In an unnamed town, A Luo opened her eyes in contentment, having paid tribute to Feitan and traded delicious food for a night of sweet sleep.
The faint morning sunlight shone through a gap in the curtains onto the girl's palm-sized face. A Luo lay there in a daze for a full ten minutes, distant memories of her first few months after arriving in this world surfacing in her mind.
Come to think of it, her bargain-bin dad had shown her some warmth. He hadn't always been cold and heartless.
When she had first arrived in this world, for instance, she had been utterly panicked without the original owner's skills or memories.
Especially since she had been standing in a ring at Heavens Arena at the time.
Faced with the palms and fists swinging at her, A Luo had instinctively crouched down and covered her head.
After enduring a round of punches and kicks, the little girl had left the ring dejectedly.
But she had no idea where to go.
She could only find a random spot beneath a bridge and huddle there, desperately trying to recall the original owner's memories. Even remembering who she was and where she lived would have been enough!
Meanwhile, Malena and Fan En, who already knew their daughter had lost her match, had grown frantic when she failed to come home after a long wait.
Malena had called the police in tears, begging them to help find her daughter.
For the first time in years, Fan En had also gone out in his mind-controlled wheelchair, searching every street and alley.
Even now, A Luo didn't know how Fan En had managed it that night.
A man paralyzed from head to toe had somehow found her before the police did.
In the darkness, the man had called out hoarsely to confirm the identity of the little girl sitting beneath the bridge.
"A Luo?"
Hearing his voice, Lola had jerked her head up.
Shaking her head, A Luo buried that useless vulnerability, stretched, and sat up to face the sunlight.
After a quick wash, A Luo looked at the childish face in the mirror. Finally free of that maddening drowsiness, her mind was working normally again.
Suddenly, she realized something was off about the Phantom Troupe.
What exactly had these people come to such a remote place for?
After a frantic burst of thought, A Luo realized the Phantom Troupe's true intentions. Her expression changed dramatically, and she thundered toward the little inn's dining room.
Chrollo was having breakfast in the dining room, still dressed in that harmless-looking outfit. A newspaper lay beside him, and he was elegantly sipping his coffee.
The town's warm sunshine fell through the window, landing right on him.
Outside the window were green trees, red flowers, and birdsong. Inside sat the dark-haired, dark-eyed Chrollo, gentlemanly and composed.
The scene was so peaceful that, if not for the hoarse male voice that suddenly sounded beside her, A Luo might have thought she was back in the old days.
"Wipe that stupid look off your face~"
Feitan's cold, venomous remark instantly shattered Lola's fantasy.
A Luo shook her head, dismissed her unrealistic imaginings, and lowered her gaze with a self-mocking twist of her lips.
When she raised her head again, a fawning smile bloomed on her face. She sidled up to Chrollo and asked ingratiatingly:
"Boss? What did we come to this town for?"
Chrollo set down his coffee and glanced at A Luo.
"What? Afraid we'll kill people and burn things down?"
Startled, A Luo hurriedly denied it with a strained laugh.
"Of course not!"
One corner of Chrollo's mouth lifted.
"Come to think of it, A Luo, you spent quite a while with us in Meteor City. You must have heard something about how we operate-or how people from Meteor City operate."
We reject nothing, so take nothing from us.
Of course I know.
That's one of the Phantom Troupe's most famous lines!
The way A Luo's expression instantly froze made Chrollo watch her with interest.
Had the little thing finally figured out what they wanted to do in this town?
They had spent the past two days gathering information and intelligence. Watching Feitan torment the little girl now and then had made life rather entertaining.
Standing behind A Luo, Feitan chose that moment to join their conversation.
"We're thieves. Whatever we want, whatever catches our eye, we can just take it."
A Luo: "..."
For the rest of breakfast, A Luo ate distractedly.
Now that she knew these people had come to town to kill and burn, what could she do to prevent this tragedy as much as possible without putting herself in danger?
The other Spiders noticed her distraction as she ate, each reacting differently.
Machi was an icy beauty.
She paid no attention to anything happening around her and hadn't said a word from start to finish.
Feitan and Pakunoda frowned, occasionally glancing at A Luo.
As for the boss? Perhaps he disliked the breakfast the inn had prepared, because he had done nothing but drink coffee.
At long last, the silent meal was almost over.
Machi abruptly addressed the little girl, who was wiping her mouth with a napkin.
"A Luo, I heard you made desserts for Feitan yesterday."
A Luo glanced at everyone's expressions around the table.
"I made a few..."
Pakunoda elegantly dabbed the corner of her mouth and asked calmly:
"Why did you only make them for Feitan? Was it because of the special attention he gives you?"
A Luo: "..."
The little cook, who had already retired from the role, truly couldn't understand what they meant.
Not until Chrollo and Machi both turned to look at her as well.
A Luo thought it over, then offered an explanation based on her understanding:
"Those desserts... were actually what I gave Feitan in exchange for a decent night's sleep! Don't tell me you haven't noticed these past two days. That guy scares me with his killing intent every night and won't let me sleep properly. The dark circles under my eyes are almost as bad as the boss's! And I'm still a kid. What if I don't grow tall because I'm not getting enough sleep?"
Hearing A Luo's words, Feitan unleashed a startling wave of killing intent and viciously glared at the person who seemed to be taking a roundabout jab at his height.
His predatory gaze seemed to say, You've got some nerve, little thing! Just wait until tonight!
Then the hot-tempered man left the dining room.
According to their prior arrangement, it was his turn to go out and gather information today.
If I didn't have actual work to do, I'd beat that little runt into submission right now! Why the hell would I wait until tonight?!
A Luo: "..."
It seemed she had accidentally offended Feitan again.
Had all her previous attempts to flatter and bribe him gone to waste?
Not wanting to fall into his clutches again that night, A Luo turned pleading eyes on each of the three remaining Spiders.
Only to discover that all three were staring at her like wolves eyeing a piece of meat!
In a flash, A Luo suddenly understood what Pakunoda's earlier question had really meant.
And so the little cook, who had supposedly retired, immediately declared to the three Spiders before her:
"Please don't worry. As long as you can guarantee me a peaceful environment to sleep in at night, I'll take full responsibility for everyone's three meals a day while we're here. How does that sound?"
Under Lola's bright, expectant gaze, the three Spiders finally nodded in satisfaction.
Once they had left the dining room one by one!
A Luo was left alone to drop her act and mutter, wanting to cry but finding no tears:
I really can't go on living like this.
She hoped those three Spiders would keep their word and actually help her when Feitan returned that night!
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