Chie's breath caught, her entire body going rigid at the sound of that name.

  Her mind raced, how? How could they possibly know about Alice? She hadn’t even been in public since yesterday! Unless…unless they’d been watching them this whole time.

  Yuki smirked slightly when Chie didn't respond immediately, her grip tightening subtly around her concealed weapon as if daring Chie to try running now.

  "We don't have all day," Yuki muttered coldly. "So answer us before I decide you're not worth keeping alive."

  Kaori remained silent but shifted ever so slightly behind Yuki, ready to act on command without hesitation should things escalate further here within hotel walls…

  "You're bluffing." Chie forced out, her pulse roaring in ears at the thought of violence but determined to stand her ground nonetheless.

  Yuki just laughed, the sound cold, almost icy, in the low-lighting of the lobby around them both.

  "Am I?" She replied, tone dangerously soft, her eyes narrowing into slits. "Try me, I dare you."

  Chie almost winced at the tone of that last response, her heart beating so fast she could feel it in her throat now...

  But she refused to give into paranoia and fear; at least, not right away. She met Yuki and Kaori’s unwavering gazes with her own, glinting with something that could almost be defiance now...

  "...You have no proof." Chie replied tightly, not willing to back down just yet. "Why would we be here for any reason other than vacation?"

  Yuki exhaled sharply, almost a scoff, before her expression darkened further.

  "Proof?" She repeated, voice dripping with mockery as she reached into the sleeve of her kimono and pulled out a small photograph.

  It was grainy…but unmistakable. A candid shot of Alice, taken from what looked like outside their hotel window earlier that morning, just before dawn.

  Chie's stomach dropped straight through the floor beneath her feet when she saw it.

  They weren't just guessing anymore...

  Kaori said: "We know you're lying."

  Her words landed like lead weights in Chie’s chest…

  And suddenly? The lobby felt very cold indeed.

  Chie's breath hitched, her entire body freezing for a split second as she recognized the silhouette in that photo.

  Her mind raced, trying to piece together how they could have gotten it so quickly…and why Yuki and Kaori were even here at all when they’d been banished from the Xerosi Clan.

  But before Chie could even think of an answer? Yuki took another step forward, closing distance between them further, her voice dropping into something lethal.

  "Last chance." She warned darkly, fingers still curled around the hidden weapon beneath the fabric of her sleeve now... "Tell us what you're really doing here."

  Kaori didn't move behind her sister, but Chie could feel the weight of the silent threat radiating off of both the young women like heat off fire.

  Chie’s breath stuttered, her mind racing. Alice? Here? She hadn't even been in public since yesterday, had she?

  Her eyes darted between Yuki and Kaori, panic clawing at her chest. "You're lying," she blurted out before she could stop herself.

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  Yuki smirked, a sharp, knowing curve of her lips that made Chie's skin crawl.

  "Oh?" She tilted head slightly like a predator sizing up their prey now... "Then why is your heart beating so fast I can hear it from here?"

  Kaori finally spoke too; voice soft but cutting through tension like a blade: "We know more than you think."

  The way they said it left no room for doubt, they weren’t just guessing. They knew.

  Chie was trembling, not just from the cold air around them but from panic and fear now. They'd been watching them somehow…watching them close.

  But how? She thought desperately. How did they get a photo so quickly?

  She glanced down at the photo again, heart thudding even faster at the sight of Alice there, still sleeping peacefully, blissfully unaware of this nightmare unfolding just outside their hotel room door…

  Yuki’s smirk widened, almost predatory, as she watched Chie’s composure crack.

  "Oh, you didn’t know?" She purred, tilting her head mockingly. "We made sure to...inform ourselves before coming here."

  Kaori stepped forward now too, her expression eerily calm but eyes sharp as knives when they locked onto Chie again.

  "You really thought we wouldn't find out?" She murmured lowly; voice laced with something dangerously close to pity. "That your little friend was hiding right under our noses?"

  Chie's stomach twisted violently at that last word: Hiding.

  Because that implied Yuki and Kaori weren't just passing through…they were here for a reason now.

  And if they knew about Alice? Then who else might be in danger?

  Her breath hitched audibly before she could stop it…

  Yuki glanced back at Kaori for a fraction of a second, a silent exchange passing between them.

  Then, in one smooth movement, she stepped even closer, so close now that she was almost close enough to touch Chie with the tip of her finger if she reached out…

  Her voice dropped into something deadly now: "Tell us why you're here."

  It wasn't a request. It was a command.

  If Chie didn't answer soon? She knew they wouldn't hesitate to resort to harsher means of persuasion.

  Yuki’s smirk vanished, replaced by something darker, colder.

  "Explain." Her voice was a razor-thin whisper now, no longer playing games.

  Kaori shifted subtly beside her sister, fingers twitching toward the hilt of a concealed blade...waiting.

  Chie could feel sweat beading at her temples despite how freezing it was in here, their combined gazes like twin weights pressing down on her spine until bones might snap from pressure alone.

  She swallowed hard before forcing words out past her suddenly-dry throat: "I didn't know they were coming either! I just— I woke up and found them there!"

  The lie tasted bitter even as she said it…but what choice did she have? Admit that Alice had come for revenge? That would get them all killed faster than Yuki or Kaori ever could.

  Yuki stared at Chie for one long second, then exhaled sharply, unimpressed but not yet calling the bluff.

  Instead? She tilted her head slightly again and asked flatly: "...Then why are you alone?"

  Chie hesitated, heart racing at the question. Because she knew what they were really asking for, the truth. And if they weren't happy with what they heard?

  She didn't even want to imagine.

  "Just...went to get breakfast," she answered as casually as possible, a nervous laugh almost slipping into the sentence as she spoke.

  Yuki snorted, the sound sharp, almost mocking.

  "Breakfast?" She repeated, tone dripping with scorn. "That's the best you could come up with?"

  Chie forced her expression to stay neutral, refusing to buckle under the weight of their stares.

  She had to stay strong.

  "Yeah," she forced out; voice surprisingly steady despite how fast her heart was beating.

  Yuki just tilted her head like she could see right through the lie, her voice dropping dangerously low as she took another step closer.

  "You're a terrible liar, you know that?"

  Chie bristled at that. "And you're pushy." She shot back before she could stop herself, voice coming out sharper than she'd intended.

  Yuki arched an eyebrow in mock-surprise, almost smirking at the tone.

  "Touché." She murmured, tilting her head again...as if she found Chie's courage almost amusing.

  Chie's cheeks heated at the look, her stomach twisting with unease. But she didn't back down; instead, she held Yuki's gaze defiantly, refusing to be rattled.

  Kaori remained silent beside her sister, but Chie could still feel the weight of her attention, even if it wasn't directed quite at her this time.

  "...Do you have a point to this, or..." Chie found herself asking, not bothering to keep the irritation out of her voice now. "...Or are you two just enjoying this?”

  Yuki let out an almost-snort at that. "Oh, we are absolutely enjoying this." She admitted breezily, almost as if she'd been waiting for Chie to ask.

  Kaori almost smirked too, a brief flicker of amusement flashing through her expression before she regained her usual calm composure.

  "But we also have a point, if you're willing to listen," she added coolly, voice cutting through the icy air like a razor.

  Chie resisted the urge to roll her eyes; instead, she squared her shoulders. Fine. "I'm listening." She replied curtly, voice tight.

  Yuki's smirk widened, almost enjoying the challenge. "Well, well..." She murmured, circling Chie like a predator now. "That didn't take much convincing."

  Chie kept her expression neutral as Yuki circled her, even if every instinct was screaming at her to run now for the doors. She wasn't going to give either girl the satisfaction.

  "Just get to the point." She gritted. "I don't have time for games.”