In the past, in Meteor City, exchanging names had a kind of symbolic contract meaning.

It showed you were allies, even if just temporarily. Kikyo. The bond wasn't always strong — it was usually just a short-term partner agreement.

In a fight, if someone had to call out to a specific person, they needed a way to identify them. A name worked well.

Everyone in Meteor City had their own unique name. Some wrote their names on their clothes, some flipped through books and came up with one with friends. Every name was recorded in the church, and that was taken seriously.

Saiki Kusuo didn't know any of this.

And Chrollo didn't really care much about name exchanges.

What Chrollo cared about more — was knowledge.

Saiki Kusuo was smart.

Kikyo already knew: For someone with psychic powers, even high school-level knowledge could be mastered in grade school.

But school knowledge wasn't useful to him anymore.

And when it came to answering Chrollo's questions about word meanings, Saiki Kusuo could easily give him answers — and not just good ones, but the best ones from a big-picture view.

Chrollo had started to appreciate him — even if he was just a nine-year-old kid.

"Have you ever thought about joining the Phantom Troupe?"

Huh?

[You already know I'm not like any of you.]

"I figured."

The invitation fell through, but Chrollo wasn't discouraged. On the afternoon of the second day after Saiki Kusuo arrived, all the other members had gone off to do their own missions. Only Machi was still in the building, and even she had just left to buy groceries.

Chrollo wasn't worried about being alone with Saiki Kusuo.

He turned another page in his book, only to discover that near the end of a book he hadn't finished, there was a handwritten note.

The handwriting was his own. It said: "Take off Saiki's glasses."

Chrollo moved the moment he read the words. Only as his hand reached out did he remember why the message was in such a strange spot. He had written it last night—to catch himself off guard so he'd act without thinking.

Saiki Kusuo could read minds, which meant he could predict things. That's why he had to trust his past self without hesitation.

[He's taking my glasses? Why... oh no!]

Saiki Kusuo was sitting next to Chrollo, reading a book as well. By the time he realized what was happening, Chrollo had already grabbed the glasses—and they were now lying on the floor.

The Phantom Troupe leader had been turned to stone.

Curiosity really does kill. Chrollo, do your teammates know how reckless you are?

Saiki Kusuo bit his lip. What now? Chrollo wasn't like that idiot Nendou. He'd definitely notice that a whole day had passed after turning back.

What about the other Troupe members? Let them walk in and see Chrollo as a stone statue?

Before Feitan left, Saiki had heard his thoughts:

[Yeah, fine, mission it is—but if I come back and Chrollo's missing even one hair, that kid's getting shaved bald.]

Yeah… there's no way he'll just let that slide.

Saiki Kusuo sighed heavily, picked up his glasses, and put them back on. At this point, he had to rely on his powers. As for Chrollo… maybe he should lock him up on the third floor? Hopefully the others wouldn't come back too soon.

[Yo, Feitan, didn't you go to Zone 3 on the east side? You're back already?]

[Heh, just did a quick sweep of a mafia spot. What's there to take time for? There's still someone else at the base.]

[Still worried about that kid? Chrollo already made the call, just leave it.]

[I still don't get how he was immune to Rising Sun. Phinks, go punch him full-force using your count-up move.]

[Wouldn't that just turn the kid to dust? Oh, hey, Machi, you're back too? I brought beer! Let's make something out of these guys.]

Saiki Kusuo: They're right outside! I don't even get a break! This is an emergency!

He quickly grabbed the stone Chrollo and teleported upstairs. Then he found Chrollo's coat and black pants downstairs, and since the pants were too long, he cut a chunk off to fit.

He shut the door and jumped back down. The moment he landed, he used a psychic trick—something like… an illusion.

One version of this psychic technique changes how others see you. Wearing Chrollo's clothes made it less suspicious.

And the most important part—books. Yeah. As long as Chrollo was holding a book, he was Chrollo.

"We're back, boss!"

"Where's the pink-haired kid?"

Saiki Kusuo-as-Lucil didn't even lift his head, just kept reading:

[He left for now.]

At the same time, he used his ability to copy Chrollo's voice. If people believed they heard Chrollo's voice, their brains would fill in the rest.

The real one upstairs was technically not alive at the moment. And since the others could sense life force, it was better not to mention anyone else was here.

"Ran off in fear?" Feitan dropped his stuff and pulled a game disc from his bag. He walked over to the living room corner, clearly ready to play.

[Something feels off. The boss told us to go do that thing so suddenly this morning. Now he's not even asking about it? Wasn't it important?]

[And why hasn't he looked at the food? I got the gulu-meat he mentioned the other day.]

Saiki Kusuo-as-Lucil: Crap. Chrollo actually had that much stuff planned? I thought he just sat around reading like a piece of furniture!

What now? He only met Chrollo yesterday. How would he know how Chrollo usually handled team matters?

[But as long as the boss is reading, he's still the boss.]

[That posture, sitting like a rock on the sofa reading... yeah, that's the boss alright. Why was I even doubting?]

Everyone just paused for a moment before going back to their own things. Saiki Kusuo let out a breath of relief. Books were truly magical. He kept reading, and actually started to take in the content. Time didn't feel so hard to get through anymore.

"Oh right, boss, I got the gulu-meat you wanted. But… where's the recipe?"

So they're still at the stage of cooking with recipes? But wait—those random dishes from last night were made with a recipe? What kind of cookbook is that?

Saiki Kusuo-as-Lucil calmly glanced across the table, the side of the sofa, and the pile of books behind it.

Chrollo would definitely remember which book it was in. But Saiki Kusuo? He hadn't read any of them—and waking Chrollo up to ask was out of the question.

Yare yare, what a pain. Saiki Kusuo stood up, and the moment he turned his back to Machi and the others, his eyes went cross-eyed.

Clairvoyance!

Clairvoyance was super handy for finding stuff. Saiki Kusuo quickly found the book with the words "Gulu Meat" in a pile. One page with the recipe was even folded at the corner—probably Chrollo's doing.

Saiki Kusuo grabbed the book, opened it, and handed it to Machi.

[Huh? Why's the boss giving this to me? He doesn't actually think I can read this, right? I don't understand a word—it's a totally foreign language… As expected…]

Saiki Kusuo, aka "Chrollo," quickly came up with a plan: [I'll go to the kitchen with you.]

"Fine. There are a lot of ingredients today, and I wanted to cook something else first…" [Oh, he's here to guide me with the recipe! Alright then, I'll show off a bit today!]

Saiki Kusuo let out a quiet sigh of relief. That was close.

He followed Machi toward the kitchen. As they passed by Phinks, he suddenly got a bad feeling.

[Huh? The boss is going to the kitchen? Is he going to cook?!]

Phinks stood up. His face was hidden, but his posture gave Saiki Kusuo a strong sense of danger. Crap… Don't tell me Chrollo never goes in the kitchen?

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