NOVEL NEXT Chapter 24: Chapter 24
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Justin and Jinx arrived at the café and sat by a window at a small table for two. Justin ordered a hot coffee and a slice of cheesecake. Jinx also got cheesecake, along with macarons and a very sweet milk tea. She loved sweets and somehow managed never to gain weight. Of course, the food wasn't the main focus. Justin was in the café for the newspaper in his hand. When he saw the bold headline on the cover: "Piltover Police Station Hit by Terror Attack, Undercity Criminals Have Been Brought to Justice," his eyes narrowed, and he quickly read through the entire article, only to breathe a sigh of relief.
"Currently, all criminals involved in the attack have been captured, and peace has returned to Piltover..." Reading this, Justin knew they were deluding themselves—he and Jinx were brazenly sipping coffee right under the watchful eyes of the enforcers. It was probably Piltover's leaders who didn't want the Hextech Gate business to be disrupted, so they fabricated this lie. Piltover had always been the technology capital of Valoran, but its upper city wasn't always this prosperous. The rapid development in recent years was thanks to a new scientist named Jayce, who successfully combined magic and technology to create the Hextech gates, which allowed stable connections worldwide. This innovation turned Piltover into the continent's commercial hub. Naturally, the profit-hungry council members didn't want the Hextech Gate business affected—who would dare to use it to transport goods if terrorists were still at large?
While reading the newspaper, he noticed three squads of enforcers pass by outside the window—certainly not the sign of a peaceful city. It seemed Jinx's antics at the police station... Hmm? Justin paused, sensing something was amiss. Why were so many enforcers stationed on the commercial street? If the intention was to prevent terrorist attacks, security should be tightened at the Hextech Gates or the administrative buildings instead; if they were trying to capture them, they should head straight to the Undercity, where Silco would likely guide them. Piltover's police force wasn't so plentiful to spread out like this.
Justin continued to read, hoping to glean some useful information from the newspaper. Meanwhile, Jinx, sitting across from him, had finished her cake and noticed he hadn't looked at her even once. She pouted with dissatisfaction, idly gnawing on her spoon. "Hey~" Jinx quietly moved her chair closer to Justin, spoon in mouth, leaned her head on his shoulder, and peered at the newspaper. "Anything interesting in the news?"
"Nothing much, just trivial matters," Justin said, not wanting her to catch on, so he tilted the newspaper away. The sharp girl, however, immediately grew suspicious. Jinx stretched her neck as far as it could go, and Justin moved the newspaper further to the right. When Jinx lay on the table, Justin held it up high. Then she simply nestled into his arms, sitting on his lap. With no other option, Justin moved the newspaper behind his head with a flick of his hand.
"Let me see!" Jinx turned around and knelt on Justin's lap, one arm around his neck and the other reaching for the newspaper. Pressed to this point, Justin had no choice but to give in. He flipped to the page and handed it to Jinx, who slid down to straddle his thighs, propping her head on his shoulder to read the newspaper.
Justin suddenly sensed numerous gazes, and a quick glance around confirmed it—the entire café was staring at them. The expressions mixed with five parts disdain, three parts contempt, and two parts envy.
"Excuse me, you two, this is a public place. Please keep it down a bit," the waiter reminded them with an awkward smile.
"Sorry, sorry..." Justin apologized profusely, completely embarrassed. Jinx, however, paid no heed, shifting her position to get more comfortable. In the Undercity, where everyone struggled to survive, concepts such as propriety and shame were nonexistent. When they were younger, if Justin hadn't firmly refused, he would've been dragged by Vi to bathe together. Jinx understood nothing of social boundaries; she liked Justin and wanted to be as close to him as possible. As for others' stares... that was the last thing on a madcap's mind.
"Why are they saying we were captured?"
"They're just deceiving themselves... Keep your voice down. We're already drawing too much attention. This is the Upper City," Justin whispered gently into her ear.
"Oh! I got it. Wouldn't it be so much fun to create some big news here? We could tear off their masks and smack them in the face! Isn't my idea brilliant?" Jinx exclaimed, thrashing about on Justin's lap, reaching for under her skirt. She had insisted on bringing a gun when they left, and with her schoolgirl uniform, the only place to hide it was under her skirt.
"No, no, don't!" Justin quickly stopped her hand. To others, it appeared as if this well-mannered deviant was touching a high school girl in broad daylight, and the contemptuous stares poured in like a tide.
"You promised me when we came out, didn't you? Today, we're just like any ordinary girl, having fun shopping..."
"Hmph." Jinx locked eyes with him, her big blue eyes brimming with grievance. "But you seem so distracted all the time... Are you thinking of someone else?"