Chapter 404

“Do you remember anything from before?” Jimmie asked, sitting down with Melvin and studying Harold closely.
It was strange, Jimmie thought. The three of them were triplets, but fraternal, not identical. Besides being male, they didn’t share many physical similarities. In the end, it was he and Juniper who looked the most alike. He felt a little lucky for that.
“Nothing,” Harold replied, moving to sit beside Jimmie. “I have no memories before the age of thirteen. It was probably due to a head injury that left a blood clot.”
“You never had surgery?” Jimmie’s expression shifted, a hint of pain in his eyes.
“No,” Harold said. “It’s in a difficult spot. Most surgeons wouldn’t dare operate. The only one with a real chance of success is Master Nocturne.”
Master Nocturne? Juniper, who had been sitting quietly nearby, blinked at the mention of her alias.
“I haven’t been able to find the master yet,” Harold continued. “Because of my memory loss, I only recently found out I’m not the Houston family’s biological son.”
He then turned his gaze to Juniper, a faint smile playing on his lips. “Did my ‘Grandmaster sister’ and I spend a lot of time together as kids? Is that why you felt so familiar the first moment I saw you?”
Grandmaster sister? What an awkward title.
“Yes,” Jimmie said with a grin. “Of the three brothers, you were the one Juniper loved following around the most.”
“Is that so?” Harold’s smile widened, his eyes crinkling. “My little sister liked me that much, even back then?”
“Not exactly,” Melvin cut in dryly. “It’s because out of the three of us, you always had the most snacks and were the easiest for her to bully.”
Harold’s smile faltered. Melvin really didn’t need to add that last part.
“About the Houston family
“I’ve basically figured out what’s going on with them,” Harold said his expression hardening at the mention of the family, though he remained calm “I’ll go back and handle it after the competition is over.” “Content”
“Alright,” Jimmie said, knowing the Houstons had treated Harold well. “Handle it carefully. Don’t be too impulsive.”
“I know,” Harold replied with a faint, slightly weary smile. He wasn’t the type to be ungrateful and just walk away.
“I heard Melvin began, his eyes lighting up with admiration, “that you’re married? You started early!”
Harold’s expression clouded over, and he remained silent.
“Bring your wife to meet us sometime,” Melvin pressed on, getting to his main point. “You don’t remember a lot of things, so you
probably don’t know the birth order This is Jimmie, the oldest I oldest I’m the
second oldest, and you’re number
three. We still have three younger
sisters to find.”
Number three? Harold didn’t like the sound of that. He looked at Jimmie. “Is that right?”
“If I remember correctly, you’re the second oldest,” Jimmie revealed without a shred of mercy.
“No way!” Melvin protested, looking flustered. “What’s wrong with your memory? You’ve got to have that wrong. I’m number two, and I won’t accept anything else!”
Harold was getting confused. It was too much information at once, and he didn’t have the energy to argue about birth order right now.
“By the way” Harold’s gaze shifted, landing on Shanley in the corner. He dragged out his words deliberately. “So this old man who was just dragging me around and hitting me is”