"A Luo, quit gloating over there. What did I tell you before we left? I told you to keep an eye on Feitan and Shizuku, and you just hid off to the side and watched?"
Chrollo had barely separated Hisoka and Feitan before he turned his sights on A Luo.
A Luo's eyes went wide.
Seriously?!
Could Chrollo stop being so damn unreasonable?!
What did he mean, keep an eye on Feitan and Shizuku?
She was clearly the youngest of the three!
Besides, neither Feitan nor Shizuku would take orders from her, and then Hisoka had suddenly shown up, too. Stuck between all those people, she was lucky enough not to get killed by accident while they fought.
How was she supposed to stop those guys from throwing down?!
After being scolded by Chrollo for no reason, A Luo squatted on the floor and sulked, her cheeks puffed out. She no longer even felt like asking why Hisoka had suddenly appeared.
But even if she didn't ask, someone else would.
Pakunoda frowned at the uninvited pervert.
"Hisoka? Why did you suddenly show up here?"
Hisoka curled his lips and waved his phone at everyone.
"Have none of you really checked your phones? Shalnark sent everything he found to the whole group! ♥"
The perverted fruit grower swayed his hips and smiled at everyone, standing in his little heels.
"I happened to have nothing to do lately, so I came to find a little fun! ♥"
Shizuku frowned and challenged him.
"If you're a member, too, and you came to rob these jewels with us... why did you help Blondie escape right away without even checking what was going on, and then fight Feitan?"
Hisoka lightly kissed the card in his hand, looking at Shizuku with renewed interest.
There really was something wonderful about this girl's airheadedness. She had immediately seen through his attempt to dodge the important issue and change the subject.
Did that mean he had to tell the truth?
Hisoka pondered for less than a second, then addressed everyone with a perfectly sincere expression.
"All right! I admit it. I didn't come here for the junk at the Treasure Festival. Since I came looking for fun, naturally, I'm more interested in fighting than in the things in these exhibition halls. ♥"
"If I'd helped Feitan deal with Blondie just now, the fight would have been over before it even started. Blame me for seeing the message too late-by the time I got here, there were no fights left. But helping that man escape was a different story. With Feitan's temper, he was bound to fight me! Then I could enjoy a good battle, too! ♥"
As it turned out, Hisoka's analysis had predicted exactly how things would unfold.
When Feitan saw Hisoka rescue Blondie, he flew into a rage and lunged straight at him.
Hisoka's explanation still made him thoroughly punchable, but it was at least convincing enough for the Spiders present.
Chrollo considered it, then gave up on questioning Hisoka further for the time being.
Now that they had what they wanted, there was no reason to stay.
Even the jewels placed elsewhere were soon packed into bags by Shizuku and Pakunoda.
The Spiders promptly decided to leave the crime scene first.
The next day, in Meteor City.
Back in this place filled with garbage, breathing in the foul stench unique to Meteor City, A Luo threw herself onto the sofa and played dead.
After leaving East Gorteau yesterday, they had taken an airship all the way back to Meteor City.
Shizuku looked at A Luo with her big eyes.
"Little A Luo, you're not from Meteor City, are you? You still haven't gotten used to the smell here?"
Looking at the cute, wide-eyed girl beside her, A Luo suddenly grew curious about her and turned the question back on Shizuku.
"What about you, Shizuku? Are you from Meteor City? You seem pretty comfortable with the environment here!"
Shizuku thought for a long while before finally replying.
"I've forgotten the details, too. I just remember that I seem to have lived here before. That's why I could adjust to the environment as soon as I arrived."
Right, she'd almost forgotten.
This girl had a poor memory. Whenever she did something, she would soon forget it.
While the two of them chatted about their pasts, the other Spiders weren't sitting idle, either.
As soon as they returned to Meteor City, Feitan took Blondie, whom Chrollo had captured at the Treasure Festival, into a room alone.
Now, with screams coming from next door and the heavy smell of blood drifting out through the window, every Spider acted as though they noticed nothing.
Only A Luo kept finding herself glancing that way.
As things stood now...
The man hadn't died at Feitan's hands yesterday. Instead, thanks to Hisoka's interference, the Spiders had brought him back to Meteor City. It was hard to say whether that had been a blessing or a curse for him!
Finally, just before evening arrived...
Feitan walked out of the room, wiping his hands.
As the door opened and closed, they caught a glimpse of the blood covering the floor inside and Blondie hanging in the middle of the room, his entire body drenched in blood.
"Boss, that guy has told me everything he knows. If you still want his Nen ability, you can go in and take it now."
Chrollo was just about to rise when a sunny young man's hearty laughter rang out from the entrance to the base.
"Hahaha! I heard Hisoka and Feitan got into a fight yesterday. Well? Which of them won?"
Shalnark swept in like a gust of wind.
Shizuku had been staring at the jewels all along. Those sparkling, beautiful pieces of jewelry were simply too alluring to her. Hearing the sunny young man burst in with that question, she answered without a second thought.
"There wasn't a winner at the time, but if they'd kept fighting, I think Feitan would have lost."
Feitan's face turned livid at Shizuku's words.
He looked at Hisoka, who sat beside the high stained-glass window, and challenged him with a cold laugh.
"Yesterday's fight wasn't enough. How about we fight again today and settle who's stronger?"
Hisoka's eyes lit up.
Could something this wonderful really happen?
He could just sit here, and a skilled fighter would come right to him looking for a fight?
He couldn't ask for anything better! ♥
But just as Hisoka jumped down from the windowsill, Pakunoda frowned and warned the two rule-breakers.
"Feitan, Hisoka, have you forgotten what the Boss said yesterday? Members aren't allowed to fight each other. If you disagree, decide who gets their way by calling heads or tails on the Spider Coin."
Feitan: "..."
Hisoka: "..."
The other Spiders in the base watched the three of them, eager for the spectacle to get even livelier.
After briefly assessing the situation, Hisoka dropped the card in his hand, his enthusiasm gone, and jumped back onto the windowsill to gaze at the sunset and its fiery clouds.
Feitan wiped his sword in disgruntlement, then slid it back into the umbrella's frame.
Chrollo paid no attention to their little episode at all and headed straight for the room where Blondie was being held.
Before you continue