The Zoldyck Family's Outstanding Dropout

[Blurb updated for advance release on 2025.07.18. Pairing: Illumi]

Caris Wright's best decision was running away from home.

Free of the sea's restraints and no longer a pirate, she found a mentor on land.

Her teacher was a professional assassin from the top-tier Zoldyck family. He was skilled in assassination and disguise, quick and decisive in action, and had even earned a Hunter License with ease.

"So you got caught raiding the liquor cabinet on our airship," one of the Zoldyck family's three young masters remarked. "Why didn't Big Brother get rid of you back then?"

"Because my teacher realized I was a genius, exceptionally clever, and a truly rare talent!" Caris said proudly, lifting her chin.

Everyone else thought she was Illumi's puppet, but Caris knew the truth: she was his most talented student.

She helped Illumi gather information, spy on his younger brother, assist with assassinations, and sound out his family's opinions. In short, she learned and did whatever she could to help Illumi take control of the Zoldyck family.

"Isn't that just being a puppet?" asked a puzzled, blond Kurta boy.

"That's awful. Your big brother's tricking her into risking her life..." a medical student complained.

"Miss Caris, why don't you come with us?" invited a boy from Whale Island.

Later, the four adventurers left, taking her refusal with them.

Caris couldn't understand why everyone seemed to dislike her teacher so much.

-

Taking on a student wasn't part of Illumi's plans.

Caris was an inevitable accident.

The outcome wasn't bad, but Caris looked so deceptively innocent that other people were prone to malicious speculation about him.

It was one thing for his younger brother and his friends to misunderstand, but even his father and grandfather had cautioned him not to go too far. Hisoka's gaze was strange, too, as were the looks from his clients...

So why did everyone think he was coercing, bribing, and tricking her?

He was clearly the one being relentlessly pursued.

-

Caris was talented and extremely obedient. If she weren't unrelated to him by blood, Illumi thought she would have made an outstanding assassin had she been born into the Zoldyck family.

Fortunately, she wasn't.

With no blood ties to bind her, Caris grew stronger under his tutelage, to the point where she could begin resisting the Nen needles. Yet she gradually became less obedient than she had been at first.

"Do you remember what I told you, Caris?"

Illumi didn't care about sunk costs. If he couldn't control her completely, he would break the flower he had cultivated with his own hands.

-

Caris was good at learning everything except the Zoldyck way of doing things: swift and decisive.

Her flamboyant style drew all kinds of praise and criticism.

To which she proudly replied:

"The Zoldycks taught me everything."

[Content Warning]

The female lead is a former pirate who has a bit of a drinking problem.

An unhealthy teacher-student romance (huh?) and an unhealthy relationship.

This is not a wish-fulfillment story. Before reading, please make sure you are over 18 and capable of engaging with complex characters. People may interpret them differently, so we recommend checking the comments before deciding whether to read. If it isn't what you expected, please stop reading.

Theme: Life holds endless possibilities.