Cassian was at Hartford, Connecticut's airport, adjusting his backpack while checking the departure screen for a flight to Indianapolis, where Helen was waiting after her investigation in Hawkins. The murmur of the Warren case still echoed in his mind, but his focus was on the suspected dimensional portal in Indiana. Before he could approach the counter, his phone vibrated in his jacket pocket. He pulled it out, seeing Daniel Hargrove's name on the screen, and answered with a firm tone.
"Daniel, what's going on?"
Daniel's voice came through, tense and urgent, with the sound of papers being shuffled in the background.
"Cassian, I need you to drop whatever you're doing. I know you were heading somewhere else, but this can't wait. Japan is spiraling out of control. We lost contact with another Vatican agent two days ago. It's the third one this month. We can't send anyone else—we need the best, and that's you."
Cassian frowned, stopping in front of a row of empty seats in the terminal.
"I was about to board a flight to Indianapolis, Daniel. Helen's already in Hawkins investigating a case that could be dimensional. What's so urgent in Japan that overrides that?"
Daniel took a deep breath, his tone dropping to a grave register.
"It's Kuchisake-onna, Cassian. The slit-mouthed woman. It's not just a Japanese myth this time—it's real, and she's killing. It started in a town near Tokyo, Hino. Weeks ago, children began disappearing on their way home from school. Witnesses say they saw a woman wearing a surgical mask, asking them if she was pretty before attacking them with giant scissors. The bodies show up later, mutilated, their faces cut ear to ear. We sent a monk first—an expert in Eastern spirits—but he didn't return. Then Father Tanaka, a local who knew Shinto and Catholic rites, and he disappeared too. The last was Father Conti, as tough as they come, but his last transmission was a scream and static two days ago. The Vatican can't risk more agents without knowing what we're facing. That's why we need you there."
Cassian drummed his fingers on the handle of his backpack, processing the information.
"A vengeful spirit that kills children and takes down exorcists? That doesn't sound minor. What do the reports say?"
"Few clear details," Daniel admitted. "Locals say she appears at dusk, always with the mask, always asking, 'Am I pretty?' before cutting. Some survivors say they escaped by running, but those who answered wrong… never came back. The Hino police tried to track her, but their bodies were found in an alley, disfigured just like the children. We think she's tied to an ancient trauma, maybe a murdered woman who returned as something darker. We need you to go, Cassian, and stop her before she spreads beyond Tokyo."
Cassian looked at the departure screen, the Indianapolis flight blinking as an option he could no longer take.
"I understand, Daniel, but Hawkins isn't just any case. If there's an open dimensional portal, it could be bigger than this."
"I know," Daniel replied, "and I wouldn't ask this of you if it weren't critical. I already spoke with Helen. I called her when she arrived in Indiana. She's on a flight to Hartford right now to meet you. Together, you'll head to Japan. Deal with Kuchisake-onna, and then you can return to Hawkins. But Japan can't wait, Cassian. Three agents lost is a sign of something we can't ignore."
Cassian fell silent for a moment, then nodded, though Daniel couldn't see him.
"Alright. I'll meet up with Helen and take the next flight to Tokyo. What awaits us there?"
"I'll send the reports to your email," Daniel said. "Helen has them too. There's a local contact, a retired priest named Sato, who will give you more details when you arrive. Prepare yourself, Cassian. This won't be easy, even for you."
"It never is," Cassian replied, hanging up after a brief exchange of goodbyes.
He put the phone away and headed to the arrivals area, waiting for Helen.
Hours later, Helen appeared among the crowd, her blonde hair pulled back into a messy ponytail, a small suitcase in hand and a slightly frustrated expression on her face. She spotted him and raised a hand, approaching with quick steps.
"Cassian, I didn't even have time to unpack in Indiana," she said as she arrived, setting the suitcase down at her feet. "I got to Hawkins, rented a car, and before I could talk to anyone, Daniel called me. He said Japan is the priority, that they've lost another agent, and that you and I have to go there immediately. I didn't learn anything useful—just saw the town from the car window before turning around to the airport."
Cassian adjusted his backpack, nodding.
"He explained it to me. Kuchisake-onna is killing in Hino, near Tokyo. Three Vatican exorcists are missing. Daniel insists it's urgent, and we have no choice. We finish there, and then we return to Hawkins."
Helen crossed her arms, looking at the row of check-in counters behind him.
"Great, from one strange town to another. At least we'll fly together. I bought the tickets on the way here, first class to Tokyo. We leave in two hours. How bad do you think this is?"
"Worse than Daniel thinks, if they've already lost three," Cassian replied, walking with her toward check-in. "Let's get on the plane and review what we have."
On the plane, settled into the spacious first-class seats, Helen pulled a folder from her suitcase, opening the reports Daniel had sent. The hum of the engines filled the background as she read aloud, flipping through the pages with quick fingers.
"Here's what we know," she began, adjusting in her seat. "It all started in Hino a month ago. A teacher, Kyoko Yamashita, noticed her students were nervous, saying a masked woman was following them after school. At first, she thought it was a stalker, but then a boy, Toshio, disappeared. They found him three days later in a park, dead, his face cut ear to ear, the scissors still embedded in his chest. After that, Mika, a nine-year-old girl, was found in an alley with the same mark. Witnesses say the woman appears at dusk, tall, wearing a long coat and a white mask. She asks, 'Am I pretty?' If they say yes, she removes the mask, revealing the slit mouth, and asks again. If they say no, she kills them instantly. If they try to run, she chases them until she catches them."
Cassian listened, his eyes fixed on the window, the night sky stretching beyond the glass.
"What happened to the agents?"
Helen turned a page, frowning.
"It's not in the report they sent. This is from the police and local witnesses. But it says that after the children, three foreigners arrived in the town weeks apart. The first was seen entering an abandoned house where the woman had appeared before, and he never came out. The second attempted a ritual at a nearby temple, and the monks found him dead at dawn, his face destroyed. The third left a voicemail saying he had confronted her in an alley, but the recording ended with a scream. Since then, the Vatican has nothing."
Cassian drummed his fingers on the armrest.
"A vengeful spirit with a clear pattern. She won't stop on her own. What else does it say?"
Helen flipped through more pages, stopping at a blurry photo of a masked woman taken from afar.
"There are rumors about who she was. A mother, Nobuko, who abused her children years ago. One of them, driven mad, cut her mouth with scissors before she killed him and then committed suicide. Locals say her spirit returned when someone desecrated her grave a month ago—a group of teenagers playing at summoning her. Since then, she hasn't stopped."
Cassian nodded, closing his eyes for a moment.
"A trauma that bound her here. We'll need to find that grave and seal it, or confront her directly."
Helen closed the folder, watching him intently.
"Do you think it's more than a spirit? Daniel sounded nervous, and that's not normal for him."
"Maybe," Cassian replied, opening his eyes. "Three agents lost isn't just bad luck. Let's finish this in Japan, then return to Hawkins. One thing at a time."
Helen leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms.
"First class, a murderous Japanese spirit, and you as my partner. At least it won't be boring."
Cassian gave a faint smile, looking ahead as the plane soared through the sky toward Tokyo.