Chapter 3 Chapter Three

Chapter 3: Chapter Three

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Five days later, with five million Jenny in my account—enough to cover my needs—I packed my bags and set off for the next stop, the Gourmet City.

On the bus ride, the white-haired boy’s brother called me. He wanted to buy 300 bottles of the hemostatic and disinfectant spray. I’d talked to my dad about the spray a couple of days earlier; he’d checked local pharmacy prices and shipping costs. I added a 2 million Jenny middleman fee, so the total came to 6.35 million Jenny. Of course, since the goods hadn’t arrived yet, he only paid me a 3 million Jenny deposit.

“I’ll be in Barton Gourmet City for a few days. If it’s convenient, I’d like to sign a contract with you to secure the deal.” Otherwise, if you back out after I get the goods, where would I go to cry?

“Mm, that’s only fair. Otherwise, you might run off with the 3 million Jenny, and chasing you down later would be a hassle and not worth the trouble.”

…Hey hey! Is it really okay for you to be so blunt and tactless? You should really read some books on emotional intelligence, man. With that kind of talk, I’m afraid you’ll get beaten to death on the street one day!

As I thought this, I heard the sound of fingers tapping on a desk through the phone.

“Barton Gourmet City, huh… I hear there’s a food festival going on there these days. Yoshi! Let Mi Ji filter out some missions in that area—we’ll train Aqi and sign the contract at the same time! Well, I’ll hang up now. See you.”

“Mm, see you.”

After a three-hour ride, having listened to all the music on my phone, I finally arrived at my destination.

“Wow!”

No wonder this is a famous gourmet city in the Republic of Bartokia. The whole city has a gorgeous, dreamy vibe, a bit like Disneyland.

It was still light out, and the gourmet city wouldn’t open until dark. I found a hotel and checked in, booking five nights again. Prices here were lower than at Heaven’s Arena—just 20,000 Jenny a night.

“Hmm, the internet says the first restaurant on the second floor is run by a Gourmet Hunter. If the grilled fire bear tastes good, I’ll vacuum-pack a few and mail them home…”

After writing half a notebook of tips and spending the afternoon playing a simulation game, I headed to the gourmet city as night fell, a chocolate milk-flavored lollipop in my mouth. My first stop was that Gourmet Hunter’s restaurant.

“Yo!”

When I arrived, my future business partner was already sitting with his brother at a prominent table. He raised a hand to greet me and pointed at the contract on the table.

I stared at him for three seconds, then walked over to their table and sat across from the young man, next to the white-haired boy.

“Running into you so quickly—guess someone in your family is good at tracking and searching.”

The young man slowly blinked his hollow cat eyes and replied naturally.

“Ah, my second brother handles that kind of work.”

“Second brother? The Mi Ji you mentioned on the phone last time?”

“Yeah, that’s him.”

“You’ve got a lot of brothers. That’s nice. I’m an only child.”

He held up four fingers and waved his hand.

“I’m the eldest. I have four younger brothers. The one next to you is Killua, my third brother.”

Before I could ask more, he clapped his hands together.

“Alright—enough small talk. Take a look at the contract. If there are no issues, sign it.”

The soft indoor lighting dulled the dangerous aura around the young man and Killua, making them seem more relaxed.

Just then, the dishes they’d ordered started arriving. I glanced at them—all the signature dishes from my notes.

“Here.”

The young man naturally handed me a knife and fork. Understanding he was treating me to a meal, I accepted gladly.

I ate while scanning the contract. At the bottom, in the Party A section, a name was already written in the local script.

…Illumi Zoldyck, huh.

Beside me, Killua was still eating in silence, as gloomy as ever with his brother around. I blinked, then saw the boy casually flick the green peppers from his bowl into a trash can three tables away. His brother clearly noticed but didn’t stop him.

…Huh, punished with a whip for getting hurt by a target, but turning a blind eye to picky eating?

…Strange way of raising kids… Maybe their whole family is strange.

After the meal, I picked up a pen and carefully signed my name in the Party B section, translated into the common language, then pulled out an ink pad from my bag and pressed my fingerprint.

“Hey, why are you staring at me like that?”

Illumi’s dark, deep eyes were fixed on my ink pad.

“…Don’t tell me… the fingerprint you used in the Party A section was…”

I leaned in and sniffed the contract.

“It’s blood, isn’t it?! You two really don’t feel pain, do you!?”

Pricking your finger just to leave a fingerprint is so messed up. We’re just signing a contract, not swearing brotherhood over a blood oath—no need to be so brutal.

His hollow gaze shifted to my face.

“We do feel pain. We’re just used to it. This is how we sign contracts around here. But that little red box of yours is quite convenient. Seems like things from your homeland are surprisingly practical.”

I gave him a deadpan look.

“Oh, then I’ll pass your thanks along to the ink pad manufacturer and my homeland.”

After that, Illumi and I each kept a copy of the contract. His dark eyes then turned to Killua, and his voice became soft and dangerous.

“Aqi, time to make your move.”

A nail shot out, flipping the “Open” sign to “Closed.” Another nail hit the door.

“Creak—!”

The restaurant door slowly shut.

“The prey is locked in the basket.”

Illumi’s tone was playful, but I’d already tensed up the moment he acted. The boy beside me suddenly erupted with killing intent, and a white blur shot past me toward the kitchen.

“Crash!”

Killua shattered the kitchen’s glass door. The Gourmet Hunter blocked forty-three of his attacks but missed the forty-fourth, and his heart was ripped out.

Blood seeped from the kitchen into the room. The body lay in a pool of blood, nerves still twitching in their final struggle. The metallic smell was sharp and nauseating. Killua stood by the body, his pale skin stained red, his cat eyes narrowed and sharp, like a demon from hell. At that moment, I truly felt the strange touch of an unknown world—one full of mysteries to explore, but also deadly danger.

The waiter’s scream died in his throat. The white blur leaped around the room, and a few more lives were taken.

“Hello, this is the Zoldyck Family. Your commission is complete. Please transfer the payment to the designated account.”

The voice of Illumi across from me snapped me back to reality. He hung up the phone, then rested his chin on his hand, his gaze never leaving Killua.

"Killua's impressive, isn't he? My family and I have always had high expectations for him..."

The lights overhead flickered and a few went out, plunging the room into dimness. That dark, dangerous aura around Illumi started seeping out again.

"So anyone or anything that influences him, I'll destroy... Actually, I heard you that day—your conversation in the house—so I know you were lying to me. Hmm, I was planning to kill you initially, because my dear little brother is still too young, his personality hasn't settled yet, and he's always curious about irrelevant outside things. Your behavior that day was like an ignorant, harmless little cat wandering into his world, sparking his curiosity. It really troubled me a lot... Ah, I think I've said too much. Sorry, sorry."

A half-hearted apology. Illumi brushed a strand of hair behind his ear, leaned across the table toward me until our noses almost touched. His breath brushed my face—intimate but icy cold.

"After all that, I'm just telling you this to make it clear: 1. I saw through your pathetic lies long ago. 2. The only reason I didn't kill you is that your hometown's stuff will bring me huge profits... So then, dear collaborator—you'll behave during our partnership, right? Don't cross that line—you'll die, you know."

His eyes were like a bottomless pit. I felt like I was falling into a dark vortex, my sanity slowly being eaten away.

"Smack!"

Suddenly, I reached out and grabbed the hand that was sneaking toward the back of my neck. I turned my head and stared at the long nail in his other hand, narrowing my eyes.

Rage level: ↑↑

"Oh, you caught me."

He stuck out his tongue casually, not showing any guilt at being caught. I released his hand, leaving a red mark on his wrist. He flexed it a couple of times indifferently, and with a flick of his fingers, the long nail disappeared.

"Don't worry. I was just about to put a safety lock on our future cooperation."

Illumi threw my own words from the phone call back in my face, then sat back down casually, propping his face on his hand.

"Well, since you caught me, I'll let it go—but what I said earlier still stands. You'll obediently follow my wishes and stay away from Killua, won't you?"

...Tch. Even though we're partners, he doesn't treat me as an equal. Since that's the case, I might as well lay it all out.

I let out a cold laugh, deciding to start with a verbal attack.

"The stuff I source for you can be handled over the phone. If we absolutely have to meet to discuss something, you can come by yourself."

I pointed at Illumi.

"Using your brother as an excuse to intimidate and test me—that's your real goal, right? If your partner had a weaker personality, you'd have them under your thumb, molding them however you like, squeezing every last bit of value out of me and my hometown, maximizing profits until I'm completely drained dry... Hmm, let me think—by then, my end would still be death, wouldn't it?"

That nail was probably something like a life-binding curse. If it had actually pierced me, my future might have been even worse than I thought.

He froze for a moment after I bluntly called him out.

"...Huh?"

"I underestimated you."

A sinister aura spread from him. Illumi's hollow eyes stared at me for so long that my hair stood on end, and I was about to reach for a forty-meter sword to kill this bastard—when he tilted his head back and slowly broke into a smile.

"But—this is unexpected."

A wild grin, a gentle tone, and those bottomless, hollow cat-like eyes—Illumi looked like a demon lurking in the depths.

"I've changed my view of you, Li He."

He clapped his hands and finally used my name, not the title 'collaborator.'

"Haha, it's been a long time since someone saw through my thoughts, and even longer since someone called me out so bluntly. Honestly, I'm very surprised. I should give you some credit—well done."

His voice was filled with delight. Then, without dwelling on the conflict with my raging self, he voluntarily backed off, leaving me—who had just barely shifted the power balance—feeling like I'd punched cotton.

...This bastard!

The bastard stood up gracefully and called over his brother. His long black hair lay smoothly behind him; he waved his sleeve, not taking a single cloud with him.

"Aqi, let's go. We have a mission. So, Li He, let's end today's topic here. I apologize for my rude behavior earlier. I hope our future cooperation goes smoothly."

...Who the hell would accept that insincere apology? Pfft!

"Who wants to keep cooperating with you?! Even though we signed a contract, given all your dangerous antics, I'll end our partnership once those 300 bottles of spray arrive."

"No can do, Li He."

Illumi waved the contract in his hand, then pointed at his eyes.

"What you see on the surface isn't always the truth. Now that you've signed the contract, you need to look at it with your heart. I believe you won't waste your talent—well, see you later."

I gritted my teeth.

"Hey, Mr. Zoldyck, how old are you?"

"Huh?" He paused, then replied. "You can call me Illumi. I don't know why you're asking about my age, though... I'm 22."

I slumped my head in my hands.

"...Damn it. Two years younger than me."

All those extra two years of life experience were completely useless. I can't outplay him. Now I even regret not choosing to pretend to sleep that night instead of talking to Killua.

—That was the start of all my tragedies! If I could do it over, I'd pick Li Bai (let me sing). The big liar Li He from a few days ago—just die already (stop).

Watching Illumi lead the way out of the restaurant, Killua followed with a cold expression, but as he passed me, he gave me a faint glance.

"Idiot."

...Tch. And I fell into this abyss for whose sake?!

A chocolate ball was tossed at me. Killua lowered his head and followed Illumi's steps.

"...Sorry."

The unspoken words were probably something like, "I didn't expect to drag you into this"... right?

...Whatever. You're good-looking, so I forgive you. Smile.

I looked at the chocolate ball in my hand, popped it into my mouth, then quickly grabbed my bag and contract from the seat and bolted out of the shop.

Are you kidding me? You two brothers just kill people and leave so casually—have you considered the international trouble this foreigner might face if I'm found out?!