As soon as the words left his mouth, those who hadn't known already wore looks of shock.
"Kaizen Zoldyck?"
"He's a Zoldyck too?"
"Is he Killua's cousin?"
"Illumi's cousin, then?"
"Wait, does that mean Killua and Kaizen are cousins?"
"There are three Zoldycks taking this Hunter Exam?"
Only a handful of people, including Chairman Netero, were already aware.
Hisoka knew. So did Illumi.
Alita glanced between Kaizen, Killua, and Illumi.
Hanzo furrowed his brows.
Bodoro and Pokkle looked like they'd just stumbled on some juicy gossip.
Leorio and Kurapika were visibly stunned.
But the most shocked of all—was Killua.
"I'm your cousin?"
"You're my cousin?"
"We're both from the Zoldyck family?!"
Killua's mind was spinning. He hadn't seen this coming—not at all.
Back at Heavens Arena, he'd heard of Kaizen. Treated him like a rival. Even after qualifying for the 200th floor, Killua had stayed behind—not to leave, but to find a way to challenge Kaizen.
But Silva stopped him.
Killua didn't have the guts back then to defy his father.
Still, he'd never forgotten about Kaizen.
That's why, when he saw Kaizen during the exam, he'd rushed over and issued a challenge right away.
Only now did everything click.
That's why Kaizen had agreed to his request so easily.
If it were just Gon asking, maybe he would've refused. But for a cousin... of course he'd agree.
It made sense.
But then Killua remembered something.
Their last conversation...
At the time, Killua had assumed Kaizen came from some other assassin family. It never occurred to him that they shared the same bloodline.
But the way Kaizen had described his family—it didn't match anything Killua had been taught.
"Aren't assassins supposed to not need friends?"
"Why does Kaizen—my cousin—have so many?"
"Why does his version of our family feel so different from mine?"
The questions were piling up.
"Why didn't anyone ever tell me I had a cousin?"
Killua instinctively turned to Illumi.
"Brother?"
There was a hint of frustration in his voice, stirred up by Illumi's earlier words.
But right now, only Illumi could confirm whether this was true.
Illumi gave a small nod.
"Kaizen's telling the truth."
With that quiet confirmation, Killua's feelings grew even more tangled.
He recalled moments from earlier... things Kaizen had said... things Killua had done... and suddenly felt deeply embarrassed.
Leorio and Kurapika kept sneaking glances at Kaizen.
They already knew the name Zoldyck. Everyone did.
Before, they'd just thought Kaizen was strong—worthy of respect.
Now that they knew he was part of the world's most feared assassin family, they felt a hint of unease.
But something didn't add up.
If Kaizen and Killua were cousins, why had Killua acted like he'd never heard of him?
Kaizen clearly knew. From the start.
And Kaizen had asked Hanzo to give Killua a hard time during the exam. That didn't feel like something a caring cousin would do.
But maybe... that was just how the Zoldycks worked.
Maybe that's just the world's number one assassin family for you.
Killua looked at Kaizen for a long time, then turned to Illumi.
"Brother, I think you're wrong."
"I do want something."
"I'm tired of killing."
"I didn't take the Hunter Exam just to become a Hunter."
"I wanted to see the world... and I wanted to make friends."
"I want a normal life."
Illumi cut him off coldly.
"Give up that fantasy. You were never meant to have friends. You were born to kill. You belong in the dark—"
"No! That's not true! I want to be friends with Gon!"
Killua lowered his head, shoulders trembling.
"Impossible. No one will ever be your friend."
Just then, Leorio's voice thundered through the room.
"Killua! Don't listen to that freak! You and Gon are friends! Gon already thinks of you as his friend!"
Killua's eyes widened, a flicker of hope breaking through the fear.
Then worry followed quickly behind.
Kaizen glanced at Leorio.
Kurapika took a step closer to Kaizen, then spoke.
"Kaizen... is this what it means to be a Zoldyck?"
Kaizen shook his head.
"Kurapika... let's just watch."
Illumi's eyes gleamed as they locked onto Leorio.
"Oh? Gon considers Killua a friend? Then it's simple. Gon must die."
Leorio's expression froze.
Killua's face drained of color.
"Friends are useless to killers," Illumi said coolly. "They only get in the way."
With that, she turned and began walking toward the door.
"Where is Gon now?"
Killua stared at Illumi's back, his body trembling.
Then, almost by instinct, he remembered what Kaizen had told him earlier.
He looked toward Kaizen now—his eyes silently begging for help.
Illumi noticed. His steps slowed.
Leorio and Hanzo moved in to block the door.
Kurapika clenched his teeth, gave Kaizen one last glance, then ran to Leorio's side.
"We won't let you lay a finger on Gon!"
Hisoka's gaze bounced from Illumi to Killua to Kaizen. A twisted grin played across his lips. He was very interested in what would happen next.
Kaizen casually pulled out a phone.
With a quick flick of his wrist—
Whoosh!
The phone soared through the air...
And landed neatly in Illumi's hands.
"Cousin Illumi," Kaizen said evenly. "Uncle Silva just sent a message. You might want to read it."
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