Chapter 70

Gemila—my mother—kept rubbing my face for ages, but after failing to get anything off, she insisted that I must have used some kind of disguise tool called "Kijo."

“I’m not Kijo,” I had to explain to my mother that her mistaking me for her “good friend” was a complete mistake, “I really am not—”

"Please stop—"

"How could that be?" she still refused to believe it.

After trying for a while without success, Gemila finally gave up and said dejectedly:

"Okay, your transformation this time has no flaws except that it still looks very much like you... Wait! Did you really use a prop? Or are you really born looking like this?"

“Yes,” I said blankly, “I’m not—Kijo—”

My mother, who always seemed to notice the slightest thing, looked embarrassed. She muttered something under her breath, "How could that be?" and then asked suspiciously:

How do you know my name?

"And we really do look alike..."

She pinched her chin, scrutinizing my eyebrows and eyes.

I tried my best to pry her hands open.

My mother's physical abilities were average; she wasn't a monster like Mrs. Zoldyck, so I easily achieved my goal.

"It's probably just a coincidence," I said dismissively. "There are just a lot of people with black hair and black eyes anyway."

This reasoning obviously wouldn't convince my mother, but I never intended to convince her anyway.

After a brief conversation, I prepared to leave alone—as for who would die, that was no longer on my mind.

The situation was already as bad as it could get.

Besides, it's unreasonable for me to solve something that Alka couldn't solve in such a short time.

I don't care anymore!

At worst, I'll just wander around like Aluka, in a world where nobody remembers me.

……etc

I suddenly realized that while it was agonizing and painful for Aruka that no one remembered her, it might not be the same for me.

I'm not upset that those guys don't remember me; rather, I've been trying to escape them lately.

From this perspective, isn't the spacetime turbulence activated by Alka the perfect destination for me?

My mood immediately brightened.

No one knows my world—not even my mother—I am free, completely free!

I jumped for joy, eager to leave and breathe in the fresh, free air, but Gemira suddenly grabbed my hand.

"Wait—" she called to me, her voice serious, "Don't go yet—!"

I:""

"Have you ever gotten lost?" she asked me.

I shook my head.

Whenever I encounter something strange, my Nen ability automatically activates subconsciously to help me analyze it.

I saw a line of text analysis appear next to Gemila:

She's confused about something that involves both you and Mrs. Zoldyck, something related to the "getting lost incident."

"Why are you suddenly asking this question?" I asked her in return.

She seemed not to hear my question, focusing intently on repeating her own: "Are you sure you don't?"

"No," I said. "I've had a few accidents..."

It was actually a kidnapping.

“...but all of them ended without serious injury,” I continued, “and I usually get home quickly.”

Gemila: "..."

She frowned, her expression gloomy.

“Gemira—” A sharp yet familiar female voice rang out at that moment.

I turned around and saw Mrs. Zoldyck, dressed in an excessively exaggerated, brightly colored tutu, waving frantically at my mother from the other side of the road.

The mother responded by extending her hand in a calm manner.

Compared to her later reserved demeanor in front of me, Mrs. Zoldyck at this moment was all nonchalant and innocent—these two words are not used in a positive sense here.

She didn't even bother to observe the vehicles on the road, weaving recklessly through the traffic, causing a commotion, before nonchalantly approaching me and Gemila.

In contrast to her tutu, she wore a large hat on her head.

Holding her hat, Mrs. Zoldyck tiptoed and twirled merrily in front of us, round and round, while asking excitedly:

"Do I look good in this outfit?"

...At this time, Mrs. Zoldyck felt like a friend of Killua, like an animal. However, Mrs. Zoldyck's animalistic nature was much wilder and more aggressive. It was as if she had simply been thrown into the arena, used to fighting alone, and unable to integrate into human social groups.

Wild and untamed.

"It's alright," Gemila said listlessly. "Where did you go again? Where did you come from? This outfit of yours must be expensive."

The Zoldyck's wife, completely oblivious to her dull and unfriendly tone, twirled around blissfully, saying:

"It's from that store we passed by yesterday. The things they displayed in their window were so ugly, I didn't expect they'd have such a beautiful piece in their warehouse—"

“That’s an exaggeration,” Gemila said.

Mrs. Zoldyck covered her face, her cheeks flushed, completely oblivious to her mother's implication of disapproval. Lost in her own world, she happily said:

"That's what I thought at first too, but—someone said I looked good in this dress!"

"There is someone," the mother asked.

Mrs. Zoldyck said, "Oh, yes—he's very charming. It would be better if he were a bit more muscular, what a pity. But I still gave him the opportunity to give me the dress. A lady's dress should be given by a gentleman, right?"

"...Don't bring those boring movie lines from yesterday into your real life!" Gemilla angrily waved her fist. "Where have you been all these years to become so strange! And after everything that's happened, can't you understand not to accept gifts from strangers? We finally got back, what if you suddenly disappeared again, Mom and Dad—"

She stopped abruptly halfway through her sentence and suddenly turned to look at me.

I:""

She then looked at me.

Mrs. Zoldyck followed Gumira's gaze and looked at me.

Under the combined gazes of the two of them, I silently took a step back and apologized without thinking twice:

"Did I interrupt your conversation...? Sorry, I'll leave then."

I should have left long ago... but forgive me, I'm actually a little curious about Mrs. Zoldyck, who always hides half her face on Kukuroo Mountain, so...

Thinking of this, before leaving, I couldn't help but take another look at Mrs. Zoldyck. She and my mother stood side by side, and at first glance, they looked like twins.

Especially those eyes—

No wonder I look like the Zoldyck brothers; it turns out my mother and Mrs. Zoldyck look very alike.

Without granting my request to leave, Mrs. Zoldyck displayed the indifference one would show to a stranger. She suppressed her smile, her eyes calming down like a still, stagnant pool—at this point, Mrs. Zoldyck had not yet put on the blindfold that would later be worn.

She was hostile towards me; I could even sense a faint sense of coercion and murderous intent emanating from her.

If someone else were faced with this, they would probably be so scared that their legs would go weak.

But I've been in Kukuroku Mountain for so many years, and what Kukuroku Mountain has no shortage of is Nen pressure and killing intent.

So I just blinked, calmly meeting her cold gaze, and tried my best to look back at her with normal eyes without any confrontation.

Fortunately, this action did not provoke further hostility from her.

"Who is she?" But she asked my mother that question.

“I don’t know,” the mother shrugged. “I thought it was you just now… You always like to fuss with your face and hair, I thought you dyed your hair this time.”

“I won’t let anyone touch my head—” Mrs. Zoldyck responded to her mother’s words with a threatening growl, like an angry cat.

Her expressions and body language made no attempt to hide her disgust and aversion to the act of "dyeing her hair".

"And my hair is always the smoothest and shiniest—"

...Suddenly it turned into self-praise.

It seems that Illumi and his friends' occasional sudden bursts of narcissism are inherited from their mother.

The mother remained unconcerned by Mrs. Zoldyck's furious protests.

“Oh, that’s hard to say. I’ve noticed lately that you have a rather fickle personality,” the mother said.

“Speaking of which,” she turned to me again, “I’d like to get to know you. What’s your name? Where do you live? What’s your short phone number?”

Mrs. Zoldyck, as if her important attention was about to be stolen, suddenly bristled and stood up defensively, but she didn't say anything, just looked at me and Gmira warily.

I already felt there was no need to get to know my mother, and now, under the wife's almost intimidating gaze, I refused her request without hesitation:

"...There's no need for that kind of understanding. We've just met by chance."

But my mother has always been a very stubborn woman. As far back as I can remember, she has never given up until she achieves her goal.

“We look so alike, there must be some special connection,” she persisted. “At least let’s exchange contact information… By the way, you’re not from our town, are you? I don’t think I’ve seen you before. Where are you from, and what brings you here?”

I must say, my mother was as perceptive as ever; no wonder he was able to persist in intelligence trading for so many years.

“I just happened to be passing through this town,” I had no choice but to rack my brains to lie and cover up the truth that I was her daughter from the future. “I’m leaving soon.”

"Did you come with family and friends?" she asked suspiciously. "It's not easy to find a car around here. If you want to leave, you'll have to wait for the bus that comes every three days."

...This is so troublesome. Are there really such backward little places in the world?

I shouldn't have told the truth, fearing my mother would find some reason to force me to stay, so I could only smile nonchalantly and say:

"Yes! If there's nothing else, I need to go back and meet up with my family!"

I thought the conversation was over, but unexpectedly, my mother suddenly said something:

“Oh, okay, then Kiju and I will take you there. There aren’t any special road signs here, so you’ll probably have a hard time finding your way. ... You’re welcome, that’s just how hospitable the people of our town are.”

...You should be more polite with me.

I forced a smile, feeling like I was about to lose it...

As expected of a mother, she's really hard to fool.

Just as I was outwardly nonchalant, but inwardly my mind was racing, trying to figure out what to do next, my mother spoke again.

“Oh, right, I haven’t introduced myself to you yet,” she said. “Although I don’t understand how you know my name, as you just said, my name is Gemira.”

She measured her body, then gestured for me to look at the Zoldyck lady beside her:

"She is Kikyo."

She said that.

"My sister."

...

...

I think I've heard some incredible news.

"Sister..." Reason told me I should leave as soon as possible, but emotions controlled my actions. I couldn't help but ask out of curiosity, "Are you friends, like sisters, or... family?"

“You’re so strange,” my mother said, giving me a questioning look. “Usually when people mention a younger sister, they assume it’s a close, family member, right?”

I:"……"

Please, Mother, you know yourself that what you're saying is under normal circumstances. Your situation with Mrs. Zoldyck is not an ordinary one.

As your daughter, having lived with the Zoldyck family for so many years, this is the first time I've learned that you and she have such a relationship.

You two seem like complete strangers, more like business partners.

...How could they be sisters? I still find it hard to understand.

As I frowned, repeatedly pondering this matter in my mind, my mother said again:

"Anyway, Kikyo and I look a lot alike, don't we... We are real cousins."

Cousins

So they weren't related after all... No, it's not that far off!

So, if we go by that logic, Mrs. Zoldyck would be my aunt, and Illumi and the others would be my cousins...

This world is indeed chaotic...!

But since things had come to this, I had no choice but to accept it. I could only try to adjust my mindset quickly, and it took me a long time to finally calm down.

...It turns out I'm related to the Zoldyck brothers!

I still can't believe it.

I calmed down, but my mind went blank again. It wasn't until my mother asked me again where I was going to go to reunite with my family that I remembered that I hadn't been able to cover up the lie I had just told.

But it doesn't matter, I was raised by her and the Zoldycks.

Lying is something that comes naturally to them.

“No need for that,” I said calmly. “I remember the way. It’s just ahead. I can go there myself.”

Fearing she might try to keep me there with another reason, I immediately took a step forward, not giving her any chance to stop me.

My mother stood behind me, lost in thought for a while, remaining silent until I had walked several steps away, at which point she suddenly spoke:

“Our family lives there too… right, Kikyo?”

Mrs. Zoldyck responded with a somewhat displeased tone.

I felt another wave of pressure.

Fortunately, this time the mother didn't say anything more.

“Alright then,” she said, “I won’t stop you, but we’re going the same way anyway, so I’m going this way too… Oh, by the way, you haven’t told me your name yet.”

Anyway, I wasn't born yet at that time, so it didn't matter whether I told her my name or not.

“Ray,” I answered honestly, “Ray…Adrian.”

I hesitated for a moment when I said my surname.

But considering that she and her father probably don't even know each other now... I've heard some of their stories and know about how they met, but it certainly wasn't now.

...She doesn't know her father, so mentioning my surname is meaningless to her.

"Ray," as expected, my mother barely reacted to the name Adrian, but surprisingly, she repeated my name several times, "Ray—"

As I anxiously wondered if I should make up a fake name, she finally stopped repeating my name and said with a smile:

"It's a good name."

"Is that so?" I replied dismissively, going along with her words. "I feel like it's just an ordinary name."

“That’s no ordinary name,” she said, then glanced back at Mrs. Zoldyck beside her. “You’ve been back and relearning your native tongue for so long, do you still remember how to say ‘blessing’?”

The Zoldyck lady, suddenly called out, was speechless.

“Ray.” The mother didn’t seem to have expected Mrs. Zoldyck to answer anyway. When Mrs. Zoldyck couldn’t answer, the mother didn’t feel angry, frustrated, or disappointed. Instead, she quickly continued in a light tone, “In our native language, ‘Ray’ means ‘blessing’.”

“Since you’re not a local, your parents probably didn’t consider this meaning when they named you… Speaking of which, I’ve been thinking about giving this name to my future child for a long time, whether the child is a boy or a girl, I want to give him this name.”

...Is this the origin of my name?

I was shocked.

It turns out that my existence was blessed by my mother.

But she was clearly indifferent to me. Almost half of the pain in my life was caused by her, or indirectly caused by her.

At this point, Mrs. Zoldyck chimed in, "Great—I want to name my child that too!"

"No!" the mother said firmly. "We [Ray] were here first, first come, first served!"

Mrs. Zoldyck screamed "Ah—!" and complained angrily, "Gemira, how could you do this—!"

“Although your child can’t be named that,” the mother added, “I can allow you to continue the name from Rye… How about Ian?”

They started discussing the story of naming their children in such a serious manner, without giving any thought to the order in which the children would be born—Illumi was born much earlier than me.

...I never imagined that there was a story behind each name.

I was lost in thought and for a moment I was in a daze. When I came to my senses, I realized that I had somehow followed my mother and Mrs. Zoldyck a little further ahead.

It's time to stop.

I think.

It's time to say goodbye.

Whoever dies in the next timeline is none of my concern. I myself can't survive in any timeline, so how could I possibly have the energy to care about others?

But just as that thought flashed through my mind, I realized something else.

The mother said she wanted to give her child a unique and special name, [Lay]... If that's the case, shouldn't that name be for the first child?

But I clearly have an older brother...

...My own brother, are we not from the same mother?

But……

I stopped in my tracks.

My mother turned around and glanced at me:

"What's wrong"

Faced with her seemingly ordinary question, my mind inappropriately raced through a torrent of memories of her and my father, trying to ascertain whether they loved each other and whether there had been any betrayal or lies between them.

Could it be that my brother isn't even my mother's flesh and blood?

Although this guess is far-fetched and without any basis, I don't know why it suddenly seems very likely to me.

If this conjecture is true, then my mother is far less heartless than I used to think.

The one who betrayed the other first was the father, not the mother.

...My mother, still young and having never met my father, stared at me and continued her questioning:

They'll be waiting for you here when you arrive.

"...Yes." I was still lost in my guessing when I looked at her face and suddenly felt a little uncomfortable. I answered the question in a low voice, feeling guilty.

It turns out that there might be another layer of truth behind what I thought was the truth...

My mother didn't react much; after all, we were basically strangers.

She said, "Okay, then you wait here. Kikyo and I are leaving now."

I nodded, then waved to her and Mrs. Zoldyck.

They walked away as I watched them go.

...After a long period of travel, I no longer cared about whether my clothes were clean or not.

Life really knows how to toughen people up, forcing a pampered young lady like me into a homeless person sitting on the ground.

...I sat down cross-legged, held my head, and began a new round of thinking.

My mother and Mrs. Beatick are cousins. I was born with my mother’s blessing. My father, who has always been regarded as a man who is obsessed with my mother, may have betrayed my mother...

How many secrets from their previous generation are still unknown to me?

After figuring out this clue, I jumped up and hurriedly tried to catch up with my mother—I wanted to know what other stories were going on.

However, after chasing for a few steps, I noticed something was wrong.

A strange feeling, like a premonition of death, enveloped my heart. —Having experienced so many deaths in parallel worlds, I seem to have honed a special skill.

Someone is about to be in danger, that's what my gut feeling tells me.