“...So, no gold-digging woman?” Mr. Hong asked stiffly, “And no one dumped you? The child really ted from an orphanage?”

  “Yes, yes, and yes.” Kyle rubbed his face with his palm, “I’ve got all the dots, and the orphanage has a few photos as evidence. You even ask Uncle - he knows every detail from the moment I first met Scarlet.”

  “Well...ahem.” Mr. Hong cleared his throat and fell silent, just as Lady Sato did, both of them as stiff as boards. Asian parents rarely apologize to their children; their love doesn’t quite work that way.

  Kyle knew his parents too well to expe apology, so he accepted their unspoken one auro the topic they had first brought up. “The reason I didn’t inform you earlier is because I wao wait until the petition was over. I’m not a threat to them, and since Scarlet ted, she’s even further removed from all of this. We should be safe from any trouble...”

  “No, Kyle, it’s doesn’t work like that...” Mr. Hong interrupted. “Even though you’ve retreated this far, there are still some old folks who think you’re the best didate.”

  Kyle looked puzzled. “Why?”

  “I don’t think I’ve ever told you the full story of how the Hong gang and the Tachibana joined forces, have I?” Mr. Hong asked, and Kyle shook his head. “Your mother and I met each other at an au, you know, one of the easier ways to under money.”

  “We met, had a brief versation, and in that moment, we both realised the mafia’s days were numbered, at least in Japan and Hong Kong. Regutions were getting stricter, w enfort tougher, and the publio longer he mafia. You do uand how the Hong gang and Tachibana came to be, right? It was all because some people wao protect themselves from corrupt aristocrats and officials, and being on their ow they were bullied by other bourers. So, they baogether, f the gang to protect their members, to have something tain with against the greedy upper css through brute force, and to ensure everyone had a safe pce to earn a living.”

  “But times have ged. That all beloo the old days. We don’t need brute forces to secure our position anymore, at least not in Hong Kong and Japan – I’ve heard Italy and Mexico still rely on such methods...Anyway, staying on the mafia path would only lead to our downfall, so we legitimised ourselves, obeyed the w, and took advantage of the loopholes that regutions didn’t cover at the moment...” Mr. Hong spoke with deep emotion. “Your mother and I shared a on goal, so I, the son of the former Hong gang boss, and your mother, the daughter of the previous Tachibana leader, united roups through marriage, turning us into a capable multinational corporation focused on import and export between Hong Kong and Japan. We’ve bee the enforcers of our belief in ref ang, leaving the underworld and living dignified lives so that our members proudly introduce themselves to society.”

  Lady Sato sighed, “Most of our members agreed with the ge; they wanted for a safer life, especially those who were married with children. But some refused.”

  Yes, some refused, because the money earhough illegal means was much easier to e by, and the profits were far higher. Besides, being a “renowned underworld boss” sounds a lot mmourous aing than being an “employee of a multinational corporation”. The status brought them fame, and they enjoyed being closely watched by the authorities.

  “Now, ang is roughly divided into two fas: oh us, striving to live normal lives, and the other with those eager to abandon the legitimising and tiheir underwlory,” Lady Sato expined calmly in Japanese, “We, the eions, are strong, but we’re getting old, and the younger ones who wish to tinue our path aren’t particurly capable. So, some of them miss you, believing you’re the right oo take up our mantle.”

  “The other side,” Mr. Hong added, “doesn’t have many old-timers, but their young ones are far mgressive. The police have hihat they wao keep them in check, and if I ’t do it, they’ll step in, and it won’t be pretty.”

  “That would be disastrous to us, as we haven’t fully extricated ourselves from the mud,” Lady Sato said, “The petitioweewo sides has grown fierce. One of our warehouses was burned down because of this – fortunately, no one was killed, but many were injured.”

  “So, some will try to force you back to Asia, while others might want to wipe you off, preventing you from being a potential leader. Holy, you’re irely safe here, even if you’ve retreated and pose no threat,” Mr. Hong sighed, though he could tell Kyle remained unvinced.

  They didn’t talk much after that; Kyle still refused to get involved. Before they left, they handed Scarlet a red packet, “Now, how should you address us?”

  Scarlet g Kyle, who nodded in response, so she smiled and bowed, “Grandpa, grandma.”

  “Good girl,” Mr. Hoed her head, and both he and Lady Sato departed.

  Scarlet opehe packet, and a bank card dropped into her palm.

  Kyle took a look, “It’s a credit card in their names, probably with a pretty high limit as your pocket money.”

  “...Wow,” Scarlet stared at Kyle, “Never knew my dad was a rich boy.”

  “I thought I told you my dad was a mafia boss?”

  Scarlet recalled the Hong Kong mafia bosses she seen in tonese films. “Well, the movies don’t do them justiot my fault for thinking they were just a bunch of blokes hitting each other with bdes, guns, and steel pipes, fighting over trol of some pubs.”

  “...They dealt drugs. It’s filthy, but it makes them filthy rich.”

  “Filthy, as you say.” Scarlet shrugged, “Grandpa and grandma didn’t dabble in drug dealing, did they? They don’t seem the type.”

  “No, they didn’t. And that’s one of the reasons the police still maintain a det retionship with them,” Kyle sighed. “Sometimes there are people the police ’t touch because they haven’t broken any ws, but they’re so vile and repulsive that someoh a bit more brutality is o deal with them.”

  “For example?”

  “Please act more like a pure and i child, shall we? I’d rather ne up those grim memories.”

  “Alright, but I think I’ve got an idea.” Scarlet patted Kyle’s shoulder, “Don’t worry, I won’t be kidhat easily. Trust in Scáthach!”

  “Sure, sure, all hail Scáthach,” Kyle teased, pyfully ping Scarlet’s cheek with a cheerful smile.

  Life remained peaceful after the grandparents’ visit. The only noticeable ge was that they now occasionally received overseas calls, with Kyle being scolded and Scarlet having friendly chats.

  “Have you forbidden randdaughter from using the card?!” The grandfather’s voice thuhrough the phone, “Why does the bank statement show no activity? Don’t you dare mistreat my grandchild!”

  “...No, she hasn’t used the card because she already has everything she needs,” Kyle groaned, burying his fa his palm, “I didn’t adopt her just to mistreat her! Oh, for heaven’s sake...”

  “You’ve definitely hidden the card from her, haven’t you?” The shouting oher end persisted, “No way a girl wouldn’t use it to buy toys and clothes! I’ve seen those old codgers splurging on their granddaughters; don’t think you fool me!”

  Kyle sighed, set the phone aside, and raised his voice to call Scarlet, who was studying upstairs. “Scarlet, e talk to yrandpa!”

  Then Scarlet spent quite some time reassuring her grandfather that Kyle treated her well, that she had a good life, and eveioned her sed book, which was soon to be published, promising to sign a copy and send it to them by mail.

  “No need, I’ll send someoo collect it,” her now-pcated grandfather replied before ending the call.

  Scarlet reyed this to Kyle, adding, “He’s joking, right? I could just send it to him via express post.”

  “Still not as fast as someone flying over and taking it back,” Kyle shrugged.

  Scarlet marvelled, “Rich people.”

  However, their peaceful days took a sharp turn soon after that. It was as if the arrival of the grandparents had signalled something, and it finally happened.

  They were on their way to the outskirts for practice again.

  Kyle was driving while Scarlet jotted down her inspirations; it was hard to read in a moving car, and she couldn’t write properly either. All she could do was note down some keywords, f a vague storylio fill in the gaps whe back to her room.

  But soon, Scarlet noticed Kyle tensing up, repeatedly cheg the rearview mirror.

  After a moment, he firmed, “Someone’s following us.”

  “Asian?”

  “No, doesn’t seem British either.” Kyle remained calm, “One looks Middle Eastern, the other Russian...Hitmen.”

  Scarlet was too short to see into the rearview mirror, “They’re that wary of you, sending two hitmen?”

  “I don’t know.” Kyle didn’t slow down.

  “Got a pn?”

  “Thinking about whether they’d back off if I head to the police station.”

  “Well, they might back off once or twice, but they could always ambush us ter,” Scarlet thought for a moment, “Care to let me ha my way?”

  “...With your spear?”

  “If they don’t e too close. Le attacks are actually to my advantage.”

  Kyle was silent for a moment, “Promise you won’t hurt yourself?”

  “Promise.” Scarlet replied with pride, “I’ve faced much worse; this is nothing.”

  “...if you say so.” Kyle tinued driving towards the deserted farm.

  They acted naturally, as if they were just there to enjoy the tryside. But ohey ehe woods, they vanished right before the hitmen’s eyes.

  “Where’s the target?” Both hitmen were shocked, sing the area through the sniper’s binocurs.

  Their t had cimed that this mafia young master preteo be disied in taking over the gang, but iy, he was rigorously training his daughter, suggesting he had pns for her to eventually i the throne.

  The young master’s excessive protectiveness – never sending the girl to school, always keeping her close while he worked, never letting her out of his sight for a moment – had led the hitmen, who had beely watg them, to believe he was a fanatic, f the child into unimagiuation, including bringing her here every week.

  It was difficult for them to stay hidden in this area sihere were few people around; they would attract attention if they revealed themselves. They had never followed the pair as closely as today, thinking they could finally plete their job. But it seemed the young master had noticed they were being tailed.

  Are they going to escape? Both men wondered. But before they could react, a sudde st filled the air, and they bcked out.

  A tiny butterfly, shimmering in a brilliant blue, fluttered by, leaving a trail of sparkling dust - the st thing they saw before they fully colpsed.