Chapter 345: A Vivid Metaphor and the Kengan Ship
The night was enchanting. Under its dark veil, the world seemed to fall into a state of exceptional quiet and serenity, an embrace that held lives ready to awaken at any moment.
"Haah~ So sleepy..."
As the first to stir in the quiet little shop, Cerberus blinked open her eyes. She glanced toward Ren's room with a puzzled expression, then rubbed her eyes and looked over at another door, which was slightly ajar.
'Mmm... Who's in that room... Hmm... Jinx!'
After a moment's thought, Cerberus padded directly over. She pushed the door open and, just as she suspected, found Jinx sprawled across the bed in a most ungraceful posture. The girl was hugging a pillow tightly, a faint smile gracing her lips as she likely dreamed of the magnificent artwork she'd painted across the city cops' motorcycles.
"Ah!" Jinx's eyes flew open. "Phew... Cerberus! You scared me!"
"But I like it!" Cerberus chirped.
"But you like it!" Jinx echoed with a grin.
The two were, it had to be said, exceptionally compatible. Jinx's circle of best friends had quickly solidified to include Cerberus, Mirajane (whom she hadn't seen since their first meeting), and Kasugano Sora.
Her bond with Sora was simple: the quiet girl somehow made Jinx feel like an older sister. Sora, in turn, held a good impression of Jinx. Though she typically disliked interacting with immature people, there was an innocent, pure little-devil quality to Jinx that Sora found impossible to resent.
This was especially true after the incident where Caitlyn had chased Jinx all the way back to the shop with a sniper rifle. Sora had even spoken up for Jinx a couple of times. It couldn't be helped; that time, Jinx really hadn't deserved such a response. All she had done was draw a few pictures on a purely decorative public statue, and for that, she was pursued by a squad of police across half the city.
In any other situation, a group of fully armed officers with live ammunition would never give chase over something so trivial—the statue held no real significance. If night hadn't fallen while she was running, Jinx might have actually had to put in some real effort to escape.
The two girls left the door wide open. As their noisy chatter filled the hallway, alarms began to go off in the other rooms, waking everyone on schedule. Doors opened one by one, followed by a wave of good-natured laughter. The soundproofing in the shop's rooms was absolutely top-notch; an explosion could go off inside one, and no one outside would hear a thing.
It was only then that everyone realized Jinx had stayed over. They were all quite fond of her; though the girl was a whirlwind of chaos, she was undeniably interesting and cute.
"Lucifer, Lucifer, Lucifer, what's wrong with you?"
While they were eating breakfast, everyone noticed Lucifer rubbing her waist, her expression weary as she picked at her food. Despite her fatigue, however, her complexion was glowing.
Lucifer let out a delicate yawn. "I just strained my back going to the bathroom last night~"
Ichihara Yuko's mouth twitched into a knowing smile. "That's truly a perfect explanation, Lucifer~"
Lucifer nodded sagely. "Hmm... I think so too... Speaking of which, why haven't I seen Sora and Jinx? What are those two up to?"
From one of the rooms, a muffled argument could be heard.
"Sora... This... This isn't suitable for me!"
"What are you talking about! It's super suitable! And this one, too!"
"No, no, no! That damned Chef will laugh me to death! I'm not wearing it!"
"Ah~ You're impossible~ You at least have to wear something decent!"
When Jinx finally emerged, everyone froze for a moment. Ren couldn't hold back a chuckle, prompting Jinx to whirl around and shout, "Sora! I told you this bastard Chef would laugh!"
Ren waved a placating hand. "No, no, no~ What I mean is that you look surprisingly cute in a dress like this~ But if your hair were red, it would probably suit you even more~"
Kasugano Sora, standing behind her, nodded in agreement. "Mm~ I think so too~"
Jinx felt she had never been so disheveled, but a small part of her was still quite happy. It was the first time someone had praised her for being beautiful. Besides, this was another world, filled with all sorts of cars, clothes, and buildings she had never seen before, and the novelty of it all was exhilarating.
"This place looks so peaceful," she mused, watching the street outside. "Almost boringly peaceful~"
Her eyes widened. "Traffic police?! Hey! That's a high-risk job where I'm from~ Wait... no guns!? How strange..."
Watching Jinx gasp in constant surprise, the others just smiled. Those who knew she was from another world understood her reactions. Those who didn't simply assumed she was a girl with a flair for the dramatic.
Kasugano Sora spoke softly beside her. "Jinx... you're not going to play a prank, are you~"
"It'd actually look worse with drawings here! Seriously," Jinx grumbled, "if Piltover could be like this, there probably wouldn't be so many people messing things up~ Piltover is like stale bread wrapped in rags and thrown into a mud puddle... with flowers on top~"
Courage stared blankly. "Although I don't know what Piltover is... that's a very... vivid description. It just feels a bit strange..."
Cerberus tilted her head, thinking for a moment. "Jinx is probably saying that Piltover is a place that looks good on the surface but is actually rotten on the inside, right?"
Jinx snapped her fingers. "As expected of Cerberus!"
"Mm mm mm!" Cerberus puffed out her chest proudly.
Soon, the group met up with Momobami Kirari. She already had an impression of Jinx, as Ichihara Yuko and the others had discussed the girl in their group chat. Looking at her now, Kirari noted that while she was very thin, she was also quite beautiful and cute in her own way.
"Ren~ Did you bring that outfit?" Kirari asked, her eyes twinkling.
"It's fine~ I prepared a matching one for you~" Ren replied with a sigh.
Settling into the car Kirari had specially arranged, she looked at Ren with a serene smile.
He leaned back, closing his eyes. "You really are exceptionally persistent... How long will it take to get there?"
"Forty minutes," Kirari answered smoothly. "But since we're skipping the free-for-all on the Doom's Ferry and going directly to the Kengan Ship, there's no need to rush~"
"Mm~ In that case, you should tell me who the five opponents I have to fight are~"
"Eh? Don't be in such a hurry~ You'll know when we get there~ To be honest, the brackets can't be decided until the battle on the Doom's Ferry is over~ So let's talk about it then~"
Hearing this, Ren simply went quiet and rested. Kirari and the others chatted among themselves, careful not to disturb him.
When a colossal cruise ship finally appeared before their eyes, even Ichihara Yuko couldn't help but murmur, "Isn't this cruise ship a bit too big..."
As they stepped out of the car, they were met with a formidable sight. The docks were swarming with individuals in expensive suits. Some stood alone, accompanied by a single, burly man who towered over them. Others were flanked by several bodyguards, secretaries, and a designated fighter. The sheer density of the crowd made Kasugano Sora and Jinx a little nervous; not a single person here looked easy to deal with.
Kirari stood on her tiptoes, but all she could see was a sea of heads. She sighed. "Sure enough, Shion and Kirukiru, those two night owls, can stay up late~ They're very far ahead~ I can't see them at all~"
A low voice cut through the air, laced with a newfound energy.
"Mm~ Those guys are still the same as they were back then~ It's really been a while since I've felt this... hot-blooded~"
"Eh?"
Eight heads turned in unison, staring in surprise.
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