League of Legends If Route: Bond of Dawn ~The Two Not Chosen by Fate~ - Jealousy, Trio

The nights in the border zone were perpetually dim, no matter how late it got. The flickering glow of the gas lamps cast orange mottled patterns across the cobblestones. The air was damp, carrying a faint metallic tang. The chemical haze rising from Zaun drifted all the way up here, thin and acrid. "Hey, you think that stall with the chem-grill is still around?" Vi said it like they were heading out on a picnic. Her pink hair swayed gently in the night breeze. Her steel-gray eyes were narrowed with an easygoing calm that didn't match the reality—they were on their way to disarm a bomb. "...Do you even understand the situation we're in?" Caitlyn pressed her fingers to her temple. The small crescent-shaped scar on the left—a habit when she needed to focus. Except she wasn't focusing right now. She was just irritated. "Oh, what's the harm? A little reminiscing never hurt anyone. Right, Vi?" Jillian slipped her arm around Vi's left one, smooth as silk. Her short silver-gray hair brushed against Vi's shoulder. Her amber eyes flicked back toward Caitlyn, walking behind them, and narrowed with unmistakable amusement. (Y-You...!) Inside Caitlyn's head, I screamed. "You used to wake me up all the time in the middle of the night 'cause you were hungry. Remember that?" "Oh yeah! That did happen! Sorry about that, Jill. But man, that stall's chem-grill was seriously good!" Vi made no move to shake Jillian off. If anything, she was grinning with genuine nostalgia. (Her arm! Get off her arm! Let go of her!) Caitlyn's fingers unconsciously tightened around the grip of her hextech rifle. If this were a live round, she'd aim right at the back of Jillian's silver head and—no. No, she couldn't. She was a professional, wasn't she? She was supposed to be a professional. "...Let's pick up the pace. We're wasting time." She managed to keep her voice steady, more or less. But her heart was pounding. Jillian turned around, smooth and fluid. The right corner of her mouth curled upward in a smirk. "So, partner. Do you even know Vi's favorite food?" A sweet smile. But her eyes weren't smiling at all. That look—she was testing Caitlyn. Completely. "...Hexberry tart." The moment she said it, she regretted it. "Oh my. You *have* been paying attention." "Wait, Cait, you keep track of stuff like that? That's kinda amazing." Vi said it with an innocent, genuinely impressed expression. (Paying attention... she said I've been paying attention...!) Caitlyn's ears flushed bright red. This was absurd. Completely absurd. They were on duty. They were on their way to disarm a bomb. Why was she— Jillian let out a soft, amused laugh. She was thoroughly enjoying Caitlyn's reaction. Just before the side street, where the path opened into Mist Alley, the air turned sharply cold. A thin fog crept along the ground, blurring the gas lamps into hazy smears of light. From within that fog, a man stepped forward. "It's been a while, Cait." His pale, nearly white blond hair was tied back in a single tail. His bangs hid his right eye; the left, visible, was a pale lavender. Tall, with a quiet, composed presence. He was so skilled at erasing his presence that she hadn't noticed him until he was nearly upon her. "Luca...?" Caitlyn's eyes widened. Her childhood friend—someone she'd known since she was a child. Luca, the information broker who had always watched over her from the shadows. For just a moment, Jillian's gaze flicked toward Luca. A sharp look, as if she knew something. But she quickly turned away, feigning disinterest. "Can we talk? Just the two of us." Luca's voice was so quiet it didn't reach Vi or Jillian. Caitlyn nodded and stepped closer to him. The two of them moved to the edge of the alley wall. "Her objective isn't to take Vi away from you." Luca said it without any preamble. "...What do you mean?" "She's moving toward something else entirely. Based on the intel I've gathered—" That moment. The scene from earlier flashed through Caitlyn's mind. Jillian clinging to Vi's arm. Vi laughing. The two of them, so close. "Something else?! Did you see what she was just doing?! Clinging to her arm! Reminiscing about old times! How is any of that 'not trying to take her'?!" Caitlyn's voice came out louder than even she expected. In the distance, Vi and Jillian turned around. "Calm down, Cait. Listen to me. This is important." "I understand you have information to share. But right now, disarming the bomb comes first." Caitlyn cut him off and returned to the group. Luca said nothing more. He simply watched her retreating back. His fingers pressed gently against his right eye—the silver prosthetic, intricately crafted. Old Arbus's stall was tucked away in the deepest corner of the side street. A wooden stall blackened with grease and dust, looking like it hadn't been cleaned in a year. The elderly owner had long since evacuated. "Under the floorboards. It's rigged here." Jillian raised her prosthetic arm, and the green glow of shimmer liquid illuminated the bomb beneath the floor. Old-model Zaunite components. A chemical time bomb. "This bomb has an additional layer of protection. I'll provide the chemical formulas needed for disarming. You two follow the procedure exactly. That acceptable?" "Of course it's not acceptable." Caitlyn stepped forward. "Tell me why you're drip-feeding us information. If you gave us all the codes from the start, this would go much faster. Why are you splitting it up? What's the reason? Because you don't trust us? Or is there some other intention behind it?" Their gazes clashed in midair. The sensation of sparks flying. "My, aren't we suspicious." "It's only professional. Prove to me that your refusal to disclose everything right now is based on technical necessity, not emotional manipulation." "Technical necessity, huh. And if I tell you, you'll believe me?" "That depends on what you say." "You two!" Vi's voice split the air like a crack of lightning. "Let's just stop the bomb first, yeah? Huh? You can fight it out after, right?" Her voice was so bright it was almost off-target. Her expression—completely misunderstanding the situation. (You...! Does this look like a fight to you?!) Caitlyn wanted to bury her face in her hands. Jillian, after a moment of blank surprise, doubled over laughing. "Ahahaha! Vi, you really never change, do you? Fine, whatever. Let's disarm it." Jillian began reading out codes from her prosthetic. Caitlyn, forcing the uncontainable anger deep into her chest, got to work. The disarming process took fifteen minutes. Jillian recited the chemical formulas; Caitlyn executed the steps. Throughout it all, the two of them didn't exchange a single word. Except—just once—Jillian's prosthetic brushed against Caitlyn's fingertips. In that instant, their eyes met for a single second. Something lurked deep within Jillian's amber eyes. Caitlyn could see it. And Jillian, too, seemed to sense something as she looked into the fierce determination burning in Caitlyn's gaze. (This one... I can't underestimate her.) It was understood without a word being spoken. "Man, you know what?!" The moment the bomb was disarmed and the three of them caught their breath in front of the stall, Vi spoke up with an unguarded grin. "You two are seriously in perfect sync!" "...Excuse me?" "...What?" Their voices overlapped perfectly. "There is no way she and I are in perfect sync!" "Me and this enforcer? In what world?" Their voices overlapped again. "No, I mean, that disarming just now! You were both super fast, and it was like you were talking with your eyes the whole time!" Vi tilted her head, her face showing absolutely no comprehension of what was so funny. (Talking with our eyes...?! That wasn't my intention at all...!) Caitlyn's face went red all the way to her ears as she looked down. Jillian let out a small, exasperated laugh. For a split second, Caitlyn almost found herself laughing along. But she held it in. "Anyway! Tell us the location of the next bomb!" Jillian slowly stepped backward. The alley's fog began to wrap around her body. "The rest are gathered in one location. But telling you where... it's still too early." Her voice, unlike her earlier provocative tone, carried a hint of something lonely. "Wait!" Caitlyn reached out her hand. But Jillian's figure had already melted into the fog and vanished. "...She got away." Caitlyn let her clenched fist drop limply. She hadn't learned the location of the next bomb, nor Jillian's true objective. By ignoring Luca's warning, the investigation had hit a complete dead end. "Well, whatever! Let's call it a day for now. You're tired, right, Cait?" Vi gave Caitlyn's shoulder a light pat. "...You're right. Let's head back to headquarters and reorganize our intel." The two of them left the border zone behind. From beyond the thin fog, Luca watched their retreating figures. He leaned his back against the alley's stone wall, pressing his fingers to his right eye—the prosthetic. A faint blue light flickered deep within it. Data regarding Jillian's plan was quietly accumulating. "...I'll record everything. I'll make sure it reaches Cait." Just as Luca murmured those words— At the edge of the side street, Jillian had stopped. She was aware of Luca's presence. Their gazes crossed for the briefest moment through the fog. No words were exchanged. But it was a heavy look—one that acknowledged each knew the other's position. Jillian vanished into the fog. Luca, too, disappeared into the depths of the alley. The night in the border zone was not yet over. The remaining bombs were still out there, somewhere.

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Episode 3

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

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