Joining X Robbery X Gem

"Interested in joining our Phantom Troupe?"

The Boss extended an invitation.

Shizuku:

"The Phantom Troupe? What do you do?"

Chrollo smiled.

"It's a club where you can simply go and take whatever you want."

A Luo: "..."

Well, then!

That explanation wasn't exactly wrong, but wasn't it worlds apart from what they actually did?

Chrollo, didn't your conscience hurt at all, deceiving a young girl like that?

Shizuku: "That sounds pretty good!"

Chrollo: "Of course. Besides, we never restrict our members' freedom. When nothing's going on, everyone can do as they please. We only gather everyone for certain essential missions. As for the spoils, everyone can have whatever they want. What do you think? Tempted to join?"

A Luo: "..."

Fine! This guy's conscience didn't hurt at all.

Shizuku touched a finger to the tip of her nose.

"Can I take some time to think it over?"

Feitan stepped forward from behind Chrollo.

"What's there to think about? Just tell us whether you're joining or not."

Shizuku: "But I always go home and think it over carefully whenever I'm looking for a job!"

Chrollo: "Enough, Feitan. If Shizuku wants to think it over, let her go home and do that."

Shizuku clapped her hands.

"Great! Then it's settled. I'll let you know once I've made up my mind."

With that, Shizuku turned and walked away.

Watching the girl's retreating figure, A Luo suddenly spoke up.

"You're just letting her leave like that? Are you sure you don't need to exchange contact details? Besides, you all saw how forgetful Shizuku was just now. Aren't you worried she'll forget everything you said the moment she turns around?"

Feitan: "..."

Machi: "..."

Pakunoda: "..."

The three Spiders turned in unison to look at Chrollo.

"Boss?"

Chrollo smiled at A Luo instead.

"We still have you, don't we, A Luo?"

A Luo looked baffled.

"Me?"

A few minutes later, a little girl caught up with Shizuku as she headed back to the little place she rented in an urban village.

"Shizuku, you still remember what you promised the Boss just now, right?"

Shizuku looked at the child beside her.

"The Boss? What boss? Did I promise someone something?"

A Luo: "..."

The four Spiders followed the two of them from the shadows.

"..."

Just as expected!

So before they could get Shizuku to agree to join the Phantom Troupe, they first had to make sure she remembered them!

And so, the Spiders temporarily entrusted A Luo with a formidable task.

"You! From now on, you're responsible for staying with Shizuku. Make sure she remembers you."

A Luo shook her head.

"What's in it for me?"

Feitan clenched his fists, making his knuckles crack.

"I don't know what you'll gain from doing what the Boss says. I only know what you'll suffer if you don't!"

A Luo: "..."

Fine!

Were they really threatening her that openly?

Wasn't this taking their bullying a little too far?

If the tiger never showed its fangs, they'd keep mistaking her for a sickly kitten... Ten minutes later, Feitan pinned the little girl who had tried to resist him to the ground with a vicious grin.

"Well? Are you going or not?"

A Luo nodded meekly.

"I'll go! I'll do everything you said. I'll go, okay?"

And just like that, Shizuku gained new neighbors beside her little rented home.

They were a strange family of five. The young man who spent all day holding a book and reading, and the short young master with a perpetually gloomy face, were odd enough.

Of the remaining three, one was the eldest sister, Pakunoda, a sexy, mature woman, and another was the second sister, Machi, who was as cold as an iceberg.

The last was a little girl who always wore a beaming smile.

That little girl was constantly pestering the forgetful Shizuku next door, tagging along whenever she came or went.

"Shizuku, have you decided whether to join the Phantom Troupe?"

Shizuku:

"What Phantom Troupe are you talking about, A Luo?"

A Luo: "..."

After explaining the matter again, A Luo went over to remind Shizuku three times a day-morning, noon, and evening-for several days straight, just to keep her from forgetting.

Finally, on the morning of the third day.

Shizuku, whose forgetfulness far surpassed her memory, finally gave her answer.

"I can join that Phantom Troupe you mentioned."

And just like that, the Phantom Troupe finally welcomed their No. 8 once again, filling all thirteen positions.

But just as the Boss had promised, members of the Phantom Troupe enjoyed considerable freedom, provided they obeyed its few rules.

Unless there was a major operation that required everyone to assemble, they usually scattered far and wide, each tending to their own affairs.

To welcome Shizuku, however, the Boss immediately planned an operation.

East Gorteau's annual Treasure Festival was just around the corner.

Shizuku liked the largest, prettiest diamond at this year's Treasure Festival. It supposedly weighed dozens of carats and was known as the Star of East Gorteau.

After putting their heads together, the Spiders decided to steal every jewel at the Treasure Festival.

As for the most valuable piece, the Star of East Gorteau, they would give it straight to Shizuku once they got their hands on it.

A Luo: "..."

Sure enough, the Phantom Troupe's true nature was murder, arson, and every other evil under the sun!

Were they really discussing robbery and murder this openly? They were even brazenly planning to give the proceeds of their crimes to a new member as a gift.

An innocent, adorably airheaded girl like Shizuku surely wouldn't want to sink to the level of these people.

Yet the very next second, Shizuku exclaimed happily in her sweet, soft voice:

"Really? You're really going to rob the Treasure Festival and give me the Star of East Gorteau? That's wonderful! Joining you really was the right choice."

A Luo: "..."

What did it mean for birds of a feather to flock together?

Truly, only people cut from the same cloth ended up under the same roof!

After a brief discussion, the five Spiders, including Shizuku, soon devised a meticulous robbery plan with intelligence and technical guidance from Shalnark.

A Luo wanted to say that she really had no desire to take part in such serious criminal activity.

But no one gave her a choice at all. A month later, the group appeared at East Gorteau's Treasure Festival, with a deeply reluctant A Luo in tow.

"Wow! So many beautiful gems!"

Shizuku exclaimed, her eyes sparkling as she gazed at the assortment of jewels housed beneath bulletproof glass covers.

Dressed in a black suit, Feitan followed behind her, holding A Luo's hand as he said impatiently:

"According to the plan, we need to reach the entrance to the vault holding the Star of East Gorteau in ten minutes. Shizuku, stop staring at this junk. Once we're done, you can have as much of it as you want!"

Meanwhile, Chrollo, Machi, and Pakunoda stood on the outskirts of the Treasure Festival. They had taken control of all the bigwigs responsible for organizing it and learned the locations of every jewel, along with the codes to the important safes, from their staff.

In fact, Pakunoda had read those top-secret locations and codes directly from their memories, so there was no chance of deception or evasion. Every piece of information was guaranteed to be genuine.

"Feitan, we've obtained all the codes according to plan. Where are you now?"