The familiar voice outside the door lowered the thin-faced man's guard a little.
"You bastard, you're still alive, how could I possibly be dead?!"
Nobunaga grumbled, regaining his slightly lazy demeanor and moving forward to open the door.
"Uvogin, you... Huh?!"
Before he could even offer a sarcastic remark to the idiotic, large man in front of him, he was stunned by the scene before him.
"Wow, you're still alive and well."
Uvogin casually greeted him for a moment, then led the way into the room.
"Well, I was thinking this house was big enough, wasn't it?"
"It's quite big."
Phinks, who had followed closely behind, surveyed the place and nodded with satisfaction.
"It's indeed quite suitable for our secret base."
Feitan, standing behind him, murmured: "There's plenty of space."
Machi made no comment. After entering, she glanced around with a calm face before nodding slightly.
This was a gesture of approval.
"No, you guys..."
Nobunaga was a little bewildered by the scene. He had assumed Uvogin had just called him in for a casual chat.
He hadn't expected so many people to show up this time.
"A first-time visit. A small gift, not much, but a token of respect."
Before Nobunaga could say anything else, a black coconut fruit was placed before him.
"Huh?!"
Nobunaga glanced over subconsciously and saw Luke smiling at him.
Nobunaga: "...?"
Who are you?
He knew both Uvogin and Machi.
Feitan and Phinks, the infamous duo, were also quite famous among the kids in Meteor City.
Nobunaga was surprised by the arrival of these four people, but at least he knew them.
But this one…
Hmmm?
While feeling doubtful, his nose twitched suddenly.
Then his eyes locked on the black coconut fruit before him, and his gaze gradually brightened.
"Your name is Luke, right? Welcome, welcome!"
"Ah, so you're planning to use this house as a secret base, huh?!"
"Of course, I have no problem with that. This house wasn't mine anyway."
"It's certainly fine as a secret base, but there might be some trouble later..."
Nobunaga wolfed down the fried rice from the black coconut fruit while explaining the story behind this house to everyone.
He also got to know Luke.
Well, he now had a good impression of Luke, who had casually offered such a nice and delicious gift upon his visit.
And that's how Luke met Nobunaga Hazama, the future member #1 of the Phantom Troupe.
Though his arm strength ranked only ninth in the troupe.
He grew up in Meteor City and is one of the original members of the troupe and one of the seven veterans during its founding.
He is a master of Iaijutsu sword techniques and, like Uvogin, a militant within the troupe.
The two share similar personalities and were close friends even before the troupe's formation.
After joining the troupe, he and Uvogin volunteered to serve as attack squad members, also known as sacrificial members.
They are human shields who, when necessary, must risk their lives to protect other members with important abilities.
In the original timeline, Nobunaga usually dressed like a ragged samurai, with his hair tied high into a ponytail.
When he relaxes, he wears casual clothes and lets his hair down, a person who appears cool on the outside but warm on the inside.
He has a thin face, a pointed chin, droopy eyes, and an unshaven beard…
Well, no wonder he's friends with Uvogin; they're like-minded.
But now, Nobunaga was just a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old youth, with his hair down and a lazy look.
"If anyone comes causing trouble, we will kick them all out!"
Uvogin, however, showed no fear, waving his fist confidently: "With me here, who dares to act so recklessly?!"
"Besides, there are so many of us here. Anyone who wants to cause trouble would have to think twice."
Phinks, for their own good, once again refrained from arguing with Uvogin.
Both were delighted with the spacious house.
"With so many people, of course, no one will cause trouble..."
Nobunaga, tucking into his meal, raised a question that he considered quite problematic: "But with so many people here, food is one thing, and even if this house were a little bigger, it wouldn't be enough for so many of us..."
This was a very practical issue.
The people of Meteor City knew that banding together for warmth was a good way to ward off outsiders.
However, the main problem with this method was that the resources acquired through banding together couldn't be distributed rationally.
In Meteor City, the so-called resources primarily consisted of food and shelter.
Take the crowd here, for example. Uvogin, with his muscular physique, eats more, while Machi eats less.
But food shouldn't be allocated based on appetite. Even those who don't eat much want to accumulate food.
There's also the issue of housing. So many people occupying a spacious house like this is certainly no problem.
But a house like this might work for one or two, or even three people.
But with so many people, it would obviously be crowded and inconvenient.
It would be better for each person to have a simple little house in the garbage dump outside.
At least, they would have their own private space.
However, Luke doesn't have to worry about this crucial resource issue.