[He should be doing fine, probably.]
Saiki Kusuo thought about Chrollo's situation.
"Will he get dissected or tortured?"
[That won't happen.]
"Then there's no issue!"
Such low expectations.
Saiki Kusuo had a meal with the GMs and smoothly handled what he thought might be a tricky problem.
"Dr. Saiki, how much longer will you stay on Greed Island?"
[About one month, leaving by the end of the month.]
"That's pretty long. Can you give us some ideas for the game?"
"Lately, new phones have come out, and mobile games with five stars and eight gates gave us a lot of inspiration."
"We want to make Greed Island more fun to play!"
"Launch something like dungeons!"
"The No. 2 card has already been taken, so the game might get cleared any day now."
"Bringing out three cards was just a gimmick to draw people in. We hope the game lasts a long time. Right now, it seems we can use more things to attract Nen users."
...This Nen game with no competition has survival pressure too.
No, this is the spirit of making the game better.
Saiki Kusuo saw the eager looks on their faces and slowly nodded in agreement. Oh well, just treat it as entertainment.
[But on one condition.] Saiki Kusuo raised a finger, like he was making a deal with Illumi, and said: [NGL will have Chimera Ants landing soon. I hope the Hunter Association sends people to stay there and keep a close watch on the island's surroundings.]
"Chimera Ants?"
"Those creatures that eat and mate?"
"Landing on NGL... This prediction is..."
[Precognition, 100% accurate if nothing unexpected happens.]
NGL is an independent country aimed at returning to nature. The people inside live a farming life cut off from the modern world. News spreads slowly, so even if a few villages get completely wiped out by ants, the others won't know. The armed guards in the territory who have guns don't often patrol the villages, and they'll only realize what's happening when they're attacked themselves.
It's this kind of place, this bad setup, that led to the creation of those extremely powerful and cruel creatures in the Hunter x Hunter manga during the Chimera Ant arc.
[I'm counting on you.] Saiki Kusuo was unusually serious. He'd let personal drama slide, but for something like a natural disaster from a meteor crash, he'd want to change it.
Luckily, a group of capable people who also cared about protecting humanity accepted his condition.
Greed Island had fewer weirdos now, leaving just the Zoldyck kids and other players vacationing inside.
The younger brothers played with Gon every day and gradually started seeing him as a friend.
Biscuit met them in some corner of Greed Island, and because of their brief meeting and maybe some fated connection, she felt like teaching them.
Saiki Kusuo mostly stayed home all day. He even moved a TV to the first floor, but with no signal, he just watched some movie discs.
He occasionally went out to play with Alluka and was always ready for her summons. Summer passed into winter, and time quietly slipped away.
The closer it got to December, the more calm Saiki Kusuo became.
Finally, one day, his 19-year-old self faced his younger siblings.
The younger brother, Alluka.
The sister, Nanika.
"Brother, we have two requests." Living outside for a month had helped Alluka grow a lot. He didn't ask so many questions anymore and even made his own decisions on some things.
At least, coming to find Saiki Kusuo was something he did without asking anyone else.
"Brother, you won't come back this time, right?" Alluka had prepared for this, but his face still showed clear disappointment when he asked.
[Well, probably not.]
"Why? Brother wants to go home. Isn't this home?"
Sorry, brother has another home.
"But we'll be sad..."
[Everyone goes through goodbyes.] In the other world, his original family had gone through a total disappearance without warning. It had been so many months, and he didn't know how they were doing.
Saiki Kusuo's goal was very clear, so clear that Alluka couldn't say anything to stop him. If this was his brother's wish, he'd decided long ago to help make it happen.
"Then brother, have you figured out how to explain it to dad and mom, to big brother, to Milluki, to us?"
[Disappeared in the Dark Continent.]
"Huh?"
[What's wrong? Isn't that fine?]
"Mom won't buy it! Lying isn't okay! Brother is clearly going to a place no one can reach! And he won't come back. He needs to say a proper goodbye to everyone!"
No, goodbyes are already too much...
Saiki Kusuo was about to refuse when he suddenly noticed black mist appearing on Nanika.
This was a sign of a wish.
Saiki Kusuo checked the date and realized that today marked exactly the month since that wish.
"Say a proper goodbye to everyone, brother. At least tell them you're leaving and that... from now on, you won't be found!"
Alluka was a sensitive child. Even though Saiki Kusuo never said exactly where he was going, Alluka could feel his determination not to return.
[Oh man...] Saiki Kusuo stood up. [I get it. I accept the request. Your break is ending anyway, so let's go back together, Alluka.]
Back to Kukuroo Mountain, facing them.
"Brother going back... will it be dangerous?" Even while pretending, Alluka couldn't help asking.
[No, I've never run into danger.]
"That's good then..."
...
Alluka is a good kid.
During the month, the kids split their time between training and finding cards, so they hadn't found all the cards yet.
Milluki, Kotarou, and Alluka gave their cards to Killua. Killua and Gon would keep playing on Greed Island until they cleared it, to meet Gon's father.
Saiki Kusuo waited for the kids to gather and leave, but he saw them saying goodbye to people one by one.
Some were partners they'd teamed up with in the game, some were NPCs they'd spent a lot of time with, and even some wild animals. For kids, everything that brought them strong feelings seemed worth cherishing.
The people receiving the kids' goodbyes and well-wishes, no matter their mood before, all felt happy afterward.
Saiki Kusuo listened to their thoughts and started to understand why goodbyes matter.
The kids entered through the game console, so there was no need to beat the captain. Instead, they used a leave card generously.
Illumi had left Greed Island long ago. Though he wanted to vacation with his brothers, there was work outside that needed him to finish.
Using the leave card, the kids vanished one by one and returned to the departure point.
The departure point setup was like the start of the game: a high-tech black room. In the center sat one of the GMs, dressed in a very game-like and futuristic outfit. Saiki Kusuo was about to say goodbye to her alone.
"The Zoldyck kids are all leaving, so I figured you might leave too. Didn't expect you'd come say goodbye!"
[The brothers said goodbye to a bunch of people. It's okay to do it occasionally.]
"Dr. Saiki, you really seem like a researcher."
[After all, you call me doctor.]
"No no, it's that feeling of being detached from the world, always looking at things from a different angle. That trait of low emotional intelligence but high smarts that only certain scientists have."
Anyone with telepathy would feel detached from the world.
"If you're saying goodbye, I have a gift for you. As thanks for what you've done for Greed Island during this time."
Saiki Kusuo's x-ray vision could see around, but aside from a few full-color cards inside the machine next to her, he didn't see anything else.
GMs can take designated cards directly when using them.
It's a huge cheat, but it also made Saiki Kusuo rarely curious about the gift. As for her thoughts, this GM here was just a projection. She was saying goodbye to the other three brothers at the same time.
"It's called a goodbye gift, but it's actually something Gon sent over recently. He found it in some ruins. The material is very special. He could only chip off a small piece from the edge. Wearing it seals Nen. He said you might need it."
"We made it into a necklace. Hope you like it."
I like it. I'd like it no matter the shape. Give it quick.
The card in the GM's hand appeared: SSS-3, the Silent Gem. Wearing it reduces Nen use by 80%, making most Nen unusable.
Saiki Kusuo put it on and felt it carefully. His abilities were indeed weakened.
This wasn't like the wristband he had that absorbed power; it was a real weakening effect, though much weaker than the superpower suppressor.
It was still a big help.
[Thanks.]
"We also prepared a special bag for it. Making that bag was a real hassle, but even through the fabric, the stone weakens Nen and makes it hard to use normally. Put it in this bag and it won't weaken anymore. I don't know why Gon would send this... Huh, where'd he go?"
No need for the special bag. Saiki Kusuo had already teleported away.
Completely leaving Greed Island after living there for a month.
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