Cake time was a moment of pure happiness.
The cake had been cut unevenly into several pieces. Illumi's and Saiki Kusuo's slices were the same size.
Killua clearly wasn't happy with how the cake was divided, but when he saw the smile that appeared on Saiki Kusuo's face—just because of the cake—he surprisingly held himself back.
[It's not like I have to eat the cake. I'll just let big bro have it. He is my brother, after all.]
That's what Killua was thinking.
He didn't realize Saiki Kusuo had heard everything.
Man, kids really do only get small slices of cake. Too much sugar's not good for them anyway.
Illumi thought, [Every time we eat sweets, my little brothers look so happy. This must be what being a family is like.]
There's no such thing, Saiki Kusuo rejected that thought in his head.
All of a sudden, Saiki Kusuo started eating his cake faster.
He had heard it. Even though Illumi hadn't told the family yet, with the Zoldyck's efficiency, the fact that it took this long meant they were really taking it seriously.
"Don't worry, Kusuo, Killua won't try to take your cake." Illumi tilted his head, not understanding why Kusuo was eating in such a hurry.
…Who's afraid of him stealing it?
Cake that isn't poisoned is a rare treat. He couldn't be sure if his current "parents" even allowed the kids to eat regular food, let alone something …
Right then, Grandpa, Dad, and Mom were already just outside the door.
"Wait a second, Silva," Grandpa suddenly said.
Mom looked extremely anxious—her emotions were about to burst. If she couldn't see her precious kids soon…
"The kids are eating cake right now. Looks like it's safe. Let's wait a bit longer. It's rare to see the three of them getting along ."
"But Father!" Mom clearly couldn't wait another second to see her kids.
"Turn on the monitors," Silva gave a look, signaling Kikyo to stay calm.
The screen turned on. The scene inside was exactly as Grandpa had said.
Even the usually strict and cold Silva softened a bit as he watched his children on the screen.
"Let them finish first."
Saiki Kusuo, having just swallowed the last bite: If I'd known, I wouldn't have rushed...
Beside him, Alluka noticed her big brother had finished his slice, while hers was still only halfway eaten. She hesitated for a moment, then pushed her cake toward Kusuo.
"Big bro, have some cake!"
Faced with another one of Alluka's wishes, even Saiki Kusuo was a bit troubled.
This "three requests before a wish" setup… he really didn't want to deal with that.
He hated owing people. Even if the first three requests were harmless, granting someone's wish still felt like a favor he'd owe.
Illumi was even more nervous than Kusuo. Could this wish-granting thing really be free of any cost?
"Big bro, eat cake—" Alluka pushed the cake even closer to Kusuo.
Saiki Kusuo started thinking. It only became a wish after three of her requests were fulfilled.
So… if Alluka followed his instructions, would that cancel the whole thing?
[Alluka, I can't eat that much. If you want to share, split the cake in two. One for me, one for you.]
Alluka froze for a second, then pulled the cake back and quietly split it into two slices. She didn't make any more requests.
This time, before Alluka could say anything, Saiki Kusuo already picked up the smaller slice with his fork.
Alluka's eyes lit up, her big dark pupils sparkling with joy.
"Hehehe." Alluka seemed to have discovered the happiness of sharing.
Killua: [So that's the trick. If I finish my cake early, I can get more from someone else!]
That's not how it works!
Killua stuffed the last of the cake into his mouth in one bite, and before he even finished chewing, he scooted over to Alluka. "Mmm! Mmm mmm mmm!"
[Alluka, I want cake too!]
Saiki Kusuo: Who could possibly understand that?
Alluka somehow understood him perfectly and scooped up a spoonful of cake, shoving it into Killua's still full mouth.
Saiki Kusuo: Is this that twin telepathy thing? Milluki looks like he really wants some too—someone give Milluki a piece.
The group kept eating until they finished the cake. Only then did Silva and his crew open the main doors.
"Father," Illumi said as he stood up. The remains of the cake were still right next to him, but he didn't seem worried about being scolded.
"Mm. The danger outside is gone now. Did any of you get hurt?"
"No, but..." Illumi walked over to the group of kids and picked up Alluka. "I noticed something strange about Alluka."
"Oh? What do you mean?"
Illumi looked at Killua and Milluki. When it came to understanding Alluka's ability, the three of them—being triplets—might know more than anyone else.
Inside Alluka, there's another personality called Nanika.
Alluka will make requests, and once three are fulfilled, she turns into Nanika. But Nanika isn't like a normal split personality. No one knows what she really is. Grandpa even called his grandpa—our great-great-grandfather—to talk about it. They discussed and guessed, while Saiki Kusuo secretly listened in on their thoughts like an experienced observer.
They said Nanika might be some kind of dark creature. Well, her powers are black.
Killua explained that Nanika will grant one wish and then disappear. And the kind of wish? It seems... no matter how crazy the wish is, she can make it happen.
And the price? There's no way it comes for free.
Just when they were about to call in a butler to run a test, Alluka made a request to Kusuo.
"Big brother, candy!" Alluka held out her hand, and suddenly, all eyes turned to Saiki Kusuo—the one who was supposed to be unnoticed.
Saiki Kusuo: I literally lowered my presence. How am I still the one she asks?
And how did she even know he had candy in his pocket? He really didn't want to give it—it was the harmless candy Illumi had secretly slipped to him.
[That's so weird. Alluka never makes requests to Mom or Dad. She never asks Milluki or Big Brother either. Why only Kusuo?] Killua muttered, confused.
Saiki Kusuo: Could our different hair colors be a clue?
"Don't refuse too many times," Killua said. "If you say no three times, there's a punishment."
Oh? Illumi instinctively wanted Kusuo to stay away from Alluka. Kusuo was such a fragile kid, with zero resistance to risk.
"What kind of punishment?" Silva asked Killua.
"No idea. But two weeks ago, a butler just vanished. Like—poof!—gone. I think their name was..."
"Fermi? The one in a pink dress, with black-and-white hair?" Illumi asked. Lately, his training had entered a stable phase, so he had started paying more attention to the house's staff.
So some missing-person cases were finally explained. Meanwhile, Alluka was still standing in front of Saiki Kusuo, waiting for her request to be fulfilled.
Her hand stayed outstretched, and with everyone staring, Saiki Kusuo had no choice but to take the candy from his pocket and give it to her.
At least it was better than those requests where you have to hug her or something. Not that he really believed the punishment would be that bad.
"Kusuo, you..." Illumi started, wanting to stop him for safety's sake, but Alluka had already taken the candy.
"Brother Kusuo, put on your glasses!"
What a weird request.
Saiki Kusuo showed no expression. Though at that age, he really should be wearing glasses—if his petrification power ever came back, it'd be a serious problem. But asking his family for a pair might make them suspicious, so he'd been putting it off.
"Alluka-sama, young master Kusuo's eyes are perfectly healthy. He doesn't need glasses," Tsubone said with a smile, moving closer to comfort Alluka.
Even though Saiki Kusuo didn't have any powers, he was still part of the Zoldyck family. There was no way they'd let *him* handle testing Alluka's ability.
Listening to everyone's thoughts, Saiki Kusuo let out a breath of relief. He stepped back—this was clearly something the butlers would handle from here.
Saiki Kusuo suddenly felt a headache—was this clairvoyance?
What he saw wasn't a disaster… or maybe it was.
The place was probably this very basement. Alluka had been locked here alone. The room was decorated like a fairy tale, but her eyes were gray and cloudy, silently telling a story of loneliness, with no one to listen.
Just one look, and Saiki Kusuo could feel Alluka's emotions.
He understood now. If things kept going , this would be Alluka's future. Because her powers were too dangerous, too uncertain, she had been locked up from a very young age.
Right now, his eyes had already seen through Tsubone, who was standing in front of him. Alluka's eyes were still glowing with that sparkle from earlier—a sharp contrast to the vision he just saw.
Should he meddle in this?
How could this count as meddling? Yare yare… this is my little brother, after all.