"Tsubone, take our Miss Sarasa, and let's move out."
'Leaving home at 11, not asking about the destination, just following the passion and yearning of the heart, letting life bloom splendidly on the journey.'
'Meteor City, the abandoned place.' "Heh. We can't keep our opponents waiting."
"Yes." Tsubone placed her right hand on her chest and bowed to Sean. "Young Master, before we depart, please allow me to help this young lady wash up."
"Go ahead. Find her a clean set of clothes while you're at it." Sean glanced at Sarasa. Her little skirt was filthy; she had clearly been rummaging through trash.
"Um... I don't want to take a bath... Before we go, can you take me to the manga shop?" Sarasa tapped her middle fingers together, her eyes meeting the curious gazes of Sean, Tsubone, and Gotoh. She mumbled, "My friends and I really admire Teacher Ben An."
"Unfortunately, we rarely find 'Pot Shadow Ninja' in Meteor City, so I plan to... steal a few copies to take back. Of course, it would be even better if I could find a signed version by Teacher Ben An."
Er... Gotoh and Tsubone looked at each other, then both turned to Sean.
Sean's face darkened. 'Dammit, I'm meeting a "hater" who wants to freeload right to my face. This is how you admire me?'
"Ah-hem." Sean glanced at Sarasa and said in a heartfelt tone, "Little girl, robbing is illegal. This isn't Meteor City. If you want something here, you have to pay for it."
"But I don't have any money." Sarasa clutched Tsubone's sleeve, looking at Sean with an innocent face. "Can you give me money?"
"Me?" Sean almost laughed in anger. 'Use my money to buy my work?'
'Sorry... this entire purchase will be covered by Mr. Gotoh.'
Sean glared at Gotoh. "You're responsible for the person you brought."
"One hundred volumes of 'Pot Shadow Ninja', plus 20 special signed editions. Consider it my travel fee for standing up for you!"
'Even capitalists don't exploit their servants like this!' Gotoh cried injustice. "Young Master, this is a forced sale!"
"You're not convinced?" Sean's brows twitched. "Do you want me to calculate the 'face fee' for you too?"
'Don't.' Gotoh retreated in defeat. 'What sin did I commit? I saved someone, got injured, and now I'm forced to empty my pockets.'
"As expected, it's all because I'm too weak!"
Gotoh had never, in this moment, hated himself so much!
Fortunately, Sarasa rushed over and gave him a big, comforting hug. "Mister, you're the best!"
"A signed edition from Teacher Ben An... can you really buy it?"
'Buy?' Gotoh stole a glance at Sean. 'Isn't it just a matter of the Young Master scribbling a few words?'
"Alright, take her to wash up first." Sean waved his hand. Tsubone nodded, took Sarasa's small hand, and led the little girl away.
"Young Master, how about a discussion... give me a little discount?" With the others gone, only Gotoh and Sean were left in the room.
Gotoh put on a smile, asking Sean cautiously. Unfortunately, he was mercilessly rejected.
"The bookstore owner won't be discussing any discounts with you." 'As a servant, you don't even have the awareness to support the official version.' "Gotoh..."
"I'll give you two years. If you can't break your limits in two years, just kill yourself."
Leaving this sentence, Sean patted his shoulder, closed the door, and strode away.
It was noon. Sunlight scattered through the trees, casting many spots of light.
Tsubone had washed Sarasa and changed her into a pretty little dress. Carrying the packaged "Pot Shadow Ninja", they followed Sean out of the Gates of Hades and stood at the platform at the foot of the mountain.
The bus, full of tourists sightseeing the world's number one assassin family, had just left. The gate guard, Jierongbu, took off his security cap and bowed to Sean. "Young Master, what bad timing. The bus just left."
The Zoldyck estate was a dangerous place. Aside from some desperate, broke bounty hunters who came to feed Mike, ordinary people didn't dare to linger. A glance from afar was the extent of their courage.
It was expected that they would leave early.
"There's no car? Then how do we get to the airport?" Sarasa, anxious to get back, glanced at Sean.
Sean looked at Tsubone with a flat expression. "It's up to you, Tsubone."
The pink-haired silverback gorilla replied, "Yes." With a flow of "Nen", she transformed into a motorcycle!
"Ehhh???" Sarasa screamed, her eyes nearly popping out!
She stared, dumbfounded, at the "Tsubone-version" motorcycle, frozen on the spot.
"Bodhisattva of Great Beauty, Seven Transformations." This was Tsubone's Nen ability. As a Conjurer, she could conjure her body into various forms of transportation. The drawback was that she couldn't control them herself; she needed the driver's aura as a power source to operate.
In the original story, while chasing Killua and Alluka, Tsubone, coordinating with Amane, had transformed into a motorcycle and an airplane.
"What are you standing there for? Get on!" Sean reached out, pulled the stunned Sarasa into his arms, and leaped onto the motorcycle. The "Nen" in his body flared up, and he stepped on the gas.
*VROOOM* They shot off towards the capital's airport in the Republic of Padokea.
Speeding all the way, Sarasa, having recovered, sat excitedly in Sean's lap, screaming and yelling, successfully earning a roll of the eyes from Sean.
"Quiet, little girl. It's just a motorcycle. It's not like you've never seen one."
'The Phantom Troupe wasn't a monolith in their childhood. Chrollo, Franklin, and Shalnark were one group. Uvogin, Machi, and Nobunaga held another territory. The remaining Phinks and Feitan rode a broken-down motorcycle, wandering everywhere.'
Sean didn't believe Sarasa hadn't been around Phinks's precious motorcycle.
"But, Phinks never let me touch it..." Sarasa said resentfully. "That's his treasure. He'd kill anyone who tried to take it."
"Is that so?" Sean glanced at Sarasa impassively. 'How ironic,' he thought.
'In the original story, when Sarasa went missing, that guy Phinks was the first to lend his motorcycle to Chrollo. Unfortunately, no matter how fast they went, they couldn't save Sarasa from her fate of being tortured and killed.'
"VROOM!" He hit the gas again, and Sarasa screamed, falling back into Sean's arms.
With the boy's post-limit-break "aura capacity" on full display, the one who felt it most deeply was Tsubone!
The old butler had carried a young Zeno, and she had carried a young Silva. Compared to those two at the same age, Sean had undoubtedly left both former family heads far behind.
"It's no wonder the Young Master passed the test..."
Tsubone murmured softly.
While she was thinking of them, the masters... Maha and Zigg... were currently gathered in the back mountains, staring at each other.
"What did you say?"
"That brat Netero is coming?"
In the small wooden cabin in the back mountains, Maha glared at Zigg. Zigg smiled, pouring the old man some tea. "Just got his call. He's on tonight's airship."
"Isn't he going to run right into that brat?"