Chapter 7: Meeting Leorio and Neon

Kira's POV

My birthday with Killua was great.

I had given him a pair of 50 kg yo-yos each, and he gave me a cake that he had prepared with Tsubone's help.

Frankly, it was terribly bad, but I didn't want to discourage him, and I ate that poison in silence.

Thank God, I have one of the highest poison resistances in the family.

I also got some gifts from mother, Kalluto and, surprisingly, from Illumi too.

I admit that I would have preferred not to get anything from him, but I couldn't refuse his act of kindness in public, and I like the sum of money he gave me.

After my birthday, a few days passed.

I was able to get news from the Nostrade clan, and luckily for me, they are currently just a small mafia family without much influence.

They agreed to send Neon to the Zoldyck family, but Gotoh had to make some small concessions to obtain Neon peacefully.

Such as eliminating their competitors in their commercial and illegal business sector or giving them discounts regarding their future assassination requests from the Zoldycks.

Of course, it's me who will have to handle these future assassination requests.

It seems that Gotoh would have just preferred to kill everyone and take Neon for me, but he didn't want to disappoint me, so he ended up accepting their conditions after negotiation.

So the agreement was easily concluded. I just have to eliminate a few rival mafia clans of the Nostrade clan in the future. I find the agreement reasonable.

I have the power to see the future, and they now possess a powerful support without dying or becoming my slaves.

For Leorio's case, things went more smoothly. According to Gotoh, the hardest part was just finding the individual.

To convince him to join the Zoldyck family, Gotoh paid for the treatment of a friend of Leorio's named Pietro.

In exchange, Leorio promised to study medicine and be a loyal subordinate, but he set a small condition.

He wanted to be able to see his friend often, so not to be stuck with me all the time.

Pairo's case, on the other hand, was extremely complicated. I didn't know that the Kurta clan was so xenophobic.

They refused repeated contact attempts from the people sent by Gotoh.

When a butler finally arrived personally to conclude an agreement, the elder of the Kurta clan explained the law of their clan to him.

According to Gotoh, it's impossible for me to obtain the subordinate named Pairo peacefully. He recommends kidnapping him or finding another individual that I deem talented enough.

I would have liked the option of kidnapping Pairo, but that would make me a possible enemy of Kurapika, and I don't know if I could "gain" Pairo's loyalty afterwards.

In the end, I decided to set my sights on other talents like those recognized by Kaito, such as Spinner Clow.

If Kaito judged that she has the potential to be a good Hunter, then I will take the risk of investing in her, and I know she is loyal by nature.

I will just have to spend a bit of money, but I'm sure mother will be willing to give me some.

So I ended up asking Gotoh to stop insisting with the Kurta clan but to go to the Kakin Empire instead to find the girl named Spinner Clow and recruit her "peacefully".

I even added the information about the mine threatening the natural habitat of her favorite birds.

"Young Master Kira, young Leorio and Miss Neon have arrived," a maid declares politely.

"Ok, I'm coming," I say, closing a book I had stopped reading some time ago.

I was far too lost in my thoughts about the future moves I would make to read properly.

Normally, today I should have been in the middle of training with grandfather at this time of day, but he informed me that I am free this week.

The reason? He wants me to be relaxed for my departure to Heaven's Arena, but I personally think there is something else behind this act of "generosity" during this period.

...

"This is my new home," a young girl mutters, looking around curiously.

"It's more complicated than that," Gotoh declared, observing the duo in front of him.

There was a girl of about 13 or 12 years old, dressed simply, but he could tell her clothes were expensive, and sitting not far beside her was a young teenager who seemed stressed but had a determined look.

'The young master has chosen curious people,' Gotoh thought.

"Sorry for my tardiness, I was occupied," I say, entering the room.

I had finally arrived at the butlers' residence and was greeted by a strange sight.

"You are Leorio?" I say, slightly surprised by his appearance compared to his future self.

Normally, he should be 14 or 13 years old now, but he looks like a teenager of about 16.

"Uh yes, that's me," he says nervously.

It seems Leorio hasn't gained his usual audacity yet; it's normal since he's still young.

He hasn't lived through as many hardships as he was supposed to after the death of his friend Pietro, and he won't since Pietro is alive.

"Nice to meet you, I'm your master, but I prefer that you consider me your employer," I tell him, holding out my hand.

"Don't worry, my little Kira, you were right to hire me as your subordinate... Excuse me, I meant Mr. Kira," Leorio quickly explains.

It seems I was mistaken; he's still the same Leorio I read about in the manga.

"It's all right, be relaxed with me, but just don't forget your role," I say, patting Leorio's shoulder to put him at ease.

"And you, you must be little Neon," I ask the blue-haired girl watching Leorio and me in silence.

"Yes, that's me, but I'm not little," she says in a soft tone of voice, but the last part was clearly audible to everyone in the room.

Her current behavior is similar to that of a shy and innocent young girl.

It's completely different from my memories of her in the manga. I thought I would be dealing with a tyrannical brat, but it seems she adopted this precise behavior much later.

It's probably due to the fortune her family found themselves gaining because of her. Her father must have spoiled her too much.

"I'm delighted to meet you, and yes, you're a big girl," I say, patting her head.

I got into this habit while dealing with Alluka and Kalluto. It seems my action put her at ease a little.

"Even if you've already heard it, allow me to introduce myself again. My name is Kira," I say, putting on the calmest smile I could.

"I'm Neon, Neon Nostrade," she says with more assurance than a moment ago.

It seems she has let her guard down around me.

"Glad to meet you personally, Neon. And Gotoh, I need to talk to you," I say, leaving the room.

"I would like you to take care of Leorio's training during my absence. Don't hesitate to give him the toughest and most effective training possible," I explain my request.

"That won't be possible," Gotoh declares, adjusting his glasses.

"And why is that?" I say, frowning.

"I can't train butlers without Master Silva's consent, and Leorio was hired to serve you, not the Zoldyck family," Gotoh calmly explains.

"I see. Is it possible for him to be trained for now by the gate guards instead?" I ask.

"If that's all, I don't see a problem, but what about Miss Nostrade's case?" Gotoh questions curiously.

"She will stay with me and will also depart for Heaven's Arena," I calmly tell Gotoh.

I had decided that Leorio would start his training with the butlers, but unfortunately, he will have to do as in the original story and follow the training of the gatekeeper Zebro.

Upon my return, I will have him undergo much more advanced training.

I'm sure he'll be able to handle it. He will have already built good foundations, and I remember he was able to open the door of the Zoldyck residence in 20 days of training with Gatekeeper Zebro.

So, in 20 days, Leorio was able to push 8 tons, which is the weight of the second door.

To give you an equivalent, Killua, without Nen at the start of the manga, could push the third door, which is the equivalent of 16 tons, and after the Chimera Ant arc, Killua could push 64 tons, the equivalent of the fifth door.

To put it simply, I currently have a monstrous talent in my service, but I must succeed in raising him well so that he is loyal to me and not just grateful.

*Bing bing* Sound of a phone.

"Hello Master Silva, indeed Kira is with me," Gotoh declared on the phone.

"Ok, I will pass it on to him," he said before hanging up.

"What is it?" I asked, curious about my father's words concerning me.

"Master Silva informed me that the preparations are now complete. You can depart for Heaven's Arena," Gotoh explained.