Phantom Troupe's Web

Chapter 54.

Gon peers over at his friend with concern, mentally calling out to the blonde to stay hidden. His brows furrow, looking over to find the silhouette of his best friend near Kurapika, giving the Freecss boy a chance to distract the three Spiders; without thinking, the spiky-haired child zooms out from behind the bin he was hiding behind, innocently shaking his hands at the trio with a naive gaze. "I'm sorry! I'll stop following you, so will you forgive me?" he calls out to the three criminals who began approaching him.

"Him again?" the pink-haired thief mutters, blankly staring at the child with a hand on her hip.

"This is the boy he mentioned?" the ravenette asks, hands tucked away in his coat pockets.

"The other one's here too. Come on out," Machi says, ordering the white-haired child to reveal himself. "What do you want? The Mafia's reward on our heads has been cancelled," she tells them.

Killua feigns confusion and innocence, taking a few steps closer to his best friend but still facing the woman. "Why?" he asks, his blue eyes staring at the indifferent leader like Gon was.

"What do we do, boss?" the Transmuter asks after a second of silence passed by.

Chrollo remains silent, glancing up at the sky where his Web sat sideways on a transparent violet griffin, floating above them with blank purple-green ombre eyes. "Seize them," he instructs the woman, walking away slightly; he pulls out his phone and dials a number, pressing the device to his ear. "Phinks? It's me. I need you to come to the Beitacle Hotel," he orders the tracksuit-wearing man.

"Shouldn't we just get rid of them here?" Machi asks curiously, standing behind the tied-up children.

"No, I trust your hunch," Chrollo tells her. "If they're connected to the chain user somehow, we should keep them alive."

"I wouldn't trust it that much..."

"Can I ask you something?" Gon interrupts, glaring at the leader with wide brown eyes, causing the three thieves to look down at him. "How can you kill people who have nothing to do with you?" Thunder flashes in the background at the Freecss child and the leader of the notorious Phantom Troupe have a stare-off, silence erupting between the pair before Chrollo answers the boy.

"You have a lot of hostility for someone who's just surrendered," the ravenette spoke calmly, his face shadowed over by grey clouds as he leaned his head back to meet the eyes of a dichromatic-haired female. "Why? I wonder...It might be because they have nothing to do with us...No. On second thought, it isn't that simple. I don't like to talk about my motives," he turns away from the group and hangs his head, continuing his inner monologue. "But surprisingly enough...or rather, as I expected, the reason is the key to understanding myself..."

'That was deep' Illuki thought, turning her griffin around to the hotel and leaving behind the leader and his group.

"Head to the hotel and wait for Phinks and the others. If they try to escape, kill them," Chrollo tells Machi.

A few feet away from the captured kids and Spiders, Kurapika and Melody stand in the rain – listening to the conversation through the female's hearing ability. "Now that they're on the alert, we have to keep our distance or they'll notice us. Make sure you're concealing your presence."

"Damn it!" the disguised Conjurer curses, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists.

"You must be patient," Melody reminds the hunter, scolding with a soft voice when the blonde raises his voice in anger. "Your reckless pursuit exposed them to needless danger. Do you know why they let themselves be captured? If you get caught here, no one will be able to stop the troupe!"

Kurapika relaxes, rakes deep breaths and apologises for his rash behaviour though his worry remains visible to Melody. The two of them follow the group from a safe distance, listening to their movements and conversation before returning to the hotel and hashing out a plan with Leorio.

author's note !

short chapter because it felt right to end it where it is.
also, i am closing the poll from my author's note, you all seem to want a jjk gojo x reader book so i shall work on that in my free time ;)

i also started a new writing instagram: @/lilysstorybook
it would greatly be appreciated if you guys checked it out and gave it a follow. i release other writing content that isn't mostly anime or k-pop related :D

cheers!
have a great day or night!

— lily 🫶🏻