Phantom Troupe Holiday: The Leader and Machi's Complicated Love Affair - Casual Clothes, a Preliminary Look, and the Sound of a Heartbeat

The morning light washed the skyscrapers of Yorknew City in white. In front of the main entrance of Skyline Tower, the spray from the fountain glittered in the morning sun. Businessmen on their way to work and people who looked like tourists passed back and forth, and amid it all, Chrollo Lucilfer stood alone, gazing up at the clock. Fifteen minutes until their meeting time. (...I got here too early.) Chrollo muttered it inwardly. Last night he'd barely slept, and yet his body had gone and woken up on its own. He'd changed his shirt in front of the mirror more times than he could count, and in the end he'd settled on a dark navy shirt with black slacks—the same as always, except the collar was just slightly open. (Scrutinizing my outfit, am I?) He was disgusted with himself. It was just a preliminary scouting. Part of the mission. So why was he so restless? Chrollo drew a deep breath and let it out. The sounds around him seemed to come from far away. The fountain's water. Footsteps. Car horns. All of it oddly muffled. (Is Machi not here yet?) He checked the clock. Five minutes left. —And then it happened. In the crowd, pink hair swayed. His heart gave a hard throb. It was Machi. She wore a pale beige shirt and black pants that looked easy to move in. Casual clothes that gave a softer impression than her usual combat gear. Her long pink hair wasn't in a ponytail today—it hung down over her shoulders. Her slightly upturned purple eyes found Chrollo and narrowed just a little. (...She's beautiful.) Deep in Chrollo's chest, something pulsed violently. The collarbone peeking from the collar of her shirt. Her hair swaying with each step. Machi, who usually gave off such a cool impression, looked somehow soft today. "...You're late." That was what came out of his mouth. A cold, dismissive voice. Machi's brow furrowed in annoyance. "I'm right on time. You're the one who showed up way too early." "I see." Chrollo answered briefly and looked away from her. (No. That's not it.) He was shouting it again inside his head. What he'd really wanted to say was that it suited her. That she looked beautiful in those clothes. But those words simply wouldn't come out. "...Let's go." Chrollo turned his back and started walking. Machi clicked her tongue softly and followed behind. An awkward air flowed between them. —And yet Chrollo's heart had been pounding, loud enough to be unbearable, this whole time. Skyline Tower was a massive building—420 meters tall, eighty-eight stories. A symbol of Yorknew City, it housed offices from the first through fiftieth floors, a luxury hotel from the fifty-first through seventieth, and the auction venue from the seventy-first through eighty-eighth. During September's Grand Auction, it became a gathering place for the wealthy and the criminal from all over the world. Chrollo observed his surroundings as he passed through the tower's automatic doors. Several guards in the first-floor lobby. Four security cameras at the entrance, two in the elevator hall. Behind the reception counter, there was probably a waiting room. (The guard placement is about what I expected.) Chrollo committed the lobby's floor plan to memory. Just then— "Excuse me, sir, might I have a moment?" A guard stood in front of Machi. He wore a black uniform and looked like a thoroughly serious man. In his hands was a tablet for visitors. "Which floor are you headed to?" "...The observation floor upstairs." Machi answered flatly. Chrollo watched from a short distance away. (I need to check how the guards handle this, too.) Thinking that, he deliberately left it alone. The guard operated his tablet and kept questioning Machi. "Are you alone today? Do you have any plans?" "...I have someone with me." Machi glanced toward Chrollo. Chrollo leaned against the shadow of a pillar, arms crossed. "I see. And your companion, if I may—" The guard started to place a hand on Machi's shoulder. —In that instant. Chrollo's body moved on its own. "Hey." In a low voice, he blocked the guard's hand. Chrollo seized Machi's wrist and pulled her toward him. "...What are you doing? Don't be a hindrance." He flung the words out in a cold voice. Machi's eyes went wide with surprise. "W-what, all of a sudden...!" Machi tried to shake off Chrollo's hand. But that wrist was astonishingly hot. (What... is this...) Machi's heart pounded. Chrollo's fingers were touching her skin. That alone made her face grow hot. "...Let go of me." Her voice trembling, Machi finally shook his hand off. "We're in a hurry." Chrollo said only that and started walking. (...What am I doing?) His heart was pounding hard enough to hurt. The feel of Machi's wrist lingered in his palm. Slender, warm, and just slightly damp with sweat. (It's just a scouting. A mission.) Chrollo told himself that. But the moment the guard had tried to put a hand on Machi's shoulder, his mind had gone completely blank. (...I am the leader.) Even as he told himself that, the sound of his heart wouldn't quiet in the least. They boarded the elevator and headed for the seventy-first floor. Chrollo leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. Machi stood as far from Chrollo as she could and turned her face away. A heavy silence flowed between them. The elevator rose quietly. (...What was that, back there?) Machi muttered inwardly. Her wrist was still hot. The place Chrollo had gripped throbbed as if it had been burned. (A hindrance, he says...) The word stabbed at her chest. But at the same time, it had looked as though Chrollo was protecting her from the guard. (...No. That was just for the mission.) Machi shook her head. The leader isn't interested in me. She told herself that, trying to calm her heart. But she couldn't get the look on Chrollo's face out of her head. (...I've never seen him make a face like that.) The ever-cold Chrollo had, for just an instant, looked flustered. (I must be imagining things.) Machi bit her lip hard. They arrived at the seventy-first floor. When the elevator doors opened, a corridor with a stately atmosphere stretched before them. The walls were covered in dark brown wood, and a deep crimson carpet covered the floor. From the ceiling, the soft light of chandeliers poured down. "...The auction hall is that way, then." Chrollo fixed his eyes on the far end of the corridor. From the seventy-first through eighty-eighth floors lay the auction hall, the "Chamber of the Sky." During September's Grand Auction, this entire floor would be filled with the wealthy from around the world. (The guard placement is thinner than I expected.) Chrollo confirmed the positions of the security cameras set in the corners of the corridor and assembled the patrol routes in his head. Just then— "Excuse me, sir." Another guard appeared before them. Unlike the one before, this was an older man with a gentle air about him. "Pardon me, but are the two of you a couple?" At that question, Machi froze. "...Huh?" Machi's face went bright red in an instant. "W-why would you think that?!" "Well, if you are a couple, I thought I might show you our special security route." Guard B smiled pleasantly. "Beyond this point is off-limits to ordinary guests, but for couples we offer a special route with a fine view." "...I see." Chrollo muttered briefly. (If I deny it, he'll get suspicious.) He calculated quickly in his head. If he said "we're not" here, this guard might find it strange. To confirm the security route naturally, without giving away the purpose of the scouting— "Yeah. That's right." Chrollo answered, feigning calm. Machi turned red to the tips of her ears and hung her head. (...I lied.) Chrollo's heart gave a hard throb. (This is for the mission.) He told himself so. But his voice had gone just slightly stiff. "I knew it! Right this way, then." Guard B happily began guiding them. "This route circles the outside of the auction hall, and you can see the whole cityscape of Yorknew from it. It's very popular with couples." "...I see." Chrollo listened to Guard B's explanation while observing the corridor's structure. (The guards probably rotate every three hours. The camera blind spots are behind that pillar and past the corner.) The information sorted itself in his head. "From this window you can see the eastern part of the city. Please do take a look together." Guard B stopped in front of a large window. Beyond the glass spread the skyscrapers of Yorknew City. Reflecting the morning light, they sparkled like jewels. "...Beautiful." Machi murmured it without thinking. Chrollo stared fixedly at her profile. (...She really is beautiful.) That was what he thought. Not the view outside the window—her profile. "So, how long have the two of you been together?" Guard B asked, beaming. "...That's—" Chrollo faltered for words. "I-it's not like that...!" Machi tried to deny it in a fluster. "...A long time." Chrollo cut her off. "Oh, a long time! How wonderful." Guard B narrowed his eyes as if moved. Machi, still bright red, glared at Chrollo. "What are you saying...?" "...It's for the mission." Chrollo murmured low enough that only Machi could hear. (...For the mission.) Machi repeated the words in her heart. (Right. For the mission. The leader pretending to be my lover—there's no reason for it other than the mission.) Even as she thought so, something deep in her chest gave a small, sharp ache. After that, guided by Guard B, they toured the security route from the seventy-first through seventy-fifth floors. Chrollo kept up his small talk with Guard B while committing one thing after another to memory—the guard shift times, the camera blind spots, the locations of the emergency stairs. (...Guard shifts are at two and five in the afternoon. During the five minutes between, the watch is thin.) (...There are two emergency stairwells—one on the west side of the seventy-first floor, one on the east side of the seventy-fifth. On the day of the auction, they'll probably be sealed.) (...Camera blind spots are behind the pillars and past the corners. The north corridor on the seventy-fifth floor in particular has only one camera.) The information arranged itself precisely in his head. "It was an honor to guide you today. I hope you both have a wonderful day." Guard B saw them to the elevator hall and bowed pleasantly. "...Yeah." Chrollo answered briefly. The elevator doors closed. They were alone. The silence pressed down heavily. "...You really can tell a lie like that without batting an eye." Machi muttered. "It wasn't a lie." Chrollo answered quietly. "...Huh?" Machi lifted her face. "It's for the mission. You should accept that too." Chrollo said it without looking at Machi. (...Doing it again.) He berated himself inwardly. "...I know that." Machi murmured and hung her head. The elevator reached the first floor. When the doors opened, the bustle of the lobby swallowed them up. It was evening when they left the tower. The sky was dyed madder red. The windows of the skyscrapers caught the setting sun and shone orange. "...That's it for today." Chrollo stopped and said it. "Right." Machi kept her eyes averted from Chrollo and gave a small nod. "Go home first. I'll stay a while and do a final check of the security." "...Understood." Machi said only that, turned her back, and walked away. Her pink hair, lit by the setting sun, swayed softly. Chrollo watched her go, unmoving. (...Today was a mess, in a lot of ways.) Grabbing her wrist. Lying that they were a couple. (Unforgivable blunders for a leader.) Even as he thought so, something deep in his chest was strangely warm. —And then it happened. Something glinted on Machi's back. Chrollo's eyes narrowed sharply. (...What's that?) On the back of Machi's jacket, around her waist, some

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Episode 2

Name: Phantom Troupe Holiday: The Leader and Machi's Complicated Love Affair
Author: Novelia

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