"...So you went ghost hunting. But then you somehow picked upon Sadako-chan through the ghost hunting equipment. And when you went to look for what you thought was her body, you found her alive?" Juliet gave Hope and Erie a blank stare.
Sadako-chan nodded, letting out a bright smile. "Onee-chans were fast! And smart! And they played with me lots too!"
"...Right." Juliet slowly nodded, giving John a fierce side eye. "Almost like a divine miracle."
John smiled from the driver's seat of the van and said, "God has his days."
Ambiguous words.
Ones that made Juliet very much decide that atheism, at least in their world, was ABSOLUTELY a joke.
But since she felt like her world view would crumble, Juliet decided to keep pretending.
And instead of focusing on that, she looked at Erie, who hadn't stopped hugging Sadako-chan since, and Hope, who was mixing up more powdered hot cocoa with a thermos of hot water.
Both Erie and Hope looked shaken up, so Juliet frowned and said, "Are you two alright?"
Erie let out a shaky laugh, hugging Sadako-chan like she still couldn't believe the little girl was real. "I'm fine. Better than fine."
Sadako-chan nodded. "Mmhm! Onee-chan is happy crying!"
Erie's cheeks turned red and she quickly brushed aside the tears in her eyes. "I am NOT crying!"
Hope giggled and handed Sadako-chan another cup of warm cocoa. "It's fine to cry, Erie. This is happy crying time, like Sadako-chan said." She smiled and said, "Are YOU okay, Sadako-chan? Does it hurt anywhere?"
"Nope!" Sadako-chan smiled and said, "It doesn't hurt anymore! And the creepy ojii-sans aren't here, so it's great!"
Rin's head immediately lifted up, locking onto Sadako-chan after hearing her words. "Creepy ojii-sans?"
"Mmhm! They said they had candy and ice cream. But, um... Huh?" Sadako-chan tilted her head, genuinely confused. "...Sorry! I don't remember?"
Erie gave Sadako-chan a light squeeze with her hug and said, "You don't have to remember. Just relax, okay?"
John spoke up and said, "Don't worry, Erie. All that Sadako-chan has is malnourishment. Some love, pampering, and good food will get her back to normal soon enough."
Erie looked at John, her emerald eyes sharp. "...Promise?"
"Promise. I have centuries of medical experience, so don't worry about it."
Erie snorted. "Sure. And I'm the reincarnation of Saint Mary."
Hope giggled. "What she's trying to say, Dad, is... thanks." She picked up a napkin to dab off some stray chocolate drops on Sadako-chan's face and said, "...It really is a miracle though, isn't it?"
Sadako-chan let out a bright smile and said, "Well, Onee-chan, you're a goddess, right?" She stared at Hope with sparkling eyes and said, "You saved me!"
"I-I did say that, didn't I?" Hope smiled and then gently held Sadako-chan's hand. "But you were strong, Sadako-chan. Very strong..."
Rin smiled at Sadako-chan and said, "Mmhm! Strongest little girl!"
Hana nodded too and said, "Yep! And coming from the Strongest Senpai and the Strongest Imouto, that means a lot!"
Sadako-chan gasped and said, "I'm the Strongest Little Girl? Wow!"
Juliet looked at everyone and said, "That's fine and all. And I'm glad that Sadako-chan is safe. But... What are we going to do about it? We definitely stumbled across a crime, right?"
A tense silence fell in the van.
Then John's voice spoke up. "Don't worry about that." His voice was unusually sharp and cold. "It'll be handled."
The way he said 'handled' had a clear implication.
Rin's eyes flickered red for a moment before she nodded. "Mmhm. Aneue can help with that too."
Hana idly cracked her neck and said, "Riri might still have some old contacts too..."
Sadako-chan tilted her head and said, "Are you going to get the creepy ojii-sans?"
John glanced back at Sadako-chan through the mirror and let out a warm smile. "Don't worry your little head about it, Sadako-chan. For now... Did you want to stay with your Onee-chans?"
Sadako-chan gasped. "Can I?!"
Erie paused, concerned. "Wait. Is that fine, Pops? I mean, I know you have money and all, but..."
"Sadako-chan is an orphan."
Erie froze.
Hope gasped, her eyes tearing up.
Rin and Hana both pursed their lips at the same time.
But Sadako-chan just nodded and said, "Yeah! I don't have a mommy or daddy. Oh! The orphanage matron might be worried, but there's a lot of other kids too, so it's okay! If I'm not there, they get more food then!"
Hope reached out and hugged Sadako-chan. "Oh, Sweetie..."
Erie, who was still hugging Sadako-chan too, held on a little tighter and said, "You don't have to do that. No kid should have to do that...!"
Sadako-chan tilted her head. "But it's obvious, right? If there's not enough food, when there's one less person, there's more food!"
It was the simple and innocent logic of a child. But because of that, it was even more painful to hear.
Erie teared up.
Hope bit her trembling lips.
But John just nodded and said, "Don't worry about them, Sadako-chan. I'll handle it too."
"Oh! You're amazing, John oji-san!"
John laughed. "John oji-san, huh? That's a new one." He smiled. "Better than Onii-chan though."
"Eh!?" Sadako-chan gasped and said, "But you're so old! How can you be Onii-chan?!"
Hope giggled. "Oh no! Dad can't pretend to be a college student anymore!"
John chuckled and said, "I haven't been to college for longer than I can even remember now, so it's fine. Besides, I AM a proper father now. Mostly because I have to deal with an infant daughter. Must be the vibes."
Sadako-chan nodded. "Mmhm! John Oji-san is Oji-san! You're like... Reliable!"
John looked at Sadako-chan through the rearview mirror and said, "You're pretty smart, Sadako-chan."
"Mmhm!" Sadako-chan nodded. "I read a lot! Since the other kids liked using the phones and tablets, no one read the books! So I did! That's how I picked my name, Sadako!"
Erie paused and looked at Sadako. "You picked your name?"
"Mmhm!" Sadako-chan nodded and said, "I was a locker baby, so I didn't have a name! And Miss Matron was too busy, so most of us didn't get one unless we already had one or chose one!"
Hope gave Sadako-chan a sad smile and said, "Oh, Sweetie..."
Juliet rubbed her face and said, "...Okay. I think this is getting too dark and depressing." She forced a smile on and said, "Time for roadtrip karaoke."
Sadako-chan gasped. "I love karaoke! Can we sing Baka Mitai?!"
John's eyes twinkled.
Rin giggled. "Baka Mitai?"
Hana's eyes sparkled. "Ooh! I know that one! Mister John?"
"Got you."
The slow build up to Baka Mitai started to play.
And like that, the rest of the trip back passed in an upbeat and fun karaoke party.
===
Meanwhile, after receiving some messages from John, Claud and Seth headed out.
But they weren't alone.
Eva Won adjusted her crimson suit and checked her gun. "So we have some creeps picking up defenseless girls who can't be missed, huh?"
Leo Roosevelt adjusted his sandy bangs and placed a hatchet on his belt. "We doing retrieval, or...?"
Claud nodded. "Retrieval. Boss gave us coordinates, but this might be a ring. We'll look around. No need to handle them ourselves. Even criminals have a line, you know?"
Seth chuckled, though his emerald eyes flickered, making his pupils almost look like a cat's eye pupil. "The law might not punish them. But the underworld will drag them down anyway."
Leo nodded. "Got it. Let's go then. It's early morning. We can be in, out, and hunt the rest by breakfast."
===
"Wow!" Sadako-chan ran into the apartment and looked around with sparkling eyes. "This place is so big! And warm! And fancy! And comfy!" She giggled and dashed over to the beanbag sofa cushion that one of the girls had dragged up from the Project MirAIs lounge. "And this is so cool!"
Hope smiled as she walked inside the apartment. "Make yourself at home, Sweetie."
"Thanks, Mama!"
Hope's breath hitched.
Erie laughed and said, "Wooow. I see how it is." She walked inside and said, "You get hand fed some drinks and now you're calling Hope your Mama?"
Sadako-chan smiled and said, "You're Red Mama!"
Erie's breath hitched too and then she laughed, chasing after Sadako-chan. "Get back here!"
"Noooo!"
Juliet walked in last and shut the door, locking it. As she did, she watched Erie tackle Sadako-chan and tickle the little girl, playing with her like an older sister would. After that, she said, "...This is definitely going to be complicated, you know?"
Hope nodded. "I know."
It was obvious.
Hope, Erie, and Juliet were all barely adults.
Adding in a little girl into the mix...
"But we'll make it work." Hope smiled. "Right?"
Juliet paused. Then she sighed and said, "...I'll brush up on some more recipes."
"Thanks, Julie."
Juliet watched Erie and Sadako-chan play some more. Then she said, "...So, who's going to adopt Sadako-chan though?"
A silence fell in the room.
Erie sat up, moving away from Sadako-chan, and said, "Adopt?"
Juliet nodded. "Yeah. It's not like we can just keep an undocumented kid in the building." She paused. "...Well, I guess we technically can. But that's a scandal waiting to happen."
Hope smiled and said, "I will."
Juliet blinked. "Huh?"
Sadako-chan looked up at Hope, her eyes wide with shock and a faint prayer. "...You want to be my real Mama, Onee-chan?"
Hope walked over and hugged Sadako-chan. "I know how it's like. So yes."
Erie paused and said, "Oh yeah. I forgot... you were an orphan too."
Sadako-chan looked at Hope with soft eyes and said, "...Onee-chan understands?"
"Mmhm. So... Want to be my baby girl?"
"...Can I?"
"Wait, wait, wait." Juliet held up her hands and said, "Can you even do that? Can WE do that?"
Erie shrugged. "I don't see why not. Also, we're all adults, remember?"
"I mean, legally, yes, but like, in terms of life experience...!"
Hope smiled. "It'll be fine, Julie. And... you want to stay, right, Sadako-chan?"
"...Yes." Sadako-chan let out a trembling smile. "I really, really, really want to."
Juliet sighed and rubbed her face. "Our lives are going to get sooo much more complicated..."
Erie laughed. "Live a little, Julie. Besides." She walked over to place her hand on Sadako-chan's head and said, "Now we have a little sister AND a mascot."
Sadako-chan gasped. "Mascot?! Ooh! Can I have a cute costume? I like crows! I can be a big bird!"
Erie ruffled Sadako-chan's hair and said, "Bet. You can sit in with all our streams in the background."
"Yay!"
And like that, Protest acquired a new mascot: 'Sad Crow,' Arenbi's adopted daughter and Niko Manser's undead familiar.
...Lore would later be reported throwing a table out of the Myth Inc. HQ window into the back alley.