, Alluka moved her lips and used lip-reading to tell her she was hungry.
“Alright,” Kikyo readily agreed. “You’re recovering quickly.”
“Maintain ‘Ren’ and you should be able to train again tonight,” she said.
In the state of ‘Ren,’ the defense against attacks from ‘Nen’ was close to zero, but it helped restore stamina and eliminate fatigue.
Possessing the ability to manipulate life energy, or ‘Nen,’ was the greatest difference and advantage of Nen users over ordinary people.
Compared to ordinary people, Kalluto was actually quite good, especially his toys.
Hmm, she needed to find a suitable time to mention the toys to Kalluto. Alluka thought. She absolutely couldn't be too eager, or it would become a point of leverage.
“?” Kikyo stopped Alluka as she tried to lift the covers.
“No need to get up, stay here,” Kikyo said, her expression like a doting mother to a sickly child. “I’ll have a servant bring lunch over.”
Unbelievable. Alluka remembered that she was only allowed to eat in bed (when sick) if she was so severely injured she couldn't get up.
After lunch was served, Alluka understood that this was not Kikyo’s way of expressing pampering.
“Light, but very nutritious,” Kikyo carefully blew on the steam rising from the spoon, checked the temperature with her lips, and then, with a smile, offered the spoon to Alluka’s mouth. “Here, eat, Alluka. It’s good for you.”
Today’s lunch was just this bowl of porridge, nothing else.
Alluka seemingly cooperated and drank the spoonful of hot porridge, but Kikyo couldn't help but notice Alluka's subtle hesitation and resistance.
This resistance had occurred many times before. Because it was so faint, Kikyo usually ignored it, rarely addressing it directly.
No, she couldn’t address it directly. Alluka wasn't a child anymore; she would run away, and the head of the family allowed her to run away.
How sad!
Kikyo endured it. How she wished she could advise Alluka to manage her figure. Last night, she had noticed that Alluka had become a bit fuller than she remembered. While not very noticeable when wearing clothes, other areas where fat tended to accumulate had become softer, and her bust size had increased slightly. And then the next step…
Thinking of her plump son, Milluki, whose existence strongly proved the limitations of genetics, Kikyo's nerves immediately tensed.
No, she had to endure.
Last night was clearly not a suitable time to discuss such matters, and neither was the present. She would wait.
“Would you like to hear about the past?” Kikyo decided to use a gentler storytelling method. “Stories from before I met my ‘darling.’”
Except for her dramatic love story with Silva, Kikyo had rarely shared other past experiences. Thus, her opening immediately captured Alluka’s attention – a disheveled white cat, with its blue cat eyes wide open, was intently watching Kikyo.
Alluka showed marked focus when interested in something; otherwise, she was absentminded. Alluka, of course, hid her inattentiveness, though Kikyo could actually see it, she chose to selectively ignore it.
Yes, she merely chose to feign ignorance, not that she couldn’t see it. Kikyo dared say that no one in the world understood Alluka better than she did.
No one.
It was Kikyo who had sensed Alluka’s desires, so she guided her, guided her fingers, guided her joy.
The smooth bedsheets were crumpled into countless folds. Alluka’s long, silver-white hair spread out, her eyes unfocused. Her entire body seemed to have been scalded by fire, and her pale skin was covered in hot, red marks, possessing a tormenting beauty that tightened the throat.
No matter how far she walked, Alluka still belonged to her. Alluka’s affection was never spoken, and many of her thoughts were never voiced. Instead, her body's complete lack of resistance expressed them.
Kikyo quietly admired her for a while before picking her up and calling a servant to change the bedding.
The warmth in her arms was so fragile. Kikyo lovingly kissed Alluka’s forehead hair, just like during their first professional lesson, when Kikyo had personally carried the unconscious Alluka back to her room.
More than once, many times, she had carried the wounded Alluka back to her room and then helped the unconscious Alluka apply medicine.
That was when Alluka was young. As Alluka grew up, she no longer fainted during professional lessons.
…She kind of missed it.
Alluka, who barely reached her knees, was still very weak and had much to learn. Alluka’s physical training and poison resistance training were good, but she always struggled with interrogation classes, often crying with red-rimmed eyes. So cute.
It was worth noting that she had a bad habit of being greedy, violating the professional assassin’s principle of “restraint”… No, no.
Breaking out of her reverie, Kikyo steadied herself and began recounting the past to Alluka. “Mom was very popular since she was little. Before meeting my ‘darling,’ I dated all sorts of people.”
Such a bombshell opening! Alluka forgot to swallow the porridge in her mouth. She really wanted to ask Kikyo if Silva knew about those past events.
As if sensing what Alluka wanted to ask, Kikyo continued, “When I confessed to my ‘darling,’ I told him that after developing feelings for him, I immediately broke off ties with all my exes. Love at first sight… ah, thinking about that feeling still makes my heart race.”
It had gone back to the dramatic love story with Silva. Alluka expressionlessly swallowed the porridge in her mouth.
“Since Alluka has also started dating various people, Mom needs to impart some valuable experience from someone who’s been there,” Kikyo said, thankfully not completely straying from the topic. “And that is… don’t try to cater to the other person.”
“…” Alluka pursed her lips and refused the porridge offered to her mouth.
“Not like that,” Kikyo chuckled amusingly. “Not like that, Alluka. I don’t mean that.”
“I mean, don’t go against your ‘true intentions’ to ‘please’ others. Of course, there are other situations where you have to go against your ‘true intentions,’ like in front of someone stronger, or considering the circumstances, and so on. But those times when you go against your ‘true intentions’ are ‘temporary concessions,’ not ‘pleasing,’” Kikyo raised the spoon again. “The ‘reason’ and the ‘purpose’ are the biggest differences. Alluka, you understand, right?”
“…” Alluka cooperatively opened her mouth.
“Good girl,” Kikyo nodded contentedly. “That’s right. Because of ‘love,’ I will obey ‘darling.’ If he says ‘you cannot,’ then it’s ‘you cannot,’ and I won’t do anything that is ‘forbidden.’”
As long as he didn't say "you cannot," it was "you can," no matter what. Kikyo added silently.
“If ‘darling’ were to ask me to do something I didn't want to do, what would I choose?” Kikyo posed a rhetorical question, pausing her speech.
“…” In Kikyo’s mysterious smile, Alluka obediently took another spoonful of porridge.
“Alluka, you definitely wouldn’t guess the answer,” Kikyo said with smiling eyes, her mature charm making the smile exceptionally alluring, a stark contrast to her hysterical screams. She spoke with a touch of intoxication, radiating happiness. “‘Darling’ never orders me to do anything I don’t want to do. He only orders me not to do certain things.”
However, being forced to do something she didn't want to do by ‘darling’ made her feel excited, so overall, it couldn’t be called “unwilling,” Kikyo thought to herself.
“This is ‘love,’” Kikyo momentarily lost interest in feeding her porridge, setting down the spoon. She gazed at Alluka with radiant eyes. “So, true ‘love’ doesn’t require catering.”
“And you don’t need to cater either, Alluka,” Kikyo put the bowl aside and cupped Alluka’s face. “Looks. Strength. Money. Status. You lack none of these. Even considering just one aspect, few could surpass you. If you consider all aspects simultaneously, how many people in the world are truly worthy of you?”
“At that time, I felt… only my ‘darling’ in the entire world was worthy of me,” Kikyo let out a dismissive laugh. “The others were just for fun. I wouldn’t marry them, let alone have children with them.”
“Alluka, you are truly my daughter, my most beloved daughter. You are just like me… no, you will do even better than me.”
“I know you don’t fall in love easily, you’re even more heartless than I am.”
The happier Kikyo smiled, the more coquettish she became, seeming genuinely delighted.
Alluka felt like it was about to turn into another dramatic love story with Silva and started to drift off.
“Alluka, Alluka.” Kikyo noticed Alluka’s wandering attention and called her name repeatedly, bringing her back to focus. “You child! This is important… Remember, if it’s just for fun, don’t try to please men. You should treat men as tools to please you.”
“…” Alluka indifferently shifted her gaze toward the porridge bowl.
Instead of seriously listening to Kikyo’s lengthy and uninformative speech, she might as well have gained more nutrition from a few sips of porridge.
“Alluka!” Kikyo turned Alluka’s face back. “I’m asking you! Do you want to get a little fuller for a man?!”
“??” The inexplicable question left Alluka bewildered.
“Hmm?” Kikyo closely observed Alluka’s reaction. “…Alluka… you didn’t even realize, did you?!”
“…” Before she could figure out why Kikyo was acting so crazy, Alluka had a bad premonition.
“Alluka… you child!” Kikyo supported her forehead, exasperated. “Don’t you feel your underwear has gotten tighter?! Girls must pay attention to managing their figures at all times! Look at your waist, it’s not as thin as it was three months ago!”
As the saying goes, it’s easier to change rivers and mountains than to change someone’s fundamental nature.
Alluka chose to empty her mind, retreat into the covers, and pulled the blanket over her head, shutting out Kikyo’s incessant chatter.
Only when it escalated to the point of needing a scale to confirm Alluka’s precise weight did Kikyo calm down slightly, reverting to a gentle tone. “I’m sorry, Alluka. I got a bit too excited just now.”
“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Kikyo took a breath and said, clearly insincerely, “Even if you get fat, my love for you won’t change…”
Who would believe that! Alluka muttered under the blanket.
“That’s right, no matter what, Alluka won’t turn out like Milluki. Alluka is our most beautiful child,” Kikyo muttered to herself, as if brainwashing herself or perhaps murmuring to Alluka. “Yes, Alluka is a girl, and what girl doesn’t love beauty? Alluka loves looking in the mirror! If her figure goes awry, let alone looking in the mirror, wearing clothes will also be a problem! Appearance is one thing, but for an assassin, a decrease in agility is also a serious problem! And…”
Alluka automatically tuned out Kikyo’s lengthy speech.
“So…” Kikyo finally hugged Alluka through the blanket. “Alluka will definitely not turn into Milluki. Mom believes in you!”
Whatever. Alluka thought. Milluki, who had become a derogatory term in his own mother’s mouth, was truly pitiful.
After a few minutes of silent standoff with Alluka hidden under the blanket, Kikyo did not forcibly pull the blanket away, sighed, put on her electronic eyes, and connected to the Mount Pinyin surveillance system. Only then did she realize Silva had returned home.
“Alluka, you rest here then. You can do whatever you want afterward. Mom won’t force you anymore. And I won’t ask about your weight again,” Kikyo said calmly. “‘Darling’ is back, I’ll go out now. I’ll probably return to the room tonight.”
Waiting with some hope, but receiving no response, Kikyo left with a hint of disappointment.
Alluka did not see anyone else, nor did she attend the Zoldyck family dinner. She stayed in the back mountains with “New Orleans” for the entire afternoon, then had a picnic together, eating food stored in the “game backpack.”
“Tonight… I’ll sleep with Alluka tonight,” Kikyo refused Silva’s invitation. “I’m sorry, darling, after all, it’s not often Alluka comes home…”
“I know how much effort you’ve put into her, but perhaps she herself might not be willing to accept it if you do this,” Silva said.
“…” Yes, what Kikyo saw in the electronic eyes was Alluka returning to her own room, not Kikyo’s room.
The difference, it seemed, had already conveyed Alluka’s intentions.
Damn it, she thought she could make Alluka…
The surveillance screen in front of her returned to normal, and Kikyo’s electronic eyes were removed by Silva.
“Stop thinking about those things,” her husband said with slight displeasure.
“Yes… darling,” Kikyo responded sweetly, letting down her waterfall-like black hair and turning to wrap her arms around her husband’s neck.
As the two embraced, their passionate atmosphere was disturbed by a sudden warning sound. Kikyo stretched out her arm, picked up the bedside electronic eyes, and put them on. The warning sound came from the electronic eyes. “Ah…”
“What is it?” Silva asked, calming down instantly, thinking it was an emergency.
“Alluka…” Kikyo said dejectedly. “Alluka has gone out.”
“…Cancel that warning sound.”
“Okay.” Kikyo also felt she was in the wrong and immediately complied. “But I’m still worried… it’s like she’s taking advantage of my absence and intentionally leaving without saying goodbye… Alluka did this before…”
“…Shut up.”
Kikyo took off the electronic eyes and obediently nestled back into Silva’s embrace.
“That child is a bit stubborn. She won’t seek death lightly until she repays her debts,” Silva said, raising his arm to embrace Kikyo. “She has taken on some commissions as a Hunter and hasn’t been slacking off outside – you know all this, right? There’s nothing to worry about.”
Kikyo softly “En.”
The mattress dipped slightly due to their subsequent movements.
Although her love for her husband had not diminished, Kikyo couldn’t help but think of Alluka. It was unavoidable; she was both a wife and a mother, and she couldn't give up either role.
The same silver-white hair fell onto her chest. Her consciousness gradually drifted away, no longer making a deliberate distinction.
Yes, why should she differentiate?
They were all her most cherished family members.
“…I love you.”
Kikyo gasped and held the person in her arms tightly.
After their intimate encounter, the couple went to separate rooms to sleep, as usual – solitude maximized undisturbed, high-quality sleep.
Returning to her solitary state, Kikyo felt a bit down at the thought of having to wait a long time for Alluka to return.
Back in her own room, after walking a few steps, Kikyo quickened her pace thoughtfully, placing her electronic eyes aside.
“Alluka…” Kikyo’s voice was softer than a feather falling to the ground, fearing she might shatter an unbelievable dream.
The covers on the bed moved. A silver-white head emerged from the covers, her pale cheeks flushed slightly. The neckline of her pajamas was somehow disheveled, slipping down to reveal a smooth shoulder.
“Alluka!” Kikyo rushed to the bedside with joy. “I thought…”
She thought Alluka had left the main house and was gone.
She hadn’t!
Just like when Alluka would occasionally act spoiled as a child, when Kikyo hugged her, Alluka buried her face in Kikyo’s embrace.
“Did you practice in advance?” Kikyo gently stroked Alluka’s long hair spread across her back. “It’s okay if it’s not successful. Take your time.”
What else could be done? Alluka was such a clumsy child.
“Let’s review the first item I taught you yesterday.”
Perhaps out of jealousy for being neglected, Alluka’s lips covered the mark left by Silva.
Kikyo dotingly indulged her silliness.
The two types of hair intertwined and tangled together.
As the afternoon sun warmed the dense green treetops, Alluka adjusted her collar and left Mount Pinyin.