The ringleader's final trump card trembled in the night air. "I'll tell you... how to reverse it. Make a deal with me." Bound hands raised, a silver ring glinting in the moonlight. Pinned to the floor, the head of the Shimmer Syndicate smiled in triumph. But— "[cold]Those research records have already been extracted from your server." Victor's voice was so quiet it surprised even themself. The ringleader's face froze. "Wh-what—" "The restoration data you were hiding. I just confirmed it with the analysis device. It's not a complete reversal method, but it contains more than enough clues." Their fingertips were still trembling. The data that had indeed remained inside the analysis device they'd snatched back from Jayce. When they'd finished reading it, they let out a small breath. (*This—this is over.*) The ringleader's expression crumbled before their eyes. "N... NOOOOOOOOO!!" The man who had been so domineering until now suddenly screamed. "That's impossible! That was mine alone—" "[cold]That's quite enough." Caitlyn snapped the handcuffs on. *Click.* The cold sound echoed through the alley. In that deep, gruff voice, yet with impeccable ladylike precision, they declared: "All of your misdeeds will be submitted as evidence. That is all." The ringleader hung his head. Victor quietly clenched their fist. (*It's fine. We have the data. All that's left—*) Relief spread warmly through their chest. But that relief quickly transformed into something else. They glanced sideways. Jayce. Swollen cheek. Split lip. A battered, beaten figure. But—those golden eyes were looking at Victor, gently softened. (*There's something... I need to tell this person.*) Victor looked away. Their ears were burning. —— Outside, the night's chill bit into their skin. Stars flickered in the sky above. In the distance, Zaun's neon lights blinked and shifted colors. "[excited]Pwahhh! Finally, fresh air!" Jinx thrust both arms high into the air. Their spiked blue hair swayed in the night breeze. The tattoos covering their body rose eerily under the moonlight. "[excited]Hey, hey, Caitlyn—next time, can we blow up the syndicate's hidden warehouses too?" "[angry]Absolutely NOT!!" Caitlyn shouted in that deep, gruff voice. Their navy-blue short hair quivered. The gap between their large, masculine body and their refined manner of speech never failed to draw a laugh. "[surprised]Whaaat!? Why not! We just need a warrant, right?" "[angry]As if we could possibly get one! Do you even understand what a warrant is!?" "[surprised]A warrant... can you eat it?" "[laughing]Ahahaha!! You can't eat it, dumbass!!" Vi clutched their stomach laughing. Their shocking-pink hair shook. The old scar on their left cheek lifted sharply with their grin. "[angry]Vi! Don't just laugh—stop them!!" "[laughing]But come on—'can you eat a warrant'! Jinx, you're the best!!" "[excited]Right!? I'm a genius, aren't I!" "[angry]In what possible way!!" Caitlyn's face was bright red. Watching the exchange, Victor couldn't help but let out a small laugh. (*...The tension's gone.*) The air that had been stretched taut all this time felt just a little lighter. "[serious]...Jinx, you're coming to headquarters. For questioning." "[scared]Ehhh!? I'm the victim here, y'know!?" "[serious]No. You are a material witness who tampered with the device without authorization." Caitlyn grabbed Jinx's arm. "[angry]Hey—let go! I'm tired, and I wanna go to sleep—" "[serious]Not an option. We're going." "[laughing]Hang in there, Caitlyn." Vi fell into step beside them, bumping shoulders lightly. "[embarrassed]...Shut up." Caitlyn smiled, just a little. (*Those two... they're back to normal.*) Victor narrowed their eyes. No matter how their bodies had changed, no matter what anyone said. The two of them were still partners, just as they'd always been. Three shadows receded into the night alley. —And then. Before they knew it, only Victor and Jayce remained on the moonlit street. It was quiet. The wind blew softly through. "[gentle]...So we might be able to go back." Jayce spoke, almost to themself. "The method's in the server, right?" That voice—it wasn't the usual confidence-filled Jayce. It sounded... sad, somehow. Victor looked down. (*We can go back—*) To their original bodies. To their original, male selves. (*If we do, this chaos will end.*) (*This heart-pounding feeling around Jayce... will disappear.*) (*Everything—back to normal.*) But— Deep in their chest, a sharp ache. "[whispers]...But." Their voice trembled. "[whispers]Maybe... it's okay if we don't go back." "Huh?" Jayce's eyes went wide. "[whispers]I—" They lifted their face. The moonlight illuminated Victor's dark eyes. "[whispers]I've been hiding it all this time, but I... about you..." The words caught. Their throat trembled. They couldn't say it. Not enough data. No coherent theory. But—this had nothing to do with data or theory. (*I want to tell you.*) (*This feeling—*) Victor slowly reached out a trembling hand. Their fingertips touched the back of Jayce's hand. Gently, they rested them there. Warm. "Huh... Vic...?" Jayce's voice cracked. Their eyes met. Victor's cheeks were bright red, and Jayce's face—even under the moonlight, it was clearly just as red. Silence. A few seconds. But—those few seconds felt like an eternity. "[embarrassed]N-not yet—I'll reach a conclusion after I've properly gathered the data...!!" Victor quickly pulled their hand back and spun around. "[embarrassed]S-so for now—just—" They started walking, fast. Nearly tripping. Their foot caught on the cobblestones, and their body lurched sideways. (*N-no—I can't fall here—!*) Desperately regaining their balance, they somehow managed not to fall as they rounded the corner. They fled. Jayce stood there alone, rooted to the spot. The sensation of that hand resting on theirs still lingered. (*Maybe it's okay if we don't go back—?*) (*About me—?*) Victor's words repeated in their head. Their chest felt like it might burst. (*Does that mean—*) (*I also—*) Jayce looked up at the night sky. Stars flickered. The wind blew. —And then. "[excited]I LOVE YOU TOO————!!!!" They shouted. Their voice echoed through the alley. The footsteps of the three walking a short distance ahead stopped dead. "[laughing]...Took 'em long enough." Vi shrugged. "[serious]I'll be questioning both of them later." Caitlyn said it with a straight face. But—the corners of their mouth were just barely relaxed. "[surprised]Huh? What competition is this?" Jinx looked between the two of them with a blank expression. Jayce— Noticing the three voices, they covered their face with both hands. "[embarrassed]Ah... aaaah..." They crumpled to the ground, crouching on the spot. Their ears, their neck, their entire face—burning hot. But— (*I love you—I wonder if it got through.*) Moonlight spilled through the gaps between their fingers. —The next morning. A single envelope arrived at the Enforcer headquarters' front desk. Sender unknown. "[serious]...What's this?" Caitlyn broke the seal. Inside was a single sheet of paper. On it, a strange string of numbers and symbols—an encrypted document. "[serious]I'll decode it." A few minutes later. Caitlyn's expression changed. "[cold]The Shimmer Syndicate is merely the tip of the branch." That deep, gruff voice resonated quietly. "The true client is someone else. The blueprints for the Variant Core have already been copied and delivered—so it says." "[surprised]What...?" Victor took the scrap of paper and ran it through their own analysis device. The device began analyzing the paper's composition. "The paper quality—specialty paper from the upper levels. It doesn't exist in Zaun. This is the official paper used by Piltover's government offices." They looked up. Gray eyes intersected with Caitlyn's. (*The culprit—*) (*Is in the upper levels.*) (*And not just that—inside the Council itself.*) "[whispers]...This is." Victor drew a sharp breath. (*The Shimmer Syndicate—was just the beginning?*) Wind blew in through the window. A new mystery quietly surfaced from the depths of the case.