[Hey Nanika, compared to before… how much stronger are you now?]

...

Nanika and Alluka had always known—

This big brother, Saiki Kusuo,

had a wish.

All his kindness toward them was his way of saying thank you in advance.

A gift for a wish he hadn't made yet.

Because one day, Saiki Kusuo would make that wish—

and then disappear.

Since then, Nanika hadn't asked Kusuo for anything in a long time. She had already granted way more than three wishes. As long as Kusuo wanted to make a wish, she was ready to show up at any time.

Nanika didn't know how to answer that question. A wish was impossible to measure, and the power that came from it was even harder to figure out.

[Take me above the moon,] Saiki Kusuo wished.

Unlike that wish from long ago, there was no black hole pulling him in. Or maybe this time, everything happened so fast there wasn't even time for a black hole to appear. Some kind of force suddenly grabbed Saiki Kusuo, and in the next moment, he was on the moon.

A red moon.

Saiki Kusuo stood on the surface. When he looked up, all he saw was darkness. The Hunter × Hunter world was on the bright side of the moon, so this side only had darkness—maybe it was part of the Dark Continent.

What about the surroundings? The moon wasn't perfectly round. Only the side facing the world was round. Around the world, there were endless walls. Saiki Kusuo instantly realized this wasn't the real scientific universe—it was part of the world inside the Hunter × Hunter manga.

To wish to go home, he'd have to break through this world's walls. And Nanika would also need to understand that concept.

Nanika was still standing where she was. Saiki Kusuo didn't stay long. He teleported back to her in an instant.

There and back—less than a second.

But Alluka was crying, tears falling little by little. She was surprised to see Saiki Kusuo return.

"Brother Kusuo, you came back?"

[Huh? Of course I came back. Going to the moon was just a test.]

So what happened to Nanika?

Alluka: [Ugh… I thought maybe you were gone for good today.]

Ah, so it was a misunderstanding.

Saiki Kusuo patted Alluka's head. [Geez, how could I ever leave Alluka all alone in such a dangerous place?]

Saiki Kusuo picked up Alluka. Even though they shared one body, switching between them back and forth, if it weren't for telepathy, he wouldn't be able to tell them apart. Compared to Nanika, Alluka was much more curious about the world, so her words—

[Alluka, want to go see the big creatures at the Milsy Wetlands?]

"Yeah! Yeah! How big are they?"

[Probably as big as Sanmao.] Saiki Kusuo used telepathy to search around, then teleported them to a spot in the Shimei Wetlands.

Everyone else: Trials.

Saiki Kusuo: Actually taking Alluka on a fun trip.

It wasn't until Killua's message came through again that Saiki Kusuo teleported with Alluka to the second exam site.

Off in a corner, Illumi was quietly thinking.

From what the family had reported, Saiki Kusuo's powers included teleportation and equivalent exchange. Illumi had thought teleportation was short-range only, but it now looked like it covered a huge distance. Had it improved? What were the conditions? Was it just coordinates, or did it need a specific object? And he could take people with him. If he used this skill well, Saiki Kusuo could easily become an elite assassin in no time—if he wanted to.

Saiki Kusuo: Big bro, you still haven't given up?

By the fifth exam, the number of candidates had dropped, though not by much.

Two hundred people? Saiki Kusuo didn't remember how many were in the manga's fifth exam—he just hoped it wouldn't be too different.

The proctors were Menchi and Buhara, both Gourmet Hunters. Buhara was very fat and sat behind Menchi. From the thoughts Saiki Kusuo picked up, Buhara seemed like a gentle guy. Menchi, on the other hand, had a sour face that made it pretty clear she wasn't easy to deal with.

Menchi: [This many applicants, tsk. Cut it down to just 30!]

Only 30 people in the fifth round? That's way too few. What kind of pass rate is that? With so many old Hunters, isn't the Association heading toward a senior-citizen shortage? Most of them are like Netero, already way up there in age.

The first question was from Buhara—roast a whole boar. The target was the Mad Boar. Saiki Kusuo scanned the forest: there were only 180 of them in total. Was this test going to wipe them out? Were these guys Gourmet Hunters or Endangered Species Hunters?

[Cooking? That shouldn't be a real exam subject. If someone like Uvogin came here, even if he could beat everyone here, he still wouldn't be allowed to become a Hunter or learn Nen, right?] Chrollo tilted his head, thinking.

[Relax, the real test is catching the boar.] Saiki Kusuo passed by Chrollo with Alluka and quietly left the crowd.

"Tap tap tap…"

What's that sound?

A whole herd of Mad Boars came charging straight at the group. That one rush was enough to knock out a bunch of people.

As dust and sand blew through the air, Saiki Kusuo held Alluka close, hiding her face in his shirt to keep out the grit.

"Wow…" Alluka's eyes sparkled as she watched the wild boars run past.

"So this is what we're after!" some candidates shouted.

Everyone teamed up and dashed into the forest. Saiki Kusuo put Alluka down, and Killua took her with him. The Phantom Troupe also rushed in to hunt the boars, while Saiki Kusuo just followed from far behind.

The furious porcupine charged like it was trying to kill someone. Saiki Kusuo didn't feel any pity for such a wild beast. If it needed to be wiped out, then so be it.

It looked like another examinee had died. Even though it happened right in front of him, Saiki Kusuo didn't step in. Anyone taking this exam should already know they could die. There was no reason for him to get involved.

But what about later? Saiki Kusuo couldn't help but think about the future. As the manga story progressed, there were bound to be more and more scenes full of death. Should he save characters who were supposed to die? He'd already made a deal with Chrollo. As long as there wasn't too much butterfly effect, the first one he'd probably save was Uvogin.

But would saving Uvogin cause a chain reaction? Maybe saving him would lead to more people dying because of the Troupe. That was totally possible.

It's probably better not to meddle. Saiki Kusuo reminded himself. The Phantom Troupe had done too many bad things. Sooner or later, they'd all die—that much he understood. For the Yorknew incident, he just had to stick to the plan. Kurapika was the only exception. No more unnecessary actions after that.

Still, from another point of view… as a member of the Zoldyck family, could he really stay out of it all?

If he judged things based on the original worldview, then right now, everyone around him was basically a villain.

The Phantom Troupe wouldn't be themselves if they didn't cause chaos. Saiki Kusuo could talk to Chrollo normally, but he also knew full well that kindness didn't exist in their vocabulary. That's just how the story was set up.

The scary part? Swap them out for Illumi and Hisoka—it's still the same. Illumi always puts family interests first. Killua comes above everything, even above Illumi himself. It wouldn't matter how many people died if it was for Killua.

And Hisoka? Is he really safe around the main group? That so-called protection he gave Gon was just him waiting for the fruit to ripen. Once it did, he was always planning to "harvest" it. In other words, the idea of killing Gon was there from the start. Saiki Kusuo had heard it in his mind.

He knew too many characters and too many people. Death would come, even if only he knew it was coming. He couldn't just look away like a bystander anymore. This world was a cruel one. His understanding needed to be sharper—closer to the truth of this place.

This was nothing like his peaceful, modern city back in his original world. His identity, and his background, were completely different now.

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