Chapter 44
Perhaps startled by my mental state, Kuroro's companions and I maintained a relatively peaceful state thereafter.
Specifically, that annoying guy named Feitan stopped glancing at me with his fierce eyes every now and then, and I pretended not to see him either, ignoring each other.
...However, things certainly won't end so simply. I'm just waiting for the right moment to tell him that I'm not as docile and weak as he imagines.
Their short-haired female companion hadn't returned for a long time, and late at night, Kuroro finally made a phone call to inquire:
"...Little Drop"
He didn't turn on the speakerphone, but everyone present, including myself, could easily hear the sound coming from the other end of the phone.
"Captain." The woman named Xiaoshi spoke in a calm and gentle voice. Judging from her voice alone, it was hard to imagine that she was a member of the infamous Phantom Troupe.
"Why haven't you come back yet?" Kuroro asked. "Did something happen?"
“Hmm,” Shizuku said, “Nobunaga’s sword has been confiscated… It seems like a new weapons control law or something has been introduced here recently.”
Kuroro pondered for a moment.
Indistinct conversation could be heard in the background, followed by a burst of noise.
After the noise stopped, Xiao Di calmly continued, "...We're discussing when to get the knife back. The earliest we might be able to go back is tomorrow afternoon."
"Okay," Kuroro said, "..."
He seemed to have something else to say, but a sudden buzzing sound interrupted Kuroro's words.
He lowered his head, took out another phone from his pocket, and glanced at the screen—
Someone dialed the number.
It was an unfamiliar number.
Xiaodi's call hadn't ended yet, so Kuroro briefly picked up where he left off and summarized what he hadn't said earlier.
"...Try to finish this as quickly as possible."
Then he picked up another phone and pressed the answer button.
This time, it was Killua's voice coming from the other end of the phone.
His voice sounded tense, drawn out, and thin, like a piece of iron that would break if bent any further.
"Hello, hello—" Because his voice was too dry, he had to adjust it a few times before he found a normal tone.
Kuroro patiently waited for Killua to introduce himself first, and then, amidst Killua's questions, he revealed his own identity.
Killua clearly had no time to waste arguing with him and went straight to the point:
"Is Lei okay? I need to talk to her."
"Where are the Chain Hands?" Kuroro asked. "I still don't know where your friends have gone."
“We’re already in contact with him—” Killua quickly tried to steer the conversation away from the topic. “You kidnapped Rai to blackmail us into helping you find him, right? In that case, we’re the ones you’re dealing with, not the Chainhands. Give the phone to Rai; I want to hear her voice.”
Clearly, during the exchange and analysis of information, Kuroro was unaware that I had made direct contact with "Chainhand".
Otherwise things could become even more complicated.
Considering the consequences, I also tacitly chose to keep quiet and pretended that I didn't know Kurapika at all.
Killua's request was clearly reasonable and easy to fulfill, but Chrollo still thought for a moment and made a condition before agreeing to Killua's request.
“Okay,” he said, “but I need to hear the chainman’s voice first.”
“…What do you mean?” Killua asked.
Kuroro smiled:
"You understand."
This time is different from before.
At this point, he glanced at me, paused for a brief moment, and vaguely glossed over my identity with a nasal tone, not using the word "hostage" to describe me, but only making a veiled threat:
"...With her around, our deal could never have been fair from the start."
I listened quietly.
The conversation ended unpleasantly, and Kuroro hung up the phone.
I suddenly found it ridiculous.
When we met again, this person said he loved me, and later he kept saying he liked me, but in the end, he just used me to threaten someone else.
He doesn't care about me, but he thinks that Killua, who abandoned me, will care about me, and that Gon and the Chain Hand, with whom he hasn't talked much, will care about me.
If I had to choose, I'd trust Illumi more than them.
At least Illumi almost never let me go.
But I did not express my opinion.
Kuroro didn't speak to me either.
Our relationship has unknowingly returned to the level of "kidnapper and hostage".
The phone rang again.
This time it was a text message.
...
"He wants us to contact Kurapika first." On the other side, Killua was discussing with Kalluto, "Find a reason to go back and keep an eye on what they're up to."
Killua is blatantly taking advantage of his brother's status as a member of the Phantom Troupe to force him to become an undercover agent.
Kurt had no objection.
However, he was puzzled: "Won't my older brother find out soon?"
“We’ll see,” Killua said gravely. “In any case, we need to bring Rai back as soon as possible.”
Kurt's eyes flickered.
But he quickly lowered his face, not letting Killua see his expression.
“Wouldn’t it be better to just hand that person over?” he asked. “What are you worried about, brother?”
Knowing that cold-blooded brothers wouldn't have the concept of "friends," Killua didn't intend to explain his defense of Kurapika.
"Don't ask any more questions," he stated succinctly.
Kurt then stopped asking.
“Contact the Phantom Troupe,” Killua said again. “I don’t know if they know about our relationship… If they agree to let you go back and participate in the operation, you can cooperate with us to rescue Rae.”
In this critical moment, Kurt changed the subject and asked:
"Does my brother really want to be with Rae?"
...Killua became impatient.
"We can't just leave her like this."
He said.
Kurt remained silent.
He was never a talkative person to begin with, and Killua had a hard time guessing what his cold and eccentric younger brother was thinking.
The same thing happened this time.
Under his watchful eye, Kurt obediently contacted the Phantom Troupe. Everything seemed normal, and although difficult, it appeared to be moving in a positive direction.
Perhaps because he had lived in peace and friendship for too long, this time, he surprisingly trusted Kurt.
Much later, after the operation was over, Killua belatedly realized that there wasn't a single normal person in his family.
He shouldn't have counted on Kurt.
But that happened later.
Kurt's performance is now impeccable.
The only clue that gave me a vague sense of unease was when Kuroro replied with an address, asking Kalluto to go and meet him...
Kurt suddenly asked:
"elder brother"
Killua, focused on devising a countermeasure, absentmindedly replied, "Hmm."
Kurt asked slowly and in a low voice, "Can I come with you this time?"
Killua: "What?"
“When you’re with your sister,” Kurt repeated, “…can I be included?”
—As long as I can stay in one space and be watched by them occasionally, that's enough.
Kurt's desires were neither greedy nor turbulent; they were restrained and subtle.
But Killua gave a vague reply: "We'll see."
Kurt lowered his eyes, his long, curved, butterfly-like eyelashes obscuring the expression in them.
At that moment, he suddenly made a decision.
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