Chapter 5

Her fiancé's younger brother smelled another man's perfume on her in bed.

What a terrible plot.

I paused for a moment, trying to remain calm: "Really? Maybe the maid's detergent smells different from my shower gel."

Kurt didn't reply, his deep purple eyes gleaming with a strange light.

People from the Zoldyck family seem to deliberately train their five senses to be more acute than others.

Thankfully, it's Kurt lying in this bed today, not Illumi.

"It's nothing special, you're too nervous."

I was thinking one thing, but what came out of my mouth was something else entirely. I realized that maybe I was just a terrible woman to begin with, which was why I could remain so composed in this situation.

I then casually asked, "Will Kurt, like before, ask his older brother for advice on problems he can't figure out?"

Kurt remained silent for a moment.

Then he smiled slightly.

"No." After he finished speaking, he reached out, brushed his hand over my shoulder, picked up an earring from the jewelry box, and fastened it for me.

After that, he looked me over for a while and said softly, "We're a good match."

I glanced in the mirror and saw that the earrings Kurt had chosen perfectly matched the ring "he" had given me.

These are my favorite earrings in recent months.

He was able to pick this one by chance.

Is it a coincidence?

Probably, since I hadn't been in much contact with the Zoldyck group before I got these earrings.

...There was one exception, but it wasn't Kurt.

Forget it, there's no point in thinking about this, it doesn't fit my persona.

I let go of unnecessary thoughts.

“Indeed.” I acknowledged his taste once again. “Let’s go downstairs, I’m really hungry.”

Kurt said, "Sister Lei, you go first. I suddenly feel a little unwell, I'll come back later."

Upon hearing this, I looked him up and down suspiciously.

Her eyes were still bright and lively, her movements showed no signs of any problem, and her lips were rosy.

He doesn't look uncomfortable at all.

However, even though it was an excuse, I was too lazy to call him out on it.

Anyway, the young master of the Zoldyck family wouldn't stoop so low as to steal things from my room.

I casually hummed in agreement and considerately covered for him, saying, "Then I'll go first... Do you need any help? I'll have the maid prepare it and bring it over."

"No need," he refused.

So I went downstairs and left.

I saw Kurt again about ten minutes later.

I don't know what he did in my room, but he looked refreshed and very satisfied.

I'm not really a chatterbox, so I simply nodded at him and didn't say anything more.

Fortunately, he knew my personality and didn't raise any objections.

After dinner, I went back to my room.

Before I met that person, I actually had some other hobbies, but now... it doesn't matter anymore.

I sat in my room and glanced out the window.

The lush greenery and layers of leaves that I was used to seeing have been replaced by an endless expanse of azure sky.

After all, my mother cut down that tree.

I realized this again.

Then, I suddenly noticed something strange.

The scent lingering around my nose seems to have changed somewhat.

I stroked the soft bedding, lay down, and buried my face in the pillows.

—The taste of Hisoka has completely disappeared.

Is this a unique method of eliminating odors used by the Zoldyck family?

It has no taste at all.

So that's what Kurt did in the room.

...Actually, among the Zoldyck children, only Kurt truly managed to remain virtually odorless for 24 hours.

If you do too many missions, you'll get covered in the smell of blood and dirt.

Kurt's other older brother loves candy and has a slightly sweet smell about him.

Well, not having any flavor is also a kind of personal characteristic.

However, if there's absolutely no smell left, it definitely makes people feel a little uncomfortable.

I lingered in that unsettling emptiness for a while before getting out of bed, feeling uncomfortable.

The housekeeper said he had arranged for Kurt to stay in the best-furnished room on the third floor.

I went straight downstairs and knocked on Kurt's door.

Kurt always wore clogs, but he made no sound.

I waited patiently for a while, and then, like a ghost, he silently opened the door.

I asked, "What are you doing?"

Kurt: "...paper cutting."

He turned to the side, trying to show me the finished product on his table.

I glanced at it and said, "Oh... I'll cut it later."

Kurt asked, "What's wrong?"

I said, "Let's go upstairs. Come to my room, and I'll pick out some clothes for you."

Kurt looked puzzled.

I added, "I don't like the bland smell you have... Pick out a few of my clothes to wear, and for my sake, get used to the smell I like."

From a young age, Kurt never refused my harmless requests.

This time is no exception.

After his initial doubts, he quickly nodded.

I took his hand and glanced at the top of his head:

"Ah, you're already taller than me..."

But it doesn't matter, he just needs to put on my clothes and smell my scent, he doesn't need to actually fit into them.

I took him back to his room.

Then, at my direction, Kurt opened the wardrobe, took out stacks of clothes, and piled them on the bed.

I really just wanted him to take a few of my clothes to wear, but now...

"Okay." I lay down on the bed covered with clothes, spread out the blankets, and beckoned him over. "Come take a nap."

After I wake up, the bed and Kurt should both smell like what I like.

He stood still.

As I lost patience, turned away, and began to rest by myself, the bed suddenly sagged slightly.

Kurt's voice, like a bubble, came from behind me, ethereal and hazy:

"Is this okay, Sister Lei...? Didn't you say we'd get scolded?"

"Well, not only will you get scolded, but if your older brother finds out, you might even die," I said lightly.

Kurt quieted down.

I asked, "Are you scared?"

He said softly, "No."

The ending note lingered.

A cool, subtle temperature slowly pressed against his back... Kurt leaned his face closer, curling up like a kitten seeking warmth.

I paused for a moment before slowly saying:

"However, our relationship is limited to this."

Kurt made a slightly nasal sound of confusion: "...Hmm."

Me: "Although Kalluto's ring is beautiful, Illumi's ring came first. I don't really like it, but... you have to respect your brother, Kalluto."

His voice came indistinctly from behind, carrying a faint, damp warmth from the blankets:

"He clearly hasn't even thought to ask about the whereabouts of that ring yet..."

After he took the ring off, he kept it on him.

Me: "Anyway, you wouldn't dare to throw it away... Speaking of which, it's perfect, just give it back to me now."

Kurt said softly, "It's...lost."

I laughed.

“If Kaldor had really had the courage to give it up, Illumi wouldn’t have been the one standing in that position yesterday.”

I exposed him without any mercy.

Kurt fell silent again.

I don't know how much time has passed; it could have been a moment or a long time. My perception of time has become blurred.

In the end, Kurt obediently handed over the ring.

An arm wrapped around my waist and presented me with a plain silver bracelet that I didn't like.

His voice was completely muffled by the blanket:

"Is it only the eldest brother who can do this? What about the man who leaves his scent on the pillow?"

"That's not true." I took the ring. "There's absolutely no smell on my bed."

—You should know this better than anyone else.

After all, it was you who personally helped me destroy those traces.

Kurt fell silent again.

I didn't care, casually tossing the ring onto the bedside table and continuing to feign sleep with the beautiful ring Kurt had given me.

...I don't care.

The boy behind me, now grown up, whether he feels lost or disappointed... none of that matters to me.

The person I care about will never appear again.

He abandoned me.

So nothing matters anymore.

With my eyes closed, I drifted into a hazy, spiderweb-like state, falling once again into the edge of dreams and reality.

Kurt's voice, once again like a ghost, drifted in from a certain direction:

"...You're still the same, Sister Lei."

I did not answer.

Everything before my eyes was plunged into complete darkness.

I retreated into my dreams and briefly found a moment of peace.

I don't want to think about it, and I don't want to argue about it.

Who is this guy who's always like this?

...

Many, many years ago, before I knew what the Zoldyck surname meant, I treated their children like any other ordinary friend.

Following behind Illumi, she looked up at him with trusting, adoring eyes.

Sitting in the garden, I opened the beautifully packaged mille-feuille cake and invited them to share it.

Holding tiny Kurt in her arms, humming a song, and rocking him on the swing, she whispered to him:

So cute!

Good boy.

My sister likes you the most.

There have been many similar heartwarming moments.

Everything ended the day I opened that Pandora's box.

His little brother, who looks so well-behaved, always makes me want to spoil him. He cut out a paper doll that looks exactly like me.

He released his grip, using his telekinesis to control the paper figure, which floated in the air, and softly gave a command to his creation:

"Die... Sister Lei."

Because his mental capacity was insufficient, his order ultimately failed to be carried out.

The paper figure spontaneously combusted.

And I stood silently facing him across that dark flame.

"...Why did you give that order, Kurt?" I asked.

Because if you don't do this, you won't get any proper attention.

He answered.

You always look at others.

So, from that time on, I wanted to escape from the Zoldycks.

But that gloomy child would casually approach the next day, weakly resting his head on his knees, and softly murmur in a pitiful, kitten-like voice:

"Sister Lei."

There will never be a next time.

He made that promise so earnestly.

...Oh dear, that's what the Zoldycks say.

You really can't believe a single word of it.

Therefore, it is entirely reasonable for me to ignore him.

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The shady kitten is here!

—

The premise is that young Kalluto, just starting to develop his Nen abilities, became so jealous that he used Rai as a test subject (after all, Rai was also a little black cat).

——

I've run out of drafts, so updates will be a bit irregular from now on, but I'll keep writing. Please bookmark and comment!