Twin Cities: Who says scientists can't be conquerors?

Chapter 37 The Second Time Running Away from Home

Jinx's talk of breaking out of prison was just a prank, meant to amuse Aaron.

She's not that deranged yet.

The truth is that Jinx did feel a little guilty about taking advantage of Caitlin's feelings, so after the grand welcome party hosted by Mrs. Giramann, she specifically sought out Caitlin again.

For no other reason than that Jinx simply wanted to say something from her heart to someone other than Aaron.

"...After the explosion, Vi disappeared, and I've been living with Hilko ever since."

That's the basic situation.

Jinx sat on the edge of Caitlyn's bed in her bedroom, her little hands restlessly kneading and pinching Caitlyn's teddy bear.

Aside from omitting the bloody internal power struggle within Zaun, which Caitlyn would certainly not understand, she explained almost everything else clearly.

This includes how he stole the Hextech Crystal and how the explosion was caused by his "slip of the hand".

Even Aaron, who was standing by the door, found it unbelievable that Jinx would say such things.

He was familiar with the plot, and even more so with Jinx. He knew that these painful past events were always a taboo subject for Jinx.

Now, facing Caitlyn, this friend of Piltover whom Jinx, though she doesn't admit it, completely acknowledges in her heart, the girl surprisingly and voluntarily reopened her wounds.

Unbeknownst to Aaron himself, Jinx had clearly taken Aaron's everyday ideas to heart, and had repeatedly considered her own fate in relation to that of Zaun.

Now, she has begun to view the conflicts between Hilco and Vander rationally, and has come to deeply reflect on her broken life, finding many different answers.

However, some emotions are still difficult to let go of completely.

Jinx was already very calm, but as she spoke, Aaron could still sense the tightness in her throat, a feeling of suffocation.

"Ugh."

He didn't have time to consider how Caitlin would react after hearing the "truth." He sighed and instinctively wanted to comfort Jinx as he had done before.

However, this time someone beat him to it—

"I'm sorry, I misunderstood you!"

Caitlin was deeply moved by Jinx's sudden confession.

She rushed over and hugged Jinx tightly, pressing Jinx's chin against her shoulder, and apologized more earnestly than ever before.

She apologized for underestimating Jinx in her mind earlier.

Caitlin isn't stupid.

She could not only vaguely sense that Jinx was somewhat acting when she first faced Jayce, but she could also increasingly feel the Zaunites' deep-seated wariness towards the Piltover people.

As a kind-hearted person, she would not impose her own standards on others, just as she never discriminated against others because of her wealthy background.

That's why Caitlin, who had just experienced discrimination firsthand not long ago, gritted her teeth and convinced herself that she should forgive Jinx's petty tricks and let go of this former thief.

But in her heart, she couldn't help but resent Jinx.

She cherished the friendship she had formed with Jinx, but felt that Jinx didn't seem to cherish it as much, which is why she used her kindness to get away with it.

Before Jinx approached her for a talk, Caitlin was incredibly conflicted, her mind filled with thoughts of how she would face Jinx and Aaron in the future.

She even considered that perhaps she and the other person were from two different worlds, and she shouldn't harbor any unrealistic fantasies...

Then she heard Jinx's voice speaking softly.

Through those past events that seemed out of place in Piltover's narrative, Caitlin unexpectedly discovered that Jinx not only valued their relationship even more than she did, but also endured psychological pressure far beyond her imagination!

For a moment, Caitlin wanted to punch herself.

She apologized eagerly, hugged Jinx tightly, and fully accepted this "unusual" good friend.

Admittedly, Jinx may possess many secrets that, from Mrs. Piltover's perspective, clearly violate morality or even the law.

But so what?

Should I arrogantly use Piltover's rules to constrain other people who don't even have the same living conditions as Piltover?

No, this is absolutely not true fairness and justice!

Holding Jinx in her arms, Caitlin felt her thoughts suddenly clear, and some inexplicable barrier was completely shattered in an instant.

She glanced at Aaron, who was still standing at the door, not yet able to retract his gesture of comforting Jinx.

When she excitedly recounted the history of Progress Day, Caitlin felt she finally understood Aaron's complex sigh...

"Cough cough, I'm suffocating."

Jinx got a little impatient being hugged, so she pretended to be short of breath and pulled Caitlyn off her.

She glanced at the teddy bear beside her and had a strange feeling that Caitlin must have mistaken her for the teddy bear just now!

"I'm sorry, I got a little too excited just now."

Caitlin blushed, a rare occurrence for her, and demurely shifted her weight back a little.

Jinx was right.

She's always loved sleeping with a huge plush toy, and her family has always had a variety of them for her. It's hard to say whether what happened just now wasn't muscle memory, an instinctive urge to shove Jinx into her arms...

But I have to say, Jinx feels really good to play.

No wonder Aaron likes it so much... cough cough.

Caitlin quickly pulled her wandering thoughts back.

She straightened her collar slightly and finally got to the "business"—

"What are your thoughts on your sister, Wei?"

Caitlin looked at Jinx.

She felt that since she had accepted Jinx's open confession and the two had become true friends, she shouldn't be stingy—if Jinx really wanted to see her sister, she, as an enforcer, could certainly do so…

"What else can we do? We definitely have to find a way to rescue them."

"Oh? You're willing to help!"

Jinx's eyes lit up immediately.

Compared to her original character, she is now even more dependent on Aaron, but the sisterly bond between her and Wei remains strong.

Jinx had never considered allowing Caitlin to do anything by abusing her position, as she was thinking of Caitlin's best interests.

But now Caitlin has brought it up herself!

Jinx's eyes lit up with a smile.

She bit her lip, then mischievously peeked out and leaned close to Caitlin, speaking as follows:

"How about this, tomorrow is the Progress Day celebration, can you help me with that...!"

Before Jinx could finish speaking, Aaron's large hand tightly covered her mouth.

Aaron, expressionless, "suppressed" Jinx, who was about to spout nonsense and make jokes again—it was obvious that if Jinx continued, she would definitely blurt out something like "prison breakup."

"She means that we need to think about it carefully."

Aaron nodded at Caitlin.

……

Today's afternoon tea treat at the Giraman family's house is caramel-flavored two-tone cream pudding.

No need to taste it; just having it there, paired with the refreshing aroma of black tea, is enough to make one's mouth water.

This is Caitlin's favorite thing to do.

However, after afternoon tea was prepared today, Mrs. Giraman specifically asked the servants not to bring the food or knock on her daughter's door.

So, after elegantly savoring the last sip of her black tea, three unserved afternoon tea snacks remained on the table in front of Mrs. Gilamann.

"Carrie, are you just going to watch the children leave?"

Sitting across from her, her husband, Benjamin Giraman, frowned in utter bewilderment, trying to get his wife's attention by raising his voice:

"Even if you trust that kid Aaron now, you can't just let Kate follow him... They're going to the police station to scam people! Are you just going to let them get away with this?!"

As the most outstanding gunsmith of the previous generation of the Giraman family, Benjamin usually seems to have little presence and often acts "submissive" in front of his wife.

But in reality, Caitlin's early education in shooting and combat was all arranged by her unassuming father.

Now, seeing that after lunch, Caitlin, having made what she thought was a flawless disguise, sneaked out of the house with Aaron and Jinx, her father was extremely anxious!

He had learned from the servants' snippets of conversation what his daughter was planning to do: to trick the police into giving him a "warrant to assist in an investigation" by falsely claiming to have a password from Piltover Auditor Scarlett Giramann.

As for what the three of them planned to do with that thing after they got their hands on it...

Why are you stopping me?

Benjamin stood up abruptly and pointed in the direction Caitlin and the others had left.

"You definitely found out too. That blue-haired Jinx was one of the people involved in the theft back then, and her sister is the one locked up in Stillwater Prison!"

"Even if Aaron is innocent, they're going to take Kate to the police station to commit fraud, preparing to use a 'warrant to assist in the investigation' to release prisoners from Stillwater Prison. How could you...?"

"Alright, Benjamin, you don't need to say anymore."

"Cheating within permitted limits is also a special ability."

Scarlett Giraman interrupted her husband.

She gracefully tidied her hair, not glancing at her husband once, but instead smiling as she stared at the notebook in front of her.

The left side of the notebook was filled with detailed information about Aaron that she had gathered by using her connections.

This includes, but is not limited to: Aaron was initially protected by a giant white mech when he landed in Zaun; Aaron has invented many tools that are suitable for the Zaun environment in recent years; Aaron is working hard to make money by exporting his inventions, etc.

Clearly, Lady Giramann already knew everything about Aaron's life in Zaun.

It's no exaggeration to say that even Aaron himself, upon seeing it, would exclaim, "Holy crap, I completely forgot about that!"

"Although it started as a misunderstanding, I think it's possible that it could become real if Kate doesn't object."

"It's a pity this child wasn't born in Piltover, otherwise..."

Mrs. Giramann was speaking when Jess's spirited face appeared in her mind.

One of the best decisions she ever made was sponsoring the exceptionally talented Jess Talis.

The rewards they've received have left the entire Giraman family ravenous.

Almost entirely thanks to Hextech, it rose to prominence overnight and became a trendsetter in the new era.

As a veteran member of the Piltover Council and also in charge of a very important auditing department, Scarlett is not as rigid as she appears in front of her daughter.

She understands the essence of investing perfectly.

In her eyes, Aaron, who suddenly appeared out of nowhere and was just a peasant from Zaun on the surface, was simply a gold nugget that hadn't been wiped clean of dust!

If I can't even seize such a good opportunity, then I'll be senile...

"And these kids' plans aren't too crude."

After Mrs. Giramann finished marveling at Aaron's rare and valuable asset, she pointed to the right side of the notebook with her finger—

The ink was still wet there, and the records and Mrs. Giramann had just finished organizing the so-called "plan" that prompted Caitlin to sneak out of the house.

"Because of Urgot's appearance, the children found a perfect excuse: Jinx's sister, although a prisoner, knows the inside story about Urgot, so all they need is a 'warrant to assist in the investigation' to release her openly."

"Jace was so angry this morning, the law enforcement must have heard about it from within their ranks."

"So even if someone thinks this excuse is false, they probably won't raise any objections at this time."

At this point, Mrs. Giraman clicked her tongue twice, as if in admiration.

She has seen many brilliant talents over the years, but she has rarely found someone as well-rounded as Aaron.

So what if the other party is from Zu'an?

Opportunities that ordinary people can easily find are never the targets of true investors.