Shortly after arriving at a huge store selling all kinds of phones and other gadgets, Killua immediately approached one of the workers there. You and Alluka followed him, watching him take out his own phone.
'Huh, it's the phone that looks like a beetle,' you thought, gazing at it curiously.
"Is this kind of phone available here?" Killua asked the worker, showing him the beetle-like phone.
The worker immediately smiled. "Yes, sir! Let me show you where they are," he beamed enthusiastically, leading all of you into a specific area of the shop.
Alluka immediately gazed at the phones in wonder. "Woah! They're all beetles!" she said in awe.
"That's right, our entire Beatle Series is here!" the worker said enthusiastically. "Not only that, our latest Beatle phone, the Beatle-08, has just arrived!"
Killua raised his eyebrows in interest. "Really? How is different from the seventh?" he asked, glancing at his phone briefly, before pocketing it.
"The most notable new feature the 08 has is its new and improved camera!! With it, the pictures you take will be so much clearer and sharper!" he smiled once more, taking out the new Beatle-08 and presenting it.
"Is... that it?" Killua asked somewhat reluctantly, a tiny sweatdrop appearing on the side of his head.
The worker seemed taken aback as he struggled to form some words for a few seconds. "O-Of course not! The Beatle-08 comes in 3 new colors as well!" he managed to spit out.
An even bigger sweatdrop formed on the side of Killua's head as he slumped his shoulders and dropped his head, letting out a deep sigh.
Seeing his awkward expression, you decided to take a look at the phone. 'If I remember how this works, it should look like an upgrade to the last one,' you thought to yourself.
However, as you gazed at it, a confused expression made its way to your face. 'Wait... why does it look exactly the same??'
Looking to Killua for answers didn't help either, since it seemed like he didn't know what to do. Eventually, he turned to the worker again, who now looked very nervous.
"How much is it?"
With a small sigh of relief, the worker put on a smile. "250,000 Jenny, sir!"
You blinked a few times. "Wait... what?!" you exclaimed out loud as your jaw dropped at what you heard. Alluka seemed surprised as well, as a drawn-out "Ehhhh?!" was heard from her.
Beside you, Killua facepalmed, as if he were already expecting this. "We'll be taking the Beatle-07. Two of them. It only costs 200,000 Jenny for one, right?"
The worker's face fell, though he still maintained a positive expression. "Yes, sir... but you'll be missing out on a lot of the new features!"
Killua shook his head. "It's fine. 250,000 is too much for us anyways."
"I see... Okay, then! This way, sir!" The worker smiled, taking out 2 Beatle-07s.
_ _ _
"Killua, isn't 200,000 still too overpriced for a phone? We could have gotten another kind..." you sigh deeply, as you left the store. 'And to think the worker tried to sell us one worth 250,000... geez.'
Killua gazed at you through the corner of his eye, adjusting his grip on the bag containing the new phones. "You're right, (Y/N), but this kind of phone has a lot of useful features other phones don't. It's not only the perfect phone for a Hunter. It's also perfect for our situation right now," he states, as his expression darkened slightly, reminding you about what he said yesterday.
"...he taught me to hide in the shadows for as long as I can remember."
'He's thinking of Illumi again, isn't he? Just... what kind of relationship did he have with him?' you wondered, furrowing your eyebrows in worry.
But before the atmosphere could get any more downcast, Alluka stepped right in front of Killua, showing him a bright, excited smile. "Onii-chan, you said we could look around, right? Can we?" She asked, pulling on his hands and giggling happily.
He seemed taken aback by her sudden request. "O-Oh, uh, sure thing, Alluka," he stuttered a reply. Eventually, though, he found himself smiling at her infectious laugh.
"Yay!! Thanks, Onii-chan!" Alluka exclaimed, squeezing him into a big hug.
While Killua hugged her back, giving her head pats as he did so, you could only smile to yourself as his expression brightened up once more. 'Even Alluka can tell, Killua. She's trying to cheer you up,' was what you wanted to say to him. However, you kept that thought to yourself, knowing that Killua would just deny everything.
After Alluka let go of her brother, she proceeded to drag him, and you, to various parts of the mall. You and Killua couldn't help but give in to her, as you looked at each other with a shrug, before bursting into low chuckles.
'Maybe I should ask Alluka if she knows anything about Illumi and Killua's relationship,' you thought to yourself, gazing at Killua's smiling face with a trace of worry.
_ _ _
It wasn't long before the three of you returned to the place you were staying at.
Seeing that Alluka was sitting alone on the couch, playing with her Nen, you decided to approach her.
"Hey, Alluka," you smiled warmly, sitting down right beside her.
"Ah! Onee-chan!" she smiled back, giving you a quick hug. "Are you looking for Onii-chan? He's in the other room," she said, pointing to the next doorway.
You shook your head. "I'm not looking for Killua right now. I was wondering if I could ask you something," you said, looking at her hopefully.
"Really? But Onii-chan knows more things than I do..." she trailed off as if she wasn't expecting what you said.
You chuckled, giving her a pat in the head. "I think you're the perfect person to ask this time, Alluka!" You said with a smile.
Alluka giggled. "Okay, okay, Onee-chan. What did you wanna ask?"
Releasing your hand from her head, you let it rest on your lap, as you looked down worriedly. "I was wondering if... you knew anything about how Killua and Illumi acted towards each other. All I know is that Killua hates him, and for a good reason!" you paused, trying to collect your thoughts. "But... I don't know anything else aside from that."
Alluka went quiet at your question. "If you asked Onii-chan, he would just avoid the question and tell you not to worry, right? So you asked me," she eventually said.
You laughed, somewhat awkwardly. "Yeah, that's right. You're getting quite perceptive."
She only nods listlessly. "I... actually don't know all that much. All I know is that Illumi taught Killua everything about being an assa–"
But before she could finish her sentence, she covered her mouth with her hands, cutting herself off.
You tilt your head in confusion. "Is it something you're not allowed to say?"
Alluka shook her head, releasing her hands from her mouth. "I just think Onii-chan should be the one to tell you about that, sorry..." she looks down in guilt.
'Ah, I see...'
"It's fine, Alluka, don't worry about it!" you smiled warmly, showing her that it's okay.
She looked up, smiling back at you. "Maybe... you can ask him about it when you two are alone," she says, putting a finger to her chin in thought.
You rolled your eyes playfully. "You know how he is. There's no way he's going to tell me all that easily," you say.
"But... but maybe he trusts you enough to tell you now!" Alluka says as her face lit up. "I know! I'll find a way so that you can talk to him about it freely!" she stands up, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"I– what? ...What are you gonna do?"
Alluka only giggles at you. "Don't worry. I'll make sure you have Onii-chan all to yourself tomorrow!"