HxH : Saiki Kusuo’s Ordinary Days in the Zoldyck Family

Why did I have to get death threats the moment I got here? I haven't even done anything yet.

[Since this guy came to Meteor City, he has to follow our rules. He looks about my age… better act fast before someone else gets to him!]

Do regular folks in Meteor City rob people too? Why not just rename this place Thieves' Town?

He was fast—his plan was to slash Saiki Kusuo's ankle, then stab him in the chest while he was distracted by the pain…

[This'll be my first win… wait, something's not right.]

Saiki Kusuo bent down on one knee and looked the boy in the eye. Now that he saw him up close, he realized the boy was actually his age—just thinner and smaller, probably due to poor nutrition in Meteor City.

The boy looked shocked. [This knife—I've sharpened it with a stone day and night. It's so sharp I could cut hair with it. I'm sure it could cut through two grown men without even dulling. So why didn't it even scratch his clothes?!]

…Weird example.

Also, he thought he slashed Kusuo's ankle earlier, but there wasn't a single cut. Who was this guy? Could it be… someone with powers?

He must mean nen powers. Even a kid here knows about that? Yare yare… Well, I have my own question too—like where I can find a place to stay. I could've teleported home or found some lowkey hotel, but this big bro keeps tailing me, so I guess I'll have to ask someone.

[I need to ask you something. Do you need help standing up?] Saiki Kusuo reached out. He had a favor to ask, after all, so helping a little wouldn't hurt.

[What is with this guy?!] The boy looked at Kusuo in disbelief. [I just tried to stab him, literally tried to kill him, and now he's just asking me a question like nothing happened… Could it be, if this guy's some cold-blooded killer, once I answer him, I'm dead?!]

Saiki Kusuo: No, I really just want to ask a very normal question. That's it.

The boy cautiously stood up, though his legs were shaking.

[No… There's still a chance… They're nearby. If I can just lead this guy to them…]

Yare yare… Don't go plotting something shady right in front of me. Does everyone here have like 800 schemes running at once? Just thinking about it is exhausting.

"P-please come with me. I won't attack anymore. The knife… I'm putting it down."

[This knife is the key to my trial! Damn it! If I let go of this knife, am I giving up my life too?!] thought the boy.

Well, you were the one who said you'd put it down, weren't you?

Totally confused. Even for Saiki Kusuo, this was a rare situation. He had ended up in a completely unfamiliar place. Still, it didn't matter. With telepathy, it wouldn't take him more than three days to figure out the rules of this place.

The boy led the way, and Saiki Kusuo followed, glancing once at the knife left on the ground. The knife was surprisingly good. In a place like Meteor City full of trash, it looked almost brand new—kind of a waste to leave it behind.

Maybe taking it would earn him some points with Illumi. He needed Illumi to see that he wasn't naive or dumb. Saiki Kusuo moved his fingers slightly. The knife, as if pulled by something, flew into his hand.

Meteor City had existed for over a thousand years.

It was a dark, forgotten place—a dumping ground for everything the world had thrown away.

Non-recyclable trash, all kinds of waste, even abandoned babies.

Those who were cast aside ended up gathering here. Despite the harsh conditions of living in giant piles of garbage, people managed to build villages. The adults raised children who couldn't survive on their own.

Although Meteor City was full of trash, over time, it was divided into different zones. Some of these areas, with help from outsiders, had already been turned into something else, and that change spread to other areas as well. Illegal factories and black markets quietly took root here, far away from any law. Criminal organizations were both the backers and the ones profiting from it all.

But about ten years ago, things started to change. The locals connected to the internet, used their own special legal status, and somehow ended up *inviting* evil to settle here. Now, Meteor City was home to all sorts of underground businesses—on the dark web, you could find guns, drugs, and even organs being sold.

Back then, tens of thousands of people went missing here every year. Life had no guarantee. You could lose everything at any time.

But four years ago, something unexpected happened.

A powerful new group showed up—people with Nen abilities. On their very first day, they attacked a gang hideout, took all their loot, and dumped it out on the main street in broad daylight!

This group wasn't made up of outsiders. No, they were born and raised right here in Meteor City!

They used their strength to take control of an area and belonged to no one—not the Elders, not any group.

They changed the relationship between Meteor City and the criminal gangs from forced cooperation to equal deals! They blew up illegal factories, used the money they got from raiding them to buy spaceship supplies from outside, and dropped them in from the sky! They claimed territory and turned it into a protected zone—anyone who kidnapped Meteor City residents inside it would be hunted down and killed, even if they had to chase them to the ends of the earth. If they had family, the family would be killed too!

Their extreme revenge made many gangs who once ruled the area shrink back and start negotiating with the Elders like scared little turtles. These people became the pride of Meteor City.

They were—The Phantom Troupe!

Saiki Kusuo: So, they're basically just bandit leaders.

Saiki Kusuo: Even after all that setup making them sound like heroes, in the end, they're just a thief group. Makes sense. Big brother's already fifteen this year, so the Troupe must've formed a few years ago.

So… the person he's about to meet is Chrollo?

Saiki Kusuo thought for a second, then changed direction and walked away.

Are you kidding? Meet Chrollo? That guy is a master manipulator, one of the smartest people in the manga. There's no way Saiki wanted to get involved with someone like that.

Meeting main characters = trouble = endless trouble = peaceful life ruined.

Hisoka was the perfect example. Saiki still regretted ever running into that guy.

But it looked like avoiding Chrollo might not be possible anymore.

Just as Saiki Kusuo turned around, the tip of an umbrella pressed against his chin. One second was enough for his x-ray vision to confirm—whatever was under that umbrella, it wasn't a normal setup.

The boy from earlier had already run off. The one holding the umbrella was short—even though Saiki was only nine and already short, this guy was slightly shorter than him.

[Tch. That knife must've belonged to the boy. He probably got threatened and brought this guy here for help?]

Apparently, being short was already a clue to who it was.

"Hey, your eyes really are in the wrong place. They're annoying to look at," Feitan said in a raspy voice that didn't match his size. "You're a Nen user, right? You've got three seconds. Tell me your ability, or I'll dig it out of you myself. I'd suggest the first option—because once the second one starts, there's no way to stop it."

Feitan. Not an easy guy to deal with. *Sheesh*, why do I always end up running into people like this?

No choice but to stay still and wait.

As Saiki Kusuo stayed silent, footsteps came from behind—about five people. A black-haired, black-eyed man led the way, followed by several others with different builds and looks. All clearly core members of the Phantom Troupe. Saiki Kusuo recognized every one of them.

Then, suddenly, he froze.

He had let his guard down. Coming to this giant trash heap, he saw everyone living normal lives, and forgot one basic fact:

This whole place was incredibly unhygienic. In a place like this, it was totally normal for certain creatures to appear—creatures that didn't think, were pitch black, had antennae…

Worst of all? People here were used to it!

So used to it that they'd let those bugs crawl on them and still walk around like nothing was happening!

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