The concept of "family bonds" within the Zoldyck Family defies conventional logic.
Much like the family's core principles, these bonds are warped yet uniquely unbreakable.
To them, family is the most important thing.
Yet, disagreements within the Zoldyck Family are far from uncommon.
Take the matter of Morrow and Kalluto, for instance.
Zeno believed Kalluto should be granted a measure of freedom.
Silva leaned toward accepting Morrow's existence as part of Kalluto's training.
Kikyo wanted to eliminate the problem at its source, by erasing Morrow from the world.
Illumi shared Kikyo's stance. After all, "cleaning friends" wasn't something he was doing for the first time.
Milluki, having caught wind of the situation, declared he'd support whoever bought him the latest Magical Girl Warrior figurine.
As for Maha...
He had long since withdrawn from the world, no longer involving himself in family affairs.
But this time he intervened.
And not just in passing, he appeared in person.
With nothing more than the terrifying killing intent honed over countless years, he forcibly diverted the attention of Morrow and Illumi, who had been moments away from a life-or-death clash.
Illumi halted his attack not solely because he later realized the killing intent came from Maha.
Rather, in that instant, Maha's overwhelming aura conveyed one unmistakable message:
If you don't stop, you'll die.
There was no room for jest, only cold, unyielding finality.
In a battle demanding absolute focus, Illumi had no intention of gambling with his life. Instinct took over, forcing him to pull back at the last possible moment.
Morrow found himself in a similar predicament.
Like Illumi, he was baffled by Maha's interference.
The timing of Maha's killing intent made it clear he had been present all along, yet neither Morrow nor Illumi had sensed him.
Morrow's gaze shifted from Maha to Illumi.
Thanks to the old monster's appearance, Illumi had completely reined in his bloodlust. Gone was his earlier recklessness; now he stood unnervingly docile.
Is this because of Kalluto...?
The thought crossed Morrow's mind.
Frankly, it was the only explanation for Maha stepping in at such a critical moment.
Judging by Illumi's sudden appearance, Morrow had reason to suspect Kalluto was likely under Kikyo's control.
And after reading the messages Morrow sent Kalluto, Kikyo had wasted no time dispatching Illumi to eliminate him.
In response, Kalluto must have sought Maha's help to stop Kikyo and Illumi.
Within seconds, Morrow pieced together the likely chain of events.
He couldn't think of any other possibility.
Surely it wasn't because of the Keroppi sunglasses now perched on Maha's face...?
Morrow watched Maha in silence.
In the brief span since his arrival, Maha had already rummaged through his Wild Canvas Bag and produced more Keroppi merchandise.
His nonchalant demeanor made it seem as though the bone-chilling killing intent from earlier had never existed.
Illumi's brow furrowed slightly.
His mind worked just as quickly as Morrow's.
For their reclusive great-grandfather to intervene in family affairs...
At first he was puzzled, but soon only one explanation came to mind, Kalluto.
Within the family, when opinions diverged or consensus had yet to be reached, the only option was to rely on individual means to strengthen one's stance.
Illumi and Kikyo's approach was to resolve the matter at its root before any final decision could be made.
And to prevent this from happening, Kalluto had Maha forcibly intervene.
To protect his life, you'd go this far…
Realizing it was Kalluto's doing, Illumi silently thought to himself, Mother is right. This person's existence has already "influenced" Kalluto. He must be eliminated as soon as possible.
Though he thought so, with his great-grandfather having already made his stance clear, he no longer had any opportunity to act against Morrow.
"Great-grandfather."
Illumi then approached Maha and greeted him softly.
Maha glanced up at Illumi before rummaging through his canvas bag and pulling out a Keroppi children's watch. Under Illumi's incredulous gaze, he fastened the watch onto Illumi's wrist.
"..."
Illumi looked down at the green watch with its two bulging eyes on his wrist, his expression stiffening slightly.
"Th… thank you, Great-grandfather."
"Huff huff."
Maha examined the Keroppi watch on Illumi's wrist, nodding in satisfaction. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he crouched down again to dig through the canvas bag.
"..."
Watching his great-grandfather's actions, Illumi couldn't even begin to imagine what else might emerge from that bag, his only thought was to turn and flee, but he didn't dare.
Soon, Maha pulled out a Keroppi fleece hat from the bag.
The entirely green hat was adorned with a pair of lively, pitch-black eyes.
Judging by its quality alone, it was undoubtedly top-tier among Keroppi merchandise.
Holding the hat, Maha slowly raised his head to look at Illumi.
Illumi's cheek twitched. Unable to escape, he could only obediently comply with his great-grandfather's wishes. With a lifeless expression, he knelt down to make it easier for Maha to place the hat on his head.
Maha then fitted the green Keroppi fleece hat onto Illumi.
"Mmm…"
Maha took a step back, tilting his chin as he carefully inspected the hat on Illumi's head. A glimmer of even greater fondness shone through his narrow eyes.
"Very nice."
His dry, low voice couldn't conceal the satisfaction in his tone.
Illumi's eyes seemed to lose focus as he mechanically expressed his gratitude. "Thank you, Great-grandfather."
"Huff huff."
Maha smiled.
Meanwhile, Morrow watched the scene with astonishment before pulling out his phone and snapping a picture of Illumi.
His actions, of course, didn't escape Illumi or Maha.
When Illumi saw Morrow taking the photo, the killing intent he had just suppressed surged forth like a geyser.
But with just a single, indifferent glance from Maha, Illumi had no choice but to force it back down.
After restraining Illumi with a look, Maha walked toward Morrow.
However, after taking two steps, he turned back to pick up the canvas bag from the ground, slinging it over his shoulder before approaching Morrow again.
Standing before Morrow, Maha studied him up and down.
In response to Maha's scrutiny, Morrow swiftly retracted his aura, maintaining his Ten while completely dropping any defensive intent. If Maha wanted to kill him, a single finger would suffice.
So vigilance and defense were utterly meaningless; it was better to face whatever came next with the most peaceful and relaxed demeanor possible.
But to avoid the possibility of Maha suddenly deciding to gift him some Keroppi merchandise as well...
Morrow discreetly glanced at the canvas bag Maha had deliberately slung over his shoulder when approaching and decisively preempted, "I already have one at home, thanks."
Hearing this, Maha's scrutinizing gaze paused briefly before his lips curled slightly.
For a fleeting moment, he bore an uncanny resemblance to the big-eyed frog.
"These are all new releases, you know."
Not particularly bothered by Morrow's words, Maha patted the canvas bag hanging from his shoulder instead.
Morrow nodded. "Yeah, actually, none of them have hit the market yet."
"No wonder."
Maha understood but didn't question their origin, merely stating slowly, "I'll accept these on Kalluto's behalf."
"Alright."
Morrow's expression remained calm as water, but inwardly a strange sensation stirred, inexplicably bringing many thoughts to mind.
Yet when he saw Maha turn away without hesitation, only one thought remained.
"Thank you."
"You shouldn't thank me, nor Kalluto, but yourself."
Maha didn't stop, walking straight toward the Testing Gate. His dry, low voice carried no discernible emotion now.
Morrow froze for a moment, silently watching Maha's retreating figure before quickly grasping the meaning behind those words.
From the moment Illumi made his move, Maha had already been observing from the shadows.
So while he could have stepped in much earlier to stop Illumi's rudeness, he hadn't.
Instead, he waited until Morrow was ready to go all out against Illumi, then abruptly intervened, forcibly ending the fight.
In other words...
Even after agreeing to Kalluto's request, he still wanted to see if I had enough "strength" first...
Morrow mused silently.
Had his strength not matched Illumi's, Maha would likely have coldly watched him die at Illumi's hands from the shadows.
Harsh and ruthless, but who could condemn such an approach?
In the world of assassins, strength had always been one of the most critical measures, especially for a family like the Zoldycks.
Morrow understood Maha's actions and stance.
"Still, I want to thank you, not just for me, but for Kalluto too."
Morrow suddenly spoke again, watching Maha's back.
At his words, Maha's steps faltered briefly, but he didn't respond, continuing toward the Testing Gate.
Only a trace of complex nostalgia flickered in his narrow eyes, his mind conjuring images of his son Zigg and Netero.
Once upon a time, something similar had happened.
Maha thought of the duel between Morrow and Illumi, of how Morrow had withstood his targeted, merciless killing-intent aura with only a minimal amount of protective aura...
"Heh."
Maha's lips curled, and this time the grin didn't fade.
—--
Rumble...
Whether by coincidence or in deliberate welcome, as Maha approached the Testing Gate, the massive stone doors were pushed open from within.
All seven gates swung wide open before him.
The person pushing the gate open was none other than Silva, the current head of the Zoldyck Family.
Behind him stood Kikyo, Kalluto, Tsubone, and the rarely seen Milluki, who had come out to watch the commotion.
Upon seeing Maha approaching, everyone respectfully greeted him.
Maha nodded at them before casually walking through the Testing Gate. However, as he passed Kalluto, he deliberately stopped, pulling out the latest Keroppi hair hoop from his canvas bag and placing it on Kalluto's small head.
"Little Kalluto, your friend reminds me of someone."
"Huh?"
Kalluto was momentarily stunned.
By the time he processed the words and wanted to ask, Maha had already walked far away. His seemingly leisurely steps were actually incredibly fast.
The others nearby also heard Maha's words and reacted differently before all turning their gazes toward Illumi outside.
Then they saw Illumi wearing a green Keroppi fleece hat and a Keroppi children's watch.
"..."
"..."
"..."
An eerie silence fell over the area.
Rumble...
The sound of the Testing Gate closing broke the strange atmosphere.
Silva's expression remained stern, seemingly unaffected by the Keroppi fleece hat on Illumi's head.
Kikyo, however, noticed Illumi's disheveled appearance and apparent injuries, her brow furrowing in concern.
Milluki, seeing Illumi in this state, struggled to suppress his laughter, his plump, pale face contorting with effort.
Kalluto, on the other hand, was purely shocked.
Faced with his family's varied reactions, Illumi lowered his gaze and remained silent.
No one spoke.
Finally, Kalluto broke the stalemate, quickly stepping up to Illumi and asking, "Big brother, are you hurt?"
"No."
The utterly defeated Illumi flatly denied it.
"Oh, good."
With that, Kalluto briskly walked past Illumi and ran straight toward Morrow.
"? "
Illumi turned to watch Kalluto sprint away, a trace of frustration flickering in his dark eyes.
Click!
At that moment, the sound of a camera shutter echoed.
Illumi followed the sound and spotted Milluki hurriedly hiding his phone, his gaze instantly turning icy.
Milluki inwardly cursed; he'd forgotten to mute his phone's camera shutter sound. Panicking as Illumi strode toward him with a cold expression, his chubby body tensed up.
Silva, Kikyo, and Tsubone ignored Milluki, focusing instead on Kalluto running up to Morrow.
Maha's earlier words had essentially conveyed his stance on the matter.
Under their silent scrutiny, Kalluto looked at the blood staining Morrow's mouth, torn between guilt and worry.
"Is it serious?"
"Minor issue. I've mostly "recovered" already."
Morrow casually stretched his limbs, signaling for Kalluto not to worry. The Enhancement-type recovery ability of Shooting Star · Essence Siphon had indeed healed most of his injuries, though the remaining blood made him look worse off than he was.
In terms of actual damage, Illumi, who'd been caught in the Deceptive Shooting Star, wasn't faring much better.
"Okay."
Seeing Morrow's relaxed movements, Kalluto realized he wasn't forcing himself and relaxed.
He'd thought with their great-grandfather stepping in, the situation would have been resolved immediately.
Yet they still hadn't made it in time.
Kalluto couldn't help but blame himself for not thinking of asking their great-grandfather for help sooner.
Morrow suddenly said, "It should be fine now, right?"
"What?"
Kalluto didn't react immediately.
Morrow smiled and said, "There's a long-term commission I'd like your help with."
"…"
Only then did Kalluto understand, nodding firmly without hesitation. Then, as if remembering something, he added softly, "The fee for long-term commissions is slightly higher."
After saying this, he stepped closer to Morrow and lowered his voice:
"Because I'm afraid Mom and Dad won't agree, so I can't mess around with the pricing anymore."
"Hah."
Morrow let out an involuntary laugh.
In the distance, though Kalluto had lowered his voice significantly, how could it escape the ears of Silva, Kikyo, and Tsubone?
--------
Bonus chapter.
You can check out my new translation if you want. Cyberpunk: Beginning in 2071.