Saiki Kusuo was born with psychic powers.
There were very few things he couldn't do. Even in a world full of Nen users, even surrounded by people with all kinds of powers, he never believed he could lose in terms of strength.
Until now.
So close—yet he couldn't stop it.
His powers were so strong that they actually held him back.
In the same moment Gotoh clashed with the assassin, Saiki Kusuo ended up with a new "item"—Killua.
Killua had been thrown toward him and landed about a foot away. Saiki was just about to lift his foot—when he heard a thought.
[Let's kill the white-haired brat first, just for fun. There are plenty of other kids here for revenge later.]
Really? You're not even trying to leave yourself a way out?
Saiki Kusuo stayed calm. Worst case scenario, the attacker might die from Saiki not holding back enough.
Protecting Killua was top priority.
The now-familiar throwing knife was tossed again—this time aimed straight at Killua.
Get to Killua. Block the knife!
At that moment, that was the only thought in Saiki's mind.
He carefully, slowly moved one foot forward—and in the blink of an eye, he was standing right in front of Killua.
Was that… teleportation?
At the last second, his teleportation ability came back!
The weight on his back didn't change. There was still something wrapped around his legs…
Wait—did those two clingy kids get teleported along with him!? Let go already, you sticky little monsters!
Well, things were a bit better now.
As long as he moved his body just right to dodge the knife's path and avoid letting it hit the kids, it'd be fine.
The one hanging onto his back wouldn't get hit, but the one hugging his leg needed a bit more attention.
Still, for a psychic, that wasn't a problem.
Now came the part where he had to use his body to block the knife.
All of this was happening in front of the kids. There was no way to hide it.
He didn't even have time to think about how to explain this to their family later.
So this is it, huh? The end of a peaceful life?
Saiki Kusuo faced the knife directly—and then, surprisingly, a thin, sharp needle shot into his line of sight.
This is...
Illumi Zoldyck.
He appeared like a savior descending from the sky. No one knew when he got there—his body was already in midair. His long hair spread out behind him like a pair of devil's wings.
Everything happened too fast, too dangerously.
Illumi had practically flown in to protect his younger brothers, unleashing the fastest speed of his life the moment he sensed they might be under attack.
He looked calm—
but really, he wasn't.
As a proper Zoldyck assassin, it was the first time in his life he wanted to kill someone for personal reasons. Not for a mission, not for money, not for training—
but because...
"If you try to hurt my little brother, you have to die!"
"Just a second more, and fragile little Kusuo would've been badly hurt right in front of me!"
Saiki Kusuo, behind him, covered his face: No, I wouldn't have been hurt at all—please calm down...
At just fifteen, Illumi was already a top-tier, ruthless assassin. The moment he landed, he broke the attacker's limbs and drove several Nen needles into the man's body. The man collapsed to the ground, his shape twisted unnaturally.
Brutal methods—Saiki Kusuo covered Nanika's eyes by his feet.
"Oh right, I forgot to praise Kusuo."
Now that the danger was over, Illumi's reason returned. He was happy—his brothers were safe, and Kusuo had protected the younger ones. That made him a good big brother. As the oldest, Illumi needed to praise him properly.
"Well done, Kusuo. You're a good big brother now too."
[Too bad the special poison-free cake I bought got left by the front door. Mom and Dad will probably find it. Looks like we won't get to eat it tonight.] Illumi's thoughts.
What a loss.
You should've protected the cake first! A flying knife wouldn't even scratch me!
"You... just wait..." The twisted figure on the ground let out a dark voice. Saiki Kusuo could hear even more curses and thoughts filled with hatred toward the Zoldyck family.
Even though Illumi's actions were cruel, the guy did come here to kill them, so Saiki Kusuo didn't feel too sympathetic. What he did wonder was—there were two intruders, right? So where did the one who opened the door go?
Saiki Kusuo glanced around. Ah, that guy had already gone around to the door on the right. Just as he was about to warn Illumi, he suddenly heard a thought from behind.
It was from their strong, double-door-sized father, Silva. According to his thoughts, they didn't need to worry about that guy anymore.
Right as Saiki Kusuo relaxed, Illumi—still in front of them—had already moved again, grabbing the enemy by the throat.
The back door opened at that moment. Silva looked over and saw that Illumi had already handled the last intruder. His face showed no emotion.
The Zoldyck family didn't rely much on external defenses, because usually, by the time their kids were four, they were already strong enough to protect themselves. With their knowledge of the estate's layout, they should be able to stay safe.
They just hadn't expected someone with space-type Nen abilities to show up when the kids were still only two or three years old.
"Take the kids down to the basement and watch over them personally. All butlers are to begin a full search of Kukuroo Mountain. Don't let a single fly involved in this escape!"
[Since the attackers had such a clear goal, there's likely someone among the staff who sold out the Zoldyck family for profit. We need to check every one of them.]
"Yes!"
[We already have a few suspects who might have revealed the kids' location. We'll interrogate them right away.]
Tsubone added silently in her thoughts.
Saiki Kusuo listened to the thoughts of the suspects Tsubone had in mind and figured it out right away.
It was one of the staff whose parents had been kidnapped, and they'd leaked the information.
Yare yare… People can never be fully trusted. Even in a place like the Zoldyck family, with so many butlers, there's always a chance one might turn traitor.
But the fact that Tsubone was able to narrow it down so quickly—pretty impressive.
As the butlers cleared out, Illumi stepped on the traitor's head.
There was killing intent in his heart, but he held back, not wanting to kill in front of his younger brothers.
Saiki Kusuo: Good big brother.
"Gotoh, take this one for questioning. I'll join the search," Illumi said sharply.
"And my brothers are old enough to learn from this kind of thing.
Let them watch the interrogation."
Saiki Kusuo: I take it back. This guy's just a cold-blooded assassin big brother.
Gotoh lowered her head and quietly waited beside him.
She didn't dare say anything.
Saiki Kusuo happened to notice that her arm was still bleeding.
Was she okay? There really weren't any more enemies hiding on the mountain…
"No, Illumi, leave the rest to us."
Silva calmly stopped Illumi.
"You're my child too. Go to the basement and stay with your brothers."
Illumi clearly didn't want to admit he still needed protection.
But the words "stay with your brothers" hit him just right.
Illumi walked over and picked up Killua, then scooped up Alluka.
He also casually adjusted Milluki, who was still tightly clinging to Saiki Kusuo's collar, helping him hold on even tighter.
Hey. You could at least help get him off me.
Illumi patted Kusuo on the shoulder and gave him a thumbs-up.
[As a reward for what you just did—he's yours.]
Who would treat this kind of situation as a reward, you crazy brother-obsessed maniac?
Saiki Kusuo complained in his head—only to realize Illumi was still standing there, waiting for him.
Why? He could go first, and I'd just follow behind.
Listening to Illumi's thoughts gave him the answer.
Because of what just happened, Illumi no longer felt safe letting Kusuo stay behind him.
[Little Kusuo's been weak since he was a kid. Even Killua at age four might be stronger than him.
Maybe it's time to teach him how to protect himself. He studies all the time—maybe we've overlooked some things.]
At just fifteen, Illumi was already thinking about parenting.
Saiki Kusuo wasn't even that shocked anymore.
He'd had an even weirder and more "mature" older brother before.
This kind of thing didn't surprise him much now.