January 24, 1999.
Three days after the conclusion of the 287th Hunter Exam, Illumi Zoldyck, the designated heir of the Zoldyck family, returned to Kukuroo Mountain.
This was a direct result of Illumi's "shock therapy" education.
"You have no right to make friends," Illumi had stated.
At the very end of the Hunter Exam, after removing his disguise, Illumi’s overwhelming aura had forced Killua to submit on the spot. Killua announced his withdrawal from the exam.
Just as he had tried to befriend the trainee butler a few years prior, his desire to make friends had once again been crushed.
The silver-haired kitten’s expression was bleak. He raised his arms, palms pressing against the Testing Gate. Muscles tensed, and the massive gate slowly creaked open, allowing the familiar cold and heaviness to seep into his palms.
He recalled what Mirls had told him before he left: "Being a killer must be boring, right? Following your dad and brothers' orders every day, like a robot. Your future is predictable, much like your father's life trajectory: kill, train, kill, marry, have children, train your descendants to be killers, and then repeat the cycle."
"A life with no end, constantly repeating – that is hell."
"Living is hell."
Gritting his teeth, Killua poured all his strength into it. The first gate, the second gate, the third gate – a total of sixteen tons of force. The doors, like colossal walls, were pushed open by him.
It looked impressive, but it was nothing more than that.
Yes, still far inferior to his elder brother.
The gap was so immense that he was paralyzed by fear, unable to resist.
When would he become stronger than his elder brother, stronger than his father? Would it be when he grew up? But the process of growing up was so agonizingly long.
Until then, he could only wait and endure.
For instance, Kikyo's scream, already drilling into his ears from afar, "Killua—!"
"..."
He didn't care about his elder brother anymore. Killua just wanted some peace.
Unlike the original storyline, Killua hadn't injured Kikyo or Milluki when he ran away from home. Therefore, the consequence of his return was a standard solitary confinement for reflection. He had initially found this outcome rather ordinary. However, upon learning from Milluki that Mirls, who had assisted his escape, had received no punishment, Killua’s mood became rather complicated.
"...Sister always gets the most special treatment at home anyway," Killua retorted nonchalantly, turning the tables on Milluki. "I've gotten used to it. You're the only one who's bothered, aren't you, brother?"
Poor Milluki, at the bottom of the Zoldyck food chain, had never experienced the joy of being favored by his elders.
"Hmph! Don't get so smug!" Milluki, clearly hitting a sore spot, pulled out his phone with a grim expression and theatrically threatened, "Your friends are right here on Kukuroo Mountain. If I make one call, all three of them will..."
"Milluki." The superficial smile vanished. Killua was genuinely provoked. His pupils contracted, and killing intent erupted from him, a professional assassin's threat devoid of humor. "Dare to lay a hand on them? Are you looking to die?"
Both parties knew each other's weaknesses, and continuing to hurt each other was pointless. Milluki didn't press the issue further, throwing out, "Dad wants to see you," before leaving.
Killua had expected more assassin training or similar platitudes. To his surprise, Silva's attitude was completely different from Illumi's. Not only did he not object to Killua making friends, but he also approved of his choice, encouraged him to live the life he desired, and made him swear, "Never betray your friends."
With Silva's permission, Killua happily packed a few things and left Kukuroo Mountain with his three friends from the Hunter Exam: Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio.
Unseen by them, Mirls finally breathed a sigh of relief.
On the day the Hunter Exam ended, Mirls finished her tasks and returned to Kukuroo Mountain, awaiting the original storyline where Gon and his friends would arrive at the Zoldyck residence.
Then, she discovered something unexpected… the gatekeepers by the Testing Gate had been replaced!
"!!!" What was going on?! When did they change!
Accustomed to taking airships back to the Zoldycks, Mirls hadn't walked past the Testing Gate in a long time. No, even if she didn't take an airship, she wouldn't normally pay attention to irrelevant NPCs. She couldn't even remember the "Zoldyck Gatekeeper's" name, only that this NPC had helped Gon and his friends open the Testing Gate.
Now, at the crucial point in the original storyline where the "Zoldyck Gatekeeper" played his role, why had his character sprite suddenly changed!
A butterfly effect.
Mirls had to admit that her previous thoughts had been too optimistic, too naive.
If she didn't interfere, the original storyline wouldn't deviate too much? No, if she didn't interfere, the original storyline would deviate even more.
But if she interfered, wouldn't it create an even greater butterfly effect?
...She didn't know.
This was so annoying.
Mirls was certain that with her intelligence, it was better to accept her fate and focus on the present.
It didn't matter that the gatekeeper had changed! As long as the gatekeeper's plot function remained the same!
Mirls walked over to the window of the gatekeeper's room.
The gatekeeper, smoking a cigarette, looked up and saw her. He immediately jumped from his chair, stubbed out his cigarette in an ashtray, and bowed respectfully to her, "…Young Miss."
His attitude was good, but the cigarette smoke was something Mirls disliked. She held her breath, keeping her distance from the window, "Where did your predecessor go?"
"He was injured by an intruder and could no longer work. He returned to his hometown to recuperate."
All right, the Zoldycks had many enemies, and it was inevitable that the gatekeepers would be caught in the crossfire.
"In a few days, if some young people claiming to be 'Killua's friends' come to visit, you are to entertain them well, assist them as much as possible, and prevent them from losing their lives unnecessarily," Mirls specifically instructed. "This matter must be kept secret from everyone. If you have any questions then, you can contact me by phone."
"Yes."
Were killers' families so friendly towards "friends"? No, did a killer family even have "friends"? Was the situation really that simple? Although the gatekeeper didn't understand the purpose of the young miss's orders, the Zoldycks were his employers, and he shouldn't question them; he should obey.
Anyway, what he was asked to do wasn't that difficult, and it seemed… not too risky.
What if there was risk? He had no choice.
The three young people who called themselves "Killua's friends" were polite, sincere, and friendly. It was hard to imagine them becoming friends with the Zoldycks, which surprised the gatekeeper. However, being able to help such people was a rather pleasant experience.
The biggest hitch came when the blonde young man named "Kurapika" asked, "Mr. Gatekeeper, it seems you already knew we were coming."
"Why do you think that?" Since the question was probing, the gatekeeper chose to play dumb.
"When I mentioned, 'We are Killua's friends,' your surprise seemed a bit excessive." Having traveled extensively for years, Kurapika had learned to observe the subtle expressions of various people to discern the truth or any concealed information in their words. "You said that because we are Killua's friends, you decided to help us and prevent us from dying. Since it's dangerous inside, logically, wouldn't your first reaction be to strongly dissuade us from entering? Why did you directly help us enter?"
"Moreover, merely our one-sided declaration is not enough to prove we are Killua's friends. Why are you so certain we truly are his friends?"
"The answer I can think of is – preconception. You already knew about us beforehand."
Leorio, who reacted first, exclaimed, "I see!"
Gon, who reacted slightly later, said, "I see!"
Kurapika, realizing he was the only one who had become suspicious: "..."
With no room for denial, the gatekeeper exhaled a smoke ring, "Excellent observation skills."
"Wait a minute, Kurapika!" Leorio, still shaken after witnessing the giant guard dogs several times his height, exclaimed, "You suspected something was wrong earlier, shouldn't you have said something before we entered?!"
"If he truly intended to kill us, he wouldn't have gone to such lengths," Kurapika replied, shaking his head. "I just wanted to confirm what kind of attitude the Zoldyck family had towards our visit."
According to Illumi Zoldyck, Killua's older brother, at the Hunter Exam, the Zoldycks were supposed to be cold and not in need of friends. Illumi had even nearly killed Gon. However, it seemed the Zoldycks didn't hold much animosity towards their visit. At least, their attitude wasn't aggressive.
The tour bus guide introduced the Zoldyck family as having ten members: great-grandfather, grandmother, grandfather, father, mother, and five children.
"..." Did the Zoldyck family members not share the same thoughts?
At the Hunter Exam venue, there was Killua, then Illumi. On Kukuroo Mountain, they met the third Zoldyck, Killua's mother. She spoke politely but distantly, so was the gatekeeper's attitude not a result of her intentions?
No, the intelligence was severely lacking, making it impossible to draw conclusions.
There were too many unanswered questions in the world. Kurapika didn't delve deeper. In any case, the immediate issue was resolved. He could now seek employment as a professional Hunter, gaining opportunities to approach the body collector and search for the lost Scarlet Eyes.
Furthermore, he had learned of the latest movements of the "Spider" from Hisoka, a fellow contestant he met at the Hunter Exam. On September 1st, Yorknew City would host the world's largest auction, a gathering place for rare treasures. The "Spider," being bandits, would congregate there, with at least five seasoned members expected to attend. Seasoned members meant they were likely involved in the massacre of the Kurta clan five years ago!
Leorio had to return home to continue his studies, while Gon and Killua planned to undergo special training at the Heaven's Arena. The main quartet thus parted ways.
Before parting, they made a promise.
"See you in Yorknew City on September 1st!"
Back on Kukuroo Mountain, Illumi dropped a one-jenny coin into the rabbit coin bank held by Mirls.
[Prenuptial Contract (121/999)]
Mirls shook the rabbit coin bank, a slight smile on her lips.
Hmph, Illumi was really daring.
Time flew by so quickly. Focused on her work, she hadn't made many wishes, and in the blink of an eye, it was the start of the original storyline.
Since deciding not to make any more wishes regarding [Silva Zoldyck], Mirls had made a few wishes to punish Illumi afterward. However, these had little effect on Illumi, an outstanding graduate of the Zoldyck interrogation classes. The results were quite dull, and she quickly grew bored after a few attempts. Thus, out of boredom, Mirls had Illumi disguise himself as celebrities or models featured in magazines, consuming more wish counts.
Alas, the wish counts consumed were still too few; it wasn't cost-effective.
Thinking about it, it had been almost three months since she had seen Illumi. Having successfully completed the Hunter Exam arc and the Zoldyck arc of the original storyline, the Heaven's Arena arc, with Wing and Hisoka, the two "male mothers," providing escort and guidance, was a low-risk dungeon. She didn't need to worry and could relax for a bit, rewarding herself. It was time to call Illumi over for some fun, something new.
"...Sister." Illumi reached out, brushing aside Mirls' hair near her neck, and then they walked side-by-side.
Kikyo, witnessing this scene through the electronic eyes monitoring the entire Kukuroo Mountain, gasped.
Switching the monitoring of that area to private view, Kikyo, holding her skirt, dashed down the corridor.
How could this be… No… Mirls… Has she gone mad?
Kikyo stopped at the end of the corridor, the slightly ajar door seeming like an open invitation.
Raising her hand, her lips and fingers trembled.
But she finally chose to push the door open forcefully.
"...Mirl." Her voice also trembled.
The door gently closed behind her.
Like a blind person, she walked into the room, extending her hands forward as if to grasp for support in the empty air.
"Mirl." She steadied her voice and called out again.