Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock.

The clock on the kitchen wall filled the silence, as three cups of tea turned cold on the dinner table. Both were unheard and untouched by the three sisters who sat in reflection. The revelation from earlier today echoed in their ears, casting a heavy weight on their shoulders.

Leya gritted her teeth, as she leaned back in her chair. She let out an exasperated sigh, as she stared at the ceiling. It didn’t make sense. How could any of this make sense? There must be something they could do. Something that would help give the full picture. Something like—

Leya sprung up, catching the attention of the other two. “Maybe we can interrogate the bald guy?”

Zero frowned, while Juno shook her head. “That could backfire and raise suspicion on us,” she signed.

“I agree with Juno,” said Zero. “We wouldn’t be able to question him properly because we’d be under police observation. And even if we could plan a way around that, showing too much interest would alert them about us and we can’t risk that. Not if we want to get to the bottom of this.”

“But there must be something we can do, right?” Leya sank back into her chair, waving her hand in frustration. “I mean, this doesn’t make sense. How can missing people from Japan be linked to any of this? Heck, why Japan of all places? Like come on, just because stuff’s happening at the same time doesn’t mean it’s related.”

“Hm, you’re right,” nodded Zero. “Correlation doesn’t mean causation. We need to know more.” She crossed her arms, tilting her head back in contemplation. “But the only thing I can think of is visiting Japan and tracing that guy’s footsteps.” Her frown deepened as she continued her thought. “But what happens if we’re just being paranoid and this has nothing to do with the Duchess? I don’t wanna accidentally put a target on our backs just because we couldn’t look the other way.”

Zero’s words hung in the air. The implications of an investigation laid heavily on her chest. Was it a good idea to go around and poke their noses into this? There was nothing concrete that this was their past coming back to haunt them.

And prying for an answer would come with a vicious risk. The lives they had rebuilt could become undone if they weren’t careful. If the public found out about their association with the Veiled Duchess, there would be a manhunt for her and her sisters despite what the truth entailed. They will always be seen as the perpetrators that botched the operation and nothing more.

She pressed her lips into a slight grimace. It was understandable that people still needed a place to direct their pain. But did it have to be aimed at her family?

“Better to be safe than sorry,” Juno signed.

Zero blinked. “Are…you saying I should go to Japan anyway?”

Juno nodded, continuing to communicate. “Like you said, we need more information. And we don’t know anyone in Japan who can help us. So, just go. If we want to be secretive about it, we can say you’re there for your music career instead of Hero work.”

“Yeah,” added Leya. “And I’ll come with you—you’ll probably need the extra pair of hands.”

Zero took a deep breath, deliberating the decision. The cover-up was tempting. Everything could be easily arranged if she went under the guise of her secondary career. And adding the bonus that Leya would be there to help, eased the lack of confidence that began to build inside her.

But a nagging feeling fluttered in her stomach as she thought about a certain dark-haired girl, who was still sleeping the events of yesterday off.

“What about Scarlett?” Zero shared a concerned look. “She’s just gotten out of the hospital, and something like this might stress her out. Especially if it’s what we think it is.” She shook her head softly. “I don’t want to interfere with an investigation knowing it could affect her recovery.”

Their unspoken worry remained heavy in the air. They all had too much to lose. But if they turned the other way, and the people who were responsible for the Veiled Duchess had returned, then they would be failing the lives that were lost that day, including one of their own.

Zero pushed the thought away. This was not the time to grieve. They had to think. How were they going to navigate the situation without compromising Scarlett’s wellbeing?

“How about we don’t tell her anything?” offered Leya.

Zero shared a blank look. “You wanna hide this from Scarlett?”

“Yeah.” She shrugged. “The way I see it, the less people that know about this, the better.”

“I dunno.” Zero shook her head. “This doesn’t seem like something we should keep from her.”

“I’m not saying we never tell her. Just keep it low until we can confirm this is what we think it is,” said Leya.

Zero turned to Juno for some guidance. But the oldest sibling shared a content nod as she considered Leya’s words. “It’s like the Doctor said—we shouldn’t put unnecessary stress on Scarlett.” Juno moved her hands with resoluteness. “We should wait until we are sure this is linked to the Veiled Duchess and then maybe decide to tell her.”

Zero began to chew the inside of her lip, weighing the option in front of her. The idea of hiding something seemed wrong, but the consequences of telling their youngest sister the truth seemed just as unappealing. Zero took a deep breath, straightening her posture. Protecting her family should come first.

“Alright, we won’t tell Scarlett.”

“Hiding stuff from me is not going to help with anything,” a tired voice called out.

Three pairs of eyes widened, as an exhausted Scarlett trudged her way into the kitchen. Yawning, she made her way to the kitchen counter and put the kettle on.

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Closing her gaping mouth, Zero broke out of the stupor first. “How-how much did you hear?”

“Bald guy was in Japan and might be involved with the Veiled Duchess.” Scarlett’s back remained turned to them as she continued brewing herself a cup of tea. She grabbed the milk from the fridge, while the others shared glances at one another, unsure of how to proceed.

Sensing their unease, Scarlett let out a sigh. She turned around, holding her steaming cup of tea as she leaned against the kitchen counter. Her drowsy vision remained on her sisters, as she profiled them.

Leya and Zero’s faces were the easiest to read. The former shared a grimace, unable to look Scarlett in the eye. The latter looked flustered, unveiling the emotions she often censored in front of others. Juno, on the other hand, seemed to be studying Scarlett in return. Her eyes shone with concern at the youngest sister’s response.

An uncomfortable feeling settled in her chest. They were still anxious about her and that was the last thing she wanted. “Look, don’t worry about me,” Scarlett said. “Do what you need to do.”

“Scarlett,” signed Juno, with a worried frown. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Scarlett clenched her mug a little tighter. “I’m fine. I’m not that frail. If I was, I don’t think they’d discharge me from the hospital.”

“We didn’t mean it like that.” Zero’s voice was coated with remorse. “It’s just that you’ve been through so much already, we didn’t want to throw this on you as well.”

Her words caused the guilt to bubble in Scarlett’s chest, pressing itself onto the back of her throat. Will she always worry them? Will she always be in the way for them? Or was this the aftermath of failing to meet their expectations?

Scarlett swallowed, hoping it would push down the pangs of guilt that were beginning to surface. Was there nothing she could do to help them? She had already declared her resignation from the agency. Maybe she should come back? But the chances of history repeating itself made the skin underneath her bandages ache.

Scarlett shook her head softly. They shouldn’t jump to conclusions. At the end of the day, people were disappearing and there was something they could do about it. She took a deep breath.

“Look, if something is going on, we need to check it out. But if you're still worried about me, then how about we all go to Japan? You could probably use the help.”

Three incredulous stares answered Scarlett’s proposal. However, an unnoticed tender smile tugged at Juno’s lips, as a remnant of the old Scarlett resurfaced in front of her.

“What?” Scarlett furrowed her brows. “You think it’s a bad idea?”

“N-no,” Zero shook her head. “It’s just that…I thought you didn’t want to be a part of the agency anymore.” She shared an apprehensive smile.

“Yeah, you don’t have to force yourself to help us,” Juno signed with an understanding expression.

Scarlett gulped. The kitchen counter pressing against her spine was a reminder she couldn’t back away. Biting her lip, she lowered her gaze. “I’m not saying I’m coming back.” I would probably get in the way and make more of a mess than how things are now. “I just think it’ll be easier for everyone if I was there with you.”

“Scarlett, you’re not a burden.” Juno rose from her seat to wrap an arm around her little sister. She gave a reassuring squeeze as she embraced the shorter girl.

“Yeah, Juno’s right.” Zero followed suit, joining the hug. “I’m sorry for wanting to hide this from you. I just didn’t want to overwhelm you.”

Scarlett remained still, the best she could muster to accept the affection. But a line appeared between Leya’s brows, as she leaned back and searched for any telltale signs to indicate what the dark-haired girl was thinking.

“You’re not gonna pull something when we get to Japan, are you?” Leya asked.

“What do you mean?” Scarlett broke out of the hug.

“I’m just saying,” answered Leya. “If you're gonna come along because you want revenge or something then I’m not against it.”

“Leya!” chided Zero.

“That doesn’t sound very heroic.” Scarlett narrowed her eyes. “Is that what you’re planning?

“Hey look, we made a promise, and if taking those bastards down means we can keep it, then it makes no difference to me.” Leya shrugged.

“Whoa,” Zero held her hands up, stepping in between the two. “There’s no ‘revenge’ happening here.”

But her words brushed past Scarlett’s ears, as she thought back to the childish promise they made forever ago. All they wanted to do was help those the Heroes couldn’t help; be a source of reassurance when society was too busy to listen. And repay those who had saved them.

But that was a promise that Scarlett failed to keep.

A familiar pain clutched her heart. There was nothing she could do to fix what had happened. She would only make the situation worse the more she got involved. Why did she even offer to go to Japan with them in the first place? Did she want revenge? Was Leya seeing something in her that she couldn’t see in herself?

Scarlett hardened her expression. “You’re wrong. I don’t want revenge. I’d rather not be involved in any way. But let’s be real here, that’s not important.”

The air became taut. Zero turned to Juno for some support, but the blonde was monitoring the situation carefully. Juno's eyes bore into Leya’s, as a silent message was shared between them. Understanding Leya’s behaviour, she let out a sigh.

She placed a consoling hand on Scarlett’s shoulder, before signing. “If that’s what you really want Scarlett, then I don’t see a problem with you sitting out, so don’t force yourself.” She shared a sympathetic look. “But I would like it if you were in Japan with us. Even if you’re not helping out, a change in scenery might be nice. Plus, I’ve always wanted to celebrate Christmas in another country.”

She gave a heartening smile, which softened the apprehension on Scarlett’s face. She hadn’t thought about that before, but celebrating the festivities together on a different continent would be pretty cool. And how could she ever say no to Juno?

“Alright. Good thing I haven’t unpacked yet,” Scarlett said, causing Juno to beam.

“Well, I’m gonna need some help packing, so why don’t you run upstairs and start helping me out,” expressed Juno.

Scarlett nodded before the oldest sister ushered her out of the room. Waiting until her footsteps could be heard above, Juno’s face dropped. She glared at Leya. “There was a better way to approach that.”

Leya held her hands up apologetically. “Sorry,” she signed back. “It was the only way I could think of to get her to back off.”

“Back off?" mouthed Zero, completely lost at what they were implying. Her eyes darted between the two, as she frantically signed back. “What do you mean?”

Leya raised an eyebrow at Zero. “Come on. She’ll say she won’t help, or come back, but we all know she’s gonna do just that. And once she starts helping, she’s just gonna take everything on by herself again.” Her gestures and expression made it seem like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Like you said, we shouldn’t overwhelm her and this definitely will. Whether it’s the same guys or not.”

“Plus, asking her to come with us means we can keep an eye on her,” Juno signed.

Zero stared at them both. She had been completely caught off guard that she hadn’t thought about the consequences. Zero bit her lip. There were still many ways she was lacking. But now she had a chance to make up for it.

“I guess we’re all going to Japan, then.”