Chapter 32

This isn't the first time I've heard something like this.

—I will protect you.

—Don't be afraid, I'm here, trust me.

Killua made that promise to me a long time ago.

There's a large forest behind the Zoldyck family's house. When Milluki finishes the training plan he set for me, Killua will sneak over and drag me to play in the forest.

We secretly set up a tent in a secluded corner and every now and then took some of our favorite things from the house and put them in the tent.

Once, while I was halfway through sheltering in a tent, a heavy rain started. The rain washed away all the warmth from the forest's heating system, leaving the tent cold and the sky dark and gloomy.

Killua found a candlestick and a lighter he'd taken from Milluki's pocket among the jumbled trinkets, threw them in, and started burning chocolate wrappers.

A warm yellow glow swayed in the tent, creating the appearance of a tiny flower.

We hid under the same blanket. He stared at the flames on the chocolate wrapper, while I opened my newly bought storybook and softly read the words aloud.

That was the first time I felt happy in Zoldyck.

After one sheet of paper burned out, Killua pulled out a new wrapping paper from his pocket. I stopped reading the story and asked him:

How much did you actually eat?

“I don’t remember,” he said.

"Is Sky Arena fun?" I asked. "I heard you spent a lot of time there when I was in school."

“It’s not fun,” he said, “but it’s better than here.”

Then he turned to look at me: "Is school fun?"

I hesitated for a moment, but finally shook my head.

—That kind of place is not as good as this little tent.

We remained silent for a moment, then I closed the storybook, rested my chin on my knees, hugged my legs, and, like Killua, began to stare blankly at the flames.

It was at this moment that Killua made his first promise to me.

“Then I’ll take you to some fun places later,” he said, “places even more fun than here.”

"My brother won't agree." I didn't take his words seriously.

“Then I’ll kill him,” Killua said.

...

He said this many years later.

Many, many years.

From that narrow little tent, which we could no longer squeeze into without realizing it, all the way to the door where Illumi and I walked out together.

A cold, damp corridor, with dark reflections.

He stared blankly as he raised his head, looking up at me and Illumi's dark pupils.

What are you doing?

Killua asked this question.

He looked confused.

Illumi stood behind me and put his hand on my shoulder.

"They saw us," Illumi asked calmly. "Should we tell him, Ray?"

My lower back, which was being held against the corner of the table by Illumi, was still throbbing with pain. I couldn't speak and lowered my eyes.

...Now that I think about it carefully, did Killua leave home after Illumi threatened me not to celebrate his birthday with him, or after this incident?

...I don't remember.

I don't want to recall it.

I pursed my lips, and just as I hadn't answered Killua back then, I didn't answer this boy named Gon in front of me either, remaining silent for a long time.

"No need." I said this much later.

He didn't say anything, he just smiled.

The car swayed and bumped all the way.

I started to feel dizzy, so I closed my eyes and leaned back in my chair, feeling drowsy.

A bottle of purified water with the cap unscrewed was handed to me by the boy next to me.

"Would you like some water?" he asked. "You don't look well."

There was no need to make things difficult for myself. I opened my eyes, took the water bottle without ceremony, and left a perfunctory "thank you."

After handing me the water bottle, he reached past me and opened the window a crack.

"A breeze will make me feel much better," the boy said, still smiling.

I ignored him, took a couple of sips of water, and handed the water bottle back as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

He took it good-naturedly, screwed on the cap, and looked straight ahead again, without a trace of resentment, as if I hadn't deliberately thrown a tantrum at him.

What a strange person.

Boys this age shouldn't be this considerate, right?

It doesn't matter anyway, I'm not interested in him, we'll break up soon, and I won't give him a chance to contact Killua or let Killua find me.

Thinking this, I turned my head to the side, closed my eyes, and prepared to sleep.

Once I fall asleep, my dizziness will subside.

However, the seats were really uncomfortable. My neck was aching slightly from the car's bumps, and my recently dyed hair kept making a slight rubbing sound against the seat back. I was really afraid that it would fly off and become a messy, frizzy hairstyle after I got out of the car.

I frowned slightly, straightened up, and resignedly thought I'd just rest my forehead on the seat in front of me and go to sleep. Suddenly, the car braked sharply, almost causing me to hit my head on the hard back of the seat in front of me.

A boy named Jay reached out and helped me up.

"careful."

I steadied myself and turned to look at him.

He blinked.

My gaze swept over him from head to toe—

After failing to discern anything, I couldn't help but ask, "Do you have a pillow?"

he:""

I succinctly explained my predicament: "...my neck is uncomfortable, I can't sleep, and I feel terrible."

He looked troubled and conflicted.

I realized from his expression that I had asked a pointless question, sighed, and rested my forehead on the seat in front of me without any hope... Oh well, he deserved to give up such a good life and wealth to run away from his marriage.

The sounds of zippers and plastic bottles rattling rang out one after another, and the boy's clear voice came from beside him again:

"Use this."

I looked in the direction of the sound and saw that he was still holding the bottle of water, but the bottle was wrapped in soft clothing.

"If you put this behind your neck, it shouldn't hurt anymore. An older man I traveled with taught me this trick." He said, looking a little embarrassed. "I don't know if you'll find it helpful."

"Thank you." I finally spoke to him with some sincerity, took the water bottle, and placed it behind my neck as he had instructed.

He still smiled and said, "You're welcome! ... If it really doesn't work, you can try leaning against me. I'm perfectly fine."

He pointed to his shoulder.

"That won't be necessary," I said coldly.

—I'm going to shake him off once I get off the bus.

...

I've lost count of how much time I wasted on the bus, but before my patience completely gave out, the car finally arrived at its destination.

I returned the water bottle to the boy next to me, picked up the bag, and got off the bus.

He got off the bus with me.

"Aren't you going home?" I asked.

He replied, "Well... but I've already promised Kurapika and Killua that I'd prioritize protecting you."

"You seem to get along well with them," I asked again. "I heard from Milluki that a group of guys broke into my house and tried to take Killua away. Were you guys involved?"

He then gave an embarrassed smile:

"That seems to have happened a long time ago..."

His eyes were reddish-brown, crystal clear, clean and bright, unlike any eyes I had ever seen, full of life.

The guy who could take away their future heir under pressure from the Zoldycks is definitely not an ordinary person.

I really can't understand why he looks so harmless and bright, like some kind of simple, furry little animal.

The malice I had been suppressing was involuntarily brought out again. I stared at him coldly for a while, then quickly lowered my eyelashes to hide the coldness in my eyes.

"It must have been really tough, their family is hard to deal with," I said casually. "Oh, right, I think I left something on that car... Since you were able to take Killua away from the Zoldyck family, you should be able to catch up with that car and get my thing back, right?"

Before he could refuse, I said, "Please, thank you."

However, my analytical skills tell me that he won't refuse me.

Sure enough, the seemingly innocent boy's expression turned serious the next moment. He looked up at the direction where the car had long since disappeared and asked worriedly:

"Is that so...? Is it something very important?"

“Yes,” I said without hesitation, “so I’m asking you for help.”

I tossed my hair aside, and in the brief moment of movement, I discreetly removed the earring hanging from my earlobe. Using the momentum of its slip, I tucked it into my sleeve from my palm, gesturing for the boy in front of me to look at my empty ear. The lie came out of my mouth without hesitation:

"It was a birthday gift from my family."

...

A few minutes later, it was my turn to watch the boy's departing figure.

Using only his legs, he was actually able to walk side by side with the cars on the road.

What terrifying endurance and speed!

No wonder this guy can be friends with the Zoldycks.

It seems that he might actually be able to catch up with the long-distance bus we just got off at.

Unfortunately, what happened next was none of my business. I needed to take advantage of his absence and escape as soon as possible.

I looked at my phone for a while, then went and bought a new train ticket.

The next bus arrived in ten minutes, so I quickly boarded and glanced out the window as I did so.

Great, since Jay Freecss hasn't shown up yet, I guess I've really gotten rid of him.

The process was surprisingly simple.

I smiled happily, closed my eyes for a short rest, and the bumpy ride still made me dizzy. My stomach, which hadn't had time to eat while rushing to get on the train, was also protesting... But the thought that I had gotten rid of everyone associated with Zoldyck made me incredibly happy.

This joy didn't last long.

After driving for a while, a light drizzle suddenly started to fall. Looking at the blurry scenery cut by the rain, I had a bad feeling... Just then, the driver suddenly stopped the car.

The passengers became restless.

I looked up in the driver's direction, but before I could observe the driver's condition, I first heard a horn blaring and impatient complaints:

"Are you out of your mind?!"

A boy dressed in green, carrying a long fishing rod and a backpack, stood in front of the bus, his body tiny compared to the bus, refusing to budge an inch.

The rain got heavier and heavier, and he gradually got his hair, cheeks, and shoulders wet, and then his whole body.

His hairstyle was similar to Hisoka's when he wore the clown costume, standing tall with hair gel, but his hair was much stiffer. Now, after being washed by the rain, it hung down like wilted flowers and grass, looking quite pitiful.

The driver opened the door.

Amidst the hushed discussions of everyone's bewilderment, he got into the car, met the driver's angry gaze, and walked straight toward me.

Driver: "...Hey! Hey! Kid over there!"

He tried to speak to Jay Freecss.

But Freemasons turned a deaf ear.

He unusually revealed a somewhat cold expression, and reached out to me expressionlessly. Before I could react, he first brushed the hair behind my ear, and then pinched the earring that I had put back on.

“Here,” he said. “What you’ve forgotten is here.”

The passengers began asking the driver when he would resume driving, and the driver turned around and raised his voice to question the boy who had suddenly barged in, asking what he wanted to do.

Without turning his head, he pulled out his hunter's license from his pocket and showed it to the driver. The driver's words caught in his throat... Soon, the driver turned around dejectedly and started the car again.

Throughout this process, Jay Freecss stared intently at me without blinking.

I calmly slapped his hand away.

"Did you find it?" I asked with my eyes wide open, lying without a trace of guilt. "You've really helped me a lot, thank you."

Then I smiled at him.

“I didn’t find it,” he said, completely uncooperative, directly exposing my lie, “because you didn’t lose anything at all… Why lie?”

"Does this kind of thing," I tilted my head and asked, "does it even need a reason?"

My ear suddenly hurts.

The boy in front of me unceremoniously removed my earrings... Even at this point, he still managed to control his strength and didn't hurt me.

“You may not need it,” he said, “but I need to know.”

"There's no reason," I had no choice but to tell him bluntly.

But he stubbornly kept his reddish-brown eyes wide open, just like when he blocked the car, refusing to budge an inch even if it meant getting hurt.

I must get some reason.

His pitiful face, soaked by the rain, was etched with those words.

There's nothing we can do about that.

I originally intended to let him go.

He brought it on himself.

A surge of malice welled up in my chest, and I couldn't help but laugh at him.

“Because I hate you,” I said. “Is that reason enough?”

He was stunned.

Just when I thought he would finally get angry, he suddenly seemed relieved, his cold expression vanished, and he smiled, then handed the earring back to me.

“Oh, I see,” he said cheerfully. “Then there’s no problem. I almost thought Sister Lei was a bad person who abandoned me without a word.”

……ah

He left me speechless.

“Sister Lei, put them back on,” he said, crouching down and spreading the earrings out in his palm. He looked at me again like a fluffy little animal wagging its tail, his damp eyes and brown hair looking soft and fluffy. “I knew you weren’t a bad person.”

“…I said, I hate you.” Afraid that he didn’t understand what I meant, I had to bite the bullet and patiently repeat it.

"Okay, I understand!" His voice became even more cheerful, his smile was sunny, and his eyes sparkled. "It must be something I didn't do well... It's okay, I'll keep trying."

I:"……"

I knew it.

A sense of despair washed over me, and I thought painfully.

The Zoldyck family, and their friends, are all mortal!

This guy in front of me is just too strange.

“It’s not your fault,” I reiterated, emphasizing my own awfulness in one last attempt to fight back. “It’s me, I just hate you… Don’t you understand?”

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Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!