"Juniper-"


    Shanley stood frozen, his expression wounded as he watched Juniper shield another man across from him.


    "Grandmaster-"


    Harold, lookingpletely innocent, quickly buttoned up his shirt.


    What had he done to deserve this? He was just trying to conduct an experiment, and suddenly one person was pouring water all over him and tearing at his clothes, while another burst in and punched him without a word. Now his face and his back were both aching.


    "Hold on," Juniper said, rubbing her temples. She didn''t have time to exin to Shanley. Turning to Harold, she said bluntly, "Take your shirt off again. I need to see."


    Harold blinked. "Huh?"


    Shanley stared.


    "No, that''s not what I mean," Juniper said, taking a deep breath topose herself. "I want to see the scar near your heart. What it looks like."


    A scar? Harold paused. All this fuss was just to see a scar? He did have one. But how could she possibly know about it?


    "A scar?" Shanley''s tense posture suddenly rxed as he connected the dots. So Juniper suspected Harold was her second brother. But his investigation had shown that Harold wasn''t an orphan. Had there been a mistake somewhere?


    "Show her," Shanley said, stepping forward. His tone softened considerably. "We''re looking for someone who has a scar on his chest."


    Harold''s eyes darted between the two of them, his heart pounding. They were also looking for someone? Someone with a scar on their chest?


    After a few seconds of silence, Harold slowly unbuttoned his shirt, revealing the left side of his chest. The scar was distinct, clearly from an injury that had happened many years ago.


    Shanley immediately took out his phone, snapped a picture, and sent it to Jimmie with a note: [Lab. Come now.]


    Jimmie replied almost instantly: [On my way. Just found something on my end.]


    ...


    Later, in the break room.


    When Jimmie and Melvin opened the door, they found Shanley and Juniper sitting side-by-side on a sofa. Across from them, Harold, his hair stil damp from a shower was learing Back in a chair. No one was speaking. The atmosphere was strange.


    "Juniper," Jimmie said, walking over to her side.


    “Jimmie,” Juniper replied, looking up at him. “Is the scar the same?"


    "It''s very simr," Jimmie confirmed with a nod. Even after fifteen years, he


    remembered the wound vividly. His brother had lost so much blood they thought he wouldn''t make it.


    And there was more. The Cybeic Shadows had just confirmed that Harold was not the Houston family''s biological son.


    "I''ve already sent our hair samples for a DNA test,” Juniper said quietly. “We''re just waiting for the results."


    But really, what were the chances of such a coincidence? She was almost certain Harold was her brother.


    Listening to their conversation,


    Shanley shot a guilty look at Harold. Well, that settled it. His faint hope was gone Why did every reunion with one of her brothers have to be so mortifying for him? This time, he''d actually hit the guy, and pretty hard at that.


    "So..." Harold said, his brow furrowed as he looked at the group


    whispering amongst themselves


    elves


    His voice was low. What exactly dos


    you suspect, and what is my


    rtionship to all of you?"


    de


    "We suspect you''re our brother, the one we lost fifteen years ago,” Jimmie


    answered, turning to face him. “Juniper''s older brother.”


    Her brother? Though he''d had his suspicions, hearing it confirmed out loud was,


    Harold had to admit, incredibly satisfying.