Chrollo Lucilfer, after discarding his usual coat and slicked-back hair in the original work and appearing in normal attire, was then included by readers among the "Three Beauties."
In other words, as long as he didn't chase after unconventional trends, even in the most ordinary clothes, his original good looks would be enough to hold his own.
As for the other two among the "Three Beauties," Hisoka and Illumi, they were also characters who didn't take care of their appearances. The former liked to dress up as a clown, while the latter liked to stick needles in his face and become an ugly man. Their thought processes were not those of normal people, so the "Three Beauties" were sometimes called the "Three Perverts."
Their perversion was not just a matter of aesthetic taste; the key was their danger. Each of them was a scumbag who wouldn't hesitate to kill.
According to common understanding in the fanfiction community, Chrollo's scumbag nature could be summarized as a treacherous character who would "sell you and still have you count the money for him."
If you interacted with him without being cautious, you would undoubtedly be tricked.
In the plots shown in the original work, Chrollo never plotted against his own Phantom Troupe members. He was also very lenient with fringe members like Hisoka, whom the other members disliked, and lacked sufficient precautions, which led to Hisoka killing several members. However, in the fanfiction world, plotlines where characters pretended to join the Phantom Troupe and then engaged in scheming, love-hate relationships with Chrollo were not uncommon.
Mollus knew she didn't have the mental capacity to compete with Chrollo in terms of intelligence and cunning. The simplest way to deal with him was not to foolishly follow his lead.
Even if Chrollo had just emerged from a bath, washed away his worldly impurities, and appeared as an innocent high school student with a tranquil demeanor, as gentle as a chrysanthemum, she couldn't afford to be lax or waver in the slightest.
She had to remember that he was currently a seductive hussy disguised as a pure white lotus, filled with wicked schemes waiting for her to fall into his trap.
Speaking of which, Chrollo's prototype was actually a well-known handsome man from the "real world," used by many manga artists as a template for their beautiful characters. Mollus had seen a photo of his prototype in the "real world" and was instantly struck by his divine beauty. Fortunately, she had already experienced the overwhelming impact of his looks; otherwise, Mollus might not have been able to resist the temptation and done something foolish.
Don't forget, Chrollo's most despicable trait was his fondness for stealing Nen abilities that others had painstakingly cultivated.
The "Game Pack" was equivalent to Mollus's entire fortune so far. If Chrollo stole it, she would only be able to shamelessly beg Silva or Zeno to accept installment payments and help her take down Chrollo, all while burdened with a debt of 89 billion.
Whether they would agree was an unknown, but the key point was that falling into such a situation would be too embarrassing. The family didn't expect you to bring glory to the family, but at least don't always be a money drain and lower the Zoldyck family's reputation.
...It would certainly be enough for Kikyo to nag for a long time.
Wearing a yukata and with his hair down, Chrollo rested his chin on his hand, looking relaxed. He gazed at Mollus with a friendly attitude, as if he genuinely considered Mollus a comrade. His not-quite-dry wet black hair, due to gravity, gradually formed water droplets at the ends, hanging precariously.
Mollus stared intently at the water droplet, waiting for it to fall.
The drop finally fell, sliding down the texture of Chrollo's skin. It left a damp trace on his neck, much like it had been licked by a tongue, before finally disappearing into the dark fabric of his yukata.
"You're so provocative," Mollus blurted out involuntarily.
Since Mollus did not have a "[Wearable] vocalization device," to onlookers, it seemed as if she had only moved her lips and had not made any sound.
"I can read lips," Chrollo's smile was like a mask, completely unfazed.
"..."
Why bother exposing certain things? Mollus was merely expressing a slight sentiment. Besides, what she said wasn't exactly a bad thing.
Chrollo's voluntary act of revealing that he could read lips made his intentions abundantly clear; for example, he wanted to know how Mollus would explain or react.
The charismatic leader who acted on whim, when viewed through a filter, could be considered to have a playful heart, perhaps termed "childishness," or "a man remains a boy until death."
If you didn't apply a filter, then there was nothing more to say. The current situation was developing into a sudden attack, probing why the new member spoke so boldly and what her true intentions were.
She detested calculative, high-intelligence individuals. Even Shalnark, a Manipulator, was ten times cuter than him.
"But I have high standards," Mollus said the latter half of her sentence with her lips, taking a step towards the door and closing it.
Chrollo, who had remained expressionless, was now blocked behind the door, with no further sound.
Mollus breathed a sigh of relief and walked towards her room.
Chrollo likely had no time to worry about other matters. His top priority was to study the items brought back from the ruins. Having been beaten to the punch this time and obtaining nothing, he would definitely want to find a way to reclaim them. "Reviewing whether the new member poses a threat to the Troupe" was not an urgent matter. In the original work, he had always turned a blind eye to Hisoka, who had ulterior motives; other members had even commented that Chrollo was too lenient with Hisoka.
"Did I lose somewhere?" Chrollo murmured to himself softly.
But he didn't attempt to ponder further, lowering his head to begin studying the items brought back from the ruins.
Since it was a prey already targeted, don't expect... to escape easily.
Finally, Mollus knocked on Machi's door.
She had heard the male members leaving the hot spring inn earlier, and they shouldn't be back for a while, so she didn't need to worry about them. As for Pakunoda, she possessed the Nen ability to "know the other person's memories by touch," which was too dangerous, a hundred times more dangerous than Chrollo. One wrong move and she could have her secrets discovered – a great crisis for her "player" identity.
After thinking it over, only Machi seemed to retain a shred of human warmth.
The room's interior faced a small courtyard, with a circular pool enclosed by white pebbles. Several brightly colored koi swam within, surrounded by green bamboo. When the wind blew, the bamboo leaves rustled.
Machi's usual attire resembled a Japanese short kimono, similar in style to a yukata. If she hadn't uncharacteristically let down her tightly tied ponytail, her appearance might not have changed much.
Hairstyles were important; this applied not only to Chrollo but also to Machi.
Those who always tied up their hair, once they let it loose, seemed to let go of their daytime defenses and enter a relaxed state for the night, thus appearing gentler.
Mollus knew that Machi was outwardly cold but inwardly warm. In the original work, although it wasn't necessary, Machi kindly prepared Hisoka's remains, but unfortunately...
"You don't drink, do you?" Machi gestured with the small wine glass in her hand.
Before Mollus arrived, she had intended to drink alone under the moonlight, enjoying the night.
Mollus knelt before her, seemingly attracted by the fragrance in Machi's wine glass. She placed her hands on the ground, leaned forward, and curiously brought her nose close, sniffing the scent.
"Oh, this is a different flavor. It's my first time trying it too," Machi glanced at the bamboo grove in the courtyard. "This one has the fragrance of bamboo leaves and is rather sweet. Would you like to try?"
Mollus nodded, her lips touching the rim of the glass. She opened her mouth, and the two legs of the spider tattoo on her tongue appeared, as if real spiders were about to strike prey caught in a web.
Gazing at the two legs of the spider, Machi tilted the wine glass. The off-white liquid flowed over the black spider legs, blurring their shape.
Her tongue curled around the thin layer of liquid, and Mollus's throat moved as she swallowed slowly with a blank expression.
As expected, no matter what kind of alcohol it was, it wasn't good. Her throat burned.
"It seems you really don't like drinking," Machi brought the wine glass back to her own lips and drank it in one gulp. "Then don't force yourself. Everyone should have their own freedom, and personal hobbies cannot be interfered with arbitrarily—we won't mind such a small thing."
"..." A bottle appeared out of thin air in Mollus's hand, and with her other hand, she pulled Machi's hand holding the wine glass closer.
Unscrewing the cap, she refilled Machi's wine glass.
Before the bottle disappeared, Machi saw the words "Rice Wine" written on its body.
Rice wine had the word "wine" in it, but could this really be called "wine"?
With Machi's hand, Mollus lowered her head and licked the surface of the wine in the glass, indicating "this thing is fine," then released her hand, seemingly looking at Machi expectantly.
"..." Machi took a sip.
Hmm, the alcohol content was very low, and it was very sweet. Compared to "wine," it should be called a "sweet beverage."
Under Mollus's unwavering gaze, Machi lowered her voice, "For me, it's a bit too sweet."
"..." Mollus pursed her lips.
"But the taste is still very good," Machi reached out and stroked the top of Mollus's head. The fluffy texture on her head, touched for the first time, made her pause for a moment, before she continued with a faint smile, "Mollus, thank you for sharing with me."
"..." Mollus lowered her gaze, nodded, and reached out to take the wine glass from Machi's hand.
There was only one wine glass at the moment. Before refilling it, the rice wine that had been poured into it midway had to be emptied.
"Let me finish the wine," Machi raised the wine glass.
"..." Mollus straightened up and continued to reach out.
When different people stand together, height is a comparative concept.
When 165cm
"Let's see if you mind us discussing Number 8." Phinks flashed a mischievous smile.
"I mind, but will you not discuss it?" Shalnark continued to smile.
"That's different, of course. We'll discuss it behind your back." Phinks's smile was brilliant.
"Then let's discuss it face-to-face," Shalnark's smile was even more brilliant. "I don't mind."
Shalnark's reaction was as Phinks expected, which was for the best. Discussing it face-to-face was more satisfying than discussing it behind his back.
"Then I'll be direct," Phinks said righteously, evaluating, "I think Mollus's tattoos are the most exciting in the entire Troupe."
"...You've seen them?" Shalnark asked.
"Everyone saw them before you arrived," Phinks recalled. "Machi asked about the tattoos, and she voluntarily showed them to us."
Shalnark remembered Mollus mentioning in a text message that she was considering getting a tattoo on her chest. Coincidentally, the waiter from earlier also had a tattoo on her chest.
That day, Mollus was wearing a high-necked shirt. So, in front of everyone, Mollus unbuttoned her collar completely to show everyone her chest?!
Although Shalnark's expression remained unchanged, the tabletop he rested his arm on showed a slight crack.
"You haven't seen them?" Feitan caught Shalnark's abnormality.
"She said... she'd tell me separately later," Shalnark replied.
"Isn't that great?" Phinks patted Shalnark's shoulder. "Having a girlfriend who plays like that, be careful you can't handle it, Shalnark, hahaha."
"Yes, it's time for me to go back and accompany her," Shalnark smiled as he tidied his clothes and stood up. "I can't let her be too bored alone."
"But if you leave, we'll be bored," Phinks waved goodbye to Shalnark. "Ah well, you go ahead then, you friend-forsaken guy."
"I'm going back too," Feitan pulled up his hood. "The boss might have a mission tomorrow."
"You too... Oh well..." Phinks scratched his head. "I'm going back!"
Going back might also lead to some excitement.
In Machi's room, the lights had been extinguished to avoid disturbance. Machi was positioned above Mollus, her fair back displaying clear and evenly spaced vertebrae. The obi had not been untied, and the yukata had only slipped down to her waist hollow.
Earlier, Mollus had been on top, and she had been the active one.
After the wine glass had overturned, the spilled wine had also stained Machi's fingertips. Mollus held Machi's fingers and licked the sweetness, and then, it was unstoppable.
Machi recalled her hometown, Meteor City, where resources were limited. Many commodities commonly found outside were in limited supply in Meteor City, such as birth control products.
If they lacked protection and didn't want to bear the risks, some girls chose self-sufficiency, while others chose to engage in intimate games with other girls.
Just like now...
Since she didn't dislike it, what was wrong with playing around?
Besides, Mollus seemed to be on the verge of breaking up with Shalnark, as using a whole box of items seemed to be something Mollus couldn't accept. Mollus had suffered too much from men, and she desperately needed comfort from a fellow girl.
Mollus was too soft-natured and easily bullied. Even the seemingly good-tempered Shalnark probably wasn't suitable for her.
As a game guide, Machi felt she was more skilled than Mollus, so she reversed the roles and said, "...Let me."
Pulling a thread of Nen from her fingertips, Machi bound Mollus's hands behind her back. Her cool nose brushed against Mollus's back, her breath warm, and she whispered, "Be good."
The two breaths mingled.
As the saying goes:
The spring breeze greens the south of the Yangtze River again; whose garden is full of spring's bloom?
A pair of swallows skim the waterside; green willows sway, unable to bear the spring.
Sparse shadows slant across clear water; hidden fragrance drifts in the moonlit dusk.
Birds about to descend steal a glance first; if the powder butterflies knew, they would swoon.