A Deal

"Please be quiet. Don't worry, I just want to make a deal with you!"

Ian's calm voice echoed through the room.

"Wh-what do you want?"

The husband spoke in a trembling voice, shielding his wife closely behind him.

"We need to stay here for a while. As you've probably realized, if you refuse, we won't hesitate to kill you."

As he spoke, Ian deliberately shifted his gaze to the swaddled infant nearby. The man's face turned ashen, but Ian continued.

"If you're willing to cooperate, I'll leave you a generous sum when we go. We won't be staying in this city for long."

He nodded slightly and smiled.

"Consider it payment for the stay. I imagine you could use the money right now, couldn't you?"

A new member had just joined the family, and they lived in such a remote apartment.

Clearly, the couple before him weren't well-off.

Perhaps he was moved by Ian's sincerity, or perhaps he knew he wasn't in a position to refuse.

The man hesitated, then said in a trembling voice:

"Y-you'll keep your word, right!?"

"We have no reason to lie to you. If we really were villains, where do you think you'd be right now..."

Ian explained calmly.

He had no intention of joking with the man about how to put an elephant in a refrigerator in three steps, so the rest was up to the man's imagination.

"All right..."

The man had no choice but to agree. His wife clutched his arm tightly behind him.

After all, anyone would have trouble staying calm after a group of "criminals" broke into their home.

Ian understood how they felt.

But there was no helping it. They needed rest, and the only thing he could do was make it up to the couple afterward.

"Two rooms will be enough for us. We won't disturb your lives, so please carry on as usual."

Ian spoke up.

Although the family lived in a remote place, there were three or four spare rooms in the apartment, enough for them to stay in.

After saying that, he didn't speak with them any further.

Machi and Pakunoda shared one room.

The remaining male members, Ian included, shared another.

Soon, they went into their rooms.

In the living room, the man and his wife exchanged a look. Both felt terribly unlucky about what had happened that night, but they could only endure it in silence.

"Don't disturb their lives... They're ordinary people struggling at the bottom. Life isn't easy for them."

As soon as they entered the room, Ian was the first to speak.

"Got it! This is what you meant by following rules, right, Ian?"

Uvogin scratched his stiff, spiky hair and spoke heartily, looking as though he only half understood.

Ian nodded and took the opportunity to address the members of the Phantom Troupe.

"That's right. It would be easy to take this place by force, or even kill them, but... there's no need at all!"

"If something can be settled through deals and negotiation, avoid using violence whenever possible."

"Violence should always be the last resort, reserved for fools who can't see the situation for what it is."

As he spoke, he glanced at the door behind him, his gaze seeming to pass through it into the living room. He said softly:

"I don't think that woman's husband is such a fool."

Ian's words gave everyone something new to think about.

In a sense, he was also subtly guiding the members of the Phantom Troupe to change through his own actions.

"Let's call it a day. Make do for now..."

As Ian spoke, he took out the Set-Building Machine and aimed it at various corners of the room. Soon, several wooden beds appeared. He didn't forget Machi and Pakunoda's room, either.

Although they were merely props like background scenery, they could support their weight while they slept.

The night passed without incident.

After leaving Meteor City,

on their first day in Ejin City, everyone had trouble sleeping!

Even Chrollo was no exception.

When everyone got up the next day, they all noticed the dark circles under one another's eyes.

"You didn't sleep?"

"Yeah, and neither did you!"

The group laughed and joked as though they were back in Meteor City.

Of course, the one who had slept even worse was the owner of the apartment... Palu.

Palu had spent the whole night thinking it over, unable to understand how he could be so unlucky!

Why had those criminals broken into his home!?

Why?

He was so cowardly that he hadn't dared resist at all.

Damn it!

I, Palu, can't even protect my own wife and daughter!

He slammed his fist hard into the floor!

"Ow..."

He sucked in a sharp breath, his eyes widening from the pain. But worried that he might disturb the "villains," he hastily glanced toward the door, feeling guilty.

Seeing the group heading out, he felt a surge of joy.

"Hey, pal, punching the floor... won't give you a truly powerful punch!"

The spiky-haired man at the back of the group of "villains" grinned at him.

He awkwardly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

He watched... as they disappeared from his home.

That guy is way too vicious!

As Ian and the others walked down the street, Nobunaga asked in puzzlement:

"Uvogin, what were you saying to the owner just now?"

"Oh, that landlord guy seemed to want to train his punches. His training method was wrong, so I gave him a pointer!"

Although everyone felt that probably wasn't what had happened, they didn't say much.

On the street,

pedestrians hurried along on their way to work in the daytime.

Ian and the others strolled down the street at an unhurried pace, completely out of place among them.

"So these are the people who live outside? How strange..."

With his hands behind his head, Nobunaga looked around at the faces of the people nearby and muttered:

"All they have to do is work, and they don't have to go hungry. But they all look so listless... like they're about to drop dead any second."

Ian followed his gaze and shook his head slightly, his expression somewhat complicated. He said softly:

"Humans aren't just creatures whose bodies get hungry. Their spirits get hungry too..."

"When they're confined for their entire lives, unable to find freedom, that spiritual hunger slowly kills them, like a blade that draws no blood..."

Chrollo fell into thought at his words.

"Huh? Do people outside like robbing others too?"

Just then, Feitan's eyes lit up as he looked toward a narrow alley in the distance. A group of people suddenly grabbed a girl, covered her mouth and lifted her by the legs, and vanished from sight outside the alley.

"What happened over there?" Machi asked curiously.

By the time the others looked, there was no one outside the alley.

Feitan pointed in that direction and explained:

"I saw a group of people kidnap a woman over there just now."

At his words, Ian and Machi's expressions changed slightly.

The others' expressions remained unchanged. After all, things like that happened so often in Meteor City that they were used to it.

"Let's go take a look. We're short on cash right now, and robbing criminals is perfect..."

Ian spoke up and set off as soon as he finished.

At that, Uvogin's eyes lit up, and he said excitedly:

"Ah! Robbing criminals is my favorite! Ian, wait for me!"

Nobunaga shook his head helplessly and followed second.

Excitement appeared in his eyes too. He hadn't fought anyone in a while, and his fists were itching!