Pervert

"Clop, clop!"

The wooden stairs groaned with age beneath Carl's feet, and the stale scent of pine resin mingled with the moonlight that spilled into the second-floor hallway.

Four eggshell-yellow doors loomed faintly in the darkness. On the first, a smiling face made from the queen of hearts, jack of spades, and seven of clubs looked frayed in the moonlight-the corners of the cards had curled and yellowed, as though someone had rubbed them over and over for years.

"Playing cards? Is that Lianke's other disciple?"

Carl glanced at them a few times. Although she was curious about the other disciple's identity, she had no intention of digging deeper.

It was late. She couldn't very well knock on someone's door in the middle of the night and wake them up, could she?

"Click~"

Carl's hand hovered over the brass doorknob for a moment. Night dew had condensed on its icy surface.

The door was unlocked.

The moment she pushed it open, the smell of mildew and resin hit her. Moonlight slanted through the diamond-shaped windowpanes, illuminating the rings in the wooden bed frame like a faded map.

"Phew~"

With her back against the door, Carl slowly let out a stale breath.

She had finally managed to carry out the plan, and with the weight lifted from her heart, the exhaustion of a busy night washed over her all at once.

"Enter the manor."

Carl closed her eyes and repeated the words silently in her heart.

"Buzz~"

As space and time trembled, she vanished from the room in an instant.

Silvery-gray moonlight flowed over the wheat fields like liquid mercury, and Carl's figure stepped onto a soft ridge between the furrows.

Chrollo, who had been waiting for a long time, brightened and hurried to his feet:

"You're not hurt, are you?"

As the one who had devised the plan, he had been under immense psychological pressure the whole time.

He had been terrified that a flaw in his plan would cause Carl to get hurt, or even die!

"The plan went very smoothly..."

Seeing the worry on the boy's face, Carl felt a warmth in her heart.

Memories of her previous life welled up.

He had grown up in an orphanage, and when he was four, the caregivers there taught him a lesson-orphaned children had no parents, so any picture of them was a family portrait.

At twelve, a bully in his class smashed his glasses, and his homeroom teacher's mockery taught him another lesson-a child without parents was called a bastard.

At twenty-five, his exploitative boss pointed a finger in his face and used scalding coffee to teach him a third lesson-workhorses had no right to talk about rest; livestock only deserved to work themselves to death.

No one had ever cared about him the way Chrollo did!

"As long as you're all right. If Ms. Lianke won't teach you, we can always find another teacher!"

Chrollo carefully checked Carl all over. Only after making sure she had no wounds did he breathe a sigh of relief.

In his eyes, the so-called plan was nowhere near as important as his companion's safety!

"Phew~"

After coming to terms with how moved she felt, Carl rubbed her eyes and slowly turned her gaze behind Chrollo.

That was the direction of the warehouse.

Eleven patched-together quilts were spread in a straight line beneath the moonlight. In the middle, Uvogin's bronze-colored arm was wrapped around Nobunaga's neck, and a strand of drool hung from the corner of Nobunaga's mouth to the pillow on his bedding.

Pakunoda was curled up like a baby, a small wooden cup clutched tightly in her hand.

"Mmm~~~"

Perhaps their conversation had been too loud. A mess of unruly hair poked out of the floral bedding at the very edge, and Sarasa sat up, rubbing her eyes and looking around in confusion:

"Carl's back?"

Wheat bran clung to the tip of her nose, and the teddy bear in her arms was missing a glass eye, with stuffing spilling out of the tear-it was the girl's most treasured toy, without equal.

"Get some rest. It's late."

At the sight of the girl's adorable appearance, Carl grinned and spoke to Chrollo.

"...Good night."

Chrollo blinked, then walked over to his bedding.

With his companion safely back, he, the leader of the Phantom Troupe, could naturally rest easy!

"Good night, everyone," Carl said softly.

Early the next morning.

"Boom~~~"

In the hallway, where the morning mist had yet to clear, the sudden explosion made Carl's eardrums ache.

There was no need to think about it. Lianke had to be testing the power of the Bomb Pomegranate!

She gently closed her door, and the creak of a turning hinge suddenly came from across the hall.

Carl looked up and saw a boy in a burgundy shirt leaning against the doorframe, a playing card spinning in a blur at his fingertips.

Moisture still clung to the tips of his pink hair, and a playful teardrop had been painted in dark red at the outer corner of his eye. "Morning, junior brother~"

"Hisoka. That's my name."

With that, the boy leaning against the doorframe held out his left hand, his manner unexpectedly gentle.

"..."

Looking at Hisoka before her-or, more precisely, at the pale purple Nen Aura in his hand-Carl felt her heart gradually pick up speed.

Why?

Why is Hisoka here?

Isn't this Meteor City? Did I wander onto the wrong set?

"Carl."

After a moment's hesitation, Carl slowly gave her name.

She didn't take Hisoka's hand. The pale purple Nen Aura on it was obviously Hisoka's unique Nen Ability!

"Oh~~, you can see it?"

The corners of Hisoka's mouth curved slightly, and his gaze grew increasingly intense as he studied Carl.

Wait...

Did I just give myself away?

Carl stepped back half a pace against the stair railing. The sting of a splinter piercing her palm brought her to her senses, and the fingers hidden in her sleeve quickly reached for the twig of the Bomb Pomegranate.

Anyone who knew Hisoka knew that the best way to deal with a pervert like him was to eliminate him completely on a physical level!

Otherwise, the pervert would hound them endlessly~

"Snap~"

The dark green fruit quivered.

Hisoka's pupils abruptly contracted, and his body reflexively sprang backward.

Last night, he had been stuck to the ceiling and heard the entire conversation between Lianke and Carl!

The enormous commotion from the forest earlier had also been enough to prove how powerful this kind of bomb was! First thing in the morning, he had no desire to experience its power right in his face!

He knocked over a clay flowerpot by the side of the hallway, and the flying shards marked a dividing line between them.

He raised both hands and smiled innocently. "Just kidding! I'll go get breakfast ready~"

Still talking to himself, he slowly backed away.

"A joke..."

Carl stared into Hisoka's eyes. After a moment's hesitation, she finally loosened her grip on the bomb slightly.

She had come here to learn, after all, so she had to show Lianke at least some respect.

Otherwise, she really wanted to nip a pervert like Hisoka in the bud!

"Maybe don't joke like that next time. When I get nervous, I tend to throw things."

With that, Carl walked straight down the stairs.

"Phew~"

Only after Carl's footsteps had completely faded did Hisoka wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.

He couldn't understand how Carl, young as she was, could be so quick to use a bomb to take someone down with her.

People who came out of Meteor City really were all perverts!