NOVEL NEXT Chapter 22: Chapter 22
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"Who is this Justin you're talking about?"
"Him?" Vi hesitated, unsure how to explain. "He's just a strange guy, hanging around in the undercity."
"Is he a Chem-Baron?" Caitlyn's "killer instinct" made her suspect he could be a big threat to Piltover's order.
"No... he might have the skills, but not the ambition," Vi shrugged, recalling the past. Ever since Vander took in Justin, he had been trying to groom him as a successor. The guy seemed to have some sort of talent—or perhaps intuition? Unfortunately, Justin and Vander's ideals didn't align, and they often clashed, leaving Vander with many headaches and sighs.
"Does he have any particularly skilled... followers?" Caitlyn couldn't find a better word to describe it. A lover? No, based on the girl's previous behavior, it seemed more like devotion.
"The blue-haired girl we captured earlier kept shouting his name."
"Powder?" Vi's eyes narrowed, and her whole demeanor became intense, startling Caitlyn.
"She claimed her name is Jinx... is she your companion?"
"She's my sister..." a hint of sadness flickered in Vi's eyes. "I haven't seen her in many years."
"She's a criminal now, and so are you," Caitlyn reminded Vi of her enforcer duties without hesitation. "I could put both of you in the same cell. Behave, and you might get your sentence reduced, eventually living freely under the sun."
"Reduced sentence?" Vi laughed bitterly. "Do you know what crime I committed and how many years I was sentenced to?"
"What did you do?" Caitlyn was curious. Although Vi looked fierce, she seemed decent enough after spending some time with her, not like a bad person.
"I don't even f---ing know!" Vi's visage twisted like a beast eager to strike. Her anger was like the flames of hell, endlessly scorching her soul. "No papers, no proceedings, no verdict. To this day, I don't know which damn law of Piltover I broke. I don't even know how long I'm supposed to be locked up!"
"Five years! I've been locked up for five years! Do you even know what those years were like for me?" Vi punched the wall, causing the entire sewer to vibrate. Caitlyn was used to dealing with polite elites and had never seen someone so ferociously distorted. Yet, she didn't feel fear but rather pity for Vi. Beneath that burning rage was a raw, genuine sadness.
"I'm sorry..." The words slipped out before Caitlyn realized what she was saying. She was an enforcer; how could she apologize to a criminal? Quickly composing herself, she said sternly, "I don't deny there are some rotten apples among the enforcers who, due to discrimination against the undercity residents, skip the proper judicial process. However, the light of law and justice will eventually shine on every resident, whether they are from the upper city or the undercity. Only then can Piltover achieve true prosperity and stability."
"Hah," Vi sneered at Caitlyn's words. "I waited for five years in Stillwater Hold, but justice never came. There are many other inmates who waited until their deaths without ever seeing justice, dying at the hands of your so-called law. I fought my way out with these fists. It's the same now—law or justice, neither can crawl into this bottomless sewer to save you—not even your identity as a councilor's daughter," Vi stood up and grabbed Caitlyn's hand. "Let's go, cupcake. If we want to get out, we have to rely on ourselves."
Caitlyn was stunned for a moment before she realized "cupcake" was referring to her. She suddenly stood up, her heart pounding erratically, perhaps due to low blood sugar, making her head a bit dizzy. She quickly caught up to Vi, walking side by side with her, yet couldn't think of anything to say.
"Should I find something to talk about..." Justin looked at the blue butterfly fluttering around him, a wry smile appearing on his face. When he was with Jinx, awkwardness was never a problem. The two had long reached a level of understanding where words weren't necessary. He wasn't the silent type, either. Finding topics to chat about on a date was simple... but dating Jinx was more challenging.
It's a long story—Justin came to the upper city to find Vi without letting Jinx catch on, and to keep her from causing trouble, he racked his brain and finally came up with a brilliant idea—a date! Even Jinx should behave like a normal girl on a date, right? Probably...