(Bonus chapter ^^)
'What do you mean, "let's not even mention it"?'
'I, "Gramps Zeno," am a pretty big shot in the underworld.'
'My name alone can stop children from crying... although... it did take me three months to learn "spinning water".'
Zeno shook his head. "Grandfather, you just love messing with me now."
"Last time, I quietly asked you if Sean might have secretly broken his limits."
"You insisted he hadn't, but as a result, the brat opened the 'Eight Gates' and practically broke his limits twice!"
'Am I supposed to tell you I was dumbfounded too?'
Maha peeked out from behind his H-manga, glaring at him. "Don't be so passive-aggressive with me."
"You're not young anymore. You should know that practicing 'spinning water' requires patience and focus."
"Without a certain amount of grinding, learning it is just wishful thinking."
'That sounds familiar.' Zeno remembered the old bastard saying the exact same thing last time.
Zeno pouted inwardly, glancing at Sean. The boy already looked taller than him. It probably wouldn't be long before he looked like an adult.
'When that time comes... how strong will he be? Don't tell me he'll actually surpass Silva and stand before me as an equal...'
His thoughts drifted, and Zeno said, as if possessed, "What if... what if the brat learns 'spinning water' in just a few days?"
His white hair tied back, the words "One Kill Per Day, Active for Life" on his chest were particularly jarring. The former head of the Zoldyck family stared at Maha. "You were the one who told me, Grandfather, that I should never judge Sean by common standards."
"He could instantly learn 'Dark Step' and 'Snake Liveliness'. He might just instantly learn 'spinning water'..."
"Hmph. Is that so?" Maha waved the H-manga, not even looking up. "If he really learns it instantly, this old man will eat this manga on the spot!"
'"My Stepmother and I"?'
'Isn't that my newest acquisition? When did this old bastard steal it again?'
'My heart is bleeding.' Zeno noticed the familiar, buxom woman on the cover. His face darkened, and he shot Maha a resentful glare. "Grandpa, I'm a grown man. Can you give me some privacy?"
"I clearly remember hiding this manga under my pillow. When did you pull it out?"
'That cost me 100,000 Jenny! It's black market stuff! You can't even buy it in manga shops!'
"Heh! Privacy?" "If this old man hadn't acted fast, we might have had a family scandal on our hands!" Maha shot out a foot, kicking Zeno straight into the air.
Maha cursed, "You damn dog! You even want to cuckold your own father?"
"Next, are you going to cuckold me?!"
Swoosh A new shooting star appeared in the night sky.
Bright and "charming".
In the castle's master bedroom, Silva gave Milluki a "balloon" and sent him off to play by himself.
He closed the door, grabbed Kikyo's waist, and roughly pushed her against the floor-to-ceiling window!
With that brat Sean having taken the bells, Silva felt a wicked fire with no outlet. Kikyo had been his punching bag for days.
It was painful, yet pleasurable.
The next day.
Sean rubbed his drowsy eyes and rolled out of bed.
He washed up as usual, waiting for Gotoh to arrive with the breakfast cart.
"Young Master..." The door opened. The voice wasn't Gotoh's. Sean looked up in surprise.
Tsubone, for the first time ever, was pushing the cart in.
'This is a rare sight.' Sean gave Tsubone a surprised glance, then kicked Maha awake. "Old man, wake up! Time to eat!"
"Hm? Oh" Rubbing his face, Maha rolled off the rocking chair. Without washing his face or brushing his teeth, he broke off a freshly baked baguette, added bacon, spread some butter, and started chewing.
Sean shot him a disgusted look, cleansing his palate with a glass of hot milk first. He then asked Tsubone nonchalantly, "Is that guy Gotoh getting cocky?"
"Neglecting his main job... Isn't he afraid Dad will punish him?"
Tsubone placed her right hand on her chest and bowed to Sean. "I was just about to inform you, Young Master. From now on, I shall be the one serving you."
"You?!" Sean almost choked on his milk. He frowned at Tsubone. "Where's Gotoh? Tell him to roll his ass over here!"
"Him? Useless!" Before Tsubone could reply, Maha, having chugged a baguette, smacked his lips. "Getting seriously injured by a few thugs from Meteor City... Tsubone, your eye for talent is getting worse and worse..."
"Please punish me, Master!" The pink-haired gorilla knelt with a thud, and the floor trembled!
'Meteor City... thugs... seriously injured...' Even if Sean was an idiot, he knew something had happened to Gotoh. He couldn't sit still. He threw on his training clothes and started to walk out.
"Where are you going?!" Maha barked, glaring at Sean. "What? You're not training? You're not drawing manga?"
'The brat is slacking off already?!'
The old man grabbed a silk napkin, wiped his mouth, and slowly walked in front of Sean, blocking his path. "Tell me, are you going to visit him, or get revenge?"
"If it's to visit, then go see that useless bum."
"If it's for revenge... just save it."
"Visiting and killing!" Sean grinned.
'Only children make choices. Adults want it all.' "Sorry, Grandpa, I can't save it!"
"Even when beating a dog, you have to consider its master."
"It doesn't matter if Gotoh is hurt, but I can't lose face!"
Maha froze for a second, then burst out laughing.
"You've got a big appetite, brat! Unfortunately..." The old man's smile suddenly vanished. He looked at him deeply. "You need the strength to back up your big talk!"
"This old man won't stop you, but at least..."
"Until you learn 'spinning water' and have basic control of your Nen, you are not allowed to leave this mountain!"
'Spinning water?' Tsubone, still kneeling, let out a visible sigh of relief.
She was genuinely worried the Young Master would impulsively sneak off to Meteor City. If anything happened to him, she and Gotoh would both be dead!
But with Maha's condition, the situation was different. After all, learning "spinning water" would take two months, at the very least.
And two months was enough time for Gotoh to recover and report back.
Feeling much calmer, the old butler quietly adjusted her glasses. But before she could get them straight, Sean's next words nearly made her lose her composure!
"Since Grandpa said so, Tsubone, what are you standing there for?!"
"Go book the tickets!"
"I, your Young Master, am flying to Meteor City tonight!"
After his words, the room fell into a strange silence!
Tsubone stared blankly for a moment, then, coming to her senses, she glanced nervously at Sean, then pleadingly at Maha.
A vein popped on the old man's bald head. He stood on his tiptoes and grabbed Sean's ear. "You didn't hear a single word this old man said, did you..."
"I'll repeat myself. Until you learn 'spinning water', you are not allowed to leave this mountain!"
"But..." Sean swatted Maha's arm away, saying flatly, "'Spinning water'? Isn't that something anyone with hands can do?"