"Your cat." Chrollo put Kusuko on the table. For the first meeting with the real body, Kusuko's limbs were stiff as it stood to the side properly.
The stiff robot movements caught Saiki Kusuo's attention a bit.
Saiki Kusuo: Why are you walking like that? Did you break a bone somewhere?
Kusuko didn't dare move.
Well, it seems like it has self-repair ability too. This fine stuff, without x-ray vision, I better not mess with it. Saiki Kusuo kept eating his dessert: You were out so long and that's all you did?
"Um, I did other things too." The telepathy ability hadn't been turned off. After sitting at the table, Chrollo could clearly hear Saiki Kusuo's voice. "So, what's your decision? I told you, this is a time war. We can't delay."
Saiki Kusuo scooped a spoonful of pudding into his mouth. If I think about it seriously, can I really leave my safety to the butlers and Mike?
"Sure, I'll steal your pieces too. Those two butlers are too weak, not safe. Letting you roam free would be irresponsible to me and the spiders' rights." Chrollo glanced at the spoonful of slightly shaky pudding and wrote two more words on the menu from the server.
Saiki Kusuo ate the pudding, but when he went to scoop another, he suddenly noticed his pudding cup was gone.
The cup was now in front of Chrollo.
This guy is getting bolder since he learned my powers are gone.
Chrollo sniffed the pudding's sweet smell, but the utensils nearby only had a fork. He picked one up and twirled it in his hand: "Like now, stealing your pudding is easy."
Chrollo turned the fork tines down to pick up a piece of pudding, but he missed.
The pudding cup was now in the arms of that robot cat that usually stayed in standby mode.
Kusuko: Whatever, I'll steal it back.
...
Kusuko's action stunned both of them, and the air hesitated for three seconds.
Chrollo stared at the cat, reached out with the fork, and stabbed down toward it.
The fork prongs pierced the pudding in front of the cat. He lifted the cup toward himself.
"Did you set the robot with a playful guard design too?"
The brother gave it, not me. That guy is definitely a cat lover in private.
"Um, your whole Zoldyck family is like cats."
I'm not talking about that brother... whatever, think what you want.
"Let's get serious. I just scouted outside. The area bordering the west of this town is most likely an unconquered zone."
Luck is actually this good.
"The person giving the info was giving a speech on the street, saying he's from the western area. It's a food desert over there, and he advised everyone not to go. But an unconquered zone is easy, just means no good food."
Great Meteor City people can endure hardship. Good luck to you.
"Give me the conquer token and I'll go alone."
Saiki Kusuo sighed, suddenly wishing his big brother would drop from the sky to help him.
Even though his big brother is now a Phantom Troupe member!
Saiki Kusuo didn't want to go, and Chrollo could understand: "It's just no desserts."
I'm a normal person now, I need three meals a day. Not like you Nen users who can starve for seven days and still live.
"Then here's the deal. We'll go for just two days, pack some snacks and desserts. I'll try to conquer that zone in two days. If I don't after two days, I'll bring you back here."
Why snacks and desserts? What about instant noodles? I want hot food and rice too. Eating desserts as meals will rot your teeth.
And now I can't hear thoughts, so it's hard to trust this guy.
"Then add instant noodles. After two days, I'll definitely bring you back. If I don't, Illumi can stick me with needles. This has the effect of a vow. How's that? You can get a Nen user to verify."
Kusuko verifies: It's true, he really swore.
Saiki Kusuo: Have you really lost all human dignity? Getting stuck by Illumi is scary.
Oh man, he's making such a harsh vow.
Saiki Kusuo agreed.
Why does he have to bring the real body no matter what? Kusuko pretended to be a motionless robot cat while eavesdropping.
Phew, I backed off a bit and he finally agreed. He's a normal person now, with no normal person experience. I heard he was a shut-in for over ten years... now you could really call her a sheltered girl. Not just against Nen users, even against other normals, the piece is in danger. Worst is he has no self-awareness. Without powers, he's totally arrogant, bad-tempered, friendless...
Kusuko: This guy is really annoying. Maybe I should show my strength sometime and make this spider leave early. Oh man, such a hassle. Hmm? Why are so many plates coming? Didn't the real body eat already? This Chrollo ordered that much? Why three puddings? There are only two people total.
"Kusuo sir, please enjoy!" The server smiled brightly, eyes glued to Saiki Kusuo. [Ah!! This person is the king's gender-swapped version! Amazing! Total beauty!]
Kusuko: [How many filters are on? Hey, enough.]
The server snapped straight, sweating buckets in an instant. Didn't realize the king was watching, oh no! Stand tall, head up, suck in gut... right, there's another guest!
The server bowed to Chrollo: "Other sir, your food is still being made. The desserts are ready, please wait a moment!"
Chrollo twirled the cup with his fork, amused: "Does conquering give any perks?"
"Ah no way! No one specially told us Kusuo sir is a conqueror! And no one said he's the king's... ah sorry I don't know, I know nothing! I'll go clean the counter!"
Kusuko: ... This idiot.
Saiki Kusuo ignored the whole scene, head down enjoying the pile of desserts in front of him.
*After learning they're heading to a food desert next, Saiki Kusuo ordered a bunch more desserts.
The teleport point west of town was finally a normal door.
Saiki Kusuo and Chrollo stood side by side in front of it. Chrollo held two bags in his hands, one with desserts, the other with instant noodles and similar quick foods.
Kusuko: Oh man, they really prepared for these two days. But, food desert? No zone should skimp on food for anyone... exactly which map is this...
Kusuko watched from behind. This door gave him a bad feeling, but he'd made so many zones, he couldn't recall right away where this door led.
Ever since he woke up over a year ago, he'd reworked a huge batch of zones.
Survival ones, horror ones, evil religion style, he collected them all, packed and stored them away.
The current zones all have issues from normal society.
What should a normal person's life have? Playing in dirt, gaming, rebelling, gaming, studying, gaming, dating, gaming, working, gaming...
Warm reminder: The "in-site messages" function for logged-in users has been improved. We can receive and reply to your messages promptly. Please check the user center - "in-site messages" page!
From his guess, this was spot on.
So, no matter what they face, it should be fine. All zones he set are everyday stuff from normal society!
Chrollo opened the door. Inside was pitch black. They'd have to jump in to see what the other zone was like.
Saiki Kusuo and Chrollo jumped in one after the other.
"Click."
"Click."
The sound of metal cuffs locking. Saiki Kusuo and Chrollo each got handcuffed.
"Rec time over. Back to your cells." A very strong jail guard spoke from behind them.
Saiki Kusuo: Explain this, Chrollo. You didn't know it was like this, right?
Chrollo: "...I only heard a bit before trouble hit."
You're going home. I've never had a life plan that includes jail.
"Cough, I didn't plan to come to a place like this either."
Ready to get stuck by Illumi? He likes the head, or maybe straight to the face. I'll suggest it.
"...That's too early to worry. Don't stress, if there's a prison, there's a way out."
How can I not stress? I don't want a life with this kind of record.
"Bang!"
The jail guard slammed a stick on the iron door: "What are you yapping about? You just said breakout, right? Take this guy to five days solitary! The other to the women's block!"
Great, five days right off the bat.
"And take their ramen, all the food for inspection. Give it back in ten days."
The desserts will spoil in ten days.
The guard was fierce and strict. One on each side pressed Chrollo's shoulders, trying to force his body down to walk, but no matter how hard, the guy didn't budge.
Chrollo's eyes sharpened, gaze sweeping the guards around.
Fight, like it's about to break out any second.
"Wait wait! Click!"
Kusuko wiped sweat from behind in secret. Oh man, made it just in time.
Didn't expect the prison issue. The other 24 are all light, fun, easy to clear. Left the prison one because normal society has prisons, didn't delete it.
"Thanks for your hard work, Kusuo teacher, hard work, Lucifer teacher." The newcomer was a young guy in casual clothes, backpack full of props. "What are you standing around for? Hurry, uncuff them first!"
The burly guards on both sides switched to apology mode: "Sorry sorry, our mistake! Unlocking now!"
Saiki Kusuo: ? Style change is so fast.
Chrollo pondered: Why is someone dressed like that in a prison? Outfit looks very friendly, polite to us, but orders the guards like a boss.
Kusuko: This guy is still so picky. Can't let go of that detail even if you're a sir?
"It was our oversight. Normal extras go through at least an hour of training first, sign waivers to act..."
Saiki Kusuo: Why does being an extra need a waiver?
Chrollo: "So it's a acting setup? Thought it was a real prison earlier."
"Of course it's acting! Our Dark Continent game zones are all light and fun style! How could we really put people in prison? Come on, you two, let's have tea in the warden's office. Or if you want to relax, lie down and chat? The infirmary and downstairs single cells are empty today!"
Saiki Kusuo: What do you mean empty? Sounds like full facilities, right? Like lots of people have stayed, totally like a real prison.
The young guy chuckled, pushing their backs outward: "Let's chat in the warden's office first!"
Warden's office.
Unpowered recording gear, stuff knocked over everywhere, mirrors and lights placed wrong, a bunch of hat-wearing staff that didn't fit the scene at all, and two staff nailing red cloth to a wall.
What are they doing, taking ID photos? In the warden's office? Acting wouldn't need red cloth at the end.
On the sofa was a girl in prison clothes, short hair, inverted cross necklace on her neck. She read a book, didn't look up: "Please sit, you two."
Saiki Kusuo took it calmly and sat. Chrollo stayed standing.
Saiki Kusuo: What's wrong? Can't accept your troupe member is part of this disaster life?
Shizuku kept her head down, finger sliding over words in the book, clearly reading along: "I'm the director of this play, here to talk business... Huh, it's the boss."
"What boss? No boss here! Director, keep saying your lines." The dark-life young guy covered, patting Shizuku's shoulder, hoping she'd play along.
"My acting can't fool the boss." Shizuku pushed up her glasses, looking sincere.
"Three years off sentence, no, five years!"
"I'm life sentence. Any years off, I'll break out."
The room fell into awkward silence. Keep pretending? Stop? Everyone waited for the answer.
"Pfft," Chrollo suddenly laughed. "Never thought I'd meet Shizuku here. Too many clues since we got in. Shizuku, tell me the truth."
But Shizuku shook her head. "Can't fool the boss, but we're in different groups now. Even if the boss says so, no can do."
Saiki Kusuo: In the end, is this kid tricking or not?
"Can't fool the boss, so no sentence reduction. But do things with firm stance, finish what you promise. Boss taught me that."
Will interviewing Chrollo now make a celebrity regret video?
"So I'll keep pretending, prison wa..."
The young guy shook his head wildly to interrupt: "Don't mind me, don't mind me. Read your lines, give thoughts, chat, chat with them."
Did she just almost say warden?
"Oh." Shizuku looked down and flipped the book, two pages, then suddenly skipped to two-thirds in.
"I read two-thirds of the book, found out directors, writers, authors are all so hardworking."
Two-thirds and you know they're hardworking?
"Directors yell at people, writers stay up rewriting, authors stare at computers in one pose, easy to get back pain, eye strain, and tendonitis. All need a healthy body to support."
---------------------------------------
You can read 15 chapters ahead on patre on
patr eon.com/JYouyi