54 Misunderstanding? X Rumor X Hisoka's Awakening?

Kurapika felt the probing gaze from Kurt, devoid of hostility yet filled with curiosity. Along the path to the main house, he was repeatedly aware of various hidden, scrutinizing glances shadowing his every step. In the instant he met Wutong, the chief steward, a mysterious flicker passed through the man's eyes. Earlier, in the living room, he had received a grand and almost ceremonial welcome from nearly every member of the Zoldyck family—a reception so lavish and formal it could hardly be dismissed as mere hospitality. Then there was Silva’s subtly investigative look, and Kikyo’s chilling, scrutinizing smile that made his spine tingle from start to finish.

All these details coalesced with Wutong’s words, “It’s this room,” and his gesture toward the guest room assigned to Kurapika—directly opposite Illumi’s own quarters. In a flash, the fox spirit saw the thread tying it all together: it was as clear as day.

The relationship between him and Illumi had been thoroughly—undeniably—misunderstood!

Kurapika blinked, but did not otherwise react. He simply turned to look at Illumi. His new friend showed not the slightest sign of discomfort; in fact, there was a faint trace of amusement and anticipation in his expression. Kurapika was left speechless.

It was as if he alone had been dragged into this mess.

The fox spirit scowled, deeply displeased. He was accustomed to manipulating others, never to being manipulated himself.

Seeing Illumi’s reaction, Kurapika merely raised an eyebrow, then offered Wutong a gentle, courteous smile.

“Right across from Illumi’s room? Mr. Wutong, your arrangement is so considerate! Let me think… Yes, please be sure to pass along my thanks to Lady Kikyo. To move into the home of a ‘good friend’—and such a grand estate at that—I was honestly a bit uneasy. Now that Illumi is right nearby, I feel much more at ease. This must be Lady Kikyo’s way of accommodating me. She’s truly an outstanding hostess.”

Ignoring the sudden twitch in Illumi’s eye, Kurapika, clutching Mokona, made a polite gesture to Wutong.

“Then, I’ll excuse myself for now.”

With that, he opened the door and stepped into his room.

As the door slowly closed, Kurapika met Illumi’s gaze across the threshold, lifted the corners of his mouth, and gave his friend a dazzling smile.

Farewell~

Had the black-haired assassin not been so practiced in keeping a neutral expression, he might have been utterly dumbfounded. All he had done was notice his family’s odd behavior and, rather than stop them, had mischievously played along. He’d planned to clear things up once Kurapika’s embarrassment passed, explaining everything to Wutong and telling his mother not to jump to conclusions.

But now…

Staring at the tightly shut door and at Wutong, whose severe, formal demeanor melted into satisfaction as soon as Kurapika disappeared, Illumi suddenly felt a headache coming on.

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“Pfft—hahaha! Did you see Illumi’s face just now? He was so cute, haha!”

No sooner had the door closed than Kurapika, confirming the suite’s excellent soundproofing, cuddled the white fluffball in his arms and finally let himself laugh quietly.

Mokona was just as overjoyed.

“Who told him not to explain things clearly for Kurapika and instead stir up trouble inside?”

Though cheerful, Mokona’s outrage was mostly on Kurapika’s behalf, indignantly waving his little round fists.

The fox spirit melted at the adorable sight, unable to resist pinching Mokona’s tiny hand.

“You’re right, Mokona! As a friend, he was much too naughty. He deserved to be outmaneuvered by us, don’t you think?”

Mokona nodded vigorously. “Absolutely! He deserved it!”

The two exchanged glances and erupted into peals of thunderous laughter.

And by this point, the discerning reader must have realized—the Zoldyck family had thoroughly misunderstood the true nature of Kurapika and Illumi’s relationship.

Though Illumi claimed he’d brought a “friend” home, it was clear that whether the youngest, Kurt, or the solemn Silva, or even Zeno and Maha, the Zoldyck family all believed Kurapika was not Illumi’s “friend,” but rather something far more intimate…

For example, “a lover engaged to be married.”

At first, Kurapika hadn’t noticed (even though the clues were glaringly obvious), until Wutong frankly explained his guest room was directly opposite Illumi’s. Only then did the fox spirit sense something was off.

The Zoldycks’ estate was vast, and the main house itself was more of a “residential zone” than a single dwelling. It was almost unheard of for a guest room to be placed adjacent to the family’s own quarters—especially given their profession and the resulting difficulty in trusting “friends.”

Yet Kurapika had received such an honor.

It wasn’t just his charm enchanting everyone, making them feel an unconscious kinship before they even met him. No—it was entirely because his relationship with Illumi had been completely misunderstood.

But why?

After their laughter, Kurapika furrowed his brow and began to ponder the matter seriously.

The Zoldycks weren’t the sort to jump to conclusions without any decisive evidence. So how had things come to this?

Kurapika didn’t know that what he believed to be “absent”—the “decisive evidence”—was, in fact, firmly in the Zoldycks’ possession…

＝＝

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To return to the previous topic: after deploying their intelligence network to investigate Kurapika, the Zoldycks found his background before his appearance a mystery, and his movements afterward equally enigmatic. Whether out of caution or curiosity, they delved even deeper, and Maha, the great-grandfather, unprecedentedly contacted his old friend Netero to obtain advance information from the Hunter Exam.

The result was explosive: the day the documents arrived at Kukuru Mountain, the entire estate was thrown into uproar!

The reason? A stack of photographs spread out before the family elders.

These images were taken during the Hunter Exam, captured by hidden cameras set up at key points in the test arenas.

There was one of Kurapika and Illumi, still disguised as Gittarackur, chatting amicably at the entrance to the underground arena.

There was one of them running side by side, seemingly on very good terms.

One showed them sitting together beneath a tree in the foggy, perilous Wetlands, calmly waiting for the exam to end.

Another featured them happily playing cards at the base of the Tower of Trickery. (Hisoka: …What about me?＝＝＋)

On Heavens Arena, the two bumped into each other, each holding different treasures, exchanging a knowing (?) smile.

In the final exam, after Killua left, Illumi returned to Kurapika’s side, smiled, and seemed to say something.

And there were images of them appearing together in various subsequent activities.

—It must be said: these photos were either timed perfectly or taken from just the right angles. Though nothing actually happened, the impression they created was entirely different.

They were, indeed, exceedingly easy to misinterpret…

“We’ve met the person. What do you think?”

It was Silva, the current head of the family, who spoke.

He took his eldest son’s future seriously. Originally, he’d assumed Illumi would, like himself, his father, and grandfather, marry someone from Meteor City or an appropriate mafia family—not because the Zoldycks were against free love, but because their upbringing ensured that romance was never a priority, nor did their children have the energy or inclination for it.

Most Zoldycks followed that path—born, trained, started taking assignments, continued working, reached a suitable age, the family arranged a meeting, began interacting with a candidate, and if they liked one enough, married and had children. This had become the standard life course for generations.

No wonder Silva had expected the same for Illumi.

Yet reality had left everyone dumbstruck.

Illumi, the most typical Zoldyck of them all, had “strayed” from tradition—he’d found a partner of his own choosing!

Suddenly, the issue became much more serious.

After all, an unknown friend and an unknown future spouse were two entirely different matters.

The Zoldycks had already held several family discussions on Kurapika’s situation, but even now, they hadn’t reached any consensus.

Kikyo believed Kurapika was the perfect match for Illumi. She was captivated by the elegant beauty of the red-haired youth—so much so that upon seeing him, she felt a greater urge to dress him up than she had ever felt for Kurt, which was, in her view, a delightful surprise. (Madam, your criteria…→_→)

Silva, in contrast, had much more to consider—Kurapika’s identity and origins were a mystery. Was someone like that really suitable as a member of the Zoldyck family? Was there some hidden plot behind him?

The final verdict would require further investigation.

Zeno and Maha, by contrast, were far more relaxed. Both elders simply wanted to ask Illumi for his opinion—after all, he had brought Kurapika home himself, and his resolve was clear.

Having weathered countless storms, the two old men had long since stopped worrying about matters of gender, Meteor City, mafia backgrounds, and so forth. The important thing was that Illumi had always been well-behaved and trouble-free, never giving even strict Silva reason to complain. The elders trusted their grandson’s judgment and had no intention of interfering.

As for Kikyo and Silva…

Being Illumi’s parents, they naturally had a say. The elders neither supported nor opposed their actions—everything would be allowed to take its own course.

—Ultimately, to become part of the Zoldyck family, the young man would have to prove himself capable. Otherwise, even with Illumi’s favor, it would come to nothing in the end.

Thus, the two old foxes were truly cunning: under the guise of letting things happen naturally, they were actually putting Kurapika to the test.

Regardless, the Zoldycks had agreed to the visit of Kurapika, whom they regarded as Illumi’s future partner, even gathered to welcome him, and treated him with utmost importance—a fact that spoke volumes.

So, in no time at all, rumors of the Zoldyck heir having found his future spouse spread from Kukuru Mountain at breakneck speed, sweeping across the entire underworld. Kurapika had barely arrived and was still resting and pondering in his room when the news had already reached every corner of the mafia world.

The young ladies who had once hoped to become Illumi’s bride were mostly silent. But one person could not contain himself.

“My partner?”

In the darkness, a pair of golden eyes gleamed with wild, violent fury.

“Hehehehe～～～I really didn’t know such a person existed～”

His lips curled into a sweet smile, but within that sweetness there was a chill so biting it could freeze the soul—an unmistakable intent to kill.

Hisoka gazed at his reflection in the mirror, his murderous aura intensifying, his smile growing ever more radiant.

“Ah~ What’s happening? Why…”

Suddenly, he found himself wanting to kill someone.

Tilting his head in feigned innocence, the red-haired magician was oblivious to how terrifying and twisted his expression had become.