Hisoka's Reputation Takes a Hit

Illumi fell silent for a moment, as if trying to find the right words.

After all, he had no idea what he should call the person outside the door.

A friend?

Hardly.

Besides, the Zoldyck Family shouldn't have friends.

A stranger?

Not quite. They'd fought that very morning.

Illumi pressed a finger to his temple, looking troubled.

"A pervert."

"...?"

Coleman was stunned for a moment.

He could think of plenty of things his brother might call the person outside.

But why "pervert"? And why did Illumi sound so openly disgusted?

As if he were talking about some loathsome piece of trash.

Coleman blinked, waiting for Illumi to say more.

Sure enough, Illumi didn't wait for him to ask. He went on, picking and choosing what to tell him.

Apparently, on his third day at the arena, he'd run into this little madman.

The little madman was named Hisoka. He spoke and acted strangely, and, on top of that, he admired strength above all else.

He liked picking fights with strong opponents.

Illumi, who was unusually young and had a knack for landing almost instantly fatal blows, had inevitably caught the little madman's attention.

Illumi had tried to shake him off, but the man kept turning up in places where he least expected him.

And Hisoka had a simple reason for seeking him out: he wanted to fight Illumi.

"Did you fight him?"

Coleman asked curiously. His brother wasn't exactly the type to fight.

No, actually, almost no one in the Zoldyck Family knew how to fight.

They only knew how to kill.

They could hardly guarantee that anyone they struck would survive.

A fatal blow was what they aimed for.

So it was only natural that Illumi's technique in Heavens Arena was so precise.

He had to work hard to avoid killing his opponents.

Otherwise, he'd easily get thrown out of Heavens Arena.

The arena had no written rule that said you'd be expelled for accidentally killing an opponent.

But an arena was still an arena, not a fighting pit.

The management would hate anyone who deliberately killed their opponents, and they'd find a way to get rid of you.

They might even ban you from the place for life.

For the sake of long-term business and a good reputation, Heavens Arena absolutely wouldn't let a maniac run rampant there.

Of course, if there was a grudge or some other reason, killing someone was tacitly allowed.

But it was best not to let anyone catch you. Better to handle it outside the ring.

That way, just like Coleman had done earlier, as long as you followed the "rules," someone would take care of the aftermath for you.

Of course, you had to remember to pay.

Illumi stared with his dark, lifeless eyes, his expression tinged with fatigue.

"Of course not."

He knew perfectly well that Hisoka would be a handful.

Illumi didn't want to get tangled up in trouble.

Once would lead to a second time, then a third.

Why fight if there was nothing in it for him—no money?

Wouldn't that just be unpaid overtime?

Illumi had no intention of taking a deal that lost him money.

Bang, bang, bang.

With no answer from inside for so long, the little madman outside had started pounding on the door.

"Ill~u~mi~ don't be so cold~ I just want to play with you~~ Open the door already~~"

In an instant, the brothers' expressions turned unpleasant and complicated.

Their faces shifted like a painter's palette.

What was that disgusting, bizarre voice?!

Could a human really make a sound like that?

Illumi quickly returned to normal and tried to comfort his younger brother. "It's fine. You get used to it?"

Coleman: "???"

Why should I get used to it?

Illumi understood what he meant and explained helplessly, "Because he's like a piece of chewing gum."

Once he stuck to you, you couldn't get rid of him.

"Oh."

Coleman blinked, indicating that he understood, then walked toward the door.

"What are you doing?"

"Letting him in."

Coleman said it as if it were obvious.

"Otherwise, he'll keep yelling out there like a ghost. That'll cause a scene."

"...You know he's like a ghost, and you still want to wait for the staff to deal with him."

Illumi didn't want to let the pervert into the room.

That would make the whole place feel unclean!

"But I'm curious~"

Coleman was curious. Anyone who could make his ice-cold brother this disgusted had to be something special.

So he wanted to meet him.

"Curiosity killed the cat."

Illumi said it mildly, but didn't stop him.

If Coleman wanted to see him, so be it. He wouldn't be able to withstand that bizarre voice anyway.

Besides, Illumi had already warned him. If little Coleman suffered some kind of psychological damage, it wouldn't be Little Illumi's fault~

Thinking about what was about to happen—and how his little brother's face would probably change like a painter's palette—Illumi couldn't help wanting to laugh.

Listen to advice and you'll eat well, my dear brother~