Truth? Lies? X Probing X Vulnerability

Shalnark raised an eyebrow.

"Boss, you think she made up the part about her soul being reborn?"

"No. On the contrary, I think that was the only thing she told the truth about!"

"What?"

"After my earlier probing, she definitely understood that she had no room to lie. In particular, A Luo's fear of Feitan was completely genuine."

"Under those circumstances, making up an entirely false story would have been far too risky. It would never have passed muster! But telling the truth would very likely have made her situation even worse. Otherwise, A Luo wouldn't have refused so stubbornly to talk in the first place!"

"So yesterday, she did tell us part of the truth. Only by mixing truth with lies could she possibly deceive us."

"But if her claim of rebirth was false, then none of what A Luo said afterward could be true either! And by opening with something so unexpected, she clearly hoped to throw our judgment off balance for a short time. Combined with your investigation today, I believe A Luo really has died once."

"But she wasn't the butler Kasuga in her previous life. As for how she came to know so much about us and the Zoldyck Family, that secretive family of assassins? That remains unknown."

As Chrollo laid out his analysis, Shalnark's eyes lit up.

"I see. That's our boss for you! If those of you eavesdropping behind the door didn't understand, allow me to give you a quick summary."

With that, Shalnark stood and pulled the door open. Smiling with his boyish face, he gestured for the three utterly bewildered men at the door-Feitan, Uvogin, and Phinks-to come in.

It turned out they had all come running to hide there and eavesdrop as soon as Shalnark entered the room.

Unfortunately, perhaps due to their intelligence, the three had heard everything and understood nothing.

Seeing their baffled expressions, Shalnark began his summary.

"In short, first of all, A Luo really was reborn into this little girl's body! However, her age, sex, abilities, and identity in her previous life are all unknown. Through some unknown source, she obtained information about the Zoldyck Family and our Phantom Troupe. So everyone, please remain on your guard!

"Second, the Zoldyck Family is indeed collecting information on us. Given their profession, there's a strong chance we're already on their assassination list. Number Eight is currently in the greatest danger. I notified her to stay alert as soon as I learned this information this morning. She's probably on her way back now. That's all."

Having finished, Shalnark turned to Chrollo.

Chrollo took one last look at The Mystery of the Origins of Souls and Life in his hands, then stood and returned it to the tall bookshelf behind him.

Once that was done, Chrollo looked at the three Spiders by the door, though his instructions were directed at Shalnark.

"Shalnark, A Luo may have a somewhat longer shelf life as a collectible. Until I've satisfied all my curiosity, tell every member that she is part of my collection-and quite possibly a dangerous piece!"

"So I want everyone to keep that firmly in mind when interacting with her!"

Feitan, Uvogin, and Phinks:

"..."

Soon, it was lunchtime.

The moment A Luo brought the food to the table, she keenly sensed that something was off about the atmosphere today.

Why were they all looking at me so strangely?

Even when ordering, these people had become as sparing with words as Machi, seemingly unwilling to say a single word beyond the names of the dishes.

What was going on?

After dinner, A Luo returned to the kitchen to wash the dishes. The more she thought about it, the more something seemed wrong.

I'd clearly almost won these bad-tempered Spiders over with my cooking!

Why did they suddenly seem to see me as an enemy again?

After finishing the dishes and drying her hands, A Luo stepped out of the kitchen and happened to run into the straightforward Uvogin.

"Hey, Uvogin! Why didn't you talk to me while you were eating today?"

"Uh!... A Luo, aren't you overthinking it? It's not like I wasn't talking to you. I'm always like this. Ah! Right, I want beef soup tomorrow morning. Remember to put extra beef in mine!"

With that, the hulking Uvogin went upstairs to bed.

Shalnark, who was lounging against the stairs nearby, curiously chimed in.

"A Luo, why are you always so eager to approach Uvogin?"

"A-am I? I don't think I am."

"Of course you are! I pictured it just now. If the boss had been standing there, you probably would've slipped back to your room looking all guarded, even though we all know your attempts to sneak away are laughable. If it had been Feitan, you would've rushed back to your room with a frightened face and trembling legs, though to Feitan, you move about as fast as a crawling turtle. If it had been Machi or Phinks? You probably would've walked straight past without looking at them. So why is Uvogin the only one you take the initiative to talk to? He was even the first one you told your name!"

A Luo went pale and couldn't find a word to say. Looking into Shalnark's green eyes, she found them unfathomably deep.

It was the same feeling she'd had when facing Chrollo before.

In front of those two, she felt as though she'd been stripped bare, without a single secret left. It was unbearably uncomfortable.

"What's even more interesting is that you seem to have treated us this way from the very first time you met us. So, A Luo, you don't just know about Pakunoda and Feitan. You might even know about every one of us! How exactly do you know someone so well without ever having interacted with them? Is it intuition like Machi's?"

"H-how could that be? Even your wild guesses should have some basis!"

"Am I really just guessing? A Luo, you're starting to stutter!"

Seeing A Luo panic, Shalnark's smile grew even brighter.

"Oh, dear! All right, I won't ask any more. Good night. See you tomorrow!"

A Luo stood there, watching the blond, green-eyed young man with the boyish face turn and head upstairs.

For a while, her heart kept pounding-thump! Thump! Thump...-as though she'd just gotten off a roller coaster.

When she returned to her room and lay down on the bed, she recalled what Shalnark had said about her different attitudes toward the Spiders and couldn't help smiling bitterly.

Perhaps he was right. She had indeed treated Uvogin better than the others from the start.

But that was because, ever since she'd encountered the Spiders, Uvogin was the only one who had asked her name.

He had treated her as a person!

As for the others, even someone as oblivious as A Luo could tell that they only regarded her as a piece in their boss's collection.

It just so happened that this collectible was an excellent cook, so their desire for good food had given them a reason to interact with her. That was all.

Remembering the days she'd spent with her mom and dad, she knew she could never return to those warm, loving times!

A Luo yanked the covers over her head and began to sob silently.

Before long, her tears left patches of dampness on the pillow. Then they slowly evaporated, leaving only faint marks that bore witness to their owner's vulnerability and sorrow that night.