"I don't understand," Uvogin said, shaking his head. "Machi, I don't understand anything you're saying."
"I'm clumsy. I can't think about too many things. In this life, there are only two things I know I can focus on."
"The first is to protect my comrades with everything I've got."
"The second is to follow Chrollo's lead, to avenge Sarasa, and to avenge Meteor City."
"Beyond that, I just don't care enough to think of anything more."
"This is how I'll be for the rest of my life," he said. "Living steadfastly for just those two things makes me happy. That's enough for me. I don't want to think about anything else. No matter what Meteor City is like, no matter what the outside world is like, I'm satisfied with the way things are now."
"Nobunaga is the same as me. He's clumsy too."
"But," Uvogin looked at Machi seriously, "you're not like us."
"You're smart, and your thoughts go deeper than ours."
"If this life no longer makes you happy, then Machi, follow your heart and make your own choice. Even if that choice is to leave the Phantom Troupe."
"Don't worry about me or Nobunaga. No matter what you decide, I'll always support you. Go live the kind of life that makes you happy."
"It's just a shame that I might not be able to stay with you anymore."
"My path, my life—it's already been set. If I tried to change it, I probably wouldn't be happy anymore."
"Nobunaga will definitely support you too. As for the boss, I think he'll understand."
"But I don't know what the other members would think. If you really decide to leave, then don't meet with the rest of the Troupe again. I'll block them for you—but I can't guarantee I'll be able to stop them every time."
Machi stared at Uvogin, dazed. She hadn't expected Uvogin to say something like this. He was different from the image she'd always had of him. But after thinking about it carefully, it didn't feel out of place. Uvogin often seemed simple, but he valued the bonds between comrades more than anything. She was one of those comrades.
"I don't plan on leaving the Troupe just yet."
"That's good," Uvogin smiled.
After a pause, he said, "I'll pretend I never heard any of this today. If you ever decide to leave, just tell me."
..........
....
.
As the Phantom Troupe prepared for the events at Yorknew, and Illumi set his sights on eliminating the Ten Dons of the Underworld, on the other side, Kurapika was also moving into action, preparing to kill members of the Phantom Troupe.
His target was also the Yorknew Auction.
Kurapika had two reasons. One, the Scarlet Eyes would appear at the auction. Two, Hisoka had sent him a message: members of the Phantom Troupe had their eyes on this auction and would show up.
Having already learned Nen, Kurapika was impatient to put his power to use, to kill members of the Phantom Troupe and avenge his clan.
The Nostrade Family—a unique mafia family—owed its status largely to the boss's daughter: Neon.
A naturally awakened Nen user, she had developed Nen without any instruction, and her ability was an extremely rare type—precognition. It was thanks to Neon that the Nostrade Family had risen to its current position. Among the mafia, Neon's father had climbed to a rank second only to the Ten Dons. Without her, the Nostrades would have remained just another small local gang.
Their meteoric rise drew plenty of resentment. Many believed the Nostrade boss had risen to power only because of his daughter. But there was no denying that Neon's ability had been welcomed by the mafia's higher-ups—her predictions helped them avoid numerous risks.
When the Ten Dons first learned of Neon, they had immediately expressed regret over the incident at the Aurean No. 2 Experimental Base years earlier. Had her abilities been discovered then, they believed that entire situation could have been avoided, and the profits the Underworld might have gained would have been exponentially greater.
Now, just thinking about the potential of creating such abilities artificially made the Ten Dons burn with greed. Those experimental subjects had shown incredible talent and power. If just a few had performed that well, what would happen if such test subjects could be mass-produced?
But the reality was that the No. 2 base had fallen into chaos. Most of the subjects were either dead or had escaped. Only a few had been recruited by the Underworld Mafia. And more importantly, Dandins, the one in charge of the experiments, had disappeared—along with all his research data.
The Ten Dons hated Dandins to the bone. If his corpse appeared in front of them now, they would probably want to eat him alive. But at the same time, if he was really still alive they would be willing to offer him anything—so long as he handed over his research.... His suffering could come later.
The Nostrade Family's situation was awkward. Their status had risen too quickly, while their actual strength hadn't caught up—like nouveau riche with money but no means to protect it. That was why, when attending the Yorknew auction, the Nostrades had to hire external bodyguards, to ensure Neon's safety at all costs.
This was Kurapika's only opportunity.
Other mafia families had enough internal strength and didn't need outsiders. In one of the vehicles, Kurapika sat in the rear seat near the edge. The driver was a member of the Nostrade Family. The convoy was divided into two parts: one for Neon, and one for her bodyguards.
The guards came in two groups. The first were Nostrade's own people, led by Dalzollene, who had been with the family long enough to earn their trust. The second group was hired temporarily—Kurapika, Melody, Basho, and Baise.
Looking out the window, Kurapika couldn't keep the words "Phantom Troupe" from surfacing repeatedly in his mind. His fists clenched tightly, his fingernails digging into his palms.
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On a side note: Basho's ability is actually OP no? What do you all think?
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