[101]: Killua's Brother

January 7, 1999.

Cyr and Maro arrived in Zaban City, where the Hunter Exam would take place.

The exam site was underground, but they remained aboard their airship, looking over this year's candidates' profiles.

Through hidden cameras, they compared the footage to the records, matching each examinee to their respective file.

Meanwhile, deep within Zaban City's underground labyrinth, hundreds of examinees from around the world had already gathered.

Among them was a seasoned veteran—Tonpa.

Having taken the exam countless times, he silently observed this year's batch of hopefuls.

Many of them looked familiar—faces he had seen in previous years, only to fail due to various unfortunate circumstances.

The most dangerous candidate this year was probably that magician, Hisoka.

The guy had gone on a killing spree in the last exam and got disqualified for it.

As for the rest…

Tonpa's gaze swept across the crowd, stopping on a few completely unfamiliar faces.

Total newcomers.

And some of them were shockingly young.

Then, his eyes landed on a white-haired figure—and his heart nearly stopped.

For a moment, he panicked, thinking it was him.

But upon closer inspection—no black tattoos, different eyes, slightly different features—he exhaled in relief.

Phew.

For a second, he thought last year's walking disaster had returned.

Thankfully, it wasn't him.

Though… this new kid was about the same age as that guy.

At a glance, it would be easy to mistake them for each other.

But there was no way he would come back—he had already passed last year.

Tonpa ignored the blinding white-haired newbie and shifted his focus back to a spiky-haired boy in green.

That bright smile… those clear, naïve eyes…

Ah, yes.

That's my target this year.

A fresh, clueless newbie.

Let me, as your senior, teach you… what the Hunter Exam is really like.

"Yo, nice to meet you! I'm Tonpa!"

He cheerfully leaped down from the wall, extending a friendly greeting to the newcomers.

Gon and his group, who had been silently scrutinized by other veteran examinees, were pleasantly surprised by Tonpa's warmth.

Smiling, they shook his hand in return.

—

The examiner, clad in a suit, landed gracefully from above.

Clicking his pocket watch shut, he made a formal announcement:

"Registration is now closed.

This year's examinees: 404.

The first phase of the exam… begins now."

—

As the seemingly endless running test began, some examinees fell behind, while others tried to cheat by taking shortcuts.

"Mr. Tonpa, you must know a lot about these candidates, right?" Gon asked, curious.

It was always a good idea to understand one's opponents.

"Of course," Tonpa replied confidently. "I recognize most of them. And a few… are particularly dangerous."

He began explaining:

"…Candidate #44, Hisoka the Magician. He took the exam last year and would've passed, but he attacked an examiner and indirectly caused the deaths of several other candidates. Because of that, he got disqualified…"

"But there were two people who passed last year. Both were newcomers."

"Only two?" Gon exclaimed in surprise.

"That's already amazing," Kurapika chimed in. "On average, only one newcomer passes every three years."

Suddenly, a white blur zipped past them—someone skating ahead on a hoverboard.

Tonpa instinctively turned his head away, clamming up immediately.

His mouth snapped shut.

He wasn't talking anymore.

—

Later, when Leorio and another examinee started falling behind, Tonpa pretended to be helpful.

Acting like a good samaritan, he led them toward a forest of sugi trees.

These particular trees secreted a sweet-smelling sap—a scent that would trap anyone who inhaled it in powerful hallucinations.

"I've always liked the title 'Rookie Killer,'" he murmured, leaving the two paralyzed behind.

Last year, he hadn't gotten the chance to target any rookies—because the rookies were terrifying.

But this year…

Aside from that white-haired brat, the other newbies should be fair game.

But not him.

Tonpa didn't even want to look at him.

He was doing everything in his power to avoid the white-haired brat—yet, after barely finishing his half-hearted trickery on Gon and Kurapika, he was blocked.

Face-to-face with white hair and blue eyes, Tonpa felt his soul leave his body.

A pained expression twisted his face.

I don't want to see this kid!!!

Even his voice was eerily similar to that walking disaster from last year!

So much so that, even when the newbie brat started making blatant threats, Tonpa didn't dare say a word.

Instead, he silently shuffled away, hugging the wall, pretending he didn't exist.

Last year had taught him a valuable lesson:

Avoid white-haired, cocky little monsters at all costs.

That thought was etched into his brain—and it only solidified further when Gon and the others escaped the hallucination-inducing sugi tree trap.

Tonpa offered them juice, trying to play it off—only for the white-haired brat to lazily take it from him instead.

That casual, disdainful expression—that smirk—

It threw him straight back to last year's exam.

That time, he had played dead just to survive.

Now, his instincts screamed at him to leave immediately.

A shiver ran down Tonpa's spine.

—

"Tonpa… seems kind of scared of Killua, doesn't he?" Gon tilted his head, his animal-like instincts picking up on it.

"I think so too," Kurapika nodded in agreement. "Every time he sees Killua, he just shuts up."

"Killua, do you know him?" Gon asked curiously.

"Nope."

With a single hand, the white-haired boy crushed the soda can flat—his tone blunt and uninterested.

"Ha… ha… ha…"

Tonpa suddenly forced out an awkward laugh.

A horrifying thought surfaced in his mind.

This kid…

Could he be related to that monster from last year?!

"I-it's just… he looks like someone I know, that's all." Tonpa's smile strained as he tried to explain.

"Do you have any siblings? White-haired, blue-eyed, but with slightly different blue eyes and some black tattoos?"

His voice was uneasy, hesitant.

If they were brothers…

Would he come looking for revenge?!

"…No."

Killua blinked, pausing for a moment to mentally review his siblings.

Yeah, no.

None of his brothers had white hair—he was the only one.

The rest all had black hair.

Sometimes, he even found it a little… disappointing.

"That's weird… they look so alike. Even their voices sound the same…" Tonpa mumbled, utterly confused.

Is this just some insane coincidence?!

How did I end up running into both of them?!

—

"Someone looks like me?"

Killua seemed mildly intrigued by the idea of a person who resembled him enough to be mistaken as his brother.

Not far away, a strange man covered in nails slowly tilted his head, his joints making a clicking noise.

A person who resembled Killua…

He had encountered someone like that before.

Once, that person had even been his target.

The thought made him instinctively glance toward a red-haired figure holding playing cards.

That man's smile carried a faint sense of hunger, an almost predatory craving—

As if he could turn feral at any second.

—

"They're at least 80% alike," Tonpa finally answered Killua.

"The guy I'm talking about was one of only two people who passed last year's exam."

"The other one? Some tagalong kid. Wouldn't have passed if not for him."

His tone was full of disdain.

People who only passed by clinging to others—Tonpa had no respect for them.

—

"That means… the guy who looked like Killua must have been really strong!" Gon's eyes widened, full of admiration.

"He even helped someone else pass? That's incredible!"

"…Is that so?"

Killua idly spun his skateboard with one hand, his expression indifferent.

Judging by the difficulty of this year's exam, he highly doubted that guy was anything too special.

But still…

Someone who looked like him?

That was definitely worth investigating.

°°°

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