When Linwin entered the metal-walled room, he was completely sober.
He realized that he might have been a bit impulsive in hitting Vander earlier. Making Vander lose face in front of so many people, especially when the second-in-command of the team beats up the leader...
However, Linwin didn't regret it. Vander deserved a good beating; he always acted like the big boss, and his actions reflected that.
Rather than discussing things with Linwin, Vander seemed to be just venting to him. Whenever Linwin pointed out Vander's wrongdoings, he would switch from venting Vander to the authoritative Vander.
Did he really think that nobody in the Undercity could beat him? Linwin had just spared him some embarrassment!
Linwin shook his head and pushed open the door.
Upon entering, he felt something was off.
Little Powder didn't rush to his legs as usual, and Vi was sitting on the couch, hands crossed under her chin, in the same manner Vander often adopted.
Claggor and Mylo stood behind Vi, like bodyguards. Claggor looked at Linwin apologetically, and Mylo simply avoided making eye contact.
"What's going on?" Linwin asked, then he saw the white-haired little boy hiding in the corner.
"Ekko... you little rascal."
As soon as Linwin saw him, he understood the situation with everyone.
Ekko, the clever and sly guy in the group, had his ways.
He was intelligent and mischievous, and in this generation of the Undercity, there was no secret that Ekko couldn't uncover. His strange inventions were all over the Undercity, sometimes even benefiting Linwin.
He was indeed a very clever guy.
But... how dare he? He actually dared to use his little inventions on me? And he dares to eavesdrop on my conversation with Vander.
Benzo didn't teach him this, did he?
"Is your butt ready for a beating?" Linwin grinned, rolling up his fists, walking towards Ekko.
"Vi, Vi! You promised you'd help me!"
Ekko bolted, running to Vi."
"Linwin!"
Vi rushed to Linwin, looking up at him and pointing at his chest with her finger, speaking rapidly like a machine gun:
"Why did you hit Vander? Although I don't need Vander to clean up after me, because I'm not a child anymore and I'll take responsibility for my own mistakes. But Vander didn't do anything wrong. He was looking out for me. By hitting him like this, how do you think people outside of the Undercity will view him? Are you two breaking apart?!"
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm not talking nonsense. How could you hit Vander? He's... he's like a father to me... in any case, it's wrong for you to hit him!"
So it's okay if he hits me?
Hmm... Vander didn't seem to want to hit me either.
Linwin shook his head and quickly grabbed Vi's hand, then used his other hand to vigorously ruffle her hair. He raised his voice, speaking sternly:
"Who gave you permission to speak to me like this?"
Powder, seeing this scene, felt nervous, holding the blue rabbit plushie Linwin had given her, standing there unsure of who to help. However, judging by where her eyes were focused, she leaned more towards her sister.
Older and wiser Mylo simply started walking towards the door step by step, choosing not to take sides, and not even staying inside the room. He planned to eavesdrop from outside.
Claggor, having seen this kind of situation many times, wasn't surprised. Vi, with her quick temper, and Linwin, who often complained about Vander being the 'big boss' but still managed to protect and guide everyone. Ha... they easily ended up arguing whenever they were together.
"It's your fault!"
"How did I do anything wrong?" Linwin chuckled.
He lightly pushed Vi and then pressed her onto the couch, restraining her shoulder with one hand, making her sit still. Linwin then spoke again, his tone fierce:
"What? You want to fight me? I'm the one who taught you how to fight. Besides, even Vander can't beat me. You think you can beat me? Vi, wait another hundred years if you want to try!"
"Also, who told you that Vander's actions were justified?"
Vi sat on the couch, still huffing with anger, retorting, "Of course, I know he was wrong. I'll handle my own mistakes, and if I need to turn myself in, I'll do it on my own!"
"Smack!"
"Ouch, Linwin, what are you doing!" Vi held her head in pain after the hit.
Linwin withdrew his hand, bent down slowly, and looked at Vi. "Vi, maybe I've been too lenient in the past, or maybe you're going through your rebellious phase?"
Seeing that Linwin seemed genuinely angry, Vi stopped talking.
"I had my reasons for hitting Vander, and about breaking apart, do you want me to sever ties with Vander?"
"I didn't..."
"Sit down!"
"Okay"
Vi placed her hands on her lap, straightened her posture, and became obedient, looking ahead without saying a word.
Behind Claggor, little Ekko saw this scene and realized he was in trouble.
Vi always played with him and was his boss... but Vi had a boss too, and that boss was Linwin, right?
He didn't mess with the boss, but he managed to anger the boss's boss...
Ekko: I'm done for.
When Vander couldn't handle Vi, Linwin would step in. For certain reasons, Vander had never laid a hand on Vi, but Linwin was different. If Vi really did something very wrong, Linwin would indeed discipline her.
Her combat skills, aside from being honed in the streets, were primarily developed by Linwin's training.
Now she could easily handle several same-aged or even older troublemakers. This demonstrated Vi's talent in combat, but also implied that Linwin was tough when he disciplined her...
"Do you now understand where you went wrong?"
"Yes..."
"Tell me where you went wrong."
"I was wrong for being impulsive. I should have listened to your explanation first, big brother," Vi said, raising her head, looking at Linwin with a pitiful expression.
Linwin chuckled, lightly tapping Vi's forehead with his index finger, mimicking how she had pointed at his chest earlier.
"Explanation? Explain what to you? What you said earlier was somewhat right, but what about the things you said afterward?"
Linwin lightly tapped Vi's forehead again, causing her head to tilt backward.
"Sit here and reflect on your actions!"
He tapped her again.
"Surrender yourself? Surrender my foot! If it weren't for my permission, do you dare leave this room? Just wait and see."
"Claggor! Mylo!" Linwin called again.
"Yes, big brother."
"Here, big brother," Mylo hurriedly ran into the room, afraid of being scolded by Linwin for being too slow.
"Except for Powder, from today onwards, none of you are allowed to enter this room."
"And Ekko."
"Yes!" Ekko stood straight.
"Watch over this room for me. If things go smoothly from here, this incident can be put behind us. Otherwise..."
Ekko shivered and quickly agreed.
Finally, Linwin flicked Vi's forehead slightly before standing up.
Speaking in a softer tone, Linwin said, "I made a promise to you, and I'll sort all this out."
Vi nodded. "I know you will."
"So why did you act that way? Don't you trust me?"
"I do trust you. I just... I feel like all of this is my fault."
"It definitely is your fault."
Vi nodded again. "That's why I think I should take responsibility for it. I've grown up too."
"Ekko already told me."
Linwin teased Vi, "You're only thirteen, what do you mean 'grown up'?"
"You!" Linwin's teasing got Vi a bit upset. "But you were already helping Vander with things at my age. Why can't I?"
"Even if you've grown up, I won't allow you to do this."
"Why? You can't always be like this. Linwin, I know you want to protect me, but I really have grown up. I can make decisions for myself." Vi raised her hands, gesticulating animatedly. "You can protect Powder, and I can protect myself... mmph!"
Linwin placed a hand over her mouth and shook his head.
"You're my sister too."
Vi blinked, then turned her head.
Okay... she truly lost to this guy.
Always looking gentle, always pretending to be weak and inconspicuous.
But when something happened, he acted like Vander, asserting himself. Not only did he manage his own affairs, but also trivial things like posture and how she sat.
Truely a Big Brother...
Inside the room, Linwin put on a slightly dirty apron and headed towards the cooking area to prepare a simple dinner for everyone.
Seeing Linwin heading to the kitchen, Ekko had no intention of leaving. He stood behind Powder, feeling his mouth starting to water.
"Why haven't you left yet, you little rascal?" Linwin noticed Ekko's behavior and saw him holding Powder's hand. Seeing this, Linwin furrowed his brows.
This kid.
Linwin knew that Ekko had been fond of Powder since he was little, and it wasn't just admiration—it was more of a romantic liking.
"You claim to be a tough Zaunite, but you can't even walk away at the sight of dinner?" Linwin teased Ekko.
Seeing Linwin smile, Ekko immediately felt less nervous.
They couldn't really play with Linwin, including Vi. Even though Linwin wasn't much older than them, in fact, Linwin was only two years older than Vi, spending time with him, including Vi, made them all feel uneasy.
Ekko also thought Linwin was even more nagging than Benzo, always keeping an eye on them.
Dinner was very simple—some dark brown bread rolls and a piece of dried meat for each person. Despite the simplicity, it made the youngsters quite content.
Because even in Vander's place, Vi and Powder rarely got to eat meat. In Zaun, a nicely baked oatmeal bread was expensive, not to mention fresh meat.
Did Bogtoad count as meat?
With that taste and its anesthetic toxicity, ha... definitely not.
"Mylo, Claggor, stay out of trouble on your way to Benzo's place tonight."
After sending Ekko, Mylo and Claggor away, Linwin turned around. Vi was washing dishes, a small basin filled with water and a wet cloth, but she was going to use this bit of water to wash several dishes. Powder, on the other hand, was sitting on the sofa cuddling her rabbit doll, lost in thought.
Linwin noticed that something was off with Powder.
He had noticed it during dinner.
She didn't seem as lively as before. After all, when Linwin used to give her dried meat, she would cheer and leap around. But this time, when Linwin brought out the meat, Powder just took it silently and held it like a little rabbit, nibbling on it.
This was not right.
Powder was not a quiet girl.
Although she didn't act as wild and tomboyish as Vi, she had been with Vi on the streets of Zaun since she was young.
Gentle?
That word truly didn't fit the children of Zaun.
Linwin walked behind Powder, bent down, and gently placed his arm on her head.
"What's wrong? Your eyebrows are all furrowed," he asked.
"First of all, let me clarify, Vi and I weren't arguing. I was educating her because she's immature," Linwin said.
"Sure, sure, you're always right. My bad," Vi complained while washing the dishes.
"Linwin..."
Powder gripped her rabbit plushie tightly, pressing its arm into a small hollow.
"If I make a mistake, will you hate me?" she asked, her voice trembling.
Linwin ruffled Powder's hair.
Clean water in Zaun was precious, so maintaining a bubbly hairstyle like this was not as easy to take care of like Vi's hair. Powder's hair was slightly dirty, but Linwin reached out and gently ruffled it. Unlike when he spoke to Vi, Linwin's tone was very gentle when talking to Powder.
"No, but depending on the severity of your mistake, I'll have to discipline you," he answered.
Powder looked up, and Linwin withdrew his hand. She looked at him, biting her lower lip. "Will you hit me, like how you hit Vi?"
"He won't hit you. He'll just lift you up, tell you bedtime stories, and take you to buy delicious food the next day!"
Vi's hand shot up, making a gesture of being speechless. Then she lowered her voice and said, "Damn you, Linwin, even though I'm also your little sister..."
How good was Linwin's hearing?
Of course, he heard Vi's voice clearly.
In the original universe, the brutal enforcer of Piltover would say something like this...
Ha, Linwin wasn't surprised at all.
Because Vi was truly a kind and adorable girl.
She easily placed trust in someone, but at the same time, she could easily get angry at them.
A straightforward and carefree young girl—that was Vi.
And she was the first champion card Linwin ever collected.
"I'll save the disciplining for when you grow a bit older."
"Ah..."
Hearing Vi's words, Powder was initially smiling, her little face showing happiness. But when she heard Linwin's addition, she immediately wore a worried expression.
"I think I know why the explosion happened."
"?!"
Vi rushed out, holding a wet cloth, but when she saw the water stains on the cloth flying onto Linwin's face, and Linwin looking at her silently, she quickly ran back into the kitchen.
But her hand holding the dish didn't move, and her head was turned in this direction.
"Linwin, Mylo was right. The explosion happened because of me."
"But I didn't lie to you. I only discovered it just now. I really didn't lie to you."
Remembering her conversation with Linwin earlier in the morning, Powder felt nervous. She was afraid Linwin would think she was lying, but she really wasn't!
Powder squeezed the arm of her rabbit plushie tightly and whispered, "I really didn't mean to. Someone was banging on the door, and I got scared. I really didn't mean to."
"Why did the explosion happen?"
Powder felt her pocket and pulled out a few small balls from her pants. They were small stones emitting a blue glow, appearing beautiful like precious gemstones.
This indeed seemed like something girls would like.
However, it was clearly not in Vi's preference range.
Powder held the stones carefully and said, "It seems to be because of this thing. It fell on the ground, then hit the wall, and then... the explosion happened."
Linwin took one of the balls and tried to examine it using the system. Suddenly, he froze. Then, he grabbed all the balls and hugged Powder tightly, giving her a kiss on her little face.
"Huh?" Startled, Powder touched the spot where Linwin kissed her.
I... I didn't get scolded and got a kiss?
Is Linwin going crazy?
"This is a very dangerous thing. Stealing is wrong, but this time... you brought back something really good for me."
Vi, who had come over at some point, leaned closer, looking at the small balls.
"Isn't this just a rock?"
"Smack!"
"Why do you keep hitting me!"
Vi, holding her head, squatted down and looked at Linwin, gritting her teeth.
"That's why I told you to read more books. Can a rock that explodes still be called a rock? Powder, we can't be like Vi, a dumb one who only knows how to use fists."
"Oh... okay!"
"Powder, I'm your big sister!" Seeing Powder agreeing with Linwin, Vi fumed.
"Anyway... let me research this. If I can crack this thing, we'll have some leverage," Linwin said, squinting at the blue stones in his hands.
He didn't notice little Powder rubbing her face.
Only Vi would kiss her on the forehead and cheeks.
In truth, always being Vi's shadow, Powder sometimes felt sad.
Due to her young age, she would often become the burden of the group of four, her real playmate being only little Ekko.
However, she didn't want to leave Vi, so... even though she often heard Mylo's complaints, Powder still chose to follow them.
But over time, Powder also began to feel inferior.
She was just an eleven-year-old little girl.
But... Linwin always spoiled her.
So, she liked Linwin, though a bit less than Vi, but at a level equal to Vander.
His fondness made Powder feel acknowledged and needed—a sense of happiness.
Powder lowered her head.
Why did Linwin like her so much? He always spoiled her, never scolding her even when she did something wrong, unlike Vi, who always get scolded for her mistakes.
She just can't stop thinking about it.
"But!"
Linwin kept the gemstones and suddenly looked at Powder seriously. "Stealing is a bad behavior."
"I won't allow you to go up to the..."
"Forget it, I've lost count of how many times I've said that. Anyway, you never listen."
Linwin said helplessly, mostly complaining about himself.
Yeah, always warning, warning, warning, and they kept breaking the rules. What's the use of my warnings?
Vi... she's just disobedient!
Upon hearing Linwin's words, Vi burst into laughter.
Powder also raised her head and looked at Linwin, who had a helpless expression. She joined Vi in laughing.
Ding: Affection level from The Demolition Diva increased, gaining experience...
Ding: Congratulations, player. The Champion—[The Demolition Diva]—has an affection level with you exceeding 90%. Player gains a reward: 1 lottery chance.
Ding: Congratulations, player. You've obtained a ★★★ Champion Card (The Demolition Diva). Please check your inventory for details.
Linwin: ...
This little Powder... Your card can be obtained with just a kiss on the cheek?
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