Out in the outside world, his phone got its signal back.
Saiki Kusuo turned on his phone and saw a bunch of messages. He checked the family chat right away.
What a coincidence, the group was talking about the kids coming home.
Mom: Isn't Killua coming home? Why isn't Killua coming home, oh dear—!
Milluki: Yeah, Mom! You're spoiling that Killua kid way too much! Call him back home!
Milluki, just minutes ago, had said a warm goodbye to Killua and Gon, wishing them a good time. He sure changed his tune fast.
Grandpa Zeno: Milluki, when are you all coming home? Want to hang out a bit longer somewhere else?
Milluki went quiet for a second. Saiki Kusuo figured they must regret not getting to keep playing outside, since the brothers had already gotten on the ship.
The butler in the group replied quick.
Wutong: Report: All three young masters are on the ship heading home.
Saiki Kusuo set down his phone and pulled back his clairvoyance.
Oh man, using phone signals to teleport right to a spot is one handy trick. Now, tracing internet lines to pinpoint people with clairvoyance is another easy way.
The ship ride home takes a full day. Saiki Kusuo looked up and thought about who all he needed to say goodbye to.
The family here could go last, all together. Besides them, other people he knew...
Starting from when he was little, the butler? Yeah, he could tag along with the family at the end.
Then some trip out, uh, Hisoka... Come on, that guy doesn't need any goodbye.
After that, Ging and Kite? He already said bye to the Greed Island crew, so that counts for Ging. Kite's not close enough yet.
Saiki Kusuo got quieter, looking down as he counted the people he knew in the Hunter world. To his surprise, maybe, possibly, it seemed like, probably, he really didn't have anyone else to say goodbye to besides the Zoldycks and the butler.
In the end, he had to face the boss? Even he couldn't come up with how to deal with it or explain. For Kikyo, he had tons of real and fake ways in mind, but picking one—what would be best for both of them?
He knew that if he faked his death out here, everyone except the brothers, the family, and the butler would bounce back from the hurt fast. They're an assassin family, and the elders are ready for it—anyone could just vanish one day.
He didn't mind the lying part—he'd done it way too much to keep his powers secret.
From his side, lying was the simpler choice for everyone. Saiki Kusuo wasn't going back, and telling them about other worlds beyond this one wasn't a good idea.
Especially since Alluka could send him to his original world—that's like smashing through dimensions. What if someday the Hunter world started invading others in some end-of-days mess? Those folks are way stronger than regular tech humans on average, and their sense of right and wrong is totally different!
Saiki Kusuo stayed quiet, weighing it over and over. In the end, he decided to go with a half-lie to tell the family. He'd say he was heading off alone to the Dark Continent.
That settled it. Saiki Kusuo got moving and took a step forward.
But right then, he remembered one spot, one person.
They'd known each other long enough, at least a little.
What about the Phantom Troupe now? Were they wiped out? Did he need to check the prison?
Saiki Kusuo hadn't kept tabs on that villain group for a while. It was Kikyo's thing, and besides a few trades now and then plus some run-ins he couldn't avoid, they had zero real ties.
He knew what Kurapika had planned. Since sealing just the leader wouldn't stop the spider's legs, he'd tie up every single leg of the Phantom Troupe and block their Nen. The group would fall apart on its own. Then lock them in prison and spread the word far and wide, so everyone who looked up to the Phantom Troupe would see that justice can win.
The Phantom Troupe was always tough to track, and now it was extra hard for Saiki Kusuo to find them.
Unless he had Shalnark's number.
On this phone with so few contacts, Saiki Kusuo hit the call button.
"Hello? Hello?" Shalnark picked up fast.
Saiki Kusuo teleported straight there.
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