Kalluto walked up to him and looked down at him.
With a gentle wave of his paper fan, Cliff's body stiffened; his eyes were still open, but his pupils had already dilated.
His body collapsed softly, the expression on his face still frozen in a moment of fear.
Kalluto put away his paper fan, turned around, and the smile from before returned to his face.
"Why are you here?"
"Same as you."
Leo said.
"I just took care of a wanted criminal in the auction house, and ran into you as soon as I came out."
Kalluto's eyes brightened for a moment.
"Then we really are fated."
He could feel that Leo had become stronger again, even stronger than the last time they met.
That aura was not intentionally released, but was radiating naturally.
The surrounding crowd was still screaming; some were calling the police, some were running out, and some were paralyzed on the ground, trembling.
The bloodstains on the red carpet were still spreading, and the air was filled with a heavy smell of rust.
Leo glanced around.
"There are too many people here, let's leave first."
Kalluto nodded.
The two walked side by side into the night, soon disappearing at the end of the street.
Far from the hustle and bustle of the auction house, the street gradually quieted down.
The streetlights stretched their shadows long; one in front and one behind, occasionally overlapping.
Leo suddenly spoke up.
"Since we are so fated, would you like to join my team?"
Kalluto was stunned.
His footsteps faltered for a moment, and he turned his head to look at Leo.
In those fire-red eyes, there was surprise, astonishment, and a little bit of bewilderment.
"I..."
He opened his mouth, but didn't continue.
Leo did not rush him.
The two continued walking forward, their footsteps echoing softly in the empty street.
Kalluto kept his head down, his mind in a mess.
Joining Leo's team... it didn't seem impossible.
He was used to doing things alone, used to being a loner.
He wasn't very good at interacting with people; he didn't know what to say or what to do.
If Leo's partners thought he was too cold and aloof, or thought he was difficult to get along with, what should he do?
Leo seemed to see through his thoughts.
"Don't worry."
His voice was very calm.
"My team members will all accept you. They are all very good people."
Kalluto looked up, watching Leo's profile.
The streetlight's light flickered on his face.
"But..."
Kalluto's voice was very low.
"I am a member of the Zoldyck Family. My father might not agree..."
Leo stopped walking.
He turned around, faced Kalluto, and reached out to pat his shoulder.
"You're worried about this?"
He smiled.
"Leave it to me."
Kalluto was stunned; before he could react, Leo had already turned around and looked at the roof of a building in the distance.
"Come out."
His voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the empty street.
"You've been following us the whole way."
Kalluto turned his head sharply, looking in the direction of Leo's gaze.
The roof was empty, with only moonlight shining on the gray concrete floor; there was nothing there.
Leo smiled.
"No need to hide, Butler of the Zoldyck Family, Ms. Tsubone."
A few seconds later, a figure walked out from the shadows of the roof.
She was stout, wearing a deep purple gown, with her hair braided into two pigtails hanging over her shoulders.
She stood there, looking down at the two people on the street, her gaze lingering on Kalluto for a moment before landing on Leo.
Tsubone, a senior butler of the Zoldyck Family, was absolutely loyal to Sliva and only obeyed his orders.
She jumped down from the roof; the sound of her landing was very light, completely inconsistent with her build.
She walked to a spot not far from Kalluto, bowed slightly, and performed a bow.
"Young Master Kalluto."
Kalluto's face darkened.
"Tsubone, who told you to come?"
Tsubone did not answer, just straightened her body and turned to look at Leo.
Her gaze lingered on Leo for a long time, then she sighed softly.
"As expected of Mr. Leo. Your strength is indeed formidable to be able to discover my presence immediately."
There was no hostility in her tone, only a genuine sense of admiration.
Leo shook his head.
"Kalluto, don't speak for now. Let me handle this."
He stepped forward, looking into Tsubone's eyes.
"You are Sliva's direct butler; I believe you can contact him directly."
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an unquestionable weight.
"Pass on a message for me—Kalluto will join my team. Tell him not to worry about Kalluto's safety."
Tsubone was silent for a few seconds.
She looked at Leo, at this young man.
Before departing, the head of the family, Sliva, had indeed given her instructions.
He said that if Kalluto was going to find Leo, she should not stop him or bring him back; let him make his own decision.
"I will relay this to the Head of the Family, Sliva."
She finally spoke, her tone calm.
She turned to Kalluto and bowed again.
"Young Master Kalluto, before departing, the Head of the Family gave instructions—your choices are for you to decide yourself. The Zoldyck will not stop you."
Kalluto's eyes widened sharply.
He opened his mouth but couldn't say a word.
Tsubone didn't say anything else and turned to leave.
Her back soon disappeared at the end of the street, her footsteps fading away until they finally fell into silence.
Leo turned around and looked at Kalluto.
"It's settled."
His tone was very relaxed.
"How about it, will you join my team, Kalluto?"
Kalluto stood there, looking in the direction where Tsubone had disappeared, and was silent for a long time.
Then he turned his head and looked at Leo.
In those fire-red eyes, the previous unease and hesitation were gone, replaced by a very serious, very solemn light.
"Since Father won't stop me—"
He took a deep breath and said word by word.
"I will join your team."
Leo reached out his hand.
"Welcome to the team, Kalluto."
Kalluto looked down at the extended hand, hesitated for a second, and then reached out to grasp Leo's palm.
His hand was small, his fingertips a bit cool, but he held on tightly.
Leo let go of his hand and turned to walk toward the other end of the street.
"Then let's go. I'll take you to meet my team."
Kalluto followed, his footsteps much lighter than before.
"Are we taking an Airship?"
Leo took out his phone, tapped it a few times, and then took a small metal disc from his pocket and placed it on the ground.
"No need."
Kalluto looked down at the disc; before he could react, the patterns on the disc suddenly lit up.
The light grew stronger and stronger, condensing and spreading in the air, finally forming a light door of pale blue, suspended in front of the two.
Leo looked back at him, the corners of his mouth slightly raised.
"Come on! Welcome to your new future."
He turned and stepped through the light door.
His figure disappeared into the light.
Kalluto stood in front of the light door, looking at that curtain of pale blue light.
The light shone on his face, making his eyes look exceptionally bright.
A new future?
He took a deep breath and stepped through the light door.
The light swallowed him, and the street returned to silence.