A shuddering Sylvie Fontaine stood at the end of the table, the three others too stunned to speak. Her body was still bruised and marked, covered in bandages, and her watering eyes had dark bags under them.

"Tsuki?" Sylvie said again.

"Sylvie." Tsukiko didn't know what to say. "...what happened to you?"

"I've been in jail this whole time." Sylvie said bluntly.

Tsukiko stood up, shuffling past Fumi to meet the French girl. "When did you get out?"

"About an hour ago." Sylvie straightened her wavering voice. "They just... let me out."

"You really need to get looked at, you look terrible." Tsuki looked at the red marks on her body.

"I'll be okay, it's nothing serious." Sylvie replied. "I'm just really, really tired."

"D'you need to sit down?" Tsuki offered.

"I'm fine." Sylvie bowed her head a little.

"You sure?" Fumi asked. "You're not hungry? We can get you something to eat."

Sylvie hesitated. "...that'd be nice."

Just as Sylvie finished speaking, the waitress returned with a plate of food, a burger and fries for Tsuki, and a sandwich and shake for Hotaru. Tsuki could see the hunger in Sylvie's eyes as she watched the food slide past her.

"Enjoy." The waitress said as she pulled away from the table, exchanging a glance with Sylvie.

"...you can take it." Tsuki offered. "I'll pick something up later."

"You sure?" Sylvie looked at her.

"I was gonna give it to Fumi anyway, but..." Tsuki's voice trailed off.

"Go on, take it." Fumi nodded. "That way Tsuki owes me a date."

Tsuki had a pained look on her face. "Sorry, Fumi."

"C'mon, lighten up." Fumi lightly scolded her girlfriend.

As Tsukiko looked to the empty spot at the opposite end of the booth, she noticed Hotaru looking away as if to obscure her face.

"...Maybe we should take this somewhere else." Tsuki suggested. "We'll take you to Haru, god knows she's been worried sick about you."

"Yeah... I'd like that." Sylvie smiled a little.

"You sure?" Fumi asked. "Seems like a long walk for someone fresh outta jail."

"D'you know how pissed Haru's gonna be if we don't take her there this second?" Tsuki replied.

Fumi stood up. "Good point."

Hotaru kept to her seat. "I'll stay behind."

"Alright." Tsuki nodded. "Sylvie, Fumi, you two go ahead and get some bags for this."

"...right." Fumi grabbed Tsuki's plate and started walking toward the counter, Sylvie following.

Tsuki moved to Hotaru's side, speaking to her in a quiet voice. "Did you know she was coming?"

"No." Hotaru denied. "I was still working on putting in a formal request from the Ministry."

"...so they just let her out."

"Sounds like it." Hotaru said.

"...is there something going on between you two?" Tsuki asked. "You're acting a little weird."

"...I just don't wanna risk the off chance she recognizes me or something." Hotaru admitted. "I'm not even sure if she knows who I am, but..."

"Is it a problem?" Tsuki dreaded the answer.

"Shouldn't be, but... the Damascenes did get into a few fights with my Themis back in the day, so I'm just trying to be careful is all." Hotaru assured her. "I feel like I shouldn't be butting in anyway, just in case. Besides, you want me meeting the other Knights right now?"

"...good call." Tsuki nodded. "Talk to you soon, alright?"

--

When the Third Knight Himura reached out for the Shimizu Detective Agency's front door and pulled it open, it felt heavier than she'd remembered. Stepping through, an immense sense of calm washed over her, its dull green walls, subtle pine scene, and quiet interior creating a contagious zen.

"I can't believe Haru's managed to score a place like this." Sylvie smirked as she walked in. "I guess we can thank Lily's money."

"Hey, give her some credit, she's been workin' her ass off lately." Tsuki defended her sister. "Even if Lily paid for it all, it's not like this sorta thing starts up overnight."

"I know, I know. It's not like that." Sylvie stepped over to one of the couches. "Haru wasn't a Knight that long but... she left a real impression, even before that."

"She really missed you." Tsuki spoke softly.

"I know." Sylvie said. "Haru's this... big ball of emotions, always more going on in her head. You'll never know what she's really thinking if you just look at her."

"Where is she, anyway?" Tsuki approached the coffee table in the middle of the room.

"Must be in the back, right?" Sylvie followed.

Fumi walked past them, placing the paper bag and cup in her arms down onto the table. "You've gotta eat first, Sylvie. You must be starving."

"I've gotta talk to Haru before I start makin' a mess in her place, right?" Sylvie added. "Besides, Tsuki's probably just as hungry as I am."

"I'm used to skipping lunch." Tsuki tried to sound tough.

Fumi fumed. "You'd better not be starving yourself."

"I'm not." Tsuki kept firm. "...just eat the thing, Sylvie. I'll grab something else after we're done talking here. Promise."

Kazuo stepped through a door at the back, giving a canned greeting to who he thought were interested patrons. "Sorry, but we're not taking any work at the moment, we're still filing--"

"Kaz." Tsuki stopped him.

Kazuo's demeanor immediately changed. "Tsuki. It's been a while, what's up?"

"There's someone here--"

Sylvie stepped forward. "We're lookin' for Haru."

Kazuo was visibly taken aback. Just as he was about to open his mouth, Haruka followed him out.

"I thought we locked the door." Haru spoke. "Who is it?"

"It's me." Sylvie said with a meek smile.

Haru stopped on her tracks, nearly stumbling. Her face went pale, her mind stopping like someone jammed something in its gears. The look on her face was firmly stuck on shock, not the expected joy.

Haruka's words finally escaped her mouth."Sylvie."

"Yeah?" Sylvie stifled a laugh.

Haruka stepped forward. "Jesus Christ. What'd they do to you in there?"

"It's..." Sylvie laughed weakly. "Jail's not exactly a vacation."

"C'mon, don't start cracking jokes now." Haru hissed.

"Not funny?" Sylvie smiled, but looked away.

"I'm glad you're in a good mood." Haruka admitted. "At least."

Kazuo cut in. "So they let you go?"

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

"Mhmm." Sylvie nodded.

"Why?"

Sylvie shrugged.

"It's a good thing, right?" Tsuki folded her arms.

"They took you away in an ambulance, but it doesn't look like they helped you much." Haruka sighed. "They let you keep your clothes."

Sylvie hid her bruises under her robe. "As soon as they made sure nothing was broken or bleeding, they shoved me into a cell."

"...goddamn." Tsukiko paused. "You'd better take it easy goin' forward. You don't wanna end up getting hurt even worse."

"...yeah." Sylvie's voice trailed off. "Hopefully Flowers can keep up with the gang a bit longer."

"What, you're not gonna greet the boys?" Haruka joked.

Sylvie hesitated. "Not... not this time."

"Sylvie?"

"It was hell in there." Sylvie's demeanor darkened. "I spent every waking hour just stuck in a box or chained to a table and forced to answer the same fucking questions over and over."

Haruka couldn't say anything back.

"What'd they want?" Tsuki asked.

Sylvie turned to Tsuki, gathering herself. "They wanted to know about you. That's all they ever asked about. Tsukiko this, Tsukiko that. They'd ask me something and they'd whisper to themselves and take notes."

"...me? What did they wanna know?"

"They asked me what places you go, who you associate with, that sort of thing. It was just... constant. They didn't ask about anyone else, and they didn't give a damn about the Damascenes." Sylvie looked away. "...I didn't tell 'em much, honest."

Tsuki shook her head. "I'm not gonna be mad at you if you let anything slip."

Sylvie frowned. "I'm tougher than that."

"...thanks, Sylvie." Haruka spoke for her sister.

"...I can't just walk in and take the gang back like this." Sylvie kept shooting glances at Haruka.

"Well, it's not like you're gonna let it go." Haruka declared.

Sylvie scoffed. "Why not?'

"Cuz it's your gang. The gang you and your grandfather made with your own two hands." Haru lectured her.

"Don't gimme that shit, Haru." Sylvie complained. "It's real easy for you to say that in a nice place and a fancy jacket."

"Hey." Haruka got visibly annoyed.

"Not everything can be about the gang, okay?" Sylvie stood her ground. "I have to take care of myself too."

"...do you really trust Flowers with the gang?" Haruka asked. "Will the others really listen to her?"

"I do." Sylvie confirmed. "...and if they care what I have to say, they'll trust her too. She's more than earned it."

"Fine." Haruka backed down. "I'll trust you."

"Hah." Sylvie let out a single, sharp laugh. "If you really trusted me, you wouldn't have to say it."

"I worry about you."

"I know you do." Sylvie admitted. "...but worry about me, and just me. I've lost enough sleep over the gang already."

Haruka didn't say anything back.

Fumiko's phone started ringing, and the group turned to look. She quickly reached into her pocket and rejected the call.

"...I just wanna know who the hell it was that attacked us." Sylvie muttered.

"It wasn't Themis, that's for sure." Kazuo nodded.

"Didn't think so either." Sylvie agreed. "You haven't gotten any good leads?"

"While you were gone, I met Masahiro, the leader of Themis. He told me he had some useful outsiders telling him what to do." Tsuki adjusted her hat. "As much as I wanna track him down for threatening Fumi, we've gotta find out who those outsiders are."

"It's the cops." Haruka proclaimed. "It's gotta be."

"Why the cops?"

"Who else could it be at this point?" Haruka said. "How else'd they get their hands on those batons? How else did Themis break into a police conference without getting immediately stomped?"

"They were already dealt with by the time I got there." Tsuki countered.

"And they let Masahiro go the same day?" Haruka parried her sister's words. "Bullshit. It's all bullshit. I didn't see anyone in a suit there that day."

"Police conference?" Sylvie raised an eyebrow. "Televised?"

"Yeah." Tsuki nodded. "Masahiro said the outsiders ordered that too."

"And the only people who could order something like that without having the cops immediately lose their shit would be..." Haruka's voice trailed off to let someone finish for her.

"...you're probably right, huh?" Tsukiko let out a sigh. "There's just too much pointing that way. We can't keep ignoring it or pretending it isn't happening."

"...it's not ignoring it. It's just... pretending it isn't true so we don't have to admit our time's up." Haruka muttered.

"What're you talking about?"

Haru clarified. "It's not like we can keep on going if we've made enemies of the police. We're basically criminals now."

"I wouldn't say that." Fumi cut in.

"You wanna risk having every cop in this town hunting you down, be my guest." Haruka turned to her.

"You don't actually have to fight the cops, you've just gotta make that connection between Themis and the cops more solid." Fumi explained. "A crime's still a crime, doesn't matter who's doing it."

Fumi's phone started ringing again, and she let out a groan as she once again rejected the call.

"...look at Sylvie. They didn't even give enough of a shit to bandage her." Haru spoke with a hushed voice. "C'mon, Tsuki. Focus. This isn't something you can solve. Not your or--"

"So we just let that happen?" Tsuki glared.

"What do you want me to do about it?" Haruka practically bared her teeth. "Besides, we can't exactly go up and fight corrupt cops. Who the hell's gonna back us up?"

The front door made a slight mechanical sound as it opened, the warm air of the outdoors rushing in. The group turned to face it, all agitated enough to raise their fists toward anyone who dared enter.

"Jesus, you guys look pissed." Shizuka stumbled in. "It's just me. Chill."

"Goddamnit." Haruka scolded her aunt. "Why do you always sneak around everywhere?"

Shizuka approached the group. "Who the hell else'd be coming?"

"We're just... extra cautious right now." Kazuo defended his wife. "Especially with everything that's happened. We don't want a repeat of Fumi's place."

"...look who it is." Shizuka looked at Sylvie.

"Hey." Sylvie looked a bit embarrassed.

"Glad to see you again." Shizuka smiled at Sylvie.

"Thanks." Sylvie bowed her head a little. "They roughed me up, but I'll be okay."

"Shizuka." Haruka demanded attention. "Put some sense into Tsuki. She's got it in her head she can go up against the cops."

"Oh, you got that conclusion too, huh?" Shizuka nodded. "...it's not impossible."

"Damnit." Haruka shook her head.

Shizuka laughed a little. "Hehehehe. Did you think I was gonna come in here and tell her to give up?"

"Kinda."

"Not my style, Haru." Shizuka smirked. "If I told dumb kids not to do dumb things, you wouldn't have yourself such a handsome husband."

"Careful." Fumiko cautioned.

"Since Shizuka's here, let's... take inventory." Kazuo suggested. "We think the police are working with Themis. There's just too much there tying them together, like the batons, the conference, and Masahiro's release. What we need now is the why."

"Easy. Money." Shizuka proclaimed.

"...you think so?" Kazuo asked.

"Themis wasn't a regular street gang, they sold smuggled goods." Shizuka explained. "Easiest answer is, it's for profit. Someone's using Themis to make money and get rid of the competition."

"...so I guess they're worried Tsuki might find out." Fumi thought aloud. "If Tsuki and the Knights stand down, Themis has free reign to do whatever they want."

"Explains why the cops're so interested in Tsuki." Sylvie added.

"So the objective's the same. We find Masahiro and we've got what we need." Tsukiko hoped for an easy answer.

"If you're optimistic." Shizuka frowned. "If you can somehow take down Themis and find incriminating evidence and somehow get that to someone in the Diet or in the proper Ministry of Justice..."

"I can do it." Tsuki declared.

Haruka stopped her. "They're not just another gang, Tsuki. They're going to do anything to stop you. They already went after Fumi."

"I can't let 'em walk all over me, Haru." Tsuki talked back.

"They're gonna do a lot worse if you go stomping in without a plan." Haruka glared.

Tsuki went quiet.

"You don't even know where Masahiro is." Haruka continued. "You're not a Knight, you're a dumbass."

Shizuka scolded her. "Hey, don't forget she's been doing it all herself. Even after we said we'd help, we haven't been able to do shit."

"I don't wanna lose my sister cuz she ran into danger like an idiot without thinking it through." Haru hissed.

"She's already in danger. Fumi's already in danger." Shizuka stood firm. "She already said you don't have to get involved if you don't want to, didn't she?"

"Yeah." Tsuki said.

Haru let out a long sigh. "You know what I meant. You've got an outline, but you don't have a plan. You're just hoping you can get lucky and punch the right guy."

"That girl you were with works for the Ministry." Shizuka said. "...but do you have any evidence? Anything concrete?"

"Flowers does." Tsuki declared. "She sent me a photo of some cops talking with Masahiro."

"Wait, you've been working with the Ministry?" Kazuo asked. "Since when?"

Tsukiko stopped in her tracks. "...it's a recent thing."

"You didn't think to--"

"She's legit." Shizuka defended Tsukiko.

"Why are you working with the Ministry?" Haruka asked. "The last thing we need is to get more cops involved."

"That's... why I didn't say anything." Tsuki lowered her head.

Fumi's phone started ringing again, and this time, she finally got up and walked away to answer it. As the others couldn't find their words, they turned to watch over Fumiko.

"Hello?" Fumi answered. "What is it? Yeah, she's here."

"Who is it?" Haru whispered.

"...the site?" Fumi continued her conversation. "I-I'll tell her right now."

"Fumi?"

"Tsuki. Check the Knights General right now." Fumi ordered.

Tsuki was taken aback. "Huh? Why?"

"Just do it."

Tsukiko pulled out her phone, as Fumi'd asked, and opened the web browser, navigating to the Tokyo Knights General imageboard. At the top of the page was a picture of a hand, her name written on the palm in marker. Behind the hand was an out of focus shot of two people, a man and a woman, that Tsuki easily recognized.

"My turn. Come and get me." The message signed off with an address.