'Spiders?'
'Appearing here, at this time. Interesting.'
Sean narrowed his eyes, a playful smile on his face. With an imperceptible shudder, he split off a clone to stay with Matsuki Nanako, while his real body silently drifted out of the open car window.
The "Shadow Clone" combined with the [Wind] characteristic. Coming and going in a hurry. It soared straight up.
Uvogin, Nobunaga, and Shizuku, who were looking down over the venue from above, only felt a clear breeze brush past their faces. Immediately following was... a large shadow suddenly cast down from behind them.
"I say, standing so high, what are you looking at?"
Sean draped one arm over Uvogin's shoulder and the other over Nobunaga's shoulder, joining them in overlooking the venue.
Uvogin and Nobunaga were startled. They exchanged a glance and attacked like lightning—
A fist wrapped in surging Nen energy, coordinated with a flash of white light that seared the eyes, arrived in an instant!
One from the left and one from the right, aiming straight for Sean's face.
"Ara ara, kowai ne," Sean didn't seem to see the heavy power of the fist or the sharp edge of the blade. He turned his head, smiled at Shizuku, and said, "Beautiful young lady, what do you suppose I should do?"
"Die." Shizuku gave the answer with a blank expression.
'As expected of the woman who wields Blinky and could calmly "clean the floor" at the Yorknew auction house without blinking. She truly is ruthless.'
Clang!Screech! The fist and the blade struck Sean's left and right cheeks. Sparks flew, and what made Uvogin, Nobunaga, and Shizuku stare in disbelief was—
The bloody scene they imagined didn't appear. Instead, Uvogin's fist and Nobunaga's katana were sent flying back by the rebounding force.
"Armament Haki?!" Uvogin let go and staggered back a step, looking astonished. The rich black color covering Sean's body faded, revealing the young man's incomparably handsome face!
The moment they saw him clearly, Uvogin's and Nobunaga's eyes flashed, and they shouted in unison, "Sean Zoldyck!"
Their expressions shifted—shock, gratitude, happiness, wariness. It was like an overturned bottle of five-flavor seasoning, all sorts of emotions mixed up. To sum it up in one word—complicated!
Yes, complicated. Shizuku stared blankly at Uvogin and Nobunaga. "He's that man Sarasa keeps clamoring about wanting to see, but doesn't dare to?"
"Haha, that's right!" Uvogin's eyes gleamed, looking at Sean with eager anticipation. "I never thought we'd run into you here. Sean Zoldyck, Chrollo's guess was right, you really are a fan of that guy Ben An!"
"Uvogin, don't let your guard down." Nobunaga gripped the hilt of his sword with both hands, ready to draw at any moment. He stared at Sean without blinking. "He's the eldest son of the world's number one family of assassins. He's no saint!"
"Oh, right." Shizuku clapped her hands and materialized Blinky. "It seems Number 8 was killed by his father."
'The Phantom Troupe members each have a number. In the original story, Silva did indeed kill Number 8. Back then, Dad even complained that it was a particularly unprofitable job. It seems either the Troupe was difficult to deal with, or the client behind them was slow to pay. But what does something Silva did have to do with me, Sean?'
"I say, I was the one who saved Sarasa back then and helped you drive out those human traffickers."
"What's this? Ten years have passed, and now you're turning your back on an old friend?" Sean said with a grin.
"It's not us turning our backs, it's your father who killed our comrade first." Nobunaga raised his katana, pointing it at Sean from a distance. "It's not that I'm not giving you a chance, Sean Zoldyck. Answer me now."
"Are you friend or foe?"
"That depends on your attitude." Sean put his hands in his pockets, looking at Nobunaga and Uvogin mockingly. "Don't tell me you're also here to get Master Ben An's autograph."
Uvogin laughed loudly. "Of course not!"
"We're here to kidnap him!"
The straightforwardness of an Enhancer was truly hard to compliment. Uvogin stated brazenly, "Don't you think this Ben An guy is too lazy?"
"How is three updates a week enough to read?"
"Thirty updates a week is more like it!"
Sean: "..."
His mouth twitched. "Is that so?"
"Then there's nothing to talk about."
"What do you mean?" Uvogin froze. Sean's lips curled up in a cold smile. "Because, I am Ben An."
"You're all planning to kidnap me, you expect me to be nice to you?"
Just then, a huge uproar erupted from downstairs. The door of the commercial van opened, and Matsuki Nanako, Gotoh, and Sean's clone—that is, Sean No. 2—stepped out amidst the cheers of the crowd!
Uvogin, Nobunaga, and Shizuku spared a glance. The Sean in the crowd was waving to everyone with a big smile, occasionally signing autographs for fans. He suddenly winked in their direction. The Spiders, now grown up, froze, stunned stupid on the spot.
"Ben An... Ben An... so you're the damned Master Ben An!" After a long daze, Uvogin let out a strange cry. He snapped back to reality, his huge, bell-like eyes staring straight at Sean, his pupils undergoing an unprecedented "great earthquake!"
"No wonder." Startled by Uvogin's loud voice, Nobunaga showed a flash of understanding. He narrowed his eyes at Sean. "Chrollo guessed that you and Master Ben An had a close relationship, either you knew each other in real life, or you were a dedicated fan. But he would never have imagined—"
"That at just ten years old, you could draw such an outstanding manga like 'Pot Shadow Ninja'!"
"Sean Zoldyck, you've really given us a huge surprise!"
'Surprise? "Isn't it a shock?"' Sean glanced at the katana in Nobunaga's hand, the gleaming tip aimed at his throat. 'Anyone else in this situation would probably be terrified.'
Clang. Nobunaga sheathed his sword, noticing Sean's gaze. He said directly, "Don't misunderstand. We have no intention of being your enemy."
The scene from ten years ago, when Sean alone had crushed their entire group, was still vivid in his mind. Nobunaga shot a look at Uvogin and Shizuku, signaling them to retreat. The naturally airheaded Shizuku had slower reflexes and didn't seem to receive his signal. Her figure flashed, appearing next to Sean, and she brought Blinky smashing down straight at Sean's forehead.
"So you're the one called Ben An, huh. Retreat? Why retreat?"
"Aren't we here to kidnap him?"
"Hahaha!" Uvogin roared with laughter, scaring a flock of birds to death. "Well said, Shizuku!"
"Since we're already here, we can't go back empty-handed. It's perfect, we'll kidnap him and take him to see Sarasa!"
"Two idiots!" Black lines appeared on Nobunaga's forehead. Seeing this, he stopped in his tracks and, with a clang, drew his sword again!
"Ay ya ya, if you act like this, what am I going to do if you scare my lovely readers?" The wind gusted in his face. Sean's "aching" eyes turned red. Scarlet crept out, tomoe spun. The young man's lips curled up as he said softly, "Kamui!"