"What's the matter?"
"I'm giving up on Dandins's mission," Milluki said with a resigned sigh. "I can't find any leads on him."
"I've already spoken to Father about this," Kaizen replied. "He said it's fine. You don't need to concern yourself with Dandins anymore—focus on your other tasks."
Milluki nodded.
"Got it," he said.
Kaizen wasn't surprised.
Dandin was long gone—both his body and soul annihilated, his very existence consumed by the Rotten Knife. In this situation, it was strange that anyone expected to find anything related to him.
"By the way," Milluki added, "are you still at Heavens Arena?"
"Yes," Kaizen replied.
"Father's bringing Killua there soon. Have you seen him yet?"
"No, not yet," Kaizen said, his tone neutral.
In his previous life, when Kaizen had watched the original story unfold, he had always been intrigued by Killua's quirks. But in this world, he hadn't officially met the young assassin.
"If it's not too much trouble, could you keep an eye on him for me?" Milluki asked. His voice then shifted, a chuckle creeping in. "You know, I wouldn't mind a picture of Killua lying on the ground after a fight... all messed up."
Kaizen frowned slightly.
"If it's convenient," he said tersely, "I'll let you know."
"Great! I'll pay 10,000 Jenny for a photo."
Kaizen considered it. That wasn't a lot of money, and it wouldn't be hard to obtain. He could even delegate the task to Altan, who could pull footage directly from the surveillance cameras.
He was already tasked with keeping tabs on Killua from the shadows, so this would just be incidental.
"Besides," Kaizen thought to himself, "only Silva, Grandpa Zeno, Aunt Kikyo, and little Kalluto know I'm watching over Killua. Killua himself, Illumi, Milluki, and Alluka remain unaware."
...
The Next Morning
Shizuku had forgotten most of what happened the day before, but her body instinctively utilized Nen. When she woke up, the first thing she did was open her notebook.
"Sister Shizuku, let's test your Nen type today," Nina suggested.
"Okay," Shizuku said, nodding.
"Sister Sally, are you up yet?" Nina called out.
"I'm coming, just wait a moment," Sally replied from her room.
The three of them walked to the living room, where Kaizen was already seated at the dining table, enjoying breakfast delivered by the Heavens Arena's restaurant staff. The spread was lavish, reflecting Kaizen's wealth and influence.
"Brother," Nina greeted warmly.
"Good morning, team leader," Shizuku and Sally said in unison, following Nina's example.
Kaizen nodded. "Let's eat first."
"Brother, we want to test Sister Shizuku's abilities after breakfast," Nina said. She grabbed a glass of water, then stepped out onto the balcony, plucking a leaf from a nearby potted plant. Returning, she floated the leaf on the surface of the water.
"Sister Shizuku," Nina said, handing her the glass.
Shizuku cupped the glass in both hands. Concentrating, she channeled her aura into the water. In moments, crystalline formations began spreading, encasing the leaf in a thin layer of frost.
"Looks like you're in the Conjuration category," Sally remarked, impressed.
Kaizen already knew this from the original story, though there were differences now. Instead of joining the Phantom Troupe, Shizuku had aligned herself with his team. Her Nen category hadn't changed, but Kaizen was curious if her abilities would evolve differently under his guidance.
...
Training Nen
After breakfast, Kaizen began Shizuku's lessons on Nen basics.
"Zetsu is the technique of closing all your aura nodes to conceal your presence," he explained. "Gyo focuses aura on your eyes, letting you see things hidden by Nen.
"And Ren allows you to generate more aura.
"Once you've mastered these, you can start developing your unique ability."
Shizuku listened attentively, taking notes as Kaizen continued.
"After you've learned these foundational skills, you can enter the Heavens Arena matches. Below the 200th floor, Nen isn't allowed, so it's perfect for practicing the fundamentals—like Nina's doing."
Shizuku nodded, diligently writing everything down.
Kaizen spent the rest of the morning teaching Shizuku, then switched to advanced lessons for Nina and Sally in the afternoon. While teaching them, he refined his own skills, finding new insights through their struggles and questions.
Killua's Arrival
Two days later, Kaizen's phone buzzed.
"Kaizen," Silva's voice came through.
"Uncle Silva," Kaizen replied respectfully.
"I've brought Killua to Heavens Arena. I'll be occupied with a mission, so I'm entrusting his safety to you. Keep an eye on him from the shadows."
"Understood," Kaizen replied.
After the call ended, Kaizen turned to Altan.
"Altan, locate Killua's current position," he instructed.
Altan quickly accessed the surveillance system. Moments later, a video appeared on Kaizen's laptop, showing a boy with snow-white hair exploring the first floor of Heavens Arena.
This was Killua's first time away from the Zoldyck estate and his first visit to Heavens Arena. He wandered curiously, inspecting everything around him.
Kaizen's gaze lingered on the screen. Some passersby glanced at Killua, then looked away, sensing the subtle danger he exuded. Others seemed intrigued.
Killua eventually stopped at a vending machine, studying it with interest before heading to the registration desk to apply for a match. With no money on him, he couldn't buy anything—even from the vending machine.
Kaizen smirked slightly. "This will be interesting."
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