Illumi stormed off in a huff.
His smooth black hair swayed behind him as he turned on his heel and left, giving Roy nothing more than the back of his head.
Roy watched him go. With just one glance, he caught the stubbornness and unwillingness drifting naturally from the aura rising off the crown of Illumi's head, a deep, shadowy gray...
Roy smiled and let him go. Then he lay back down on the bed and started conserving his strength.
There were still about seven hours left until dawn.
Roy folded his hands over his lower abdomen, closed his eyes, and let his consciousness sink once more into his inner world through deep sleep.
This time, he did not open the Hokage Gate and enter the Naruto world.
Instead, he rolled up his pant legs, took off his shoes and socks, and strolled barefoot along the shore, letting the tides of the Sea of Cognition rise and fall around his feet.
After a while, he stopped in front of the Demon Slayer Gate. He hesitated for a moment, then reached out, pushed the door open, and stepped inside...
Buzz—
That familiar sensation of falling struck again.
The role named Kamado Rōichirō reconnected.
When Roy opened his eyes again, all he saw was a small grave mound and a field of withered spider lilies swaying softly in the wind.
Roy stood there in silence for a moment, recalling how he had once looked across the other shore with the Sage of Six Paths. He wondered whether Yoriichi Tsugikuni had found his wife and child on the far side yet.
The boy gazed deeply into the night, lost in thought.
Then, in the next instant, his body dissolved into light. Hidden within the moonlight, he drifted toward home.
The three wooden houses in the open clearing, surrounded by forest, gradually came into view, arranged in a neat row like the character 品.
From inside came the faint, intermittent sound of snoring.
Roy did not reveal himself. He simply remained hidden in the moonlight and watched his mother Kie, his father Tanjuro, his grandmother, Nezuko, Tanjiro, Takeo, and Shigeru, while little Hanako was curled up like a kitten in Kie's arms.
As he watched them, his understanding of bonds, blood ties, and even causality deepened further.
More than that—
somewhere deep inside, Roy suddenly had the feeling that if he wanted to, he could use those causal threads at any time to influence these people's lives.
And in the same way, he could use the Causality Blade to erase his bond with the Kamado family altogether—as if he had never existed in their lives at all, as if he had never been the Kamado family's eldest son.
But was that really what he wanted?
Was that what the Kamado family wanted?
Roy hovered in the night like a strand of moonlight. Then suddenly, he heard a gentle, drifting voice say:
"Rōichirō... is that you?"
Roy froze and looked down.
Step... step...
Soft footsteps came from inside the house and carried all the way to the wooden porch.
There, beneath the flood of moonlight, Tanjuro, with a robe thrown loosely over his shoulders, leaned against a pillar and looked directly toward the place where Roy was hiding in the moonlight.
His gaze was warm.
Clearly, the Transparent World had advanced even further for the healthy Tanjuro.
"Father. Are you well?"
Roy knew he couldn't hide it any longer. He slowly emerged from the moonlight, descending onto the porch with spiraling air currents beneath his feet. His long crimson hair flowed behind him, and in that instant, he looked exactly like Tanjuro once had.
The only difference was that Tanjuro back then had been frail and sickly, while the boy before him now was strong, healthy, and almost as broad and imposing as he was.
It was enough to make a man sigh.
Waves rippled through Tanjuro's eyes as he said softly, "After taking the medicine you brought, I've been much better."
Roy gave a light hum and drifted over to stand beside him. Together they gazed up at the bright moon hanging high overhead.
Then Tanjuro asked, "Should I wake your mother?"
Roy shook his head.
"No. Partings are too bitter. I don't want to see Mother cry again."
With both hands tucked into his sleeves, Tanjuro nodded soundlessly.
Then father and son fell silent together, as if their mouths had been sewn shut by the same thread.
After a long while, Roy finally lifted his foot and said, "Father, I'm going."
Tanjuro said nothing.
Just as Roy was about to ride the moonlight away, Tanjuro reached out and smoothed the wrinkles from his clothes, then quietly said:
"Every time you come home, something important happens. Your father feels ashamed that he can't be there beside you."
"So—"
"Rōichirō," Tanjuro said, gently rubbing Roy's head with deep affection, "please take care of yourself."
"I hope the next time I see you, you'll still be whole and unharmed."
"Yes!"
Roy smiled brightly, and a warm current flowed silently through his heart.
He looked deeply at Tanjuro. Then, over the man's shoulder, his gaze lingered one by one on his mother Kie, his grandmother, Nezuko, Hanako, and on Tanjiro, Takeo, and Shigeru in the side room.
Then his body gradually turned into light—
and slowly vanished from Tanjuro's sight.
That left the man standing there alone, leaning against the porch pillar, staring blankly at the sky for a long, long time before he could come back to himself.
A gust of wind swept through, stirring the forest and setting the leaves rustling.
Roy left home and flew straight toward Mount Sagiri.
That night, he met his teacher again.
He drank and sang with his senior brothers and sisters, completely relaxing himself among the mountains and rivers.
At the very end, with the last bowl of sake, he clinked cups with Sabito—
tilted his head back, and drained it in one gulp.
Then, after letting out a long, satisfying breath, the night passed straight into dawn.
At that moment, he opened his eyes hazily, passed back through the Gate of Cognition, left the Demon Slayer world, and returned to the Hunter world...
Dong—
At four in the morning, the clock in the corner struck the hour.
Roy lay sprawled across the soft bed like a starfish. Just as on the night he had drunk through till morning with Sabito and Makomo and had to be helped back to bed by Urokodaki Sakonji, he now felt refreshed and full of vigor from head to toe.
"Caw!"
Right on cue, a crow's cry sounded by his pillow.
Goldie flew over, sleepily opened its eyes, and plopped itself down on Roy's head again, settling back into its nest. Its head bobbed up and down so much that Roy couldn't help wondering whether it had actually stood guard all night, or whether it had just slept the whole time.
Still, this was hardly the time to worry about that.
With a thought, Roy drew Goldie back into his body, flipped himself upright, pulled on training clothes and running shoes, and—just like any other day—began his morning run around all of Kukuroo Mountain.
At that same moment, in the second-floor bedroom of the Zoldyck family castle, the lights came on, and a tall figure was already dressed and ready.
At that same moment, at the westernmost room on the first floor of the castle, Illumi sat before a mirror, dark circles under his eyes from a sleepless night, combing himself into order.
At that same moment, in the castle garden, the two old men were already awake and moving. One stood in horse stance, delivering straight punches over and over with perfect form. The other held a watering can, watering the flowerbeds while a round-headed bean in a neatly pressed suit bustled after him.
It all painted a picture of tranquil domestic peace—
except it was perhaps a little too peaceful.
Roy swung his bedroom door shut behind him, passed through the old mottled corridor heavy with the weight of time and history, stepped out of the castle's main gate, and focused as he ran downhill toward the mountain path.
Several gazes tracked him as he moved, each carrying its own thoughts, but all their hearts were fixed on him.
Can he really do it?
Beans was attending to Netero as he practiced his punches, a clean towel draped over his arm. His tiny bean-like eyes rolled as he followed Roy's retreating figure into Kukuroo Mountain—only to jump when Zeno's voice suddenly cut in.
"Move."
Zeno, white hair waving wildly, had taken off his sleepwear and changed back into his robe. The words "One Kill a Day, Active for Life" were back across his chest. He stepped forward, nudged Beans aside, and tipped the watering can in his hand, sending a thin stream over the tulips in front of Beans.
Beans hurriedly stepped back to clear the way, then looked again toward Roy's back—only to see the boy vanish into the forest in an instant.
"Ho ho ho... that boy's so calm, he's got us old fossils looking more nervous than he is."
With a punch of gratitude, Netero struck forward and exhaled a long breath. Taking the towel Beans handed him, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and glanced over his shoulder.
In front of the massive floor-to-ceiling window on the second floor, the man stood like a statue, watching Roy disappear into the distance. Battle intent faintly radiated off him.
It was desire.
It was anticipation.
And more than anything—
it was impatience.
The water from the can dampened the tulips. Zeno's white hair swayed as he lifted his head. There were dark circles under his eyes too.
Following Netero's glance, he looked toward Silva and let out an unreadable little laugh.
Netero slanted a glance at Zeno, stroked his beard, and gave a low grunt. A trace of a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
The sky looked clear today. It would be a good day.
As for what kind of hell it would turn into once they actually started fighting...
That was another story.
The sound of Roy's footsteps gradually faded.
At last, when there was no longer any trace of him to be seen from above, Silva finally disappeared from that great window on the second floor.
The moon was dipping west.
The red sun was about to rise in the east.
At the brink of dawn, light was already stirring beneath the horizon.
As usual, Roy ran through the woods, down the stone steps, past the butler villa, until at the end of the stairs he found Kuraging standing guard by the mountain gate with her staff, just as she always did, her blond hair tied in a high ponytail.
Roy moved—
and in the next instant flashed right in front of her, so close his breath brushed past her ear.
"Didn't I approve your leave? Why are you still working?"
Kuraging shuddered. Her ear went numb and tingled, and two faint red clouds rose on her cheeks. She bowed to Roy and said, "Good morning, Young Master."
Then she straightened up again and answered shyly, "Pika still hasn't woken up. I didn't have anything to do, so I thought I'd come stand guard for a bit..."
"Is he adjusting?"
"He's doing pretty well."
"That's good."
Roy nodded without much reaction, then stepped past her shoulder and continued running toward the mountain gate. Suddenly, the girl gathered her courage and called after him:
"Good luck, Young Master!"
Roy waved a hand behind him without turning, moved again, and vanished.
By the time he returned, the run was over and he was back in his bedroom.
Rumble...
Outside the door came the soft sound of a dining cart rolling across the stone floor.
By the time Roy had taken a quick shower and come out, Tsubone had already finished laying out a lavish breakfast on the dining table.
With one glance, it was obvious it was all Roy's favorites.
Clearly the kitchen had gone to extra effort in advance.
Using the Intent of Scorching Truth, Roy steamed the dampness from his hair dry in an instant, tossed the towel to Tsubone, and bit into a sandwich with bacon.
"Tell me. Any news lately from Hall's side?"
The curse mark on the back of his left hand was still steadily counting down Roy's life as always. Anything involving Grandfather Zigg, the Church of Truth, or the unknown existence behind that church was something Roy would never and could never treat carelessly—
not even on a day like today.
Tsubone, with her Barbie-pink twin ponytails hanging down behind her, carefully glanced at Roy when she heard the question.
Seeing that he looked as calm as ever, as though the battle about to come meant nothing to him at all, the old butler steadied herself, adjusted the reading glasses on her nose, and answered respectfully:
"Hall has been monitoring the Church of Truth the entire time. He called last night and said that one of his informants claims to have personally seen..."
"That Hisoka Morow—the one Young Master killed before—may not actually be dead. He's reportedly been spotted inside the church again recently..."
Roy had already expected as much.
His expression didn't change.
He stabbed another piece of sandwich with his fork and tossed it into his mouth.
"Tell Hall I know. And also—"
"Tell him he doesn't need to keep watching Hisoka Morow so closely. He's not the priority."
Known enemies weren't scary.
Unknown ones were what really made your hands shake.
Roy crunched through the sandwich in a few bites and washed it down with milk.
At the side, Tsubone respectfully acknowledged it.
Then, as she handed Roy a napkin, she smoothly moved on to another piece of intelligence.
"At around 2:15 this morning, someone tagged Young Master on the Hunter website."
The Hunter website?
Roy's brows twitched. He looked over at Tsubone.
"Was it a man named Ging?"
"No."
Tsubone handed over the organized info she had prepared.
"It was an organization called the Biological Investigation Team."
"They identified themselves as Kite. They said they had crossed paths with Young Master during the Hunter Exam."
"Late last night, they sent an invitation asking Young Master to assist in examining the fragments of a certain creature's leg..."
Roy froze.
His expression turned grave in an instant.
He set down his knife and fork, took the file from Tsubone, and opened it.
What met his eyes was—
an ant leg the size of an adult human, covered in dense tibial and tarsal segments, with hard bristles like steel needles that stabbed at the eyes just from looking at it.
Roy's face shifted.
The first thing he thought of was—
Chimera Ants.
B-rank creatures from the Dark Continent, which should not have appeared until ten years later.
And yet they had shown up early.
Hard to say...
For them to emerge at a time like this, it was almost as if they had chosen this moment specifically to target someone...
Roy turned his head and looked out the window.
Netero's great Buddha-like ears stood out as he sat in the garden eating with Zeno.
In Roy's deepening gaze,
thought slowly began to form.
~~~
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