The Sheep's Clothing

It was a lovely afternoon.

A gentle breeze stirred the tassels on the curtains by the window.

Warm sunlight streamed through the window, eagerly flooding the somewhat dim room.

Bringing light with it.

Tiny specks of dust floated in the air, creating a place where the sunlight could reveal itself.

They danced in the dust, playing music.

Laughter and cheerful chatter filled the air.

This was the Tyndall effect.

It gave shape to the invisible light.

Seated at a sewing machine, a slender young man was enjoying the music playing from a record player.

His white suit looked particularly elegant in the sunlight.

His hands never stopped moving. His work was graceful and refined, a pleasure to watch.

His gaze was careful and focused as he cut the fine fabric bit by bit.

Snip.

Snip.

His expression was gentle and delicate, as if he were handling some precious treasure.

Bang!

The door suddenly flew open, followed by the sound of a child sobbing miserably.

Coleman leisurely stopped what he was doing and turned around.

He smiled. "What's wrong, Milluki?"

With snot and tears all over his face, a somewhat chubby little boy trudged inside.

"Illumi scolded me again!"

Coleman understood. The boy was upset again.

How many times had he come to see him by now?

Never mind. It didn't matter.

Coleman lowered his head and continued cutting his creation.

"Tell me about it."

"Illumi said I'm completely useless! Even five-year-old Killua is better than me."

"Mm-hmm. And then?"

"He also said that if I keep this up, Father will throw me out sooner or later!"

At that, Coleman put down the scissors, turned around, and spoke earnestly and kindly.

"That won't happen. The Zoldyck Family would never abandon any of its children!"

"But, Brother!"

Coleman, now seventeen, patted the child's head and put on a grown-up air.

What he said was still rather harsh.

"Milluki, you have to get used to it. You're already nine."

Milluki heard this from the Second Brother he liked playing with most, the one who never got upset at him for having little talent, and felt even more aggrieved.

His eyes glistened with tears, his expression full of hurt.

Was his Second Brother starting to dislike him too?

I really am that useless!

His emotions reached their peak, but before he could let them out, Coleman interrupted him with a single sentence.

"Sweetie, you have to remember: Illumi's been sharp-tongued for years. Think of Hisoka, who's always coming over to our place."

Hadn't Illumi insulted and beaten him every time, driving him right out of the Zoldyck estate?

Coleman couldn't help feeling helpless about it.

He didn't know which step in raising his brother had gone wrong, turning his naturally scheming, reserved, and taciturn brother—

into someone who'd suddenly unlocked the skill of being viciously sharp-tongued.

At least now he knew how to talk. The problem was that what he said kept getting nastier.

Still, there had been progress.

After Coleman had "forced" him to work on it again and again, Illumi had finally learned his lesson.

He no longer casually told people things like "You're mine" or "You belong to me"—words that invited misunderstandings and were downright terrifying.

After all, paired with a tender, romantic scene, those words counted as a confession.

Paired with Illumi's expressionless, lifeless face, they meant his yandere side was in full swing!

To make his brother fix this habit of causing trouble with his words,

Coleman felt he'd already thrown away what little shame he had.

Who knew how much he'd fawned over his brother, or how many heart-fluttering, suggestive things he'd said to him?

At last, he'd managed to rein in this boy, whose sense of security was lacking and whose need for control was through the roof!

Coleman: Don't ask. My life's just hard!

"This is already pretty good. Think about what things were like when you were five. What kind of treatment did you get back then?"

Those words made Milluki's face turn deathly pale. He was plunged into terror.

Before he turned five, Illumi had been a devil!

A great big devil!

Even the King of the Underworld would have been better than him!

Whenever Milluki remembered those lifeless eyes, filled with malice and murderous intent, he still had nightmares.

"So really, Illumi just doesn't know how to express himself. He's still a good boy."

At the same time, Coleman remembered what his brother had been like before he'd "straightened him out": adorably awkward and slow-witted.

He'd been just like a little wooden doll.

But pretty cute, too!

Back then, all it took was a little teasing to make the child's ears turn red.

That didn't work anymore. Now he was completely unmoved!

Thinking of how he'd tried to cuddle up with Illumi in bed yesterday, only to be heartlessly kicked out, Coleman sighed.

Well, his aloof, awkward brother had vanished into the annals of history.

What a shame!

Milluki, a tiny bundle of a child, stared blankly at the way his Second Brother's expression shifted between delight and regret, utterly puzzled.

Illumi? Cute?

What did he have to do with that?

How was he cute?

"Hm? Illumi really was cute when he was little."

Coleman blinked, then picked up the little boy standing on the floor and settled him on his lap.

He opened a drawer and took out a photo album.

Finding a picture of himself with Illumi, he showed it to Milluki.

"See? Illumi looks expressionless, but he was actually shy. Look at how his eyes keep wandering—he won't even look at the camera!"

Looking at Illumi in a qipao, Coleman felt a wave of nostalgia.

His brother really was cuter before he'd grown up.

Now, he even got all awkward about taking a bath together.

Tsk, tsk.

Milluki stared at his eldest brother in the photo, whose expression was no different from how it was now—if anything, it was even more ferocious—and grew even more confused.

Second Brother, take a good look at this photo. Really look.

Doesn't Eldest Brother look like he's about to kill someone?

If looks could kill, that photographer would have been a goner by now!

Still, it was strange that anyone had managed to photograph Eldest Brother and live.

"Second Brother, who took this?"

"Hisoka! Who else would dare?"

Oh. Then that explained it.

Looking at his now utterly disillusioned younger brother, Coleman shook him back to his senses.

"Hey, don't underestimate that big brother. He's become a perfectly competent photographer!"

What could ten years do for a person?

Coleman could tell you: it could turn someone into a jack-of-all-trades who could charm the guests, cook, take photos, drive, and serve as an all-around bodyguard!

Just look at Hisoka. Coleman had raised him into that, hadn't he?

"Really, you don't have to doubt me."

His Second Brother's words rang in Milluki's ears, but all he could picture was the clown's creepy face.

That guy, a photographer?

What a joke. It was already generous of him not to cover the camera in playing cards!

Coleman admired his younger brother's stunned expression, smiled without a word, and kept his achievements to himself.

You should be grateful. If I hadn't gotten those two weirdos under control, you might've been raised all wrong by that unreliable Illumi!

Luckily, I acted early and set Illumi on a "bright and proper path" from which there was no turning back.

That way, he became very accepting of all kinds of things.

Even the existence of people who were complete dead weight, beyond all hope of improvement, didn't bother him.

Otherwise, who knew how badly Illumi would've looked down on you? You're only moderately talented by our family's standards, and above average among ordinary people!

"Ah, Killua really was born in a good era!"

Milluki flipped through the photo album and sighed like a little adult.

Good thing my Second Brother stepped in early. Otherwise, who knows what Eldest Brother might've done to a kid as startlingly talented as Killua!33 Novel Website

"Ah, it's fine. Illumi probably won't do anything too extreme to Killua."

"?"

Milluki looked up, his face full of doubt.

How could he treat them differently?

Weren't they both Zoldyck children?!

Coleman tilted his head, met the little boy's eyes, and smiled. "Because Killua has white hair. The white-haired child is supposed to become the head of the family! If Illumi breaks Killua, who'll become the head?"

"You will!"

Milluki answered with perfect confidence.

You're still here, aren't you, Second Brother?

Coleman chuckled and shook his head.

"No, I can't."

"Why not?"

Was there discrimination or something?

We both have white hair. Why couldn't my Second Brother be the head?

Coleman sighed and pinched the little boy's chubby cheeks.

"Because Grandfather doesn't agree."

"..."

"He says there's something wrong with my thinking!"

That left little Milluki completely dumbfounded.

His delicate brows furrowed, his expression solemn, as if he were pondering some tremendously important question.

So, did anyone in our family have perfectly sound judgment?

"All right, don't think about useless things. Next time Illumi scolds you, just take whatever's useful from what he says. Getting mad at him will only hurt you."

He set the child down on a chair and helped him stand straight.

Coleman took out a measuring tape and began to measure him.

His hands kept moving, and so did his mouth.

"Just get used to it. He can't exactly do anything to you. Besides, maybe this just isn't where our little Milluki's talents lie."

Who said that members of an assassin family had to be talented at fighting?

"But will Father be disappointed?"

"Huh? That old man? Why do you care what he thinks? He has so many sons. As long as he has one reliable eldest son, isn't that enough?"

Even his second son wasn't reliable; Father scolded him all the time.

Coleman didn't care. You can scold all you want; I'll do what I want.

If you make me mad, I'll go tell Mother on you!

"But make sure you listen to Mother, okay? Mother likes you a lot!"

Coleman said with a beaming smile.

He wasn't wrong. Kikyo really did like obedient children.

Only if he did as he was told could he earn another word from her.

"Okay."

Milluki looked a little disappointed. He didn't want to let Father down.

"Life has three stages of growing up. First, realizing your parents are ordinary. Second, accepting that you're ordinary. Third, accepting that your children are ordinary."

"You can skip the first stage. Now, Milluki, think carefully about the second. Remember, no matter what you're like, Mom and Dad will always love their children. You'll always be part of the Zoldyck family."

From the moment you were born in that delivery room, no one could change that fact.

Until the day you died.

Coleman looked Milluki straight in the eye and spoke earnestly, his voice gentle.

Then, when he saw the child slowly fall into thought, he couldn't help smiling with satisfaction.

He checked the ruler in his hand, confirmed the measurements once more, and began the next step.

He stepped on the sewing machine pedal and got to work.

Clack, clack.

The old sewing machine made a soft noise in the room.

The warm afternoon sunshine streamed through the window, filling the room.

A breeze stirred the leaves outside, carrying the fragrance of the trees.

It drifted through the half-open window.

And came to rest beside the two children.

The cool touch of the breeze roused the child from his thoughts.

It was hard to say whether he'd figured things out or simply put the question out of his mind.

At any rate, the child blinked his dark eyes and looked happily at his brother.

"Th-then I'll try my best. You can't look down on me before then!"

"Of course!"

What kind of brother would look down on his little brother?

Illumi didn't look down on Coleman, did he?

Smiling, Coleman picked up the finished suit and examined it from every angle.

It looked like a perfect fit.

"Here, try it on. It's a present for you~"

Smiling, he bent down slightly and held out the neatly folded clothes to the child.

The sunlight seemed to be playing along, shining just right on Coleman.

Warm light gleamed on his silver-white hair.

The pure white suit made his figure look tall and trim.

His face didn't have the sharp angles of a man's, but its feminine softness didn't make the boy look effeminate.

Instead, he gave the impression of someone gentle and kind, a humble gentleman.

His easygoing warmth was like the sun in the sky.

He had no sharp fangs at all, like an angel in white robes.

He seemed to have descended into this sullied world, bearing the holiness of the heavens.

Milluki stared at his suddenly transformed Second Brother, dazzled.

For a moment, he even wondered:

Where had this pure angel come from?

Why had he fallen to earth?

Warm and harmonious, surrounded by holy light.

But the flash of crimson in his brother's eyes brought him back to his senses.

"Thank you, Second Brother! I'll wear it every day from now on!" he replied cheerfully.

"I'm glad you like it. Go play."

Brushing aside the strange feeling he'd just had, Milluki bounced away.

He forcibly banished the ridiculous thought and silently berated himself.

If Second Brother was an angel, then there wouldn't be any evil people in the world.

Then again, what if he really was an angel?

An angel who'd fallen from grace!

Watching Milluki hop away, Coleman's smile slowly faded.

The setting sun didn't linger for the warmth shared between the two.

It hurried on, without stirring a speck of dust, carrying out its task.

The light that had fallen on Coleman was long gone.

Now, the warm orange sunset left him in its wake.

He was hidden in shadow.

Concealed in darkness.

His crimson eyes were like soul-snaring hooks, flickering in a blood-red sea.

They swayed like the flowers of the afterlife blooming before the gates of hell.

The boy curled his lips into a smile.

Soft, intermittent laughter echoed through the room.

"What an interesting little child!"

As I thought, my original idea was right.

"It's more fun when there are a few normal children in the family!"

He muttered to himself, speaking alone.

Thinking about Milluki's personality, Coleman was very satisfied with this experiment.

"Sure enough, I love humans most of all!"

With a sigh, Coleman picked up the top hat he'd set aside.

He swayed slowly, stepping to a beat only he could hear.

Little by little, he walked into the darkness.

His white figure slowly disappeared.

Lost amid the endless shadows.

It was a place the sunlight could never reach.

Here, the demon slowly grew.

So, what pure angel?

He was nothing but a demon beguiling humanity, disguised in sheep's clothing.

Harmless to look at, yet utterly vicious.

.Thank you to the great author Miao Shijiu for Hunter x Hunter: Ultimate Elegance.