A spider had caught a little flying insect, and the insect's struggles had drawn in a lizard.
Ah! The spider was so vicious, and the lizard was a born liar and a pervert to boot.
Caught between those two, the little insect was simply weak, helpless, and pitiful.
A Luo raced along after Hisoka, and before long, they reached the luxury hotel where the Phantom Troupe members were staying.
For some reason, the Spiders... hadn't even moved?
Don't tell me they were just waiting for me to bring him right to their door!
Or did they have some unrealistic expectations about my ability to keep my mouth shut, thinking I'd rather die than betray their secrets while in Hisoka's hands?
Only much, much later did A Luo realize that she wasn't what those Spiders had put their faith in!
They were confident in their own strength!
Machi, Pakunoda, Feitan, and Chrollo-a lineup like that certainly had every right to be arrogant.
And so, at that moment, Hisoka lurked in the shadows with A Luo in his grasp, watching the four Spiders sitting in the hotel lobby and letting out a satisfied sigh:
"Mmm~ Four big, sweet fruits! ♥"
A Luo: "..."
The girl wanted nothing more than to clasp her hands and beg him to hurry over and fight those damned bastards... Let the dogs tear each other apart.
As a mere extra, what she should have been doing was watching for a chance to escape and free herself from these dangerous people's control!
Unfortunately, the extravagant crystal chandelier in the hotel lobby was far too bright. Under its light, A Luo couldn't hide her little scheme at all.
Hisoka merely turned to look her over once before drawing a playing card and pointing toward the hotel lobby, telling A Luo to go challenge them on his behalf!
A Luo pointed at her own nose.
"Me?"
Hisoka gave a little "Mm-hmm" and chuckled.
"Cutie~ Don't forget, you were the one who volunteered just now to arrange a duel for me. Surely you're not already thinking of going back on your word? That would make me angry, you know! ♥"
A Luo: "..."
Under Hisoka's oppressive authority, A Luo could only emerge trembling from hiding, then inch toward the hotel's ground-floor lobby, one step at a time.
Yet when Chrollo saw A Luo return in one piece, he didn't even furrow his brow. He simply held his book, calmly absorbed in reading.
With a miserable expression, A Luo walked over to Chrollo.
"Boss, Hisoka wants to fight you."
Chrollo: "..."
When Chrollo showed no reaction, A Luo repeated herself loudly:
"Boss, Hisoka said he wants to fight you!!!"
Chrollo finally looked up.
But what A Luo never could have expected was that he had no intention of speaking to her at all. Instead, he directly conjured Skill Hunter and flipped to some page.
A Luo's mouth was sealed shut!
What do I do?
That perverted fruit farmer was still waiting outside!
If he didn't hear anything from me soon, he might run out of patience!
What would happen if Hisoka ran out of patience?
A Luo couldn't help recalling that time Hisoka had been unable to suppress his bloodlust, roaming Glasses Island in search of prey with a look of despondency on his face!
He would definitely start flinging playing cards everywhere. Worse, he might become so crazed with killing that he stopped distinguishing friend from foe, and she could easily end up accidentally killed by him too.
What do I do?
Maybe I should just see if there's a chance to make a run for it!
But A Luo had only taken one quiet step backward when an icy warning came from behind her.
"A Luo, move around again, and you might find yourself cut in half."
It was Machi!
Mustering her pitiful little supply of Nen and using Gyo, she could see a transparent Nen thread stretched across her path by the icy beauty behind her, keeping Lola from making any more reckless moves.
Not daring to entertain any more sneaky ideas, A Luo immediately stood obediently in place, not moving a muscle.
Damn Spiders!
I hadn't even blamed Chrollo for dumping me on Hisoka, and now they were turning around and blaming me?
A Luo looked at Chrollo, her pitiful eyes full of accusation.
It was true!
When we ran into Hisoka earlier, Chrollo tossed me to the enemy. Of course I had to switch sides if I wanted to stay alive!
If Chrollo had brought me back with him then, even if I'd wanted to tell Chrollo about them, I wouldn't have had the chance, would I?
Chrollo finally closed the book in his hands, his deep eyes settling on the little girl who was trying to justify herself with flimsy excuses.
His thoughts, however, couldn't help returning to what had happened that morning.
Just as that strange man had approached them, the girl beside him had suddenly delivered a knife-hand chop to herself, then plunged headfirst to the ground.
Honestly, he had never imagined, even in his wildest dreams, that events could take such a bizarre turn.
Why had A Luo done that?
Did she recognize that strangely dressed, unsettling man?
Or had A Luo behaved so abnormally because of the other man's Nen ability?
If it was a Nen ability, it seemed rather interesting!
But Chrollo had been given no time to think further. Once Hisoka charged up to them, he immediately launched a ferocious attack.
Infused with Nen, the playing cards in his hands became hidden weapons flying through the air, every one aimed at a vital point on Chrollo's body.
Grabbing A Luo, Chrollo leaped onto the roof ridge of the café beside them.
Then he looked down at the stranger who had started fighting without so much as a word.
"Who are you?"
Hisoka gazed hungrily at the man on the roof. Honestly, even in a fighting mecca like Heavens Arena, he had never encountered anyone this powerful.
What an irresistible temptation!
If he could fight someone like that-just imagining it made his entire body tremble with excitement.
"You're so strong! How about we have a fight? ♥"
Chrollo: "..."
Next, they exchanged blows in the street.
But Chrollo had no interest in dueling this man who had appeared out of nowhere. Seizing the moment when their fight sent the crowd into a frightened uproar, he flung the girl in his grasp toward his opponent and left.
His recollection over, Chrollo looked at the girl before him, whom he had deliberately left behind to test her relationship with that strange man.
"A Luo, tell me. Just who is that fellow who took you away-the one who calls himself a magician?"
She had survived this long in the hands of someone so powerful and of such uncertain mental stability, and had even been sent back to challenge him to a fight. Why did this little collectible of his seem to be growing more mysterious by the minute?
A Luo: "..."
Had you freaking forgotten that my mouth was still sealed shut?! What was I supposed to say?
Perhaps the accusation in the girl's wide eyes was simply too vivid, because Chrollo immediately understood what Lola meant.
"I've already removed the Nen ability sealing your mouth."
Chrollo looked toward the boundless night sky outside the lobby.
"A Luo, I know you're smart. No matter how strong that fellow outside is, do you think he can take on all of us at once?"
Before you continue