"Shut up, Uvogin, Nobunaga."
"Chrollo, he must have something important to gather us here."
Pakunoda, with her arms crossed, looked at Chrollo, who was quietly reading on a wooden stool, her voice cold.
"It's about time, Chrollo. Speak."
Feitan remained in his black coat, his raised collar completely covering his mouth and nose, like an assassin.
Thud.
At this moment, Chrollo, who had remained indifferent, finally closed the book and slowly raised his head, his gaze calmly sweeping over the four individuals present.
"Have you all... mastered your Nen?"
"Ah~ does that even need asking?"
"Didn't you see it with your own eyes? When we developed our Nen abilities."
Uvogin and Nobunaga spoke one after another, and Pakunoda and Feitan nodded in succession.
"Then... I have something to announce to you."
Chrollo, dressed in a thin black T-shirt, slowly rose, his expression calm. Feitan, Uvogin, and the other four immediately grew serious, awaiting his next words.
"Ever since Machi was taken away by an unknown organization three years ago, I have been secretly investigating the Elder who gave that order."
"But exactly one year ago, that Elder, named Dusana, suddenly disappeared, along with his soldiers and children."
"We all know about that. It caused quite a stir in the Elder Council at the time, with a group of people below constantly fighting for the vacant Elder position," Feitan interjected as soon as Chrollo finished speaking.
The other three also nodded in agreement; they had all heard about this matter.
"And just yesterday, Elder Ford of the Elder Council informed me."
"They have found some clues."
"Elder Ford? Isn't he the chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party?" Pakunoda asked, startled. In her opinion, this Elder would be the least likely to meddle in this matter; instead, he should use it as leverage to suppress the conservative party.
"Elder Ford had long grown suspicious of Elder Dusana's sudden change, after all, some of Elder Dusana's actions were excessive, touching upon his interests."
"Tch, in the end, it's still about the power struggle between these old men, isn't it?"
Uvogin spat disdainfully. Chrollo glanced sideways at Uvogin, specifically noting the spittle by Uvogin's feet, and continued.
"According to the Elder Council's investigation, Elder Dusana, during a certain period, began frequent contact with a force named Umbrella Biohazard Corporation."
"And those children who had gathered for a long time were also taken away by people from that force, under the guise of adoption or other reasons."
"Not only that, during this period, Elder Dusana also used the resources of Meteor City to send many benefits to that force."
"And this time, we are primarily following the clues given by the Elders to investigate the Umbrella Biohazard Corporation, to find out its true background."
"Heh heh, can we kill to our hearts' content?" Uvogin excitedly clenched his fists.
At this point, Chrollo sat back down, his pale, slender right hand rubbing his chin.
"Of course."
"But before that, we need to thoroughly investigate this force. If their power is too strong..."
"The main objective of this operation is still to rescue Machi; everything else can be abandoned."
"Also, for this operation, we need to form a team."
"For the team name, do you have any ideas?"
Chrollo's voice fell, and he looked up, scanning the four individuals, wanting to hear their opinions.
"Name? Like a code name? I'm not good at this kind of thing; you guys do it."
Uvogin impatiently scratched his head, directly handing over the task of naming to the others.
"How about 'Kaisatsu'?" Feitan suggested with a sinister tone.
"Ah~ Kaisatsu? What's that? A ladle?" Nobunaga had a huge question mark appear over his head, looking at Feitan as if he were an idiot.
"It's a cobra, you idiot who only practices swords all day." A 'well' character appeared on Feitan's forehead.
Pakunoda, on the other hand, pondered deeply for a moment. She inadvertently looked up and happened to see a spider weaving a web in the corner of the eaves.
"How about 'Spider'?"
"Since we are a team, we should trust each other completely, without reservation. Like the legs on a spider, working together perfectly."
"Even if one of our legs is broken, the other legs can continue to move. While possessing tenacious vitality, we can also, like a spider, weave a web in the darkness, quietly waiting for prey to fall into our grasp, to be slaughtered at our will."
As Pakunoda spoke, Uvogin, Nobunaga, Chrollo, and Feitan all watched her quietly.
"Spider? Not bad, I like this creature." Uvogin clenched his fist, a grin spreading across his lips.
"What do you guys think?" Chrollo looked at Nobunaga and Feitan.
"I have no objection."
"I agree."
Feitan and Nobunaga lightly nodded their chins, indicating their agreement with Pakunoda's suggestion.
"Then Chrollo will be the leader, right?"
"Does that even need asking?"
Feitan suddenly spoke. Uvogin took a step forward, his rugged face filled with trust in Chrollo. Nobunaga and Pakunoda also nodded in agreement.
Chrollo had always been the strategist and the brain of their team.
Moreover, his abilities and strength were the strongest among them. His position and role as leader were unquestionable.
"From now on, we are Spiders!"
Uvogin furiously waved his fists, shouting excitedly, his face flushed.
"However, just 'Spider' seems to be missing something."
Chrollo said calmly.
Then he placed the book in his hand on the ground, slowly rose, and a rare gentle smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
"In that case, let's call ourselves the Phantom Troupe."
Chrollo took a step forward, extended his right hand, spreading his five fingers with his palm facing down, hovering in the center of the five of them. His gaze towards the four was full of tenderness and trust, and he said,
"From now on, we are companions who will live and die together, without reservation."
"Tch, hasn't it always been like that?"
Nobunaga pursed his lips, extended his right hand, and slapped it onto Chrollo's hand with a "slap."
"Leader, from now on, I'll call you Leader!" Uvogin grinned, then suddenly slapped his right hand onto Chrollo and Nobunaga's hands with a "thump," making Nobunaga grit his teeth and shout in pain.
"Hey, Uvogin, don't use so much force!"
"What's the big deal? You're not hurt." Uvogin grinned at Nobunaga, raised his left hand, and with a "bang," slapped it on Nobunaga's back.
"You bastard, the more I talk about you, the more energized you get, huh?"
The force was so heavy that Nobunaga almost wanted to cut him with his sword, his eye twitching.
"Leader."
Feitan lightly called out, extending his right hand and gently placing it on top of Chrollo, Nobunaga, and Uvogin's hands.
"Leader, everything about us, we entrust it all to you."
Pakunoda extended her right hand and placed it on top of the four others', her eyes filled with trust and respect as she looked at Chrollo.
"Mm, I will."
Chrollo nodded gently, making eye contact with each of the four, and said,
"Then, the Phantom Troupe is hereby established."
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