Hello everyone, I’m Xiao Mo from Kukuroo Mountain, and my dream is to become the world’s greatest Pokémon master.
Since my game backpack now has a "Pets" category, I’ve started trying to [Pick Up] all sorts of living creatures (including humans) as pets. Unfortunately, at the moment, only "New Orleans" can be [Picked Up] as a pet.
After considering factors like affection level, size, difficulty of care, and combat ability, I decided to start with low-level pets—goldfish and rabbits, which I already liked in the "real world"—to see if they could meet the conditions to be [Picked Up] as pets after some time.
I have a rival who was also born on Kukuroo Mountain, named Xiao Yi. My first pet was killed by him.
I absolutely cannot let my new pets fall victim to him!
After settling the goldfish and rabbits, I made a point to sternly warn Illumi that these were important research materials for my Nen abilities and that I had already reported them to his mother, Kikyo, and his father, Silva. If he dared touch my pets, his father would teach him the difference between being a human and a dog.
"Understood," he immediately raised his right hand and promised, "I won’t do anything."
Hmph!
I took out a separate notebook to use as a *Pet Care Log*, writing in it every night before bed and then storing it in my game backpack. No one else can see it—100% safe. So satisfying.
The game backpack’s rule about not being able to [Pick Up] living things isn’t entirely strict. Besides "New Orleans," live insects can also be [Picked Up].
Come to think of it, could I imitate Miroku from *Inuyasha* and store some poisonous insects to release when needed, swarming the enemy in a dark cloud? In fact, I could go even further than Miroku—since Specialization and Manipulation are adjacent categories on the Nen affinity chart, I should be able to develop Manipulation-type Nen abilities relatively easily to control the insects and launch precise attacks.
Oh, right, wasn’t there a character in the original series who could control insects? Her name was Ponzu. She could manipulate bees to gather intel and attack enemies. Later, she got shot in the head by a random Chimera Ant grunt and was eaten down to the bones.
"……" Thinking about it, the types of insects you can usually control tend to have very limited attack power. Once you run into an enemy with high defense, they’re useless.
No, let me broaden my perspective. Ponzu wasn’t a professional. I remember *Naruto* had a clan that specialized in insect manipulation, with Shino Aburame as their representative. Since he was a side character, I don’t remember much about him, but my strongest impression was that his clan raised insects inside their bodies, feeding them with their own chakra. A cross-section of their bodies would show them densely packed with bugs—just thinking about it gives me trypophobia.
The strength of Shino’s insects lay in their ability to devour chakra. So, in this world, are there insects that can devour "Nen"?
After some thought, the only one that comes to mind is the Chimera Ant King, who could swallow people whole and consume their "Nen" as food.
But the Chimera Ant King, being the pinnacle of combat strength, would never stoop to being a lackey for a small fry like me. Cross that out.
Another issue is that Shino’s insects were a powerful breed cultivated by his clan over generations. The Zoldycks prefer raising large magical beasts, not insects, so they have no insect-related inventory. I can’t rely on family resources here. So, would I have to find and raise insects myself? Just imagining those densely packed insect eggs makes my scalp crawl—I’m not really a fan of bugs.
Ew, too gross. Unless absolutely necessary, I don’t want to delve into insect-related skills.
Besides, manipulating insects doesn’t seem very promising. Shino had almost no presence in *Naruto*, and in the sequel *Boruto*, he even became a comic relief character, using a swarm of bugs to save a little girl from falling, only to terrify her in the process.
I also remember a side character in *Yu-Gi-Oh!* who played with insects. He became famous for pissing off the protagonist, who then proceeded to obliterate him, dealing over 10,000 damage.
All in all, insect users generally lack coolness, and none of them have happy endings. The future looks bleak.
As the prettiest cat of the Zoldyck family, when I go out in the future, even if I don’t consider the family’s reputation, I should at least have some personal image to maintain, right? There’s no need to waste skill points on a weak ability!
That’s right! I don’t want to play with bugs! I already have too much to do every day! When would I even have time for bugs? Every day, I have to do basic Nen training, [Pick Up] various items into my game backpack for testing, take care of my pets, research the functions and limitations of the game backpack, secretly observe Illumi’s progress in developing his Nen abilities, and write *Pet Care Logs* and *Diaries* to store in the "Memo & Diary" section of my game backpack.
I even "convinced" "Meruem Zoldyck" to help me keep an eye on whether Illumi sticks any needles in my head. She replied with an "Oh," which, rounded up, counts as agreement.
The latest breakthrough in my game backpack research is that I created a "Weapons" category. After moving items into the "Weapons" section, checking their details shows their attack power as weapons—currently determined by hardness and sharpness.
But isn’t this something anyone could tell without the game backpack? Like, obviously a kitchen knife has higher attack power than a carrot, right?
Feels kinda redundant.
The mystery of Specialization lies in the fact that many things can only be figured out by the Nen user themselves. The Zoldycks haven’t given me much advice on exploring the game backpack’s functions, leaving it all up to me—which is already the greatest support they can offer.
With my not-so-brilliant mind, I’ve been tinkering with the game backpack, and before I knew it, time flew by. My third brother, Killua, burst into the world—no, I mean, he was born.
July 7th.
At the time, I was sitting quietly on the grass, imitating Hunter Association Chairman Netero’s method of cultivating closeness to nature as part of my "Ten" training. My pet rabbit was grazing nearby.
I named it "Bunbun." Naming is important—how can a pet not have a name?
By the way, I named the goldfish "Sashimi."
"Master! It’s happening! It’s happening! The mistress has given birth! A big, healthy boy!" A butler rushed over excitedly to report.
Wait, no, that’s not how it went.
The actual situation was that the butler very calmly informed me, "Young Mistress, Lady Kikyo requests your presence."
For a moment, I didn’t process it. It wasn’t until I arrived at the destination and saw the swaddling cloth that I remembered today was the canonical birth date of Killua—July 7th. Great, it’s still following the original story.
I was the last to arrive. By the time I entered the room, it was already filled with joy. Only I, unaware of the situation, stood out awkwardly.
"Meruem!" Kikyo snapped me out of my daze. "Come meet your little brother! Killua has silver hair just like you! He’s so adorable!"
"!" Obviously! You don’t have to tell me! I already knew Killua was adorable! Anyone who’s read the original knows Killua is the cutest! From the very first time I read it, Killua was my favorite!
Killua in the swaddle was like any other baby, his tiny fists naturally clenched as he slept soundly.
His chubby little face looked about the same as Illumi’s and Milluki’s did as babies. Okay, fine, I’m a bit face-blind. They *are* brothers, after all, and babies’ features aren’t fully developed yet, so it’s hard for me to tell them apart.
Milluki, seeing a newborn for the first time, leaned over the crib and curiously poked Killua’s round little face with his finger.
"Hmm, cuter than Milluki was at that age," Illumi crossed his arms and commented by the crib.
"Hey!" Milluki grumbled in mild dissatisfaction.
Kikyo, already immersed in the joy of motherhood, was beyond excited. But when she saw the standard birth report, her emotions skyrocketed to their peak—picture the scene of Beijing winning the Olympic bid.
Yes, this was another unprecedented event in Zoldyck history—the most exceptional talent ever recorded.
One glance was enough to confirm: this child was the most suited to inherit the Zoldyck name.
Silva and Zeno’s delight was written all over their faces.
Ah, the rising star of the Zoldycks, the future family head who would lead them to even greater heights—the future of the Zoldycks was brimming with infinite hope. Too bad they didn’t know Killua’s talent would surpass the very definition of a Zoldyck. As the saying goes, "A small temple cannot contain a great Buddha." In the future, Killua wouldn’t want to be an assassin or inherit the family—he’d follow Gon and become a Hunter. Bet you didn’t see that coming, Zoldycks!
"……This is way too exaggerated, right?!" Milluki was even questioning reality. "There’s no mistake?"
"At this level, they would’ve double-checked. No errors," Illumi said. "This is probably the best data in our family’s history, right, Mother?"
Kikyo didn’t answer. She was too overwhelmed with joy, temporarily deaf to the world.
"……" Illumi poked Killua’s cheek with his finger.
Why is everyone poking Killua’s face? Is it that fun to poke?
Damn it, I can’t fall behind!
Just as I reached out, a gaze as sharp as a blade followed my movements. I knew it was Illumi. But in front of the whole family, under the watchful eyes of the two biggest bosses in the Zoldyck dungeon, there was no way Illumi could do anything to me. I ignored him completely, not even glancing his way. Not only did I poke Killua’s face, but I also pinched his cheeks and stroked his soft silver hair—completely unrestrained.
I got to pet Killua! I got to pet Killua! I got to pet Killua!
Do you know why I have a hawk, goldfish, and rabbit but no cat? Because Killua *is* the cat! With Killua around, who needs other cats?! Of course not! And I don’t need other brothers either! Killua is the only brother I need! Well, okay, I still need Milluki for future tech support, but the rest can take a hike!
Goodbye, Illumi. You’re no brother of mine. Let’s forget each other and live our separate lives on Kukuroo Mountain!
The customary Zoldyck newborn photoshoot was canceled because Kikyo refused to let go of Killua, unable to get enough of him.
Damn it, I wanna hold Killua too!
I even bought him a rattle, handbell, and baby grasping ball in advance!
I didn’t buy a skateboard—if I got it too early, it’d be outdated by the time he could use it, and that’d be embarrassing.
It took a few days before I got the chance to hold Killua in the torture chamber.
Yes, the torture chamber.
Oh, sorry, Killua. I thought you were exaggerating when you said, "I’ve been electrocuted since birth," but turns out it was true!
Well, his talent *is* enough to endure this inhuman training. He keeps rewriting Zoldyck history.
Killua’s OP! (Screaming)
Ah, hope. Even the Zoldycks are dazzled by it. With Killua’s birth, I feel like the entire atmosphere of Kukuroo Mountain has changed.
It’s like a spotlight suddenly shining on a dark stage—all eyes are on Killua. Ah, this is what a protagonist looks like. As expected of the main character.
Kikyo’s attention toward me has drastically decreased, making it much easier to write my diary in secret before bed.
But I can’t let my guard down. If my skills are too weak, I’ll be humiliated in front of Killua when Illumi bullies me in the future! I need to start caring about my image! I practiced friendly smiles in front of the mirror, only to be ruthlessly mocked by "Meruem Zoldyck."
……Hmph.
The daily family task of checking in on baby Killua is so sweet that I often linger, reluctant to leave.
If it weren’t for Illumi being a threat, I wouldn’t even want to do basic Nen training.
I *really* want to switch jobs and become Killua’s full-time nanny.
Look, I’ve already learned how to hold a baby and feed him!
Suddenly, baby Killua starts wailing in my arms.
"!!!" Did I hold him wrong?!
No, that’s not it. I smell it—baby Killua just pooped.
∑(((゜д゜;)))
Ah, I *could* change his diaper, but… is it really okay for me to see the key area of my teenage first love this early?
No, if possible, I’d rather never see it. Keeping a proper distance is the only way to preserve the pure, beautiful memories of my youth.
In other words, I’m like the man who loved dragons but panicked when he saw a real one.
Even though my brain was screaming, "No, can’t look at Killua’s xx, even if it’s just a baby, it’s too R-rated," my hands moved on their own, reaching for that sinful area.
The moment I touched the diaper, the [Pick Up] prompt appeared.
"?!"
Poop can be [Picked Up]?! Because it’s detached from the body and doesn’t count as a personal item?! No, that’s not the issue here!
∑(((゜д゜;)))!!!
No, no, I really can’t accept this.
Even though poop is, in a way, a very powerful weapon… no, no way, too hardcore. Don’t tempt me to [Pick Up] weird stuff!
Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
[Pick Up] [Killua’s Poop x1]
"……" Ah, I still ended up [Picking] it up.
I couldn’t help it. After being able to [Pick Up] ordinary items, I can’t resist putting anything new into my game backpack.
"?!!!" x2
I’ll never forget the sight of Kikyo and Illumi standing there, utterly stunned, like wooden chickens.
"Don’t pick up things like that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Kikyo’s scream echoed through the Zoldyck mansion, the exclamation marks nearly breaking the dialogue box limit again. "!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Meruem!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"