[Man… you really saw through everything. Fine, I'll start with one of my powers. Anything I see with my eyes gets turned to stone for 24 hours.] Trying to hide the truth from this kind of person was way too much trouble. Better to just tell him straight.

Chrollo was surprised, but calmly accepted it. "…That's a weird power. So how did you survive 24 hours? Are my members okay? You're still wearing my jacket. Don't tell me…"

[I used an illusion to make your team think I was you. I spent 24 hours pretending to be "Chrollo."]

That was a lot to take in. Even Chrollo froze for a second, hand over his mouth, deep in thought. He looked down at the book—its pages had clear signs of being read. The paper had creases that would be hard to fake.

"So a full day has passed. You left me frozen here and kept the illusion going by pretending to read? I guess that could've worked. But over 24 hours, my team must've asked you something. What did you say?"

Well, it couldn't be helped. Anyone would be shocked to find out a stranger had been pretending to be them all day, and not a single friend noticed anything was wrong.

[Let them settle it with coin tosses.]

Chrollo: ?

Even Chrollo's smile froze for a second. "All of them? You're saying all conflicts were handled by letting the members toss coins, and while pretending to be me, you introduced a new rule that they all accepted?"

[Yeah. The rule was no fighting among the members. If there was a disagreement, they had to flip a coin. I also mentioned getting someone to make stronger Spider Coins. I mean, if you want to cancel it, go ahead… I just didn't know what else to do at the time…] Saiki Kusuo looked away, feeling guilty. It seemed he had crossed some kind of line.

Chrollo's gaze was sharp, but after covering his mouth and thinking for a moment, he suddenly smiled. "I hadn't thought of that, but it does sound like something they'd agree to. And with the spider element, it does feel like something I'd come up with. Honestly, it's not a bad solution compared to just winging it. So, what happened next? Today should've been..."

[The meeting was pushed to tomorrow.]

Chrollo looked at Saiki Kusuo with a smile, and Saiki Kusuo kept his poker face. The two stared at each other for a long while.

Just when Saiki Kusuo thought Chrollo was about to get angry, Chrollo said, "You really did cause me some trouble, but your choices were all pretty smart. You're clever."

This guy is way too calm!

Saiki Kusuo relaxed a bit. He had already picked up from Chrollo's inner thoughts that he wasn't angry.

Chrollo was a very rational person. Instead of blaming others, he was more focused on solving the problem.

"What was your reason for canceling the meeting? You can hear their thoughts, right? Was someone in that group acting strange?"

[Yeah, I still remember a few things. I'll repeat what I heard.] Saiki Kusuo began recalling the thoughts he had picked up and passed them on to Chrollo.

"You've got to help me." After hearing everything, Chrollo's mind started working, and he made a request to Saiki Kusuo.

[Why should I help someone who—]

"You caused me a lot of trouble. Isn't it fair to help me out a little?" Chrollo widened his eyes, as if rejecting him would be the real crime.

Wasn't it you ripping off my glasses that started this whole mess?

Asking a nine-year-old for help? Really?

All Saiki Kusuo got in return was Chrollo's smile and outstretched hand. "This needs to be solved tonight, or our future plans will get delayed. You already sent everyone home, which basically told them something's up. Most of them probably won't show tomorrow."

I bet a few loyal ones still will. Saiki Kusuo sighed. Looks like he had no choice—he really had messed up Chrollo's schedule. [Yare yare. I'll help, but just to be clear, I'm a nine-year-old who can't handle bloody stuff and doesn't kill.]

Never thought being nine would turn into such a strong excuse. Counting his past life, Saiki Kusuo was at least sixteen now.

"That's fine. We're not the type to kill people every day. Why would there be blood?" Chrollo hopped off the bed and reached out. A book appeared in his hand from thin air.

Skill Hunter. Is he trying to steal powers now?

Then Chrollo put his arm around Saiki Kusuo, and the next moment they teleported downstairs. At the same time, Pakunoda was moved to the third floor. She looked at the bed, where only Chrollo's coat was left, completely confused.

Saiki Kusuo, picking up Pakunoda's thoughts, frowned.

[Was that really necessary? Now Pakunoda has to walk all the way down from the third floor.]

Being teleported by someone else for the first time in his life, Saiki Kusuo hoped it'd also be the last.

Chrollo didn't say anything. He glanced at Saiki Kusuo and answered through his thoughts: [From now on, remember this—my decisions are always right, and always necessary.]

"Pink hair? When did he show up again?!" Saiki Kusuo had been gone for a day, and everyone thought he'd already left.

"Don't worry about it. Orders for everyone—pack up, we're moving now." Chrollo's voice immediately shut down all questions.

"Oh? So it's finally time?" Feitan licked his lips, clearly looking forward to this.

"Yeah. We split into two teams and head to two locations. Phinks, you go contact Uvogin and Shalnark first. Tell them to act tonight. Then you and Franklin…"

Saiki Kusuo: I hadn't seen Uvogin or Shalnark at all and thought they weren't part of the original team. Turns out they were just sent far away.

Chrollo was quick to make plans. He had only woken up half an hour ago, but in that short time, he had already figured out the situation and set up a full strategy.

Even Saiki Kusuo had to admit he was a little impressed. Chrollo was smart—the kind of smart that reminded him of his own brother, Kusuke.

No, Kusuke wouldn't do things like this. He was more about achieving goals by any means necessary, and he always worked alone. Asking for help would feel like an insult to him.

Late at night, three battles broke out in Meteor City, and some things quietly started to change. That night, the Phantom Troupe made a deal with the local gangs. In return for help getting a spaceship, they would help some of the people in Meteor City leave for good.

When it came to war, power, and negotiation, Saiki Kusuo was the one helping out. He assisted mostly with the talks, using his telepathy to quietly cooperate with Chrollo.

[Feels like Pakunoda's out of a job now.] That was Saiki Kusuo's first thought after it all ended.

"She has her strengths, just not suited for this particular negotiation. Even without you, I could've pushed their limits. It just would've been more trouble," Chrollo said.

Oh, so I could've just not joined this from the start?

"Don't give me that 'I didn't have to come' look. Your presence actually saved me a lot of time. Winning this war is all about racing against the clock."

[The Phantom Troupe doesn't have that many members. Fighting in multiple places at once is pretty exhausting.]

They had become the strongest armed group in Meteor City—for now. And also the biggest target, especially in the eyes of the gangs.

[What's going to happen next?]

"This will be the last big battle inside Meteor City. A power struggle with the gangs. There'll probably be nonstop fighting over the next two days. Leave it to Feitan and the others. Can you handle it? Hearing the thoughts of a bunch of nine-year-old kids?"

[No choice but to get used to it. Can I read your book?]

"Sure," Chrollo said, surprisingly easygoing.

…

Over the next ten or so days, the Troupe's hostility toward Saiki Kusuo cooled down a lot. Saiki also told Chrollo up front that he'd be leaving on the 14th day at the latest. He said this trip was a trial from his family.

On the 14th day, just before Saiki Kusuo left, Chrollo brought back a new member—Shizuku, the girl Saiki had seen before. Before he left, Chrollo handed him a book as a parting gift, and Saiki accepted it.

[This might be a bit pointless to ask, but Chrollo, what's the first thing you guys plan to do once you leave this place?]

"Probably cause a big scene, steal something valuable, and make the outside world notice us. Don't worry, we're thieves, not monsters." Chrollo flipped through his book as he spoke, his tone so relaxed it was like there was no bloodshed behind his words at all.

These past few days had been surprisingly calm, especially compared to what the Troupe normally did. Saiki Kusuo knew that the only reason he got this kind of treatment was because he was too unpredictable and powerful.

[Are you trying to prove something?] Saiki blurted out. He knew what the Troupe would do after leaving Meteor City. He also knew they weren't the type to feel sympathy.

"I'm surprised you're even asking that. You're not usually the type to care whether people live or die." Chrollo flipped another page in his book. The fighting outside had been real these past few days. No matter how many people died or how many screams there were, Saiki Kusuo must have heard every last thought before death. A person's final thoughts aren't simple cries for help. Yet Saiki never wavered, never once tried to interfere.

Chrollo had even admired that level of calm—being able to hear people die and stay completely unfazed. So why was Saiki now acting like he was questioning their actions?

He looked up from the book and locked eyes with Saiki Kusuo, as if trying to see straight into his mind.

"Trying to play the good guy now? Isn't it a little late for that?"

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