Bored out of his mind, Coleman lounged on the sofa, tiny and half-lidded, clicking through channels with the remote.
Though the TVs here couldn't show any actual programs.
They could only broadcast the fights in the various arenas.
Still, that was better than leaving Coleman alone in his room, bored and staring into space.
He flipped through several channels in a row, but none of the fights caught his interest.
It was a little disappointing.
Coleman kept clicking, still searching.
The midday sun streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows and spilled across the floor, painting it gold.
Through the spotless glass, the weather outside looked wonderful.
The sky was a deep blue, like a vast, boundless sea—clear and bright.
Not a cloud in sight.
A few breezes stirred the leaves, sending them rustling.
Several birds perched in a tree, eyes half closed as they enjoyed the rare stretch of good weather.
Warm and pleasant.
Every so often, they chirped, as if whispering secrets to their companions.
Secrets known only to sparrows.
Peaceful and beautiful.
The sunshine was making him drowsy, but Coleman had no intention of moving.
The sunlight couldn't reach his face, anyway. Its warmth was perfect as a thin blanket, easing away the morning's fatigue.
His thoughts growing hazy, Coleman began to doze.
Enjoying a midday break all to himself.
"Ring, ring."
"Ring, ring."
Unfortunately, it seemed Coleman was born to work.
The insistent phone reminded him that there was something else to do.
Frowning, a little irritated, he nevertheless wasn't the sort of gentleman to fly into a temper when woken.
He slowly got up, calming his irritation before answering with the friendliest, most distant politeness.
"Hello. How may I help you?"
His voice was childish, but extremely courteous.
The receptionist on the other end paused, apparently surprised that such a young child had answered.
But she quickly accepted it. After all, all kinds of people came to Heavens Arena.
"Hello. Is this Mr. Coleman?"
"Yes, that's right."
Coleman smiled, doing his best to keep his feelings out of his voice.
"There's a Mr. Zeno asking for you. Would you like me to put him through?"
Zeno? Grandpa?!
Coleman froze, unable to figure out why his grandfather wanted to talk to him.
Still, he pushed aside his confusion and smiled as he replied, "All right. Sorry for the trouble."
"No trouble at all. It's our job."
With that, the receptionist connected the call to Zeno Zoldyck.
"Hello."
An old yet kindly voice came through the receiver.
"Hello, Grandpa. Is something wrong?"
Coleman was puzzled. Why was his grandfather, who was usually nowhere to be seen, calling him?
"Do I need a reason to call?"
"Of course not. I was just surprised."
"Ahem. It's nothing much. I heard you and Illumi have been gathering information about Nen lately?"
Zeno's voice grew serious, carrying a trace of a killer's bloodlust.
It was the unconscious bloodlust of someone who had spent years immersed in the business of killing. There wasn't much of it, but with Zeno as its source, it still felt terrifying.
But Coleman had grown up in the Zoldyck Family and was used to the adults' occasional tests and probing. Bloodlust like that barely bothered him.
"Yes, Grandpa. I recently ran into an enemy who'd just awakened his Nen. I was curious about his techniques, so I wanted to learn more."
Coleman explained the whole situation in just a few sentences. He didn't want his grandfather to misunderstand.
After all, when you spoke in circles with the old man, you were the only one who ended up suffering.
Who knew how someone who'd lived that long might interpret your words?
Coleman didn't want to risk being dragged home and beaten just to deceive an old man.
"Hm. Stop looking into it for now. It's a little dangerous for you two. And remember, once you reach the one-hundredth floor, don't go any higher. By then, your mother will be close to giving birth. Make sure you come back to see her."
Grandpa's voice was grave as he warned them. He didn't want the two children learning about Nen too early.
After all, digging too deep into certain things could bring trouble you didn't need.
The warning was full of meaning, but Zeno believed his precocious grandson would understand. He continued, his voice laced with amusement and scorn. "Some trash just love picking on the weak."
Those "trash" had little ability of their own, yet liked to use their overwhelming advantage in strength to attack the weak before they had a chance to grow. They wanted to show off by crushing them with sheer force.
The weak drawing their blades against those even weaker—nothing more to it.
Coleman thought for a moment, then slowly said, "Jealousy makes people lose their minds?"
Zeno paused at the novel comparison, then burst out laughing. "Exactly. You can think of it that way. They love bullying talented people who haven't had the chance to grow yet. Remember to keep your distance from that trash."
Especially since members of the Zoldyck Family seemed to attract trouble.
After all, the Zoldycks were one of the most renowned assassin families on the continent.
Killing one of their young before he had a chance to grow would be a serious blow to a family that wasn't exactly large.
Especially if the child they killed was talented.
Zeno gave a small cough before speaking again.
This time, though, the subject was a little unusual.
"Have you been to Klein Town, the little town near the city you're in?"
"No. I've been with my big brother lately."
"Do you remember saying you wanted to set up an intelligence network?"
"Of course! Did Father agree?"
At that, Coleman's eyes lit up. He just couldn't stand how backward and unequal the intelligence networks in this world were!
Even his family's was pretty good, but it still fell short of his standards!
Besides, he wanted an intelligence network that could operate independently of his family.
That way, if anything went wrong, nobody would link it to the Zoldycks.
"No. He's keeping his cards close to his chest, but your grandfather has agreed."
Hearing his grandfather's words, Coleman instantly cheered up!
Grandpa had agreed, so Father didn't matter!
If anything went wrong, he could always turn to Grandpa~
"Grandpa's the best! I love you most, Grandpa!"
Coleman shamelessly took advantage of being young to fawn over him without restraint.
"Ahem. Be serious."
Zeno sounded a little uncomfortable. After a pause, he awkwardly steered the conversation back on track.
"There's a very interesting child people have been talking about in that town lately. I think you'll like him. You could try teaming up and see if you can pull off something big."
It was just kids playing house. Whether it worked or not, it would be fun.
Zeno didn't want the little guy looking into Nen any further.
If he kept digging, he'd soon uncover the history of Nen's discovery!
And with his abilities, he might even attract the attention of those schools whose mastery of Nen was practically at the level of grandmasters.
One wrong move, and it could cost him his life.
He'd be better off finding a few friends to play with.
And if they really managed to start an intelligence network, wouldn't that be nice?
Zeno himself couldn't stand the family's intelligence network, but his stubborn son had no intention of reforming it.
And since Zeno was already "retired," there was no way he'd handle the matter himself. So he planned to rely on his grandson.
With nothing better to do, he'd found Coleman a few children he could work with.
As luck would have it, one of them was currently at Heavens Arena.
Zeno thought it was a good opportunity, so he might as well introduce the child to Coleman.
Maybe the little guy would get excited and bring his grandpa some local treats.
Having made all the arrangements, Zeno had also grown tired of talking to Coleman and was ready to hang up.
"If you have time, you can go take a look. There seems to be some kind of festival there, and they're giving out free samples."
"Oh?! That's great!"
Free! Free!
Coleman was even happier.
"All right, let's leave it at that. Oh, and don't tell your grandma I secretly told you to go make friends!"
"Got it!"
"Mm. I'm hanging up."
"Goodbye, Grandpa."
"Goodbye, my little Coleman."
After hanging up, Coleman was still excited.
Not because he could start an intelligence network, but because there'd be a free feast!
Free! It wouldn't cost him a thing!
No, he had to bring his big brother along!
He put on his shoes, dashed to the door, and hurried out of Heavens Arena.
He thought to himself:
Oh, dear brother.
Let's go eat and skip the bill together!
The legal kind, of course!
Before you continue