Chapter 71

I don't know where this premonition came from, but it felt real enough to send chills down my spine and I couldn't ignore it.

...In this time and space, who is it that I can have a premonition about?

There is only one answer.

The person in danger was Gemila, my mother.

I hesitated for a moment between chasing after her to save her and standing by and doing nothing.

To be honest, before making this decision, I never thought my mother would be in danger, or how I would deal with it...

In my heart, she has always been invincible, cold and unyielding, and not to be underestimated.

Given her personality, and the fact that my relationship with her wasn't particularly good, plus my lack of will to survive, ignoring her crisis might have been more in line with my usual character.

But for some reason, I ultimately chose to chase after them.

Tracking isn't my forte, but thankfully neither my mother nor Mrs. Zoldyck were away for too long.

I chased after them in the direction they had gone and soon caught sight of their silhouettes in the distance.

I quickened my pace, trying to close the distance, when at that moment a three-story house appeared at the end of the road, its door and railings wide open, exuding an inexplicable sense of danger.

I sensed a terrible mental pressure that shouldn't be present in this ordinary little town.

Danger stopped me in my tracks. I stood there watching as my mother and Mrs. Zoldyck approached the cabin. They had clearly sensed something was wrong. Mrs. Zoldyck stood at the door, refusing to go in, while my mother leaned against the doorframe, looking hesitant.

Finally, the mother left Mrs. Kijou behind and went into the cottage alone.

...This was undoubtedly a dangerous move. I could foresee the outcome of her action without even thinking about it, since I had specifically turned back because I sensed that she was about to face a threat.

I should do something.

But this is dangerous.

This is different from when I helped Hisoka in the previous timeline. Back then, the enemy was much clearer, and Alka was standing behind me.

I shouldn't have shown up—at worst, I could have just been buried in the past with my mother. Anyway, I don't want this broken and miserable life.

I shouldn't have shown up.

Because this contradicts the principle that Illumi taught me to prioritize my own safety in everything I do.

I shouldn't have...

I shouldn't.

There are countless reasons, and I know them all perfectly well, but for some reason, as if possessed, I caught up with their pace... When I came to my senses, I was already standing in front of the cottage, side by side with Mrs. Kikki.

She turned around and looked at me with surprise, then asked without any awkwardness, "What are you doing here?"

I:"……"

I didn't know what to say to her, so after a moment's hesitation, I simply left her behind and walked into the hut under her puzzled gaze.

The room was in a terrible state, just as I had expected. The furniture was overturned and lying haphazardly on the floor, and there was no one in sight on the first floor.

I searched for the stairs.

Lady Kiqué finally entered at this moment—perhaps she shouldn't be called Lady Kiqué, as she looked very young, with the appearance of a young girl. Although her demeanor still carried a hint of neurotic fragility, her large, dark eyes sparkled.

She tilted her head slightly, propped her cheek with the fan in her hand, and watched me spin around like a headless fly for a while before finally asking:

You can read it too.

Is this the time to talk about this?

I looked at her questioningly.

To everyone's surprise, she then uttered another astonishing statement: "Could it be that you are the cousin they are truly searching for?"

I:"……"

What is she saying? Isn't my mother's harem hers?

Kikyo's words really startled me.

I stared at her, wide-eyed, while Kikyo nonchalantly unfolded her fan, waved it twice in front of her, and then laughed at my dumbfounded expression:

"Hmm... judging from your surprised expression, you don't seem so. Then why are you so concerned about this family?"

“Wait,” I managed to utter the question, “you mean…”

"Hehehe~" Kikyo covered his mouth and laughed cheerfully, "Even if you guessed it, don't say it out loud, otherwise I won't be able to chat with you so peacefully like this!"

...That's what she meant, right?

That's definitely what it means.

She wasn't my mother's real cousin, but just an imposter who happened to look like her!

Is that why they seemed not very familiar with each other later on?

I felt like I had uncovered a new secret, so I took a step back, trying to create some private space to gain a brief moment of peace and a false sense of security.

"Why...why are you telling me this?" I asked her cautiously.

Don't tell me you don't want me to live anymore?

"Hmm..." Kijo stopped waving his fan.

She thought about it seriously. After a while, she said firmly and forcefully, "I don't know! I just wanted to ask! If you're not the person they're looking for, then forget it."

I don't understand her.

Before I could decide how to respond, my heart suddenly skipped a beat—a feeling I'd never experienced before… Could it be because the other person in danger was my mother, and we were connected by blood, that this premonition came so quickly and intensely?

I didn't care about Kikyo; my mind was blank, I was panicked and confused. Without any guidance, I stumbled forward according to my intuition, and then, miraculously, the stairs leading to the second floor appeared before me by themselves.

I climbed upwards, holding onto the handrail, trying to quicken my pace as much as possible—the intense premonition was right before my eyes.

Upon reaching the second floor, the first thing I saw was a figure from behind. Without needing to confirm, I instinctively knew who it was... The distance was too far for me to catch up, so I resorted to the weapon-throwing techniques that Illumi had taught me before. I grabbed whatever was at hand and threw it, which struck the enemy in front of my mother.

Then I heard a scream.

The voice sounded unfamiliar. I turned around and saw yet another "enemy" appear out of nowhere, along with a swaying figure with long, black hair and eyes, who appeared to be middle-aged. Judging from her appearance, she might be my maternal grandmother or some other elder.

She fell headfirst off the railing.

Only after her figure disappeared from the edge of the railing did I notice that behind her was Kiju, who was slowly making his way upstairs, lifting his skirt.

The image froze.

Kijuh looked bewildered as she lowered the hem of her skirt, then lifted it again, took two steps upstairs, and leaned over to look at the middle-aged woman who had fallen down the stairs.

"Ah—" she exclaimed, her reasons unknown.

The mother, who had just lost her voice, finally came to her senses from the woman's screams and the fall, letting out a low, angry growl like that of a wild beast out of control.

The scene descended into chaos.

I watched as my mother, who hadn't yet awakened her Nen abilities and was completely powerless, charged into the enemy.

...However, this act of resistance was like that of an ant, and it had no effect whatsoever. On the contrary, a simple blow from the enemy turned on the switch of the mother's mental power.

Psychic power is a kind of life energy. If ordinary people forcibly learn to "think", they are likely to perish because they cannot control the energy.

I tensed up, desperately trying to recall the scene when I first developed Nen... Then I was dismayed to realize that I was too young when I developed Nen, and I was so confused that I didn't even realize that I had Nen ability. I learned Nen power in a daze.

I was unable to guide my mother through her confusion.

I was superfluous in the room.

Kikko's actions soon proved this to be true.

I hesitated for a long time before facing this enemy, but she hesitated for a moment before raising her hand and crushing his skull.

The mother grew increasingly furious: "You...! Didn't you just say it was very dangerous and we had to give up?! Couldn't you have won?"

Kikyo said innocently, "But we don't know where they came from. It would be troublesome if they attacked us out of nowhere..."

After saying that, she sighed and shook the blood off her hands from crushing the other person's bones.

"You guys were fighting and suddenly came over here, it startled me."

The mother shouted, "You're terrified!... Mom just fell down, did you see? She was trying to protect you!"

Kikyo blinked. "But even without me, he would have attacked her anyway."

The mother was speechless.

As Kikyo's innocent yet cruel expression faded, the mother's psychic power gradually stabilized, no longer raging wildly like a chaotic storm.

...She is safe.

I had a vague premonition.

Not long after this premonition appeared, I saw the spacetime vortex that frequently appeared along with Alka's appearance.

...

This time, strangely enough, I was carried by the vortex back a few minutes.

The difference between this timeline and the previous one is that, in just a few minutes, my "grandmother" was reborn.

She hadn't fallen down the stairs while covering Kijo.

I rescued my mother, turned around, and just as I remembered, I saw Kikyo slowly going upstairs, while the middle-aged woman rushed up to her in a panic, trying to cover her.

Kikyo watched expressionlessly as this woman took the blame for him, remaining unmoved.

Having no other choice, I resorted to my old trick and grabbed whatever was nearby and threw it at them.

The man who had brought the weapon to attack Kikyo swayed slightly, dodging my attack. He turned to look at me, then muttered something under his breath in a fit of rage, before shouting to his companion, exchanging words:

"Wasn't it said that the woman hid in this house and would be easy to find? Which of these three is the target?"

Before his complaints had even finished, Kijou had already started moving.

Her movements were astonishingly fast; the moment the man finished speaking, her head also hit the ground, rolling around on the floor with a "thud."

"I'm so happy!" Kikyo chuckled. "So it really was someone sent from over there to find me! And it seems you're all pretty weak!"

After saying this, she deftly transformed her mental power into a sharp blade and decapitated another man in the room.

Now only I, Kikyo, my mother, and a middle-aged couple remain in the room.

The mother appeared quite calm, but the middle-aged couple turned pale and stared at Kikyo with disbelief, as if he were a monster.

Fortunately, Kiju's neuroticism had already been evident in her children—

Noticing the couple's gaze, she wasn't hurt; she simply blinked and looked back.

"What's wrong?" she even asked, "Why are you all suddenly so quiet and still... Ah, are you scared because you think I'm too strong?"

Her tone was smug and self-satisfied, clearly taking the statement as a compliment. However, it was obvious that in the other person's eyes, her "power" was actually a derogatory term.

The crisis is not over yet.

I haven't left here yet.

While marveling at Kiju, I focused my attention on the surroundings, silently observing the family before me.

...The mother was the first to return to normal.

She leaned against the wall, her steps unsteady, and asked Kikyo with feigned composure:

"Who are these people? Do you know them?"

Kikyo said nonchalantly, "They're probably here to arrest me."

"What did you do?" the mother asked.

Kikyu shook his head, looking even more innocent: "I don't remember, it shouldn't be anything serious... It's normal for people to want to pursue me all the time."

“This is not normal at all!” her mother retorted.

Kijou pursed his lips.

The mother asked again, "Who are you? You don't look like Grace at all—I don't believe you are her—"

She suddenly stopped talking halfway through her sentence, looked around, and then turned her gaze to me.

“Rather than believing you are Grace,” my mother said, pointing at me, “I’d rather believe she is!”

"How could this be?" Kikyo's eyes widened. "I was clearly acting according to what you said!"

The mother nearly broke down: "So you were just putting on an act..."

Kikyo, feeling wronged yet indignant, raised her voice: "What do I lack that's not like Greta?! I even accepted that awful teddy bear that you all said she'd like!"

Mother:"……"

I:"……"

Mrs. Kikko is... in a sense, so mentally unstable that she's almost endearingly so.

But cute as it may be... maybe I'm the only one who thinks that way... anyway, my mother looked really annoyed. She jumped up, shoved Kijuh without a word, and pushed her downstairs:

"You never accepted that teddy bear. You even resisted being called 'Grace.' You were a complete charlatan. I only let you in because of Mom and Dad, and now look what's happened—you're a murderer... You bastard, get out of our house right now!"

Kikyo obediently followed her movements as she went downstairs. I could sense that if she wanted to, her mother wouldn't be able to push her away at all.

But she didn't do that; instead, she stepped back as her mother wished, while incessantly complaining:

"You acted so convincingly, and none of you suspected anything before... Ah! Is it because that woman appeared that you want to get rid of me?"

Kijuh turned and glared at me menacingly.

I:"……"

No, what does this have to do with me?

I uncertainly pointed to my face, lost in confusion.

"I……"

Kijuh shouted, "It must have been you! You stole their hearts that should have been mine!"

Me: "...Ah"

Just as she was complaining, her mother shoved her hard down the last step:

"Shut up, you dangerous imposter, and get out of here!"

...

all in all.

Kiju was kicked out of the house just like that.

And I inexplicably stayed, becoming a guest in this family.

I couldn't understand how all of this happened. I sat blankly at their family's dining table, listening to their summary of the day's events.

"What should we do with those two?" my maternal grandparents asked each other in hushed tones at the dining table.

The mother interrupted their discussion briefly and forcefully, quickly deciding, "Bury it! Hide it!"

“But…” Grandfather seemed to have some doubts.

The mother said anxiously, "Those people's target is Kikyo, it has little to do with us. If they find out that the person they sent died here, it will be troublesome... It's better to just keep quiet and pretend that nothing happened..."

Perhaps because I had helped them, they made no attempt to hide these things from me. After the discussion, they even asked for my opinion and background. I vaguely brushed it off, while secretly glancing at my mother, my heart pounding with cold sweat, afraid that she might have noticed something or was up to no good. I knew her too well; she was definitely not the kind of kind and naive person.

Surprisingly, she didn't show much hostility or wariness towards me. She just stared at me thoughtfully, seemingly lost in thought.

...

"Why did you save Gemira and me back then?" my grandmother asked me, engrossed in the conversation.

I forced a smile and said, “Miss Gumira and I hit it off immediately… She always reminds me of a relative of mine, as do you, madam.”

Grandmother smiled happily.

That night, I was invited to stay at the house.

I hesitated for a moment, but did not refuse.

They put me in the room that was originally intended for Kikyo.

It was late at night, and just as I was about to fall asleep, my mother pushed open my bedroom door. She didn't come in; she simply leaned against the doorframe and asked me:

"Didn't you make plans to leave with your companions? Now you're not in a hurry to leave?"

I made up a lie on the spot: "He had something come up and left me behind."

The mother said firmly, “You are lying. ... But it doesn’t matter. Since I’ve kept you here, I don’t care about that. I’ve noticed that you seem to enjoy being with my mother, and you’ve helped us almost without hesitation. ... You are strong and have no hostility towards us. If possible, please stay and protect us for a few days. Kikyo’s enemies may not have completely left yet.”

Oh, so that's why she was inexplicably friendly to me.

Having found a reason, I breathed a sigh of relief.

This is the mother I know: rational and self-reliant, she would never show kindness to anyone without a reason.

“Okay,” I said. “I don’t have anywhere to go right now, so I’ll trouble you to take me in.”

After reaching an agreement, she finally left. I closed the door and was about to rest when I turned back to the bedside and met a pair of large, dark eyes that looked exactly like Illumi's.

However, the light in her eyes was much brighter than Illumi's.

“You really did take my place.” It was Kikyo. Kikyo said this to me.

I shrank back a little. Even if I were Kijo now, I would never be able to beat her.

“No,” I said, “I’m just here as a guest.”

"As a guest," Kikyo asked, "Does being a guest mean I have to sleep in my bed?"

I couldn't help but correct her: "This isn't your bed; this is the bedroom they've prepared for the [Grey] they're looking for."

Kikyo replied matter-of-factly, "Of course it's me—Grey is long dead."

"How did you know?" I asked, puzzled.

Kikyo casually threw off the covers and lay down next to me, saying nonchalantly, "She hasn't shown up for so long, so of course she's dead. Even if she were alive, I would kill her, because now I am [Grey]."

Halfway through her sentence, she suddenly turned to look at me, her gaze fixed on me: "Are you [Ge Li]?"

I sensed a murderous aura.

"No," I quickly clarified.

Kikyo gave a satisfied "hmm," then rolled up all the blankets and went to sleep, leaving me with only a tiny, horribly small bed.

I:"……"

Mrs. Zoldyck is really willful.

I was at a loss, hesitant to speak, but ultimately terrified by her power, I silently curled up on the floor, leaned against the wall, and slept through the night. The next day, I felt unwell all over.

As the first rays of sunlight illuminated the room, I, who hadn't slept well, finally opened my eyes, determined to start a new day, only to find that Kikyo was gone.

I went downstairs, and my mother was busy in the kitchen. When she saw me, she quickly brought out the tableware and said to me in one breath:

“I’m going to school today—there’s no university in this small town, so I have to go to college elsewhere. To be honest, I don’t really trust you, so I asked my parents to take me to school, and you’re coming with us too, just in case.”

Me: "...Is it okay for you to say this to me so directly?"

She smiled and said, "If you're a good person, of course there's no problem; if you're a bad person, I can spot the clues."

"So, have you figured anything out yet?" I asked.

She shook her head: "Not for now."

After breakfast, just as my mother had announced, the four of us got into an old-fashioned sedan.

As I boarded the bus, I couldn't help but frown because of its cramped space. My mother noticed, and after I sat down, she asked me in a low voice:

"Are you some runaway heiress?"

Me: "...Ah"

She said, "I can't quite put my finger on it, but that's the kind of impression you give off."

I gave a vague smile: "How did you arrive at that conclusion?"

“It’s hard to say,” the mother said. “Anyway, I suddenly had this feeling, and everyone says I have some kind of psychic ability.”

"It's analytical ability, I can't help but mutter to myself."

She didn't hear "what" clearly.

I stopped talking.

The car had been driving for several hours, and I was dozing off in the car... I hadn't slept well last night, and in my half-awake state, the car suddenly braked hard, and my head slammed against the back of the seat in front of me.

When I came to my senses and opened my eyes, I noticed a patch of blood on the windshield.

Grandparents were quite frightened. Kikyo suddenly appeared out of nowhere, followed by a tall, thin young man with short silver hair. She waved her hands happily in front of the car window, and Grandmother, trembling, followed her gestures and rolled down the window.

Kikyo couldn't wait to speak through the car window:

"I took a walk around the neighborhood yesterday and took care of a few more... This is the last bug around here, you won't run into them! Is that okay? Can I go home now?"

The subtext of her words was: she killed several people last night.

My maternal grandmother turned pale with fright, and my maternal grandfather fainted. My mother got out of the car, furious.

What do you mean by that?

I peeked out and secretly looked behind them. I found that the silver-haired youth standing behind Kikyo looked very familiar. He was tall, handsome, silent and strong... That was clearly the head of the Zoldyck family!

The Zoldyck lady was scary enough, but then the Zoldyck family head showed up too! I was so scared that I quickly pulled my head back.

Fortunately, none of them noticed me. Kikyo shook his head and said happily to his mother:

"You wanted to get rid of me because of these bugs, right? Now I've gotten rid of them all. I'm more useful than that woman, aren't I? Kick her out and let me come back!"

She pointed at me and said that.

I tried to curl up into a ball, pretending I didn't exist.

I can't afford to offend this woman and Mr. Silva behind her.

The mother firmly refused, saying, "Without you, this wouldn't have happened!"

Kikyo protested, "Doesn't this prove I'm amazing? Not just anyone can be hunted down!"

The mother clenched her fists, her teeth clenched, and was furious at Kikyo's words.

Behind Kikyo, Mr. Silva subtly curled the corners of his lips and stared at Kikyo with an ambiguous gaze, seemingly finding her sophistry amusing.

Kiju's conversation with his mother ended unhappily. His mother struggled to get me to help her lift his grandfather out of the driver's seat and move him to the back seat... Watching her work so hard, I really wanted to say that I was strong enough to carry this grown man by myself, but I held back and said nothing.

“They don’t seem to want to accept you, what should we do?” As I was moving my grandfather, I heard Silva say slowly to Kikyo, “I was right. You lost.”

Kikyo, sulking, put his hands on his hips, deliberately avoiding looking in his mother's and Silva's direction, awkwardly glancing to the other side, his back to Silva, and asked:

"Oh, so I lost. What do you want?"

“Since we can’t go back to this house,” Silva asked, “would you like to come to my house?”

Kikyo's eyes widened—she already had round, cat-like eyes, but after being startled, they became even rounder and more captivating.

“No way,” Kikyo said. “Don’t you have parents and siblings in your family too?”

Silva thought for a moment: "We have parents now, and as for siblings... we'll have them in the future."

“If you’re willing to come with me,” he then added to Kikyo, “I can cancel your order and then I won’t bother you anymore to kill you.”

Kijou pondered for a moment.

I secretly pricked up my ears in the car to listen to their gossip.

My mother had already sat in the driver's seat and fastened her seatbelt. Before I could hear anything else, she stepped on the gas and sped off.

"No—" I cried out.

"What's wrong?" the mother asked, startled.

"It looks like they're proposing!" I told her, sharing some gossip.

Mother: "Propose!"

Me: "Yes! That gentleman asked Miss Kikyo to go home with him!"

The mother scoffed, "What kind of proposal is this? Who would agree to such a request?"

I ignored her, turned around, and peered out the back window. I saw that Silva had already picked up Kikyo and easily placed the petite Kikyo in his lap. She was half a head taller than him, and he was smiling and looking up at her.

...

"It seems they got engaged," I said, giving a live update on the situation.

The mother suddenly slammed on the brakes again... Luckily, this was a country road, otherwise, given the series of accidents today, her driver's license would probably be revoked soon.

She glanced back in the direction I pointed, her expression twisted, she muttered something under her breath, then looked away and continued driving.

"This is inexplicable!" she exclaimed. "Who is this man?! Kikyo is such a mystery!"

...

A few days later, the incomprehensible Kikyo reappeared. I was still staying at my grandparents' house, and since the time vortex hadn't appeared yet, I thought they were still facing some kind of crisis... Then the phone rang, and my mother cursed at me:

"The group that's been chasing Kikyo are now targeting me at school! Do you have time to come and rescue me?"

I mentally calculated the distance and time, and honestly said, "I'll try my best, but you might not be able to last that long... four hours..."

“Never mind,” I heard her say, “You don’t need to come. Kikyo is here… Honestly, it’s good to be strong. Why is she so ridiculously strong? I want to become stronger too.”

For some reason, those words struck me like a bolt of lightning, as if they were a preordained destiny. For a moment, my mind went blank, and all that remained in my head was that one sentence.

I heard my mother continue:

"...Seriously, Kiju, just get rid of them already! I can't stand it anymore! It's so easy for you to deal with them."

The background noise was a chorus of pleas for mercy.

Kikyo decisively silenced all the noise, and his mother breathed a sigh of relief, saying happily:

"It's so good to have you all here."

She experienced for the first time the thrill of being able to command powerful people even though she herself had no power.

Things inexplicably spiraled out of control after that. Her mother called home less and less, and her initial disdain for Kikyo was replaced by praise. Unsettling rumors began to circulate in the town about her. People said that in between her studies, she was engaged in some dangerous and horrific work, becoming a figure in the shadows. Anyone who opposed her career would mysteriously disappear.

A few weeks later, Mr. Shiba suddenly appeared.

“It is rather presumptuous of me to come here so abruptly,” he said to my grandparents, “but I have come on important business. I would like to discuss some matters concerning Miss Gumiela and Kijo with you two.”