Chapter 05: The Heavens Arena and I Want My Birthday Gift

Kira's POV

"Happy birthday, bro!" Killua yelled, jumping onto my bed.

"How did you get into my room?" I asked, ignoring his greeting.

"Dad asked me to come get you, so a butler helped me," he said, pointing at a butler in front of the door.

I could clearly see that the butler was becoming slightly nervous under my gaze. He was perhaps afraid of retaliation for interrupting my sleep.

"If father called me, I have no choice but to come," I said, getting up to take a shower.

"This really isn't the body of a six-year-old kid, is it?" I murmured, looking at my reflection in the mirror after my shower.

There was a young child in the mirror. He had extremely pale skin, as if he were sickly, but his physique proved he was far from ill.

"Grandfather went too far recently," I said, touching the numerous scars on my body, evidence of my countless battles against the old monster.

"I'm ready now," I declared, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and a proper pair of jeans fitting for my age.

Under my hooded sweatshirt, I had weights that together weighed around forty kilos, and I was also wearing special gloves weighing five kilos each.

I also had shoes weighing five kilos each, and my jeans were similar to my gloves, except they weighed twenty kilos.

So, I was walking around with a total of eighty kilos, and I always kept them on myself during my daily life.

the rare time that I don't clutch it with me, it's during my sparring with Zeno or to sleep or in the shower.

On my way to Silva's chamber, I could observe Killua looking at my steps with a perplexed expression.

I could understand him. I was walking with enormous weights on me, but I was making almost no noise.

"Say Kira, did you do something really bad?" Killua asked, clearly curious.

"No, why?" I said, confused by the question.

"Because you're training so much, so I thought grandfather was angry with you," Killua explained, visibly worried.

"Haha," I chuckled, holding my stomach.

"What? Is there something funny in what I said?" Killua questioned, frowning.

"Not really, but just know that grandfather isn't responsible for my weights. He didn't force me to wear them," I said after regaining control of my laughter.

He had really believed that I was suffering abuse from Zeno. It was really funny.

The old Zeno was too lazy to do such a thing, and he wasn't the type to be guided by emotions.

If Zeno had really been as Killua currently imagined, then Milluki would have rejoined Zeno's training sessions with me a long time ago.

Finally, we reached father's office. It seemed he wasn't alone, as he was accompanied by an enormous dog lying not far away.

"Good morning, father," I greeted, taking a seat across from them.

"Good morning, Kira. I can see that you continue to make progress," he said, giving me a once-over.

"Thank you, father. It's just that grandfather's training methods are well-suited to my physique," I calmly replied.

"I see," he simply said, nodding his head, as if he had mentally concluded something.

"You know why I've summoned you here today, don't you?" Silva questioned, looking me in the eyes.

"Yes, grandfather had mentioned it to me," I said seriously.

"Uh, am I the only one being left out?" Killua declared, glancing between Silva and me.

"You forgot?" Silva said, looking at Killua with a trace of amusement in his eyes.

"Sorry, father," he said, clearly embarrassed.

"It's alright, I'll just remind you," Silva replied nonchalantly.

He began to explain to Killua about the Heavens Arena and why he should experience that place to improve his progression.

"So I'll be able to travel?" Killua asked with stars in his eyes.

"Yes," I simply said.

I knew he was currently too excited to remember anything important about the Heavens Arena .I would inform him of the details later.

"For now, enjoy your birthday. You'll be leaving over the course of the week, and if you desire a particular gift, you can tell me now," Silva declared before motioning for us to leave.

"Father, I wish to test my leadership skills," I said, interrupting his attempt to motion us away.

"What do you mean by that?" Silva asked, clearly intrigued by my request.

"I would like to have Canary as a personal subordinate and not as a servant of the Zoldyck family, but also some outside individuals," I declared.

The atmosphere in the room seemed to have slightly changed. I could see that my request appeared unexpected or inappropriate.

"I can understand that you wish to evaluate your leadership skills, son, but are you trying to poach a talent from me?" Silva asked in a serious tone.

I could sense that an aura similar to Zeno's during our training sessions was emanating from Silva. He must have been using Nen.

Killua, beside me, seemed petrified. He was breathing roughly and sweating profusely.

I was doing slightly better myself, perhaps because of my intensive training, or simply because, unlike Killua, I was more often exposed to Nen.

"If... I can't have Canary, then let me have some people from the outside world," I said with difficulty.

The oppressive aura emanating from Silva vanished as if it were merely an illusion.

"I see that you're stronger, and not just physically. Killua, you should take more example from your brother," Silva declared before taking his phone to make a call.

"Gotoh, I would like you to help Kira find some people to work for him," Silva stated over the phone.

"I will prepare my best butler apprentices," Gotoh's voice resounded.

"No, you will not provide him with any butlers or apprentices, only outside individuals," he explained before hanging up.

"I hope you understand, Kira. I can't risk wasting the family's resources in your still immature hands," he said, returning to his initial position before the call.

"So, you will have to make do with people outside of the Zoldyck estate's employees," Silva calmly explained.

"Thank you, father. It's a wonderful gift," I said, sincerely happy.

"It's only natural; it is your birthday, after all. Now, you may return to your activities," Silva declared, motioning for us to leave.

...

"How?" Killua asked from behind me.

"I don't understand," I said, confused.

"How were you able to speak under such murderous pressure?" Killua declared in a slightly louder tone.

"Oh! That," I said, slightly embarrassed.

"It's because of grandfather. We often spar, and he tends to exude a murderous pressure similar to father's," I simply explained.

Currently, at the Zoldyck residence, no one had informed me about Nen, and I could see that Killua had not yet been initiated into Nen either.

So, I had preferred to go with this story of murderous pressure.

"I understand better now. I should train more," Killua said, suddenly walking away from me.

It seemed I had inflamed his competitive spirit. He was heading toward his training grounds.

"It's good news that he's stronger than his original self in the manga HxH," I muttered, walking toward the butlers' residence.

I needed to have a little chat with Gotoh. If I played my cards right, I could get some truly competent allies.

"We greet the young master," several butlers declared to welcome me.

"Hi guys, I came to see Gotoh," I expressed the reason for my presence.

"Please follow me," a woman declared before guiding me to Gotoh's office.

"Good morning and happy birthday, young master," Gotoh simply declared upon seeing me.

"I'm also sorry for not being able to receive you personally," he said, putting away some documents.

"Don't worry about those formalities. I'm here about my request to father," I stated the reason for my presence without preamble.

"Yes, Master Silva informed me, and don't worry," he said, adjusting his reading glasses.

"I'll send someone to tour the region's orphanages to find suitably interesting people," he explained.

"I don't need that initiative," I said, taking a cup of tea I had been served.

"I want you to find just these three people," I said, taking a pen to write down their names and approximate locations.

"Who are Leorio Paradinight, Neon Nostrade, and Pairo of the Kurta Clan?" Gotoh asked, alternating glances between the papers and me.

"People I desire as subordinates. I want their recruitment to happen peacefully, without bloodshed, and accommodate any of their demands unless they are deemed exorbitant," I said, looking at Gotoh seriously.

"Understood, I will do my best to recruit them in the most peaceful manner possible," Gotoh declared, putting the paper in an envelope that he filed away in a desk drawer.