Dinner, Discovery, Planning, Concessions

"Smack, smack~"

Rain poured down like a river from the sky, and the restaurant's bulletproof glass trembled beneath the downpour.

Luona sat in a high-backed chair at the dining table and gently poured a glass of milk for Carl beside her.

"Carl, there's nothing good to eat here at the casino, so make do for now."

"When you come visit my home someday, how about I treat you to a feast?"

With that, Luona glanced at the way a certain someone was eating, and the corner of her mouth twitched.

In the time it took her to say those two sentences, the creamy chicken vol-au-vent in front of Lianke was already gone.

"Thank you, Sister Luona."

Carl held the warm glass of milk and responded politely.

After another glance at Lianke, who was eating with gusto, Luona narrowed her eyes and leaned close to Carl's ear:

"Mm~ Carl, tell me secretly, are you a Nen user?"

As the mistress of the Keike Family, she would never pass up a single talented person who might be of use to the family!

A person's value determined the treatment they received. As Lianke's disciple, Carl could naturally earn her favor.

But that favor would last only as long as Lianke was alive and remained on friendly terms with her.

Only if Carl demonstrated her own value could Luona decide how to treat her going forward.

A bronze pinky ring could be nothing more than a ring, or it could be a pass to the uppermost ranks of Meteor City.

Carl took a sip of milk and glanced across the table out of the corner of her eye. Lianke was wrestling with a bowl of cream soup, showing no intention of paying them any attention.

The thing was, with a Nen user's keen senses, Lianke was bound to hear Luona's whisper in a confined space like the restaurant!

Since Lianke hadn't reacted, she was giving him tacit permission to answer.

With that thought, he finally spoke slowly. "According to what Master taught me, I should count as a Nen user now."

"Oh! You're amazing, Carl!"

"You're so young, yet you're already a Nen user!"

The smile on Luona's face grew more sincere, and her silk robe looked even softer in the warm light.

His status as a Nen user alone made Carl worthy of the bronze pinky ring he held.

His young age showed that he was exceptionally gifted, making this the perfect time to cultivate goodwill.

As a close friend's disciple, his background was clean and transparent, reducing the risk of the family's investment.

There are plenty of children in the family around the right age. Once the rain stops, I'll send them to Carl and see if they can build a relationship from childhood.

Rubbing the scarlet manicure on her fingers, Luona looked at the boy's youthful cheeks and pondered.

The neckline of her silk robe slipped half an inch, revealing a gruesome bullet scar on her collarbone.

On that rainy night ten years ago, Pike had crushed the skulls of fifty-two gunmen with his bare hands, planting the Keike Family's viper emblem in every gang in Meteor City.

"Another glass."

Luona leaned over and refilled Carl's glass. The sound of the milky white liquid pouring masked her quickening heartbeat.

Back then, Pike had been alone, yet he had built the vast Keike Family through sheer strength.

Now another young, unaffiliated Nen user had appeared before her. How could she possibly let her slip away?

"Phew~"

Carl drained her glass of milk and narrowed her eyes in comfort.

Luona's eyelashes fluttered as she took in the scene.

She suddenly nudged Lianke's calf with the toe of her shoe, earning a smug lift of the eyebrow from her. Had Lianke really brought her disciple here just to ask for help?

Luona didn't know, but the Keike Family would never pass up the chance to have one of their own become Carl's wife.

"Phew~"

The church was silent on the rainy night. Only the oil lamp in the screening room was lit, casting a dim glow.

Hisoka clung tightly to the ceiling. Under the cover of Texture Illusion, he had successfully observed all of the Phantom Troupe's conversations.

Carl's companions really are interesting...

From behind the illusion, Hisoka's slender eyes burned as he kept sweeping his gaze over the people below.

The resolute expression on Chrollo's face nearly made him unable to resist joining in and testing the man's will himself...

As Hisoka's gaze swept over them, it suddenly met a pair of azure eyes.

Their owner was petite, with long, pale purple hair.

She was looking up, staring fixedly at Hisoka's position.

"..."

On the ceiling, beneath Texture Surprise, Hisoka's face twitched slightly, and he silently maintained his state of Zetsu.

Although he didn't know how strong Carl's companions were, he would die if he fought a double-digit number of Nen users at once.

And if he died, that wouldn't be any fun!

Rumble!

Lightning flashed and thunder roared. Rain blew in through the window, soaking the floor.

"Machi, what are you looking at?"

Noticing that something was wrong with Machi's expression, Uvogin looked up as well, his gaze falling on the ceiling.

He scanned it, but nothing seemed out of place.

This is bad!

On the ceiling, Hisoka's heart jolted.

"There's someone on the ceiling."

Machi stepped back and pulled a Bomb Pomegranate from her sleeve, looking warily overhead as she spoke.

Ever since entering the screening room, she had felt an intense sense of being watched. Only after sensing with her Nen Aura for a long while had she pinpointed its source.

The others' hearts raced at her words, and their scalps tingled. Someone had been hiding in the screening room, and they had walked in completely unprepared...

If that person had meant them harm, wouldn't they have died without a place to be buried?

"There!"

Three seconds later, Feitan was the first to fix his gaze on a spot overhead, and he quickly pulled a dagger from inside his clothes.

The broken window had long since let the wind and rain in, leaving the rest of the ceiling damp. Only one spot remained dry.

Without hesitation, Feitan raised his arm, ready to throw the dagger.

Seeing that he'd been discovered, Hisoka decisively peeled back the patch of wall covering formed by Texture Illusion and leaped down from the ceiling.

"Tap."

With a faint sound, Hisoka landed directly in front of the screening room door.

"You're... Carl's senior fellow disciple?"

Seeing Hisoka's familiar face, Uvogin stopped rolling up his sleeves, his eyes full of doubt and surprise.

If it had been a stranger, he could naturally have attacked without restraint!

But... how could the person eavesdropping be Carl's senior fellow disciple?

Uvogin glanced at Old Will's body, which had been fully restored on the nearby table, then turned his gaze to Chrollo.

The man had just finished stitching up Old Will's body for them. Would it be right to attack him now?

"Teacher took Carl to find you and left me at the church to protect her work."

Hisoka pointed at the body on the table, his tone calm.

Could that be called eavesdropping?

He had clearly been doing his duty and protecting his teacher's work!

By the window, Chrollo rubbed the spot between his brows, then suddenly reached out to stop Feitan. Only then did Feitan slowly lower the dagger that had nearly flown from his hand:

"Hisoka, right?"

Though he'd only heard it once, that was indeed what Carl had called him that morning!

"Oh?"

Hisoka raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised that the other man knew his name:

"We can protect Grandpa Will's body ourselves."

"Turn left outside the door and walk twenty steps. There's a room where you can rest."

Chrollo's tone was calm, as though Hisoka's earlier behavior had never happened:

"When Teacher Lianke returns, we'll pay her for stitching up the body ourselves!"

Interesting~

So interesting!

Suppressing the desire surging within him, Hisoka slowly backed out of the room.

There were too many people this time. Only a one-on-one duel could give him pleasure.

Hisoka had no desire to experience a dull, tedious group fight.

"Next time, I must have a taste next time..."

Walking down the dark red corridor, Hisoka pressed his legs slightly together, a twisted smile appearing on his face.

He was starting to like Meteor City a little...