The Zoldyck Family deeply understood the importance of nurturing their children's personalities, viewing it as the lifeblood of their lineage.
A weak personality could never produce a qualified assassin, which was why the family was extremely strict in raising each child.
Kalluto, as the youngest child in the family, was at a critical stage of personality development, just like Killua.
However, unlike Killua's rebellious nature, Kalluto had always been exceptionally composed from a young age, requiring little concern from Silva and Kikyo.
Because of this, the Zoldyck Family had taught Kalluto Nen early and allowed him to begin his assassin career ahead of time.
Whenever Kalluto went out to carry out assassination contracts, he had always strictly adhered to the rules, returning immediately after completing his missions without any attachment to the outside world.
But this time was different.
Because of Morrow's existence, Kalluto had violated the rules for the first time.
After finishing his assassination mission, instead of heading straight home as usual, he had secretly gone to Heavens Arena to find Morrow.
This abnormal behavior immediately alerted Kikyo to the severity of the situation.
When Morrow had come to their doorstep before, she had restrained herself from acting, partly because she had been more worried about Killua's condition at the time, and partly because Kalluto had seemed perfectly normal.
Moreover, over the past two months, Kikyo had been monitoring Kalluto's phone communications and had found nothing unusual.
She had even been surprised that Kalluto and Morrow hadn't been in contact for so long.
She had thought everything was fine, until Kalluto suddenly dealt her a heavy blow.
That was why she had rushed to Silva in such a hurry to discuss the matter.
"Kalluto didn't return home directly after completing his contract. Instead, he went to Heavens Arena to find that young man named Morrow. This is the first time Kalluto has ever broken the rules, the first time…!"
Kikyo's slender fingers twisted together, writhing like worms, while her red electronic eye flickered violently, betraying her inner turmoil.
Seated cross-legged on a chair draped in white fur, Silva rested his chin on one hand, his wolf-like eyes calm.
His composure stood in stark contrast to Kikyo's current state.
"What do you intend to do?"
Silva didn't delve into the extent of Kalluto and Morrow's relationship. He simply looked at Kikyo and asked calmly.
Kikyo's electronic eye abruptly constricted, her lips trembling as she said, "Kalluto has become like this because of that boy Morrow. So, we just need to kill him."
Silva shook his head slightly.
Kikyo stared at him in disbelief, her tone sharpening. "You disagree? This is the most straightforward solution!"
"We've already tried this approach with Killua," Silva replied, his expression still composed. "Not only did it fail to work, it only deepened Killua's rebelliousness. Can you guarantee Kalluto won't react the same way?"
"..."
Kikyo fell silent, recalling how their interference with Killua had indeed backfired, making him even more defiant.
She took a deep breath, trying to steady her emotions, but a trace of anxiety still lingered in her voice. "Then what should we do? Just let this go unchecked?"
"Wait until Kalluto returns," Silva said coolly.
At his words, Kikyo's fingers twisted even more violently. When it came to this matter, she simply couldn't remain as composed as Silva.
Watching her wring her fingers, Silva rose from his chair and said, "There's no need to always assume the worst. That young man... might actually be a very good training opportunity for Kalluto."
"No, absolutely not suitable!"
Kikyo suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of crisis and immediately rejected Silva's suggestion without hesitation.
Every generation of the Zoldyck Family's descendants would leave home for training when the time was ripe.
So whether it was Killua or Kalluto, they would all have to leave home at least once, to see the world with their own eyes and measure its vastness with their own feet.
The training could be undertaken alone or by teaming up with others to pursue a common goal.
Originally, the training was always done solo.
But by Zigg's generation, Silva's grandfather, he actually chose to travel with Netero and Linne during his training journey.
At that time, Silva's great-grandfather Maha even fought Netero over this matter.
In the end, Maha tacitly accepted Zigg's decision.
From then on, the Zoldyck Family no longer interfered with how their descendants chose to conduct their training journeys.
Even so, Kikyo couldn't tolerate such a thing happening.
She believed Morrow's influence on Kalluto was too great, and if left unchecked, the consequences would only grow more severe.
Seeing Kikyo's vehement reaction, Silva didn't press the issue further.
Because of Killua's precedent, some of his own views had quietly begun to shift.
—--
Heavens Arena.
First-floor lobby.
Kalluto, still dressed in his deep purple high-waisted kimono, stood before a massive support pillar, curiously observing his surroundings.
Unlike Killua, Kalluto had never been to Heavens Arena before.
Everything here was quite novel to him.
Standing quietly by the pillar, Kalluto's gaze swept over the bustling crowd in the lobby.
Suddenly, he noticed someone fully disguised, wearing a hat, sunglasses, and a face mask.
Though this person's build didn't quite match his mental image of Morrow, Kalluto recognized him instantly from that faint sense of familiarity.
"Morrow, I'm over here!"
Kalluto's face lit up with a smile, though he quickly suppressed it, and ran toward the heavily concealed figure.
But he soon realized, for some reason, the surrounding crowd had all turned to look at him.
And within those gazes, there was confusion, surprise, and even eager realization.
Kalluto glanced around at the people, feeling puzzled.
When he turned his attention back to Morrow, the figure was already gone. Before he could react, he felt himself being lifted into the air. Morrow had picked him up.
So fast...
The moment Morrow lifted him, Kalluto's first thought wasn't to question the action or connect it to the crowd's strange reactions, but to marvel at the speed Morrow had just displayed.
He's gotten stronger again, Morrow...
Kalluto's mind was always fixated on the concept of "strength."
So even in this bizarre atmosphere, his focus remained solely on Morrow's improvement.
All this happened in mere seconds. Kalluto was carried by Morrow as they swiftly exited the Heavens Arena lobby, arriving at an inconspicuous corner outside.
"Kalluto, even with me covering up this much, you still recognized me."
Gently setting Kalluto down, Morrow removed his sunglasses and mask, a faint smile on his face.
Kalluto lowered his head slightly, smoothing out the wrinkles on his kimono before raising his purple bamboo fan to point at the sunglasses and mask in Morrow's hands, asking puzzledly, "What are you doing with these?"
"Disguise."
Morrow put the sunglasses and mask back on, sighing helplessly. "I'm currently a Floor Master at Heavens Arena. Too many people know me. You must have noticed the reactions of the crowd when you called my name earlier."
"So you're this popular here, like a big celebrity."
Kalluto lowered his fan, his expression calm. "That's why you're fleeing to this remote corner, afraid people might misunderstand something? Oh, is that what they call 'scandal'?"
"Not exactly."
Seemingly ignoring the sharpness in Kalluto's tone, Morrow shook his head before sighing again.
Kalluto frowned slightly, not understanding Morrow's reaction.
Morrow's mind flashed to Biscuit's fox-like, mischievous grin as he murmured, "There's actually a deeper reason."
"Go on, I'm listening."
Kalluto stared into Morrow's eyes.
Morrow wasn't sure where to begin explaining.
To put it simply, the root of it all was Biscuit's twisted sense of humor.
The Heavens Arena's publicity department aside, various gossip media outlets had been milking his fame relentlessly, churning out all sorts of scandalous headlines.
Morrow had never cared about such things.
The deafening cheers from Heavens Arena's fervent fans couldn't faze him, let alone these tabloid rumors.
Of course.
That was all under the assumption Kalluto hadn't come looking for him.
Morrow didn't mind being the subject of gossip, but he didn't want Kalluto dragged into it needlessly.
This was all Biscuit's doing.
A few minutes later.
Kalluto tucked his purple bamboo fan into his obi and lowered his head to carefully examine an entertainment tabloid in his hands.
Most of the publication's pages were dedicated to Morrow.
The other recurring subject was a certain woman who always wore pink princess dresses.
Kalluto's eyes narrowed slightly as they skimmed over the headline "Spends Another Night in Morrow's Room," committing the journalist's name to memory, this was the person causing Morrow trouble.
"Morrow."
"Hmm?"
"These reports are all fabricated?"
"Yep."
"Does it bother you?"
"A little, I suppose."
"Then give me 100 million, and I'll kill them."
"Huh?"
"The family's minimum fee is 100 million. I told you before."
"It's not about the money. By the way, have you eaten yet?"
"Not yet."
"Are you hungry?"
"A bit."
"Let's go, I'll treat you to something good."
"Oh, do they sell sugar pancakes here?"
"Of course. Eat as much as you want later, my treat."
"Mhm."
Kalluto followed beside Morrow with a hint of excitement.
Topic successfully diverted!
Morrow secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The killing intent Morrow had sensed from Kalluto earlier was no joke, it carried a meticulous seriousness.
One tall, one short, the two walked side by side.
Behind them, a crumpled paper ball rolled away with the wind.
Influenced by the Battle Olympia, commercial activities around Heavens Arena were flourishing, with food stalls of all kinds blooming everywhere.
Morrow led Kalluto through the bustling food stalls.
Yet what Kalluto ate most were sugar pancakes.
"You've got it all over your mouth."
Morrow glanced at the white sugar frosting on Kalluto's lips and handed over a tissue.
Kalluto took it and said, "Mother would be furious if she saw this."
"About what?"
Morrow asked curiously.
Kalluto wiped their mouth with the tissue. "She'd be angry about my messy eating and lack of manners."
"Right."
Morrow thought of Kikyo's demeanor; undoubtedly she imposed strict discipline on Kalluto's daily behavior.
This approach likely stemmed from Kikyo raising Kalluto as her "daughter."
"By the way, how did you get out?"
Mentioning Kikyo, Morrow couldn't help but wonder how Kalluto had managed to slip away.
Kalluto's hand paused slightly but didn't hide the truth, murmuring softly, "I just finished a job. Since it was close to Heavens Arena, I sneaked away from home to see you."
In truth, Kalluto had taken that job precisely because it was near Heavens Arena.
That way, they could spare enough time to visit Morrow.
Morrow was surprised.
In his eyes, Kalluto had always been the epitome of obedience in the Zoldyck Family.
Daring to do something like this now was a sign of change.
Still taken aback, Morrow asked, "So you have to go back today?"
"Mhm."
Not wanting to dwell on such a downer, Kalluto pointed at a small airship in the sky.
Beneath it hung promotional photos for the Battle Olympia, featuring Morrow and Orion prominently.
"Morrow, is your final match tomorrow?"
"Yeah."
Morrow glanced up at the slowly departing airship and grinned.
"The Battle Olympia's champion prizes are amazing; there's the Dome Treasure Box, the Corundum Heart Gem, and even a mythical beast egg. If I win, you can pick whatever you want. Consider it an early birthday gift."
No sooner had he spoken than a small figure hidden in the lush greenery nearby clenched their fists in frustration.
"Damn it!"
Biscuit's eyes blazed with anger.
Beside her, Wing, Menchi, and Calista, all crouched in the bushes, exchanged thoughtful glances at her furious expression.
Is Master jealous? Wing wondered silently.
She's definitely involved with Morrow! Menchi thought.
Little did they know Biscuit was furious because Morrow had casually listed the Dome Treasure Box and Corundum Heart Gem as potential gifts for Kalluto.
At the food stalls, Kalluto shook their head, their left hand lightly resting on the fan at their waist.
"No need. I already have the best gift."
"Alright, let's check out over there then."
Morrow smiled.
"Mhm."
Kalluto tossed the tissue into a nearby trash bin and hurried after Morrow. While waiting for Kalluto, Morrow casually glanced toward the greenery before withdrawing his gaze and walking away with Kalluto.
That glance of his didn't escape Biscuit's notice.
"He spotted us—all because of you guys!"
Biscuit emerged from the bushes, hands on her hips.
Wing, Menchi, and Calista exchanged glances, thinking that she was the one to blame, but none of them dared to argue.
Watching Morrow and Kalluto's retreating figures, Biscuit's earlier anger had already dissipated due to Kalluto's single refusal.
"I never expected Morrow to be like this."
Shaking her head slightly, Biscuit lamented the decline of morals.
"…"
The three youngsters still didn't dare say much.
Biscuit casually brushed off the weeds clinging to her clothes and remarked calmly,
"It's good to relax before a match. Lately, Morrow's ideological restraint has been too heavy, obsessively pursuing an overwhelming victory without realizing that balance is key to the best fighting condition."
Her gaze lingered in the direction Morrow had gone.