THE MANSION WAS quiet and the world outside its windows was dark—leading Jo to believe that it was, indeed, nighttime. Her watch corroborated the fact, reading just after midnight. But Jo still felt like she had to sneak through the halls.

She didn’t want anyone bothering her. And, in a house filled with people who didn’t need sleep, a distraction could come from anywhere—like Nico. Though that earlier distraction had been just what she needed. It had been a reminder of what she’d sacrificed for, and what she’d still fight for with any tools at her disposal.

Through the Four-Way, Jo’s persistent stride didn’t slow until she was standing in front of one of the recreation rooms. The empty shelf practically beckoned her to relinquish her watch and unlock the door. She’d seen Takako do this and while it seemed simple enough, Jo didn’t know what to expect solo. Nerves settled low in her gut the moment she tugged on the band of her watch and pulled it from her wrist.

It seemed strange that something so small could suddenly mean so much. In many ways, that watch was everything to her now (even if she didn’t fully understand how it worked as a portal to the real world), and she was just about to leave it out in the open. Even with Takako’s guarantee that no one else could touch it, she couldn’t help but feel possessive, maybe even a little reluctant to allow it to leave her fingers.

But Jo had a mission, and that far outweighed any fears she could have. She pulled off the strip of fabric and set it on the shelf, took a breath, and slowly inched the door open.

A low whistle escaped her lips; she certainly wasn’t disappointed.

Wall to wall were various pieces of tech. It was the elaborate set-up she’d been dreaming of after all, and then some. There were multiple towers attached to twelve monitors, stretching above two separate desks so she could run two entirely separate rigs at once, with a rolling chair to swivel between them. Routers gave her little neon-green winks, assuring her that she could connect to the world beyond. Brand logos she’d only dreamed of affording glinted at her in the low-light.

Honestly, it was a technophile’s wet dream, so far beyond anything she could have hoped for that Jo could only stand there and gape, practically salivating. Even with limitless imagination, she would never have guessed the recreation room could provide what was before her.

Once the initial shock wore off, Jo swallowed down her excitement and settled herself into the rolling chair, sliding with a small huff of laughter from one row of monitors to another, larger desktop screen. She reached for the pair of over-sized headphones that were hung on an eerily familiar peg in the perfect place, and pulled her jacket sleeves up to the second knuckle on her thumb. Even the chill was familiar.

The computer was already running, a soft hum filling the room, and when she went searching for suitable software, it appeared all her favorite programs were already installed.

“All right. . . come to me, Black Bank.”

If Yuusuke was suicidally hell-bent on glory, then Jo would see him succeed this time. She’d take matters into her own hands. Hell, she’d take them down first, if she must.

As if plunging a needle into a vein, the moment Jo’s hands touched the keyboard, she could feel magic and information flood her system, a transfusion of knowledge. She could see exactly what paths to take to gain restricted access, navigating blocked servers and sifting through unnecessary firewalls like following a straightforward, illuminated text. The entire stream of data was laid out before her—what should’ve been a tangled mess. Yet every string of information fell into its own line.

Hacking had always been a high for her, a sort of adrenaline rush at the idea of lifting the skirts of the most secure servers. And maybe it was a little bit of a power trip too, a smug sense of self-satisfaction knowing what she was capable of. But this? This feeling of her already impressive talent swelling into overdrive? It was intoxicating.

It was something Jo could lose herself in, and she did so gladly.

She was starting five steps ahead. She knew just where to look and she knew just what encryption the Black Bank used. Even if the world had changed enough for her to no longer exist, it didn’t change enough for the group behind the Black Bank—Incognito—to have altered their processes.

Much, at least.

“Oh, what’s this?” Jo grinned, leaning toward the monitor. “This is new.” She narrowed her eyes at the screen. “No matter. . . shouldn’t take more than a second. . .”

Jo continued on like this, conquering one hurdle after the next with an ease she had never possessed before. It was a sort of assurance that she could barely understand, but one that bred an assessment she was utterly confident in: this was her magic. And using it felt excellent.

“Well, someone seems to be up to no good.” A voice appeared at her side, far too close. In fact, Jo was so startled by the sudden presence that she nearly jolted completely out of her chair, turning awkwardly and rather ungracefully in its direction.

Pan was standing in the center of the room, eyeing the new layout with a glint of amusement in her eyes. She even went so far as to whistle in approval.

“Wow.” She grinned, and when she finally brought her attention back to Jo, it was with a look in her eyes that seemed almost impressed. “And here I thought the rooms had outdone themselves with Takako. The technological future really is a sight to behold.”

“Uh. . .” Jo looked from Pan to the accumulation of tech and back. “I guess?”

Pan smirked, all but frolicking about the room, fuchsia hair swaying behind her with each step. “So, what do you think you’re doing in here?” The girl leaned over Jo’s computer.

“I could ask you the same.” Jo tapped the keyboard and the monitor went dark.

“Make it come back!” Pan whined. “Don’t be so sneaky. I don’t like secrets, remember?”

“Maybe I don’t feel like sharing.”

“Be like that, and I’ll have to tell Snow.”

“That sounds like a threat.” Jo side-eyed the girl.

“That’s because it is!” Pan clapped her hands together, clearly pleased with herself.

Jo’s side-eye turned into a full-blown scowl. “I’m not doing anything wrong. We’re allowed to use the recreation rooms as we please.”

Pan hummed, bringing her index finger to her chin in thought. “I guess that’s true. . . But ‘as you please’ looks a lot like trying to affect the outside world. . .and that’s a big no-no.”

Her back went rigid and Jo balled a hand into a fist. She’d fight Pan if she had to. The woman-child wasn’t taking Jo’s work from her.

“How did you know what I was doing?”

“I didn’t.” Pan stilled, a smile widening across her cheeks as if trying to touch each of her ears. “Not until you kindly confirmed it for me.”

“Isn’t the job of the Society to change the outside world?”

“Only for wishes.”

Jo opened her mouth to speak again, but was interrupted a second time. She never thought she’d be glad to see Wayne, but she was. The fact must have been plain on her face, because Wayne’s attention shifted from Jo to Pan, and the first question from his mouth was, “What trouble are you getting into?”

“Me, trouble?” Pan gasped. “Wayne, you know I’d never. You should be asking her, not me.” Pan threw an accusatory finger in Jo’s direction.

“Back away, Pan.” The bass in Wayne’s voice startled Jo, and planted a warm feeling of endearment in the space her surprise vacated. “Go take a nap, or something.”

“She’s the one causing trouble. She’s trying to change the outside world.”

Wayne’s attention was back on Jo, threatening to destroy the fuzzy feeling he’d been earning a second ago. “All right”—back to Pan—“I’ll take it from here, then.”

Pan hovered for several seconds, clearly debating the idea. She folded her hands with a shrug and strolled out of the room. “This was becoming boring, anyway.” The woman-child paused in the doorway, looking back at them both. “Do make sure that you look after her, Wayne. Wouldn’t want the two of you getting into trouble.”

With that, the rainbow-haired girl left. Wayne watched from the doorway and whatever he saw must have satisfied him because he stepped inside the room and closed the door behind him. Jo met his searching eyes fearlessly, knowing what question was coming before it even left his lips.

“Just what are you doing in here, Jo?”