Chrollo looked toward Pakunoda.
"Pakunoda, are Ron and the others almost here?"
"If nothing unexpected happened, they should be just about to enter Meteor City."
Chrollo paused for a moment to think.
"Franklin, Pakunoda, Feitan—you three head to Yorknew."
"The rest of you, stay here in Meteor City."
Franklin gave a nod. "Alright."
Nobunaga raised his hand. "Boss, can I go?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"There's no reason."
Chrollo knew exactly what Nobunaga wanted, but did not point it out.
Even after the Troupe's revenge at the auction, even after hearing the news of the Ten Dons deaths, Nobunaga still hadn't let go of his anger.
He cared too much about Uvogin.
And because Kurapika had harmed Uvogin—even though this world's Uvogin wasn't killed by him—Nobunaga still harboured intense killing intent toward Kurapika.
If they were to meet, Nobunaga might try to kill him on the spot.
Chrollo didn't want things handled that recklessly, which is why he sent Franklin instead. Franklin was more composed.
The Phantom Troupe wasn't a purely a criminal organization.
It had been created to make Meteor City better. That was its original purpose.
Under normal circumstances, Chrollo wouldn't stop his members from committing crimes or acting on impulse. But the current situation was different.
"I have something more important for you to do," Chrollo said.
Nobunaga looked at him, frowning.
Chrollo didn't back down.
"Alright," Nobunaga replied, suppressing his aura and returning to his place.
"Boss, we'll head out now?" Franklin and the others approached Chrollo.
"Be careful."
He watched the three of them leave, only turning his gaze away once they had completely disappeared.
"Boss, what's the more important thing you want me to handle?"
"Number Eight's body is missing."
"Number Eight?" Nobunaga froze. "Didn't Hooker get captured by the Chain User?"
"I'm not talking about Hooker."
"You mean Shuji?"
Chrollo nodded. "The Chain User isn't actually the important part here. He did go after Uvogin, but Uvogin didn't die because of him. After capturing Hooker, he didn't even kill him. He just made a proposal for a deal."
"But Shuji's corpse disappearing—that's what really matters."
Chrollo paused briefly. "I already promised Ron I'd give him the Dark Sonata. He's coming to Meteor City to collect it, and I don't have time to investigate what happened with Shuji. So I'm leaving it to you."
"Nobunaga, can you handle that?"
Nobunaga hesitated, then nodded. "I can. But I'll be going alone?"
"You can go with Bonolenov."
With Nobunaga and Bonolenov heading out, only Chrollo, Phinks, and Hisoka remained.
Hisoka still hadn't gotten a moment alone with Chrollo.
Phinks wasn't weak. And even if he had been, Hisoka had no desire to fight Chrollo and Phinks at the same time. What Hisoka longed for wasn't just a fight—it was a one-on-one battle. That was the only kind of fight that was truly fun for him.
"Hisoka, do you have any plans?"
"No," Hisoka said with a shake of his head.
"When Ron arrives, I'll be taking him to the Processing Valley. That's not a place you should go," Chrollo said.
"Is that your way of asking me to leave?"
"Not exactly. You can stay if you want. I just figured—being here alone might get boring. And you hate being bored, don't you?"
Hisoka narrowed his eyes slightly. The atmosphere grew tense.
Phinks picked up on the shift in mood and focused his attention on Hisoka. If Hisoka made a move, Phinks would act instantly.
But suddenly, Hisoka smiled.
"You really do know me well, Boss. You're right. Boredom is the one thing I can't stand. In that case, I'll be going. If anything comes up, call me."
He turned and walked away from Chrollo and Phinks, vanishing into the distance soon after.
"Boss?" Phinks looked at Chrollo. "You finally suspect Hisoka, don't you? You've realized something's off about him?"
"I've always suspected him, just like the rest of you," Chrollo replied. "But before, the situation wasn't right. The Troupe couldn't afford internal conflict. Hisoka's strength is formidable—I can tell he's still hiding some of it. In a one-on-one fight, aside from me, none of you would likely win."
"That's why I chose to trust him back in Yorknew."
"What about going forward?" Phinks asked.
"We'll see."
Chrollo continued, "Everyone has their own motives—especially someone like Hisoka, who joined later. He definitely has his own goals, and they don't completely align with ours. As long as his goals don't interfere with ours, I'm willing to tolerate it. But if they do… I'll kill him."
...................
Hisoka left Meteor City.
For now, the Phantom Troupe had no active operations.
Chrollo wasn't going to be left alone. Staying in Meteor City served no purpose, so Hisoka decided to seek other amusements.
Kurapika had received confirmation from Chrollo. He now knew the Phantom Troupe was on its way.
But this brought him no relief—only a deeper heaviness.
The truth was different from what he had believed.
He had made a deal with the Phantom Troupe to uncover the facts. But now, he was no longer sure how to treat them.
Whatever the reason, the Phantom Troupe had been involved in the Kurta Clan massacre. Their hands were stained with the blood of his people.
Ron was different.
He had been there at the time, but he hadn't taken part in the killing. So Kurapika could let that go.
But the Phantom Troupe was another matter.
Hooker looked at Kurapika.
"Can you loosen the ropes a bit? I've been tied up too long—my blood circulation's starting to suffer. Don't worry, I'm not going to run."
"Your situation… I sympathize. What happened to you isn't so different from what happened to me. That's why I can understand you."
"If I knew the full truth about what happened back then, I'd tell you everything right now."
Kurapika hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward and loosened the ropes binding Hooker.