Reo's expression didn't change. "She's not more important than the Dragon."
The words landed and I let them sit.
He was right. So was Hiro. I was thinking from the wrong place—from the part of me that wanted to protect a woman who'd helped my Tiger and me find each other on a deeper level.
Emotion was making the decision.
Strategy needed to.
I exhaled through my nose and unclenched my jaw.
"Fine." I looked between them. "The twins stay on me."
Hiro gave a small nod.
Reo's shoulders loosened by a fraction—barely visible, but I caught it.
Then my gaze dropped. The white petal was still clinging to the toe of Reo's boot.
Small.
Curved.
Harmless.
My skin prickled. The dream rushed back—black water, stems cracking through cartilage, roots threading around my heart, chrysanthemums blooming from the splits in my skin. A shiver rolled through me before I could stop it, starting at the base of my spine and climbing up.
I looked away from the petal. "Giveeveryoneextra Scales. Every person walking into Yoshiwara gets double coverage. No exceptions."
"Okay.” Reo nodded.
I swallowed. “I still don’t like bringing Hiroko.”
"But nobody's going to know that area like Hiroko," my brother shrugged. "Without her, we're walking blind."
I knew he was right. But the thought of bringing her into a potential ambush made my chest tighten.
We have to do this right.
I swallowed. "Give me a minute to think.”
They stepped back slightly and gave me space.
I closed my eyes and let my mind work through what I knew about Yoshiwara.
The original pleasure district had been built in 1617 as Edo's official red-light district. The Tokugawa shogunate licensed it to control prostitution and keep it contained within a walled area.
It wasn't only about sex.
It was about power and status.
The district was surrounded by a moat and a single gate, and no woman could leave without permission, making them not sex workers but sex slaves.
Still, those in charge presented them as courtesans and called themoiran. They were also ranked. The highest were treated like royalty and were educated and cultured. Men competed for their favor. Some escaped through wealthy clients.
The lowest remained trapped in sexual servitude.
The district burned down twice. Once in 1657 during the Great Fire of Meireki.
