Chie's heart pounded in her chest as their whispered words echoed in the icy chamber.

  They knew everything, it seemed.

  About the Shadows, her real identity, and their mission…

  But her thoughts went blank at the deal they were proposing. Retrieval of a certain something…

  She tried to swallow around the fear crawling up her throat, forcing her voice to stay even when she spoke.

  "...What exactly do you want me to retrieve?”

  Yuki's smirk widened at the question, almost like she'd been waiting for this exact moment.

  "A relic." She purred, her voice dripping with dark amusement. "One that belongs to our people...and one your little group has no business touching."

  Kaori stepped forward now, expression still unreadable but there was something almost intense in her gaze as she added:

  "The Echo Bell of Winter Keepers."

  Chie froze.

  Her breath caught sharply in her throat, because if they knew about Juniper? If they knew about their mission?

  Then...

  They already knew what exactly it was that Chie and her friends were after all along...

  And worse?

  They also clearly expected them to fail.

  As if sensing her unease, Yuki let out a low, humming hum, circling her again like a predator playing with prey.

  Kaori remained still but there was something like interest in her gaze now, as if watching Chie's reaction closely.

  When she spoke, her voice was low and dark, almost chilling:

  "You're probably wondering…"

  She paused, watching as Chie tensed like a rabbit.

  "…how we know all this. About you, your friends...and about your mission.”

  Chie forced herself to stay perfectly still despite the wave of panic suddenly welling up in her chest...

  How did they know…?

  She swallowed hard, forcing her voice to stay level when she spoke again, though it was still just above a whisper:

  "...How much do you know, exactly?”

  Yuki let out an amused hum at the question, her eyes sparkling like a predator who had their prey exactly where they wanted them.

  But it was Kaori who answered, her voice still low and dark, almost sinister now as she watched the panic on Chie's features like a hawk.

  "Everything," she murmured, tone almost matter-of-fact. "We know about your plans, your mission...your objectives. Everything.”

  Chie's heart sank to her stomach.

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  They really did know everything…

  She felt like the breath had been knocked out of her, her mind reeling in a dizzying storm of panic and realization.

  "...S-so...the Echo Bell, right...?" she finally managed.

  Yuki nodded, smirking like a predator who knew she'd won. "That's right." She purred, voice practically teeming with dark amusement.

  Kaori, however, remained silent but there was a cold, satisfied glint in her gaze when she murmured:

  "That very one.”

  Chie could feel herself falling further and further into icy cold-fear with every passing moment, her heart racing even as she desperately fought to stay level-headed.

  Her thoughts raced, scrambling desperately for a way out of this situation, for some way to salvage the mission...

  Then, out of nowhere, one crazy thought suddenly crossed her mind.

  "If you know everything," she said slowly, trying to keep the panic out of her tone. "Then you'll also know...that the Echo Bell is protected, right?”

  That got their attention.

  Yuki's smirk faded, almost frowning as she tilted her head, eyes narrowing in suspicion.

  Kaori seemed to tense up too, looking a degree more on-edge now as she met Chie's gaze closely.

  "...Protected?" She repeated, tone laced with caution. "What do you mean?”

  Chie tried not to let her relief show, managing to force her face perfectly neutral in contrast to their reactions.

  She met Kaori's gaze steadily, fighting back the fear still pounding in her chest. "You know Alice has it, right?" she pressed, voice carefully casual.

  The moment the name left Chie's lips, Yuki's entire body went rigid, her smirk vanishing instantly as if wiped away.

  Kaori’s expression darkened further, something almost dangerous flashing in her eyes before she schooled it back into icy neutrality.

  "Alice does?" Yuki repeated, voice suddenly sharp with disbelief, almost like she was testing whether or not this was a lie.

  Chie held their stares without flinching.

  "...She does." She said simply after another beat passed.

  And then added quietly but firmly:

  "And you're not getting anywhere near her."

  For a moment, neither sister spoke, just staring at her closely as if trying to detect any hint of falsehood.

  But Chie held their gaze fearlessly, her heart still racing in chest but her expression stayed perfectly neutral, as if challenging them to prove her wrong.

  Eventually, Yuki broke the tense silence with a soft, ominous hum.

  "Oh.. Really?" She purred, tone dripping with dark amusement. "Is that a threat?”

  Chie felt a shiver crawl up spine at her words, but she forced herself to stay perfectly still.

  "It's a promise." she replied quietly, her voice steady despite the racing of her heart.

  Yuki's expression twisted into a chillingly amused smirk, as if delighted that Chie was actually challenging them.

  "Promises are so easily broken though…" she purred, tone almost mocking now.

  Chie felt a fresh wave of panic at her words, but somehow, she forced herself to stay strong.

  She met Yuki's gaze evenly, trying to keep the fear from her voice. "...This one won't be," she promised quietly, voice still holding a firm edge despite the way her heart was pounding.

  Kaori was still standing silently beside them, eyes fixed on Chie in a sort of cool calculation as she studied her closely. Yuki then whispered into Chie's ear:

  “Megumi.”

  The moment the name left Yuki's lips, Chie felt her blood turn to ice.

  She knew that name, had heard it whispered in hushed tones among Shadows members before. A lone wolf, one who worked independently and rarely spoke with others… but someone Alice had once called "the only other person who might understand what I carry."

  Chie’s pulse roared in her ears now, heart hammering so hard she was sure they could hear it from where they stood just feet away.

  But if Yuki thought this would make Chie back down? She was wrong.

  Her voice came out low and dangerous: "How do you know about her?"

  Kaori's expression remained just as chillingly neutral as before.

  But Yuki's smirk widened into a predatory grin, almost like she'd been waiting for Chie to ask.

  "We have a way to keep track of people we find… interesting," she purred, voice dripping with dark glee as she held Chie's gaze.

  "People like her… and people like you.

  We keep a very close eye on them…”

  Yuki's grin widened at the question, like she was enjoying this far too much.

  "Oh, many ways." She purred, tone almost sing-song now. "We have eyes in every corner of this city… and beyond."

  Kaori finally spoke again, her voice just as coldly clinical: "Megumi is one of ours."

  Chie froze.

  That single sentence hit like a sledgehammer.

  She had known Megumi for years, their paths crossing on rare occasions when their missions aligned... but never once had Chie suspected that the mysterious rogue was actually working with these two women?

  Her mind raced trying to piece together how much they might know about everything else if even someone like Megumi had been under their influence all along...

  But before panic could fully take hold?

  Kaori added smoothly: "...Which means you’re outnumbered here, little Shadow.”