Chapter 45
Kuroro's other companions seem to be waiting until the next day to arrive.
“Kurt wants to come back,” he announced after receiving the text message.
"What is he here for?" Feitan asked.
Kuroro's answer was nonchalant.
“Perhaps it was to help his brother… In any case, their actions show something…” He suddenly stopped speaking, smiled, and said, “Illumi Zoldyck is unaware of this.”
“What does Illumi Zoldyck have to do with that guy?” Phinks asked as well.
Kuroro just smiled and didn't answer.
We continued to spend some time together peacefully. In the dimly lit room, Kuroro, for reasons unknown, was intently reading a book—
Come to think of it, he seems to have had this bad habit ever since I met him.
I thought maliciously to myself.
—It's amazing that I didn't ruin my eyesight. I'm truly gifted.
The group sipped their overly sweet drinks casually—they were brought back by Finks on his way back. When he opened the box to hand out the drinks, he kindly offered me one, which I refused with disdain.
I don't want to drink this stuff that's full of additives.
My refusal of Finks's gesture did not escape Feitan's notice. He glanced at me sideways, sneered, and then pried open the beverage bottle with his finger, tilting his head back and gulping down a large mouthful.
Without needing to say much, he directly showed his dislike for me through his actions and expressions: he was picky and nitpicky.
But I don't care about his disdain.
I pursed my lips, shrank to the side, and continued racking my brains for a way to get revenge on them—
Finks, holding a drink bottle, squatted down next to me, leaned in affectionately, and asked with a hearty laugh:
"To be honest, you really did sleep with our commander, right?"
I:"……"
He had absolutely no idea how to spell "shy" and "face." Seeing that I didn't answer, he repeated the question with a grin, his eyes and brows showing a hint of excitement from watching the drama unfold.
I retorted irritably, "What do you think?"
For some reason, he actually gave me a thorough once-over, a thoughtful expression on his face, and then said in a serious tone:
"I think you are indeed good-looking, but you don't seem very smart. You don't seem to be the type that the leader would like."
As he spoke, he stroked his chin again, his smile turning sour: "But, hehe, putting aside liking someone..."
I got up and tried to kick him.
The attack was easily deflected.
Because my movements were small and I showed no fighting spirit, the other party didn't seem to care about me at all. After playfully stopping my actions, they even shook the bottle with interest and said nonchalantly:
"Oh dear! That was close! I almost wasted my drink."
"Don't waste what you've stolen," I exposed him.
He retorted, "Even if it's found, it shouldn't be wasted."
I snorted.
"What do you mean? Are you some kind of rich young lady?" the despicable thief muttered, "You actually look down on our way of thrift."
“That’s who I am,” I emphasized. “Didn’t you hear me?”
“No,” the man asked flippantly, “May I ask which family you belong to?”
At this point, I suddenly don't want to reveal my identity anymore.
The word Adrian evokes more embarrassment and awkwardness in me than pride.
I kept quiet.
Phinks, however, began to pester him relentlessly: "Speak—why are you not going to talk?"
Me: "I'm not, okay?"
"You just said you were."
"I forgot."
"Fine! You're cheating!"
...
The chaotic situation lasted for quite a while. Kuroro put down his book at some point and quietly looked at me.
I didn't notice it until I glanced to the side and realized he was looking at me. My rare relaxed smile froze on my lips, and the joking words I wanted to say just wouldn't come out.
Kuroro seemed to have been smiling at the time.
But after we looked at each other, neither of us could laugh anymore.
The atmosphere was strange.
Finks was still rambling on and on.
"I'm sleepy," I told him dismissively. "I want to go to sleep."
Then I closed my eyes, hugged my legs, buried my face in my knees, and started playing dead.
The beverage bottle crashed to the ground with a clatter.
“Pretentious,” Feitan’s voice followed.
I ignored him.
...
Kuroro's companions still hadn't returned by the next day.
A girl named Kozuki said they encountered a new unexpected situation: "Nobunaga's ID card has been blacklisted, so we can't buy plane tickets."
This time, the male voice in the background is clearer and no longer noisy.
"Damn it—!!! Little Drop, stop repeating it!"
Xiao Di's voice seemed to fade into the distance; she must have moved the microphone away.
"This is the first time I've spoken to the regimental commander," she said earnestly.
"Really—"
"So why didn't you check the documents in the first place?"
"These kinds of things can be bought for a few hundred thousand jenny, who cares?"
They started arguing.
Amidst the commotion, Kuroro calmly gave his instructions: "I understand. Machi, help Nobunaga solve the problem. I trust you."
A cold female voice replaced Xiao Di's voice: "Okay, Commander."
After hanging up the phone, Finks raised his hand and asked, "What are we having for lunch? Are we going back to that spot to stake out? Chainhands doesn't seem like they'll show up anytime soon."
Kuroro hummed in agreement and said, "After we finish eating, let's go to the neighborhood and check again to see if there's anything unusual. We've finally found an opportunity; we can't let him get away again."
"I'll go with Feitan."
“You stay here,” Kuroro said. “Feitan and I will go.”
They finished discussing their plan right in front of me, and then, just like any ordinary person, they took the tram to a roadside stall in the city to eat. When Kuroro sat down in a chair, I was still standing by the table.
Finks asked in confusion, "Aren't you hungry?"
Kuroro wiped the table and chair with a napkin, pulled out a chair, and invited me with a smile:
“We’re not dressed appropriately for a restaurant, but bear with it, Ray.”
Me: "...You really want to eat this kind of thing?"
“This is who I am.” He said, “Don’t you sometimes ask me what the real me is like? This is it. I’m not as sophisticated as you imagine; it’s just that some of my interests happen to overlap with yours.”
I reluctantly convinced myself to sit down, but once I stepped into the seat, I still couldn't bring myself to plop down.
"Would it be better if you sat on my lap?" Kuroro asked.
Not only did he ask that question, he also patted his thigh.
Me: "...You really have impressed me."
He would never have asked such a rude and offensive question before.
Kuroro repeated, "I've always been this way. You've probably noticed, haven't you?"
Otherwise, why would she throw herself into his arms again and again? It's clear that she had long been aware of his dishonest and shady nature.
I didn't want to waste any more time arguing with him, so I steeled myself and finally sat down on the stool.
They started ordering food.
I had no appetite, so I reluctantly ordered the dish that looked most appetizing. I picked up a few bites with my fork and chewed them listlessly for a long time.
A bubbly drink with ice cubes clinking was pushed over.
"Have a sip of water first," Kuroro said.
I ignored him.
The cup was pushed a little further in.
I still ignored him.
Feitan slammed his fork into the plate with a clang.
“She can drink it or not, it’s up to her,” he said sarcastically, “Are we some kind of support group for the disadvantaged now, that we need to worry about whether she can eat or not?”
He'd probably been holding back those words for a long time.
I wasn't planning on drinking Kuroro's beverage, but when he said that, I couldn't help but laugh.
“Brother,” I said with a forced smile, turning back to look at Kuroro, using my usual coquettish tone, “you’re so good to me.”
Kuroro: "..."
"Can you feed me?" I asked coquettishly.
Feitan used something, and in one fell swoop, he split the table in two.
Phinks managed to catch the plate at the last second, also managing to protect his drink, but that didn't stop him from baring his teeth and yelling:
"Feitan!!!"
The loud noise attracted the attention of those around me and the shop owner. I felt deeply ashamed for them—my food and drinks were spilled beyond repair, and I didn't care anymore. I silently shoved the fork into Kuroro's hand and hid to the side, ready to watch how the Phantom Troupe negotiated with the furious shop owner.
Perhaps fearing to attract attention, Kuroro adopted a strategy of appeasement, avoiding any conflict with the shop owner, stopping the irritable Feitan, paying him a sum of money, and calming things down.
Feitan was very unhappy. After the farce ended, he passed by me and couldn't help but glare at me again.
I ignored his ashen face, and even when Kuroro walked over, I said to him:
"What a pity, I was a little thirsty and didn't get to drink any."
Kuroro glanced at Feitan's retreating figure.
I stared at Kuroro's face.
He finally replied helplessly, "I'll buy you a new one."
As a result, I barely drank any of the newly bought beverage, but as soon as Feitan looked over, I started biting the straw, looking quite pleased with myself.
After he and Kuroro left as planned, I immediately turned on them and threw my drink into the roadside trash can.
Phinks watched with great interest:
"What exactly is your relationship with the captain? Feitan is disgusted by you two. You're doing this on purpose, aren't you? And the captain is even playing along with you!"
I made up a story off the top of my head: "An illicit affair. I have a husband, but your troupe leader insisted on being a mistress. After I refused, he turned his love into hatred and threatened to use me as a hostage. Actually, he still loves me."
"Who is your husband?" Finks asked. "...Wait, when we first met, you seemed to be cheating on me, right? Am I remembering correctly?"
I thought for a moment.
“They were the ones who tried to seduce me,” I said seriously. “I’ve always been very law-abiding.”
“But you slept with the regimental commander,” he pointed out.
“It’s okay,” I said. “My heart is still pure, and my partner will understand.”
“…Ha,” he said, his face showing a look of incomprehension.
I used a vivid analogy to describe him:
"The room is dirty because it was dirty to begin with. No, it's dirty because there's trash in the room. The trash is dirty, not the room itself."
No matter what happened, Illumi surely knows better than I do that as long as the trash is swept up, everything will return to normal.
The fault lies not with me, but with these bad men.
To everyone's surprise, Finks understood.
"...You said the commander is trash," he asked me.
"I didn't," I denied.
“You do,” he said confidently.
"I really didn't," I said, feigning innocence.
"Then what do you mean?" he asked.
"Guess," I laughed.
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