Roselle and Miade their way towards the Detectives club. Roselle noticed that Michigo was still dressed in her Karate uniform. She raised an eyebrow and asked, “Michigo, why didn’t you ge into something else like I did?”

  Michigo stopped iracks. She looked down at her Karate uniform, which was nly out of ppared to Roselle’s chic dress. The realization hit her. “Oh no!” she excimed in horror. “I pletely fot to ge! I was so focused oing you ready that I never once even thought about myself today!”

  Her cheeks burned with embarrassment. She filed her arms. “I ’t believe this! I’ve been talking up your new look while I’m still in my Karate gear!”

  Roselle burst into ughter. “Well, it’s not like you don’t look great in your uniform too,” she said between giggles.

  Michigo’s face remained a deep shade of red. “This is so embarrassing. I wao look professional, not like I just came from a sparring match!”

  Roselle offered, “Well, you always borrow a dress of mine.”

  Michigo shook her head with a small ugh. “Thanks, Roselle, but your dresses are a bit too small for me. I like them, really, but I wouldn’t feel fortable in one. I prefer outfits that make me look strong and ready for a.”

  Roselle nodded. “Fair enough.”

  Roselle and Michigo tinued on their way to the Detective’s Meeting. Along the way, Roselle’s phone suddenly rang. It was Hashta oher end.

  Hashta shouted so loudly over the phohat even Michigo could hear her. “Roselle! Why haven’t you called me or answered my texts? It’s been forever!”

  Roselle was startled and recoiled from Hashta’s overwhelming energy. She finally replied, “Um…I’ve been really busy, Hashta. You know how things are.”

  “Busy? That’s not an excuse, Roselle! I’ve only been to one of your Detective Meetings, but I got told there’s one happening today. I’m ing whether you like it or not. I want to catch you before the meeting, so meet me in front of the school building.”

  “Fine, Hashta. I’ll see you there. Just please don’t cause a se.”

  With that, they ehe call. Roselle’s eyes were filled with worry about this meeting with her.Michigo ched one fist and raised it infront of Roselle. “If Hashta ys a finger on you, Roselle, she’s gon one hell of a beatdown from me.”

  Roselle chuckled. “Let’s try to avoid beating anyone up today... We’re all friends, after all.”

  Michigo and Roselle reached the front of the school building, where they met Hashta. She was dressed in a shirt with a high colr which partially covered her face. Her short shirt had a unique feature, as it could open up to reveal her bra underh. Despite the unventional style, she somehow made it work.

  Hashta was sweating and fanning herself. “Ugh, this heat is killing me! Why is it so hot today?”

  Roselle gave her a sympathetic look. “I know, it’s sweltering. We’re all feeling it.”

  Michigo chimed in, “But Hashta, what brings you here today? You said you were ing to the meeting, right?”

  Hashta nodded. “Yeah, I heard from someohat there’s a meeting, so I thought I’d tag along. But seriously, the heat is unbearable!”

  Hashta approached Roselle. She looked like she was ready to vent her anger; however, Michigo swiftly stepped in front of Roselle, blog Hashta’s path.

  “Move, Michigo,” Hashta said, “I gotta settle things with Roselle ahis straight.”

  Michigo, unfazed by Hashta’s words, stood her ground and locked eyes with her. “If you pn to hit Roselle, then hit me instead. Let’s see what happens.”

  The teandoff between Michigo and Hashta stretched on. Their gazes were sharp like drawn bdes, poised to csh in an immi duel. Just when it felt like things might escate, Roselle stepped betweewo friends, breaking the tension. “We o get to the Detective’s meeting. We ’t afford to fight right now. Let’s put this aside for the time being.”

  Michigo hesitated, then slowly stepped back. Hashta suddenly pulled Roselle into what seemed like a tight embrace. Before Roselle could react, Hashta’s grip shifted into a grapple with her fist nudging Roselle’s head.

  “Why didn’t you tell me about this sooner, Roselle?” Hashta demanded.

  Roselle chuckled nervously. “I…I’ve been busy, you know?”

  Michigo saw the way Hashta manhandling Roselle. She stepped in with a growl. “You o stop ag like such a damn bitch.” She grabbed Hashta and pulled her into a grapple of her own, matg Hashta’s aggression. “Roselle’s been sed with stuff. You ’t be mad at her for every little thing!”

  Hashta blinked in surprise as Michigo held her in the grapple. She then tried to reverse the grapple. “Hey, don’t think you get away with this so easily, Michigo!”

  Roselle shouted. “Both of you, behave yourselves! Please! You’re making me feel bad!”

  Slowly, Hashta and Michigo began to calm down. They released each other and stood back. Hashta wiped her forehead. “Alright, alright. I guess I got a bit carried away. Sorry, Roselle.”

  Michigo nodded. “Yeah, let’s just get to the meeting. We sort out the rest ter.”

  Outside the Detective’s Club meeting, Roselle gathered her friends. “Okay, everyone, let’s go i a time to make a grarance,” Roselle suggested with a smile.

  Roselle, dressed in her vibrant and cheerful sunflower-themed outfit, was the first to step inside. She was a little self-scious, but she heard some of the other member’s responses.

  “Wow, Roselle, you look like a sunflower! That dress suits you perfectly,” Risebelle plimented.

  “Yeah, you’re like a burst of sunshine in here. Love the outfit!” Jess chimed in

  Roselle beamed at their pliments. “Thanks, you two! I thought a little sunshine would brighten up our meeting.”

  Moments ter, Michigo, dressed in her karate outfit, followed.

  “Michigo, you look ready to take on anything in that karate outfit!” Risebelle excimed, genuinely impressed.

  Jess added, “Oh, this is exg! Our meeting just got a lot more diverse with all these clubs joining in.”

  entered Hashta. Hashta was sweating profusely. “Ugh, this heatwave is killing me. Why is it so hot in here,” Hashta questioned while fanning herself with one hand.

  Harty surveyed the gathered group and nodded with satisfa. “Looks like we’re all here. It’s great to see everyone.”

  Roselle took her seat o Jess and Risebelle. Jess leaned in moments ter and, in a seductive tone, asked, “So, Roselle, is Hashta single?”

  Roselle replied with a normal tone. “Well, as far as I know, Hashta is single. Why do you want to know, Jess?”

  Jess shrugged ily. “Oh, no reason, I’m just curious.” She leaned in closer to Roselle, giving her a wink. “By the way, you look absolutely adorable today, Roselle.” Her words and the wink made Roselle blush.

  Risebelle, noticed Jess’s iion with Roselle. Risebelle’s eyes narrowed, and she leaned over to whisper sharply to Jess. “Hey, Jess, what the hell do you think you’re doing?”

  Jess looked at Risebelle with wide, i eyes. “Oh, I was just saying hello. It’s not like I was doing anything out of line.”

  Risebelle raised an eyebrow. “It looks like you were flirting, Jess.”

  Jess grinned and shrugged. “Well, maybe I was a little. Roselle looks like such a doll today. I ’t help it!”

  Risebelle’s gaze turned serious. “Jess, you better take this meeting seriously and not get distracted.”

  Jess snapped a pyful sailor’s salute. “Aye aye, Captain Risebelle! I promise I’ll be on my best behavior today!”

  Harty stood at the front of the chess club meeting room, his detective attire giving him an air of authority. Harty cleared his throat. “Ladies alemen, I believe we are all aware of the strange happenings in our town tely. Mysterious doppelgangers, abdus, and an expnation for everything: a game we all love, Epic Quest: Realm of Shadows. What I am about to show you is the data we have found...”

  Harty pulled up a presentation on a s, dispying images of doppelgangers and the game.

  “Doppelgangers have invaded our lives, and at the moment, their iions are a mystery. But there does tend to be some pattern like the one in the game. They are repg people just like in Epic Quest: Realm of Shadows and messing with events.”

  Harty tinued, while everyone else seemed to give serious looks. “But here is the big discovery. We ain’t victims iory at all. We have a ce to ge the ending. We, uniquely, possess this advahat will help us know the truth about these doppelgangers and put ao their sinister pns.”

  Harty pced a photograph on his presentation s with a photo showing three question marks.

  “Now, we have here an informant in this pce who has followed these doppelgangers. They know more about them than any other man alive. That somebody is here, amongst us, today.”

  He then dramatically swung towards the door, revealing Angie, who was eavesdropping.

  “Angie has been doing re and has some very valuable insights to share. She has key knowledge for defeating this threat. Angie, if you will, please join us.”

  The room fell silent as Aill engrossed in her game, slowly looked up from her devid walked inside.

  The surprised looks on Roselle and Michigo’s faces were hard to miss as Arolled into the room. They reized her from their ret enter in the hunt for Tina.

  She discreetly whispered to Michigo and Roselle, “Don’t fet about those favors you owe me.”

  The memory of Angie’s face, the sinister look in her eyes while pying Epic Quest, and the revetion that they owed her two favors fshed through their minds. While Angie had helped with Tina’s iigation, somethi eating at Roselle.

  Roselle leaned closer to Ah a whisper. “What are you pnning to make us do, Angie?”

  Angie’s lips curled into a dark smile. “Oh, I wouldn’t worry too much, Roselle. You’ll find out soon enough.”

  The ominous smile left Roselle with an uling feeling. Angie now put her game away ao the front of the room.

  “Well, it’s simple,” Angie began. “I’ve been keeping an eye on you all, mainly because I knew something was amiss with your involvement in this whole mess. You’re dealing with dangerous stuff, and you didn’t even know it.”

  She paused for a moment, letting her words sink in before tinuing, “I found out about Shadowcroft and their is in Roselle and Risebelle. They want te them into some super being, right? So, when I learhat Jess was getting closer to you, Risebelle, and possibly Roselle too, I decided to step in. You see, they were usio get to you. I couldn’t let that happen, even though I’m not too fond of any of you.”

  Roselle and Michigo couldn’t believe what they were hearing. Roselle leaned in slightly and whispered to Michigo, “This is a lot to take in. Are we really dealing with something this serious? And Shadowcroft... that’s the same anization that’s after us, right?”

  Michigo nodded. “We o tread carefully. Angie might have helped us before, but she’s also holding those two favors over our heads. We ’t ighe fact that she’s got her own agenda. Her loyalty is very questionable pared to everyone else here.”

  Roselle’s eyes narrowed while staring towards Angie. Shadowcroft’s sinister pns and Angie’s dubious motives left a knot of tension iomach.

  To herself, Roselle whispered, “I have to be smart about this. Angie might have helped us, but she’s got her own agenda. And Shadowcroft… they’re still a major threat. I o dig deeper into both of them.”

  Roselle’s eyes wao Jess, and what she saw made her pause. Jess’s usual pyfulness was repced by a fierce, burning rage. Her fists were ched, and her expression was a storm of anger directed squarely at Angie.

  Roselle’s jaw dropped. ‘W- What’s going on with Jess?’