"Huh? Where did those two go?"
Coleman scratched his head as he looked at the tracker in his hand.
The red dot on it showed that they were right here.
He'd stuck this thing on his brother ages ago, and it had never fallen off. Why had it suddenly come off today?
Puzzled, Coleman looked around.
This was an abandoned town on the outskirts.
Its streets were dilapidated, its shops deserted.
Fallen leaves covered the ground, and weeds grew out of cracks in the walls.
The sun was already setting.
The distant sky was painted with orange-red sunset clouds.
Their light shone through the narrow alley and fell across the wall.
The red and yellow hues brought a little warmth to this desolate place.
But even so, they couldn't hide its decay.
Coleman's gaze swept over the surroundings, and he nodded slowly.
Hisoka had good taste. This place was deserted—
A perfect spot for a fight.
And they wouldn't have to worry about paying for damages.
But... where were they?
Frowning, he was a little confused.
Had the fight gotten so intense that his brother had even lost his shoes?
Unbelievable.
Coleman couldn't imagine his brother fighting on these gravel-strewn streets without shoes.
But clearly, he wasn't going to find his brother anytime soon.
After a moment's thought, Coleman decided to go see what was happening on his own.
He'd gather some information.
And ask if there was anything good to eat.
He could think of it as getting ready for a trip.
With that decided, Coleman quickly left the deserted area.
He planned to hitch a ride to the town his grandfather had mentioned.
On a barren hill outside the suburbs.
"Illumi, I just wanted to take you somewhere fun. Was there really any need to change into a whole new outfit?"
Hisoka looked at Illumi with confusion. He'd changed from one purple bodysuit into another purple bodysuit.
Hisoka really couldn't see what there was to change.
He'd thought Illumi would put on something nice for their outing.
But this was it?
What, was he worried that the last outfit had gotten dusty from the fight?
They hadn't even fought for long before they stopped. How could it have gotten dusty?
If that fun evening event hadn't started letting people in at five, Hisoka wouldn't have stopped their fight just now.
"Weren't you trying to keep it from Coleman?"
Illumi replied with a serious expression, not answering the question.
Hisoka tilted his head at the strange answer, then suddenly seemed to understand.
He asked in disbelief, "No way. Your little brother put a tracker on you?"
"No."
"I knew it..."
"He put a tracker and a listening device on me."
Illumi said it without expression, as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world.
It was normal. He often put them on Coleman, too.
Especially when he had to go out and couldn't spend a long time with Coleman.
Hisoka was momentarily at a loss for words at Illumi's casual answer.
You two brothers were really something!
If anyone put a surveillance device or anything like that on Hisoka, he'd feel uncomfortable all over. He'd be a hundred percent against it.
Who'd want someone else to know where they were at every moment?
Wouldn't that leave them with no secrets at all?
But looking at Illumi's expressionless face, Hisoka couldn't help asking, "Did you put one on your little brother, too? A listening device or something?"
"Yeah, I did."
Illumi said it as if it were obvious.
Otherwise, why would he be comfortable leaving Coleman alone somewhere he could come and go freely at any time?
"So you know where he is right now?"
"Of course."
Illumi nodded and reached into his clothes.
Under Hisoka's odd gaze, he pulled out a small display for a tracker.
"Here, look."
Handing it to Hisoka, Illumi said, "That red dot is Coleman."
Hisoka looked it over and saw that Coleman was heading toward the edge of the city at a strange speed.
"He seems to be leaving."
"Hm?"
Illumi took the display back and watched the red dot moving at a steady pace.
Understanding, he said, "He's probably bored. He went out for some fresh air. He must be riding in a carriage."
Fresh air?
Was that really the right way to describe a person?
And wasn't it almost dark now?
Hisoka had a whole bunch of complaints ready, but he didn't think it would be a good idea to voice them. For a moment, they were all stuck in his throat.
He felt that if he spent much longer with these brothers, he'd turn into a full-time complainer.
Compared to the two of them, Hisoka felt downright normal!
What brothers kept tabs on each other like that?
The one being watched thought it was perfectly reasonable.
And so did the one doing the watching!
Didn't they realize there was something wrong with them?
Hisoka: As expected, I'm the only normal one out of the three of us!
"So why are we going to that evening event?"
Illumi was a little confused. Why had Hisoka suddenly wanted to attend something like this today?
And how had he gotten tickets?
"Oh, didn't you say you had no chance to get close to that young lady? I found a perfectly legitimate reason to sneak into her house and make your job easier."
Hisoka clasped his hands behind his back and spun around, smiling from ear to ear.
He looked like a big puppy waiting to be praised.
His face practically said, Praise me, praise me!
But to Illumi, he looked like a husky wagging its tail.
The kind that would jump on people and tear up the house.
Illumi couldn't help looking at him with distaste.
My Samoyed (Coleman) is much cuter.
Still, Illumi was generous with a dog who'd volunteered to help.
"Mm, you did great!"
"Half-hearted."
"..."
"Then can you fight me again later?"
Hisoka's eyes lit up. He still hadn't had enough.
Illumi thought for a moment as he looked at the display in his hand.
Coleman probably wouldn't be back tonight.
There was no harm in having another fight.
But it sounded exhausting.
"Fifty thousand Jenie."
"Deal!"
He agreed so quickly, as if he were afraid Hisoka might change his mind.
Hisoka's mouth twitched.
Damn, why was this kid so obsessed with money?
"Well, this will probably be the last time for a while."
Illumi calculated the timing. His mother was probably about to give birth.
He still had to go back and see the newest member of the Zoldyck Family!
"Hm? You're going home? Can I come with you?"
Hisoka offered a constructive suggestion. He figured that way, Illumi could fight him for a long time!
"No."
Illumi refused without hesitation.
The Zoldyck Family rules stated it clearly.
Assassins weren't allowed to make friends.
Illumi didn't want to get zapped by his strict, short-tempered father.
He wasn't going to bring anyone home.
Besides, Hisoka probably didn't count as a friend.
He was just a sparring partner Illumi didn't mind being around.
"Then I'll go back with Coleman."
Hisoka set his sights on Coleman instead.
"That won't work either. You can't catch up with him."
"Huh?"
Illumi looked at the display in his hand. At some point, his little brother's speed had suddenly picked up.
What's more, if he kept going like this, Coleman would be outside the tracker's range in five minutes.
Had he found prey?
Illumi wondered.
He looked up at the cloudless sky and the crescent moon hanging in one corner.
He smiled faintly.
It really was good weather for hunting.
But when he looked back at the display, he tilted his head.
His brows furrowed slightly.
The red dot on the display had suddenly doubled back, darting back and forth at an even greater speed.
Oh, it seemed he'd been mistaken for prey.
"I'm not lying. If Coleman really puts his all into moving, there aren't many people who can keep up with him on foot."
The assassin known in the Underworld as the Spider moved much faster than you could imagine.
Those elusive threads alone would be enough to give you a hard time.
If you still thought you could catch that fleeing Spider along the way, you were dreaming.
"And trust me, someone will kill you before you catch up with him."
Illumi shrugged, smiling broadly. "Coleman isn't like normal assassins. He'd rather learn about things from the Underworld than associate with his 'colleagues.'"
In other words, the people he knew were either fugitives, information brokers, or members of the kind of mafia that ordinary people wouldn't dare provoke.
And given that, there was only one reason Coleman would be on the run.
One of his "friends" had gotten into trouble with someone and given him up.
Watching the red dot race around, Illumi was secretly delighted.
That was what he got for going out all the time.
See? Now he'd gotten into trouble.
"All right, we need to hurry."
After dealing with that young lady, Illumi still had to go fish his little brother out of trouble.
He walked over to Hisoka and patted him on the shoulder.
He gestured for Illumi to follow.
"Oh? Has little Coleman gotten himself into trouble?"
"Mhm."
Illumi gave a soft hum, neither confirming nor denying it.
"Oh, right. When we go in, we'll say we're the nephew of the head of the Caxton family, here to broaden our horizons."
"?"
"How else are two kids supposed to get in?"
"...Fine."
Somehow, he'd acquired an uncle.
Illumi kept walking, thinking to himself.
I hope my little brother is lucky enough.
Don't die before I get there.
And don't be seriously injured, either.
Otherwise, I'll be in a real bind.
Before you continue