"I'm sure all the guests here have already seen today's main character. Whether you're close to him or not, you've gotten to know this lively kid and formed your own opinions..."
Who picked this host?
The host's words stirred up memories in everyone.
Guest 1: Yeah, I just realized today. A helpful and shy kid.
Guest 2: A kid who helps people everywhere.
Guest 3: A cute little assassin who comes and goes without a trace. I wonder how much it costs to hire him for a job.
Guest 4: A...
Saiki Kusuo: Stop thinking and shut up already.
"In a bit, you'll go up on stage to blow out the cake candles and give a speech. Are you nervous, big bro? I have 18 speech drafts here if you want to pick one." Milluki was eagerly offering ideas nearby.
Saiki Kusuo: [No way there's a speech. Blowing out the candles is already tough enough without burning the cake.]
In a place like this, using mind suggestion in front of all these Nen users to make them not notice I didn't speak is way too hard.
"Are you scared of the birthday, big bro? But how could you skip showing up on your birthday! This is such a fun party. We're all super jealous!"
Annoying. If you're so jealous, why don't you have one? You triplets could even have three parties at once.
It's just a birthday to see the people you want to see. No need to suddenly gather everyone like this. The lively setting plus mind reading has Saiki Kusuo feeling a bit tired after the whole day.
He wished a meteor would crash down on Kukuroo Mountain, and everyone would team up to protect people from total destruction. With so many good guys here, it'd be perfect. Destruction would leave right away to save lives.
But no matter how much Saiki Kusuo hoped for an accident to happen, the host still called his name.
"—Next, let's welcome the star of our birthday party, Saiki Kusuo Zoldyck, to come up and give a speech!"
Down below, the people chatting in low voices quieted down one by one and looked toward the stage. Saiki Kusuo felt a thousand times unwilling with all those eyes on him.
But this was one of the conditions he had to meet, so he couldn't back out now.
Oh man.
Layers of platforms were built on a flat area halfway up the mountain. Below, guests sat at several tables of various sizes. No matter the seat, everyone now faced the stage.
The Zoldyck family's party was as luxurious as ever, even in the outdoors. The stage was huge, with a rare eight-layer cake in the center.
The big cake had its own style, with colors leaning toward dark tones.
Saiki Kusuo sensed it and turned back, seeing Kikyo covering her mouth in the corner of the stage: [Hehehe~ This is the cake I designed. I wonder if you'll like it.]
Thanks for the effort. Saiki Kusuo used his x-ray vision and saw inside the cake. The multi-layer structure would collapse without something in the center to hold it up.
Kikyo: [But if the inside has inedible parts, people might notice.]
Exactly. He didn't expect Mom to know so much about cakes.
Kikyo: [But regular ingredients don't provide strong enough support.]
That's how it is. Saiki Kusuo saw the not-so-obvious supports inside. He didn't know what they were—dark, thin, and long—but they were filled with cake materials around, so it still counted as a cake.
Kikyo: [So I used rare Babana grass stems. Their poison makes the surrounding cake healthier, and you can crunch them like cookies. It's still a cake, Kusuo dear. It has a bit of poison, but Zoldyck kids can handle it.]
That won't work! The best part of cake is its soft texture... Don't add poison to the inside! What about the guests? Can you just ignore if they die?
"Our young master seems a bit shy. No worries. Let Saiki Kusuo put what he wants to say into his birthday wish! Kusuo... close your eyes!"
Saiki Kusuo closed his eyes as told.
He even had to make a birthday wish. His biggest wish was about to come true right now.
But at that moment when the lights went out, some people's thoughts made Saiki Kusuo notice something off.
The host wiped away tears: [I hate to see Kusuo go... I heard after his birthday, he'll be kicked out of the house. I only got to work at the estate because a year ago, Kusuo brought Alluka to that small base where I was...]
So it was you. Wait, kicked out of the house?
[Hey, that host looks like he's crying. Sure enough, the Zoldycks threw this big party for that kid...]
[I heard about it. Kids like that, born geniuses, don't live long.]
[We're all Nen users. Aren't we geniuses too?]
[Don't you guys know? Years ago, when this kid was born, everyone was amazed. But he turned out to be a total failure at Nen. Even though he's smart, you could guess the Zoldycks were looking everywhere for cures back then.]
[So it's true...]
= =
Saiki Kusuo crossed his arms.
These guys were whispering rumors like this in the dark.
Using Nen words or whatever.
"Kusuo, you can blow out the candles now." Kikyo's hand rested on Saiki Kusuo's shoulder.
The genuine care surprised Saiki Kusuo a little. He hadn't expected Kikyo to make a whole cake just for him.
Kikyo came from Meteor City. Saiki Kusuo used to think she only cared about strength, ignoring him the same way she ignored Alluka after noticing her strangeness.
She always called him Kusuo dear, nothing closer, and hardly ever mentioned him.
But now, that hand on his shoulder seemed like one of the rare times Kikyo showed motherly care.
[The people here are all Nen users. A little poison won't hurt them, right?] Kikyo thought.
It does hurt. It's really dangerous for normal folks.
Saiki Kusuo summoned a breeze that gently circled the cake's surface, quietly blowing out the candles on each layer.
The flames vanished, and Saiki Kusuo opened his eyes. The stage lights came back on.
A microphone adjusted to the perfect height had been right beside him.
Oh man.
No speech, but he at least needed to clear up the rumors caused by him. It wouldn't do to affect the Zoldyck reputation.
"Ahem, welcome everyone to my nineteenth birthday."
Below the stage, quite a few people felt something odd when they heard Saiki Kusuo speak.
[That's weird. It feels like the first time hearing him talk, but he does speak sometimes... Huh?]
"In my nineteen years as a Zoldyck, I've been well taken care of. I know many have heard rumors that the second young master of the Zoldycks is a failure. It's true—my Nen isn't that great." It's nonexistent, actually.
"But there are other powers in the world." Like psychic abilities.
"This is a birthday party, but as you all guessed, it's also close to a farewell."
Saiki Kusuo let out a light breath and swore this was his last lie: "I am leaving, but I'll reach a new world and find things better for me. We might not meet again easily..."
Saiki Kusuo's eyes fell on Killua. Among the family, only Killua, who came back today, learned of this last. He was now in shock.
"Please believe I won't die for nothing. That's all. I hope everyone enjoys the lively party."
Saiki Kusuo bowed.
Waiting for him were Killua's questions, Gon's doubts, and more...
From this speech, he got Milluki's relief, Kotaro's bit of understanding, and Alluka's sulkiness.
"It's hard to get the kids to accept you leaving." Illumi appeared like a ghost and patted Saiki Kusuo's shoulder.
"Go greet everyone you know, Kusuo. I'll handle the cake."
Oh, thanks, big bro.
But Illumi's next move was to squat down, and at the same time, a cake held high by Hisoka was smacked toward Illumi.
Illumi was ready too, smacking two cakes—one at Hisoka's face and one at his stomach—then dodging nimbly past Hisoka and heading straight to the big cake in the center.
Saiki Kusuo: He's not going to throw that big cake at people, is he? Illumi has such a playful side?!
"Young master, hide quick. While you were speaking, a cake fight started below!" The host pushed Saiki Kusuo down the steps. They'd only met a few times, but he was unusually loyal to Saiki Kusuo.
[It was such a touching speech, but hardly anyone listened!] The host fumed inwardly.
Enough. Don't remind me no one listened to my words. Speaking really isn't for me. I was worried for nothing.
[You go back to hosting.] Saiki Kusuo sensed the host's loyalty toward him.
If he were Illumi, Milluki, or even Kotaro, he'd consider recruiting this butler.
Too bad Saiki Kusuo never planned to build any ties in this world.
The cake fight was intense, and even Killua got hit.
"Hey! Hold on, I have something to..." Killua hadn't recovered from the news of Saiki Kusuo leaving and wanted to push through the Nen users playing with cakes. His moves were quick, and no one could really stop him.
Just as Killua reached the spot, Netero suddenly smacked a cake on his head.
With cake all over, Netero's hit wasn't light, annoying Killua. He scooped up a cake in each hand: "Ah!! That's it, you old man, come here!"
He'd never lost this game as a kid, and fresh from training on Greed Island, Hunter Association chairman or not— he swung without mercy!
"Killua! I'll help you!" Gon got fired up too.
Saiki Kusuo stood behind the platform, using x-ray vision to see the wild fight in the field.
Behind the platform, there weren't many people—just Alluka, with a huge bear beside her.
She sat on the ground looking lonely, like when she was little and locked in her room, leaning on the big bear to rest.
Saiki Kusuo went over and sat silently with her.
"Brother won't come back at all... You didn't make a wish to Nanika."
[Yeah.] Saiki Kusuo could only admit it.
"Is the place brother is going to really not dangerous?"
[Not at all. Nothing there can hurt me.]
"..."
Silence. Saiki Kusuo blinked and saw the person in front of him had changed from Alluka to Nanika.
Dark aura surrounded them, and the thoughts around seemed quieter.
Saiki Kusuo knew it was time to make the wish.
[Take me home, Nanika.]
"...Okay."
Breaking through space-time was far more draining than any wish. Nanika raised both hands, and massive dark power gathered behind Saiki Kusuo into a mass.
The stage platform broke apart. Everyone looked toward it, seeing only raging dark energy.
Saiki Kusuo stood at the center of the energy storm. Unlike what others saw, from the eye of that storm, he saw the universe.
He saw the familiar blue planet in the universe and spotted Japan's location on Earth with one glance.
His home.
He knew, seeing it with his own eyes, he could now step into the path and teleport straight home. He took a step, and the Hunter world view blurred instantly—from Alluka's face to the stage collapse and the colorful clothes of those people, all simplified, faded, turned to black-and-white lines...
[Alluka, take care from here.]
Someone might ask Alluka what wish he made or what he said to her.
Or maybe, like just now, no one would truly seek out or chase his figure.
It wasn't indifference, but acceptance of his choice.
What he should do most was stick to his decision.
From Nanika raising her hand to Saiki Kusuo vanishing, it was just a breath's moment.
Saiki Kusuo's foot landed, stepping into space. Looking back, there was nothing behind him.
Time to go home. In the vast universe, home was the only thing he had left to miss.
Teleport*
Saiki Kusuo arrived right at his front door. The familiar city, familiar everyday thoughts from normal families. The house with the Saiki name, the layout from the entrance—everything was the same as before, just a bit more worn. Saiki Kusuo reached to ring the bell, but the button snapped with a click when he pressed it.
Saiki Kusuo: ...This isn't one of those super sturdy Zoldyck doors.
The noise alerted someone.
"Mom, did you hear a sound at the door?"
"Ah-choo! No... waaah..."
The parents of two kids, the type who call themselves "Dad" and "Mom."
But it's weird. Why is Mom crying? Did Dad bully her... No, that's impossible.
Kuniharu Saiki, the brown-haired dad with glasses, an average guy. Kurumi Saiki, the kind-hearted mom like an angel. It's a bit unusual to introduce new characters near the end, but these two are Saiki Kusuo's real parents. His psychic powers all started thanks to them.
They love each other deeply. Dad wouldn't bully Mom in a million years.
Saiki Kusuo had already heard their thoughts in the house range, but he didn't expect them to be outside.
Dad was about to go around from the backyard to the front door. Saiki Kusuo fixed the bell and went inside first.
"Coming, coming! Who... whoa!!!" Saiki fell to the ground like he'd seen a ghost.
[Even for dramatic effect, that's too much. I'm your son.] Saiki Kusuo was puzzled. His parents' appearances hadn't changed much. He should, maybe, probably not have been gone too long.
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