League of Legends If Route: Bond of Dawn ~The Two Not Chosen by Fate~ - The Bomb Girl and the Detonation of First Love

Enforcer Headquarters, Science Analysis Lab. The silence of the late night was shattered by the trembling voice of Analyst Haynes. "Chief Kirschtein... th-this is..." Caitlyn looked at Haynes's pale face and felt a chill of foreboding run down her spine. About twelve hours since that explosion. The bomb fragments collected from the scene had been under analysis by the science team all night long. "What did you find, Haynes? Tell me plainly." Caitlyn spoke with forced calm. Inside, she was burning with impatience to know the results. Unconsciously, her thumb traced the small crescent-shaped scar on her temple. A habit of hers when focusing before a sniper shot. "I cross-referenced the bomb's chemical formula with the database... There was only one paper with a compound ratio matching ninety-nine point eight percent." With trembling fingers, Haynes operated the terminal and displayed an old research paper on the main monitor. Dated eight years ago. The name of the submitter—Jillian Vero. Caitlyn's breath caught. No, "breath caught" was too mild. Her lungs completely ceased to function. On the screen was a photograph of a young woman. Short, silver-gray hair. Vertically elongated amber eyes, like a cat's. And a provocative smile at the corner of her mouth, as if she saw through everything. "Jillian Vero... A genius chemical engineer from Zaun who studied in Piltover eight years ago. A leading authority in chemtech chemistry, one of the few engineers capable of stabilizing shimmer fluid. However, she vanished immediately after completing her studies. All official records after that have been completely erased by someone." "Erasing records... That's a feat only possible with Council-level authority." Caitlyn's voice was colder than even she expected. Professional alarm. And, more than that—something dangerously unsettling about the aura of the woman in this photo. Not logic, but instinctive wariness was sounding an alarm deep in her chest. "There's more. Based on the degradation rate of the shimmer fluid detected at the explosion site, I've back-calculated the timer for the next bomb. The next target is—Gray Lantern Alley in the border zone. And the timer will activate shortly." Caitlyn operated the terminal, digging deeper into Jillian's file. Then, an old group photograph appeared on the screen. Likely from her Piltover study days. A young Jillian, laughing with several other students. And next to her— "Vi...?" Vivid pink short hair. Strong-willed steel-gray eyes. No doubt about it. That messy, slightly spiky hair—it was unmistakably her partner. In that instant, something indescribable burst deep within Caitlyn's chest. Something separate from professional alarm—a hot, churning, uncontrollable mass of emotion. (Why is Vi with this woman—) She desperately suppressed that emotion and called Vi to the Science Analysis Lab. — "Huh, Jillian!? No way!? She's the culprit!?" The moment Vi saw the photo, her steel-gray eyes went wide and she shouted. That reaction sent a sharp pang through Caitlyn's heart. "So you know her." "Yeah... Back when I was still running with gangs in Zaun, she was a pal... or, I guess, my lover." Vi's words pierced Caitlyn's chest like a sharp blade. Lover. So that's it. She was her lover. The two of them had that kind of relationship. Her mind went completely blank. No voice came out. Her fingertips trembled. (Why am I so shocked? I'm a professional. This is work. Whatever Vi did with whoever in the past has nothing to do with me.) But no. It has everything to do with me. Everything. Because I—I, about Vi— "Hey, Cait? What's wrong? You look pale as hell." Vi peered at her face with concern. Too close. Normally, that would make her heart race, but now it just made her chest ache. "...It's nothing. Anyway, we're heading to Gray Lantern Alley immediately. Evacuate the civilians and disarm the bomb." Caitlyn beat her emotions into silence with reason and picked up her hex rifle. The mission took priority now. — Border zone, Gray Lantern Alley. Despite the late hour, the market in this buffer zone was bustling with dozens of customers. Blue hex lights from Piltover and green chemtech lights from Zaun mingled together, casting an eerie, somewhat decadent glow. From the stalls came the sound of frying oil, the shouts of vendors hawking their wares, and the lingering, sickly-sweet scent of shimmer fluid. "Dammit, too many people... No way we can evacuate them." "We find the bomb first. Vi, with your sense of smell, you should be able to pick up the sweet, pungent odor of chemtech." The two split up and began inspecting the stalls one by one. Behind the stalls, in the gaps between stacked wooden crates, under drain covers— "Cait! Over here!" Vi's sharp voice. Caitlyn rushed over to find, beneath a smoked meat stall run by an old woman alone, a device emitting an eerie green light. A chemtech chemical time bomb. Shimmer fluid circulated through thin tubes, counting down the timer. And the number was already—under three minutes. "Three minutes isn't enough time to input a disarm code...! I'll delay the explosion with a cooling shot. Vi, you handle the people around us!" Caitlyn raised her hex rifle. The hex crystal embedded in the barrel glowed blue. Her target was the heart of the bomb—the shimmer fluid circulation pump. She would shoot through it and temporarily paralyze the explosive energy. Her fingertip touched the trigger. As if tracing the scar on her temple, her consciousness focused to a single point. The surrounding noise faded away, leaving only the sound of her heartbeat and the regular electronic beep of the bomb's countdown. That was when it happened. "Too bad. That one's a decoy." A mocking voice came from the back of the stall. Caitlyn turned her gaze to see a woman stepping out of the darkness. Short, silver-gray hair. Vertically elongated amber eyes, like a cat's. A far more dangerous, far more bewitching smile than in the photograph. Everything from her left wrist down was a chemtech prosthetic, green shimmer fluid circulating through thin tubes. Jillian Vero. She lightly moved the fingers of her left prosthetic hand, and a green control signal emitted from it, casually stopping the bomb's timer. Then, Jillian's gaze passed right through Caitlyn and pierced into Vi. Her amber eyes gleamed like a beast that had found its prey. "I've missed you, Vi!" She dashed over as lightly as a kitten and threw herself at Vi, who stood frozen in shock. Then, without any regard for the eyes of the surrounding customers, she planted a deep kiss right on Vi's lips. (Ah—) Sound vanished from Caitlyn's world. She couldn't comprehend the scene unfolding before her eyes. No, she didn't want to comprehend it. The silver-haired woman's slender arms were wrapped around her Vi's neck. Those lips were pressed against her Vi's lips. (Stop it...) Inside her head, she screamed. (Stop it... Don't touch Vi...!) She's mine. My precious partner. I haven't even been able to tell her I love her yet. I hadn't even properly realized my own feelings. (She's mine... She's been mine, for so long...!) Her heart felt like it was about to burst. Her chest burned hot. The corners of her eyes stung. What is this? What is this emotion? —Jealousy. A blazing, burning jealousy. For the first time in her life, Caitlyn Kirschtein realized the fact that she was in love with someone—and the agony of having that person taken by another woman—with a shock that felt like it was tearing her apart. "Wh-what the hell are you doing! Jillian! Hey, cut it out!" Vi turned bright red and pushed Jillian back by the chest. Even so, Jillian didn't release her lips for a while, and when she finally let Vi go with a satisfied look, she licked her own lips. "You haven't changed, Vi. Still a terrible kisser." "Shut up! I mean, that's not the point! What the hell are you doing, bombing people!" Vi's familiar yelling finally pulled Caitlyn back to reality. Her fingers trembled. She was aware of a murderous intent, unlike anything she'd ever felt, filling the hand that gripped her hex rifle. "Step away from that woman, Vi. And Jillian Vero, I'm placing you under arrest as the mastermind behind the serial bombings." The voice she somehow squeezed out might not have even sounded like a voice. Still, her professional pride barely kept her standing. "Oh my, how scary, Sheriff. But it's no use." Jillian raised her left prosthetic hand. Then, a holographic map showing key points throughout the city was projected into the air from the prosthetic. Parks, schools, hospitals, bridges—all over Piltover and the border zone, six red dots blinked ominously. "The full disarm codes are inside this prosthetic. But if you try to take it by force or arrest me, all the bombs are programmed to detonate simultaneously." "You bastard! This ain't about old times, is it! What's your goal, Jillian!" Vi pressed closer to Jillian. "My goal? Let's see... First, how about the three of us go around disarming the bombs together? With the two of you, of course." Jillian wrapped her arm around Vi's and deliberately pressed her body close, as if provoking Caitlyn. "Wasn't your partner supposed to be exceptional, Vi? Or is this woman actually nothing special?" Jillian's amber eyes pierced through Caitlyn. Those words gouged into Caitlyn's jealousy like a knife, audibly tearing her reason apart. "Just hurry up and tell us the next bomb, you bomb woman!" "Oh my, such a foul mouth. But fine. Here's the first code. Seven, four, nine—" Vi input the code Jillian spoke into the bomb. A tense moment. —But while the bomb stopped its timer, its internal components all scorched at once, merely spewing out green smoke. "Oh dear, you actually believed it? That code was a fake that only disengages the detonator. But since the parts are broken, this bomb is useless now. However—" Jillian sneered. Only the right corner of her mouth twisted upward. "Six more real bombs are waiting for you. If you want the disarm codes, you'll do as I say." — Border zone, Mist Alley, just before dawn. The three walked side by side down a cobblestone alley where gas lamp flames flickered and a thin mist hung in the air. To be precise, Caitlyn walked one step behind, glaring at the backs of Vi and Jillian walking ahead. "Hey, Vi. That smoked meat from the stall back there was pretty good. Tasted just like the stuff we used to eat together in Zaun." Jillian clung to Vi's arm and whispered in her ear. Her amber eyes glanced back at Caitlyn and narrowed with amusement. It was deliberate. Completely deliberate. (That woman...! She's absolutely doing it on purpose...!) Inside Caitlyn, she screamed. Her grip on the hex rifle tightened, and if this weren't a cooling round but a live one, she would have blown that silver-haired back of the head off right then and there. "Hey, you're way more clingy than you used to be! Get off!" Vi was embarrassed, but she didn't try to forcefully shake Jillian off. She couldn't bring herself to be cold to her former lover. That kindness now only stirred up Caitlyn's heart. She strode up with long steps and pressed herself close to Vi's other side. "Vi, come over here. Focus on disarming the bombs." "Oh my, jealous? The Sheriff has a strong possessive streak. Guarding her like a watchdog." "Who are you calling a dog!?" "Ahaha, did I hit a nerve? Don't be so mad. I'm just an ex-girlfriend reminiscing about old times." Jillian laughed with delight. That smile poured more fuel on Caitlyn's jealousy. "Hey, you two are really in sync! Maybe you could be friends? You seem like you're having fun talking trash together!" Vi, with a completely carefree grin, said something utterly outrageous. (...Huh?) For a moment, the air in the alley froze. Caitlyn turned bright red up to her ears from anger and embarrassment, and Jillian, after a moment of blinking in surprise, burst ou

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Episode 2

Name: League of Legends If Route: Bond of Dawn ~The Two Not Chosen by Fate~
Author: Novelia

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