The abandoned, unfinished building fell into dead silence once again.
[Drip~]
[Your account ending in 7086 has received a deposit of 4 billion Jenny.]
[Please verify the transaction.]
Five minutes later, Roy checked the notification.
Looks like the other party had made their decision.
Four billion.
As expected of a spider—eight legs, moves fast.
Compared to a certain white-haired, stinky little brother who ran off over a mere hundred thousand debt and hasn't been seen since…
"Killua is worse than a rat," Roy said, clutching his chest. "Heartbroken."
Gotoh, standing beside him, was speechless.
He lowered his head slightly in silent mourning for Killua.
With an interest of 100,000 per day, just imagining how furious Killua will be when he finds out is enough to make one shudder.
And worse yet… the Master still owes 1 billion himself.
When Killua returns home, he might actually beat Roy senseless… and this time, Roy won't be able to fight back.
Gotoh trembled slightly at the thought.
In his mind's eye, the skies over Kukuroo Mountain were already darkening.
"Gotoh! Gotoh!"
"What are you spacing out for? Call a car. Dump these three somewhere out in the boonies."
"Yes, Young Master."
Snapping out of his daze, Gotoh hailed a taxi.
At that moment, the chaos in the city library had drawn public attention.
Siren wails—"Biiwuu~ Biiwuu~"—echoed faintly from the distance, and curious onlookers began gathering nearby.
Gotoh, following Roy's instructions, came back within a minute dragging a slightly confused taxi driver.
"Three thousand Jenny. No change needed."
Without giving the driver a chance to protest, Gotoh unceremoniously loaded Uvogin, Nobunaga, and Shizuku—still unconscious—into the car.
"Wait," Roy called out suddenly, walking up to the car.
He raised his fist and wham! wham! wham!—added one more punch to each of the Phantom Troupe members for good measure.
Then he calmly reached into the taxi driver's shirt pocket, took 1,000 Jenny, and slipped it into his own pocket.
"Prodigal tendencies… Are you rich or something?"
Roy gave Gotoh a meaningful glare.
"Don't forget, we're in debt."
"Aiiya~! Too scary! Must be a murderer!"
The terrified driver slammed the gas pedal.
The car shot off into the distance and vanished in seconds.
Roy stood watching them go, still holding Uvogin's phone in his hand.
He dialed a number.
"Outskirts of the city. West side. Find it yourself."
Without giving the recipient time to reply, he hung up, tossed the phone to Gotoh, and added:
"Dispose of the phone somewhere.
And make sure I get the money from the sale."
Gotoh caught the phone, but hesitated.
"Young Master… I still think we should've killed those three."
"Cut the grass but not the roots, and the spring wind brings them back."
"Those people aren't simple. They will come back for revenge."
He gestured a throat-slashing motion with grim intent.
Roy simply stood there, expression unreadable behind his sunglasses.
Then, ignoring the comment, he turned to walk away.
Gotoh went silent.
Then Roy paused, sighed, and said:
"Gotoh, do you know why you are the butler, and I'm the Young Master?"
"…I spoke out of turn. I'm sorry, Young Master."
"It's because of vision."
Roy walked up and patted his shoulder.
"You see danger. I see… leeks."
"Rats in the sewer? Kill one batch, another pops up."
"But leeks—once you cut them, they regrow. And more importantly… you can eat them."
"Sustainable development, Gotoh."
God damn sustainable development, Gotoh thought.
Young Master… you're just addicted to ransom money.
He finally understood:
Roy wasn't letting them go—he was farming them.
"So you're planning to let them escape, then catch them again for another ransom?"
"What are you implying? Huh?" Roy sighed dramatically.
"You won't understand. You're not a blind man managing household finances."
Clutching himself pitifully, Roy walked slowly back into the exhibition hall.
Gotoh was left behind, speechless, as the wind blew through the alley.
A long moment later, he hurried to catch up.
"Hey~ Miss Nanako, wake up! Someone's about to do unspeakable things to you!"
"Wh-What?!"
Nanako bolted upright and instinctively reached for her pepper spray—only to slam headfirst into Roy's chest.
Seeing it was him, she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Ah… it's you, Teacher Tiano. Thank goodness you're okay!"
Nanako looked around.
In the exhibition hall, others were beginning to stir.
Members of the police tactical squad were waking up and starting to regain control of the scene.
Unfortunately, with what had just happened…
"The signing event… it's ruined…"
Nanako slumped slightly.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Tiano. This whole event turned into a disaster. I'll file the report and—this will never happen again."
"Never again?" Roy frowned.
"Miss Takahashi, that's where you're wrong."
"Not only should we continue—we should go even bigger next time."
"Bring in all the spiders. The money… it will come again."
Nanako blinked, unsure if she heard that right.
Roy's smile deepened.