Saiki Kusuo also fell into thought. He considered an important question.
[In your memories, what color is young master Kusuo's hair?]
Machi: "White."
Nobunaga: "Isn't it white?"
Chrollo: "The next head of the family with white hair, right? Is asking this kind of question testing us?"
[Well...]
Saiki Kusuo couldn't help but frown. Changing everyone's memory of the hair color to white would likely require altering a lot of past memories. When memories are erased, mental suggestions can influence them to a certain extent, but the specific results would still vary based on individual differences, leading the brain to automatically fill in different memories.
How many people's heads did that guy smash? Did that include Illumi? How much of people's memories did he modify? He didn't hesitate to smash so many people on that whale ship, turning the "Saiki Kusuo" in their memories into his white-haired self.
Smashing was one thing, but now he wasn't even showing up in front of this group. What was that guy's goal—replacing him, or just playing his role? Was he simply enjoying this game, or did he want to trap all these people he once knew here to keep him company?
Saiki Kusuo was still completely confused!
Seeing Saiki Kusuo deep in thought, Chrollo walked over and matched his pace: "You asked us, so can I ask you a question related to Saiki? If you're his personal butler, you should know about that outfit of his..."
Because they were all thinking aloud now, everyone spoke quickly in response.
Machi's thoughts slipped out and interrupted Chrollo, which was awkward. Saiki Kusuo had no interest in knowing what came after "that outfit."
"When did you get so close to that guy, boss? Weren't you once..."
What did I once do? Is that your imagination or the reality?
Before she could finish, Nobunaga cut in: "Wasn't it him stirring things up in Yorknew City? That guy's an enemy of the troupe, right?"
I was just a regular cat passing by at the time, and you guys shouldn't even know that was me?! What era are you talking about?
"The boss was up in the air, neck grabbed by him. The contrast between black and white hair made it look just like an angel about to kill a demon—super creepy. The boss nearly died back then." Nobunaga said.
Who grabbed his neck? If I could make a grabbing motion like that, no one would survive in my grasp.
Machi: "Huh? I think that person didn't want to get involved in the fight. The Zoldycks are neutral, aren't they? By the way, boss, what did you mean by 'that outfit'?"
It suddenly circled back.
"Oh, I meant he never changes his clothes. I've been trying to recall—it really seems like that's the case. Isn't that pretty strange too?"
Imagined memories don't hold up under scrutiny. The topic couldn't continue.
Saiki Kusuo quickened his steps.
Around a corner, a large wall with the words "exit" written on it appeared right in front of them.
So simple, crude, and sloppy.
Chrollo: "Let's break through this game first. Friend Gotoh, have you heard the answers you wanted? Can we stop this endless chatter? If possible, I'd like to see your chess piece too, though I probably wouldn't hand it over if I were you..."
This guy sure loves to ramble. Just say it directly. Oh, he is saying it now.
Saiki Kusuo directly tossed the chess piece to Chrollo.
Under the current superpower suppression collar, he could mostly control his abilities. Simple actions wouldn't unleash any exaggerated power anymore.
Chrollo keenly sensed the force behind the flying piece and crossed his hands, quickly hardening them to catch it.
He caught it in a completely normal way, and Saiki Kusuo was satisfied with his current state.
"Exaggerated power. Is that a challenge?"
Don't point it out.
Chrollo took the chess piece and held it between his fingers. It was a round piece with a black base and white center, with the character "砦" written in the middle. The shape made it easy to recognize—it was a shogi piece for a castle.
"A castle piece, huh. In shogi, one side has 25 pieces, though this is just a guess. What we're trying to conquer might have 25 areas or even 50. I lean toward the former, because that way, after collecting all the pieces, we can challenge some goal."
"Next, I'll test if non-leaders can use this piece. Using the leader's chess: cancel the deprivation of silent thought rights."
[Let me try... Huh? It actually worked.]
The control rights of the piece could be handed over so easily? That's way too careless.
[So, does holding the piece make you the leader? If I revoke some authority now, would Gotoh feel it? With just one sentence, Gotoh would become someone under my control, right?]
This guy can't go even a second without scheming.
Saiki Kusuo felt uninterested. Control him? No way that would happen.
"Here, back to you." Chrollo reached out and handed the piece to Saiki Kusuo. "Your trust in us won't be misplaced. In the same way, we all trust you now."
He was literally thinking about controlling me a second ago.
Saiki Kusuo took the piece and looked ahead.
Alright, on to the next stage.
The wall in front of them had the words "exit" written on it. Saiki Kusuo stared at it with his x-ray vision for a long time, but all he saw behind it was a bunch of creepy creatures crawling on the ground.
Do we really have to go through here? Break the wall and get out? But outside is also a place where you can't even land properly.
"Ah, the exit is below." Chrollo reminded him.
Under their feet was something like an altar. Saiki Kusuo looked down, and a voice appeared in his mind.
[Leader's chess detected. Proceed through exit.]
[Destination: Territory, Soldier 3.]
The altar below vanished directly, and the four of them plummeted down.
——————Thud! Thud! Thud thud!
Four sounds in succession: Saiki Kusuo, Chrollo, Machi, Nobunaga—successful landing.
Whether it was the chill of the place or the subtle feeling of thin air, it didn't affect Saiki Kusuo much.
Superpowered people are born with strong night vision. What Saiki Kusuo noticed first was the terrain around them—like the bottom of a cliff, with towering stone walls on both sides. At the top, a huge rock blocked the way out. To escape, he'd need to use x-ray vision to see farther...
"There's a breeze in this direction. Let's follow the wind and get out first. We should be in something like a cave."
Humans have this kind of perception too.
Chrollo said: "Is everyone okay? Let's count off. One."
Nobunaga: "Two, all good, boss. Need me to open my En?"
Machi: "Three. A three-meter En is probably not worth it. I think it's safe here for now."
Saiki Kusuo: [Four.] But we should pay more attention to the other humans.
Gotoh: "Five."
"...Huh?" Chrollo reacted quickly, and a book appeared in his hand right away.
At the same time, Nobunaga also expanded his three-meter En.
Saiki Kusuo glanced sideways at the person standing next to him. Though there were some differences between the manga and real life, with yellow hair and strong power, there weren't many people left he hadn't seen before.
This person is...
"Oh dear, I'm harmless! Please don't attack! I thought that 'everyone' was calling me, so I joined in on my own! It's pitch black here, and without knowing the situation, you don't know me, and I don't know you all."
"—No need to be so on edge, right?"
In this pitch-black scene, it was hard to feel safe. Nobunaga had already gripped his sword, ready to draw it at any moment.
Saiki Kusuo reached up and patted the robot cat Wapl's head.
"Meow? Meow!"
He couldn't understand at all. Saiki Kusuo fumbled to the back of the robot cat's neck and found the switch button that toggled between human and cat voices.
Switched to human voice.
"Hello, do you need any help? Detecting dim environment. Need lighting?"
"3, 2, 1... Not stopped. Now activating lighting mode for the owner."
They say cats' eyes glow in the dark.
After Wapl finished speaking, its eyes turned into two light bulbs.
The brightness suddenly made everyone in the area squint—it was total darkness after all.
"It even has this function. That cat."
"Boss, shouldn't we be surprised that this is actually a robot cat?!"
"Very Zoldyck style, isn't it? Don't the Zoldycks have a lot of high-tech businesses?"
With the light, everyone finally saw the fifth person.
Blond hair, black eyes, a slightly elongated face, and a somewhat eerie smile.
"Oh my, oh my, so it's the Phantom Troupe. I've heard so much about you... Is this beautiful pink-haired miss from the Zoldyck family? Our Hunter Association has always been on good terms with the Zoldycks."
You're not some playful rebel? Don't try to connect yourself to us Zoldycks.
That's right, this person was one of the Zodiacs under the Hunter Association president.
Pariston Hill, the Rat! In the election arc, he acted almost like a villain, opposed by most of the other Zodiacs, but he still manipulated his way to becoming president, only to resign and hand it off right after.
He tricked a lot of people, yeah.
Chrollo clearly knew him too: "So it's you. I've seen quite a few Zodiacs from the Hunter Association on this ship. So many left the continent— no issues?"
Pariston smiled brightly.
Saiki Kusuo: This guy's smile hasn't stopped once.
"The Hunter Association will keep running normally. Face difficulties and solve them... That's what makes it fun, right?"
Chrollo smiled too: "Is that so? It's fascinating. I can sense a bit of that thrill-seeking commonality from you all."
"No, no, I always thought the Phantom Troupe were the real crazies chasing their own paths. Nice to meet you today—unexpectedly, we can chat so peacefully!"
"Same to you."
Saiki Kusuo looked left and right.
One side from the Hunter Association, the other side wanted criminals.
How are they ignoring their backgrounds and chatting so peacefully?
Pariston said: "So, short-term alliance? I really don't have much strength. Without teaming up, it's too dangerous in this dark continent."
"Hmm— a triple-star Hunter has no strength?"
"Hunter star ratings are based on fame and achievements. I just have a bit of smarts, that's all. In terms of real power, anyone here could take me down! I'm doing pretty badly!"
How about reflecting on your personality issues?
"Brain type, huh? Me too. The real strength is in these feet below. That's fair, isn't it?"
How long are you two going to keep complimenting each other? Is pretending to be weak really that fun?
"I know a bit about the Phantom Troupe's strength. This miss from the Zoldyck family— is she the powerful type?"
[Sorry, I'm just the guy who brings a robot to turn on lights for you all. I'm super weak, so treat me like a walking flashlight.]
Pariston blinked: "Her strength is quite mysterious."
See? They don't listen at all.
"Let's not talk about the Zoldyck miss. Pariston, how long have you been here first? Do you know how to conquer this territory?" Chrollo steered the topic back.
"I've only just arrived here too. You all must have come from another territory, right?" Pariston said.
Yeah, you could probably guess that. After all, you need a leader to leave the original area. And they looked new too.
"Who's the leader? The Phantom Troupe's boss, I bet?"
That's a wrong guess.
Chrollo: "Not necessary to say. You just need to know our four are very united." [It's because Gotoh's goal is to find Saiki Kusuo, so in a way, we're uninvolved with the world. That's why we handed over trust earlier. For the short term, we're partners.]
He just wanted to dump the responsibility on you. Don't overthink it.
"Clap, clap clap..." Pariston applauded.
"Unity is great! Nothing better than unity!" Pariston looked delighted. "Count me in. The way to clear this place really requires teamwork."
"Did you know? On a site called Stree Chew Chew, if you select the two-player human goal, you see lots of fun games."
The numbers got transliterated into something weird.
"Two-player racing, double blade warrior, double arrow, two-player gold miner, two-player roller coaster paradise..."
It sounds like games that only need two people to clear?
"There's also Forest Ice and Fire People 12345, cute fat cat cave battle 12... I've said so much, but you don't feel that familiar vibe like meeting old gaming buddies? Huh? You really haven't played any? At work, the desk is perfect for playing two-player mini-games with your subordinate, right?"
Haven't played. Do the key members of the Hunter Association really work like this normally?
"In this territory, a game screen pops up every day with various challenge games to choose from. It's basically copied from that section."
"The games are all two-player ones. Though some have single, three, or four-player options, two-player is the most efficient. It's the best way to get enough points in the limited day time." [Not all of them, though. After two days of testing, I found four games where single-player mode gets points faster than two-player.]
"At dusk every day, points are tallied. Under the condition that everyone's total points exceed 500,000, in the number one group, the person who contributed the most becomes the leader and gets the leader's chess." [I've already soloed to 360,000. If they don't join, hitting 500,000 alone isn't impossible. Looks like these folks will be the leaders tomorrow.]
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