[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-four-of-a-kind":3,"chapter-four-of-a-kind-four-of-a-kind-chapter-163":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Four Of A Kind",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1529857,1985,"Chapter 163: [3.65] Cat Ears and Frame Data","four-of-a-kind-chapter-163",163,"\u003Cp>I stood on the tennis court watching Cassidy disappear into the manor, my phone heavy in my pocket. The Uber notification from fifteen minutes ago said Iris had arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So where was she?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The manor was big but not that big. Mrs. Tanaka would’ve directed her somewhere. Probably the main salon where guests usually waited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Probably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I pulled out my phone and called Iris.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Straight to voicemail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hey, this is Iris! Leave a message or don’t, I’m probably drawing anyway!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That cheerful recorded voice didn’t help the way my stomach just dropped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I tried again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Same result.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The automated voice lady told me to leave a message after the tone like I didn’t already know that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Okay. Don’t panic. Iris was fine. She was somewhere in the house with four responsible adults who happened to be teenage billionaires with questionable judgment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Actually that was worse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I dialed Harlow next because she was the one who arranged the Uber and probably knew where Iris ended up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three rings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Four.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Five.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Come on, Harlow. Pick up the—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Isaiah?\" Her voice came through barely above a whisper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Where’s Iris?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Shhh!\" The sound crackled through the speaker. \"You have to find us!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We’re hiding! It’s very serious!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I could hear giggling in the background. Multiple voices. One of them was definitely Iris.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hiding from what?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Can’t say! The walls have ears!\" Harlow’s whisper somehow got louder. \"But we’re in the place with the thing and you have to hurry before—oh no she’s coming! Gotta go!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The line went dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stared at my phone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The place with the thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harlow had just described approximately forty-seven locations in this manor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I pocketed my phone and jogged toward the house. Mrs. Tanaka materialized in the kitchen doorway like she’d been waiting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Looking for someone?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My sister. About this tall, dark hair, probably questioning all her life choices right now?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mrs. Tanaka’s expression didn’t change. \"The young miss arrived twenty minutes ago.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Miss Harlow collected her immediately.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Where?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That would ruin the game.\" She turned back into the kitchen. \"I’m sure you’ll figure it out.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was starting to think everyone in this house was conspiring against me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The main salon was empty. So was the library, the sitting room, and the ridiculous aquarium hallway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I texted Harlow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>where are you\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>cant text! hiding!!! 🤫\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>from what\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>YOU silly! its hide and seek!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course it was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I tried Iris next.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>where are you\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No response. She probably got recruited into whatever game Harlow invented.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A noise echoed from upstairs. Faint. Could be nothing. Could be two teenagers and my little sister doing god knows what.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I took the stairs two at a time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second floor was a maze of identical doors and portraits that all looked the same. I checked the music room. Empty. The formal sitting room. Also empty. The weird room with just mirrors that I still didn’t understand the purpose of.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Iris?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My voice echoed down the hallway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A giggle. Definitely Iris. Coming from somewhere left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I followed the sound past three more doors until I reached the east wing. Harlow’s room sat at the end of the hall with its ridiculous pink door covered in anime stickers and K-pop idol photos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The door was cracked open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I pushed it wider.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Iris, I swear if you’re—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My brain needed approximately three seconds to process the scene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Iris sat cross-legged on Harlow’s bed wearing a pink headband with cat ears. She held what looked like a Nintendo Switch controller. On Harlow’s massive television screen, some anime character fought another anime character in spectacular fashion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harlow sat next to Iris, also with cat ears, also with a controller, screaming about combos and ultimate attacks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sabrina occupied the floor in front of the TV, legs crossed, wearing a third set of cat ears. She read a manga volume but her eyes kept flicking to the screen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All three of them turned to look at me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Found us!\" Harlow threw her arms up. Her character died on screen. \"Oh no! Iris you have to avenge me!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m trying!\" Iris mashed buttons frantically. \"This boss has like seventeen health bars!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I leaned against the doorframe. \"What is happening.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Gaming tournament!\" Harlow bounced. \"Iris is really good! She’s beating me!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You keep blocking wrong,\" Iris said without looking away from the screen. \"You have to time it with the audio cue, not the visual.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s what I said!\" Harlow pointed at Sabrina. \"Tell her!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sabrina turned a page in her manga. \"You did not say that.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I was thinking it very loudly!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I watched my fourteen-year-old sister execute some kind of spinning attack combo that depleted three health bars simultaneously. The boss exploded in a shower of pixels and dramatic music.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Iris pumped her fist. \"Yes!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"THAT WAS SO COOL!\" Harlow tackled Iris in a hug. Both sets of cat ears went flying. \"You have to teach me!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My phone buzzed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cassidy’s name appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>is iris there? harlow kidnapped her didnt she\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>yeah. they’re playing video games\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>wearing cat ears?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I looked at the evidence.how did you know\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>because harlow owns like 40 pairs and makes everyone wear them\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>your sister is weird\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>tell me something i dont know scholarship boy\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I typed back without thinking.you got 15 problems right on that test\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The typing bubble appeared. Disappeared. Appeared again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>how do u know\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>because I know how you work. and you finished 22 problems in 40 minutes. 15 minimum were correct\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>u cant know that\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>want to bet?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bubble appeared for a long time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...no\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>thought so\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>i hate u\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>liar\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I pocketed my phone and leaned against Harlow’s doorframe while Iris started explaining frame data and parry windows to someone who thought aesthetic value mattered more than actual combat effectiveness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sabrina looked up from her manga. Our eyes met.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She patted the floor next to her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I shouldn’t. I really, really shouldn’t.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I sat down anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your sister is good,\" Sabrina said quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"She wastes too much time on games.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Says the person who plays poker chip math with Cassidy.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fair point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On screen, Iris navigated through some kind of castle level while Harlow provided completely unhelpful directions from the bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No wait go left! The treasure is left!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The objective marker says right.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But the treasure!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I don’t need treasure, I need to progress!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sabrina’s lips curved slightly. \"They sound like you and Cassidy.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We don’t sound like that.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You do. Cassidy wants to explore everything. You want to finish quickly and move on.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s called being goal-oriented.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s called missing the point.\" She closed her manga. \"Sometimes the adventure matters more than the objective.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I looked at her. At those purple eyes that saw too much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re talking about something else.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Am I?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sabrina.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Isaiah.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We had a staring contest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I lost when Harlow screamed about a jump scare and launched herself at Iris, who remained completely calm and parried the enemy attack with perfect timing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How did you do that?\" Harlow had Iris’s arm in both hands now, squeezing like the answer might come out through pressure alone. \"Please, you have to teach me!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I did. Like, thirty seconds ago.\" Iris didn’t even look away from the screen. \"I jumped, dodged left, then countered during the recovery window.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Buthowthough?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That... that was how.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Show me again!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My phone vibrated against my thigh. I pulled it out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vivienne. Of course.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where are you?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I glanced at the timestamp. Then at Harlow’s room, at the game still running on the TV, at Iris calmly explaining iframes to an increasingly confused Harlow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We have the evening briefing in 2 minutes,Vivienne’s second message added before I could respond.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I typed back with one thumb.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>harlow’s room. iris arrived\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I know. Why are you in Harlow’s room?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>long story\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Make it short. My office. 1 minute.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stood. \"I have to go.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But you just got here!\" Harlow pouted from the bed. \"We were gonna do a four-player run!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I have a briefing with your sister.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Vivi can wait. This is important!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sabrina rose with that ghost-quiet movement she did. \"He has work. Unlike some people.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Are you calling me lazy?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m calling you employed differently.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I backed toward the door while they started bickering. Iris looked up from the game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Zay?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yeah?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thanks for letting me come.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something warm spread through my chest. \"No problem.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And Zay?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yeah?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She grinned. \"Harlow’s really cool. You should marry her.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harlow stopped mid-argument with Sabrina. Her entire face went red.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sabrina smiled into her manga.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was already halfway down the hall before anyone could say anything else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My ears were burning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Definitely burning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I checked my phone while walking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>18 minuteshad become16 minutesand Vivienne had added a second message.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Don’t be late or I’m deducting it from your pay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>you can’t do that\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watch me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I picked up my pace. The west wing study was three hallways and two staircases away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vivienne’s door was already open when I arrived with forty seconds to spare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She sat behind her glass desk wearing her school blazer despite being home for hours. Her wine-red hair was pulled back in that severe ponytail that meant business.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sit.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I sat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She slid a leather folder across the desk. \"Tomorrow’s timeline. Memorize it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I opened the folder. Six pages of color-coded schedules with times down to the minute. Arrival, photos, cocktail hour, dinner, speeches, departure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’ll be with me the entire night.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As your accessory?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Would that be so bad?\" Her purple eyes narrowed slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>",1595,"2026-06-06T06:03:59.990Z",1,"novelbin.me","f41524dbc729c5167ce968af4a90a9b98e45a5666802a4832e7f19109ca4f4a7","four-of-a-kind-chapter-164","four-of-a-kind-chapter-162",251,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Ffour-of-a-kind-cover.jpg"]