Chapter 402: Bad Men Are Loved by Women
At that moment, Sōryūin Shion was propped up on her pillows, sighing as she stared at the chat log with Lucifer on her phone. Just the thought of the upcoming weekend was enough to give her a headache. She knew, with absolute certainty, that her senior was anything but normal.
"So, Xiaojing is serious?"
Just as Shion was wallowing in her helplessness, Amou Kirukiru walked into the room holding a glass of clear liquid.
Shion's eyes widened slightly. "Why aren't you drinking? Is that water?"
Amou Kirukiru simply replied in her soft, even tone, "You call this water?"
Shion nodded emphatically. "The lightest colored alcohol in my house is a diluted black tea. This is just plain water. You think I don't drink water?"
A single eyebrow arched on Kirukiru's face. She closed the distance to the bed and offered the glass to Shion. A faint, sharp scent hit Shion's nose. Her mouth twitched.
"Vodka?!"
"Mm. This stuff is invigorating. Want a glass?"
Shion's expression tightened. "I'll pass. But where did you even get vodka?"
Ignoring Shion's strained look, Kirukiru tilted her head back and downed the entire glass in one smooth motion. She let out a soft, satisfied exhale. "I had the butler move all the alcohol over. Then I placed an order with a winery for champagne, more vodka, red wine, rum... a bit of everything, really."
"And where did you put it all? The wine cabinet is full."
"The storage room."
"I swear, you're unbelievable..." Shion let out a long, defeated sigh. "So, what are we going to do about this? If my senior actually comes, I just have this feeling that something terrible is going to happen."
Amou Kirukiru responded casually, "Weren't you the one who couldn't wait to show off to her after your secret was exposed?"
"I did not!" Shion protested, her voice a little too loud.
"Hmm? Are you suggesting I wasn't there?"
Shion deflated, sighing again. Alright, maybe she had shown off a little. She couldn't help it; it was an irresistible urge. What woman, having married for love, wouldn't subconsciously want to boast a little? All she did was praise Ren, that was all.
Amou Kirukiru stretched languidly. "Well, you have to pay the price for your actions. Lucifer was just saying in the group chat that you must have a blessed mouth. The moment you mentioned the deadline, Pandora arrived."
Shion covered her face with her hands. "Don't say another word, I'm about to become a hermit, okay? But... Mom said she wants to video call me tonight, and Kirukiru, you're here too…"
Kirukiru was already turning to leave, but Shion shot out a hand and grabbed her arm, pulling her back.
Kirukiru's eyebrow rose again. "You're calling your aunt. Why are you dragging me into it? I'm warning you, let go, or I'll use a hand chop…"
A sly smile spread across Shion's face. "Of course we're doing it together. This is a task Mom assigned me… Kirukiru, you wouldn't make things difficult for me, would you?"
In the end, Amou Kirukiru stayed. As inseparable as they were, it was only natural that she had met Sōryūin Shion's parents. And though Kirukiru often appeared cold and distant, Shion's parents adored the promising young woman who was like a sister to their daughter. They truly treated her as one of their own.
On the other side of town, Vi was demonstrating her impressive appetite, having already polished off three consecutive bowls of rice. Caitlyn, sitting beside her, had just finished her second.
Ren watched them, a thoughtful expression on his face. He wondered if Jinx's famously slender figure was simply a result of a poor appetite. But since coming here, she had been eating very well. It seemed things hadn't been going so smoothly for her back home.
Caitlyn felt a hot blush creep up her neck. She couldn't meet anyone's eyes. She had distinctly told herself to be a lady, to maintain her composure, but in the end, she couldn't resist another bowl. Now, not a single dish on the table had a scrap of food left.
'This bad man... he must have made it this delicious just to see me make a fool of myself.'
She tried to convince herself of this, but deep down, she knew that wasn't it at all. Caitlyn sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly. "It's even more delicious than I imagined…"
Vi, gnawing on a spare rib while taking a sip of the wine Ren had recommended to pair with it, let out a hearty laugh. "Cupcake, I bet you'd die if the people of Piltover saw you eat like this."
Caitlyn's mouth twitched. "Shut up! What I'm thinking about now is, if we're like this already, how many days has it even been since we left Piltover?"
Vi paused, the rib halfway to her mouth. She shook her head, then shrugged with an air of indifference. "Who cares? It'll only be a few more days at most. Just think of it as a reconnaissance mission. It's no big deal."
Caitlyn nodded, her resolve hardening slightly. Then she looked up, a demanding glint in her eyes. "Hey! Bad man! Where's the fruit?"
A moment later, Ren placed a fruit salad before her—the very same kind Lucifer had enjoyed. He leaned forward slightly, his voice a gentle murmur. "Little police officer, are you really planning to stick with that title?"
Caitlyn's irritation flared. "Well, you're always calling me 'little police officer'! If you don't change, then I won't either!"
Vi watched the childish exchange, a wide grin spreading across her face. "Bro, I think you might just become a hero to every criminal in Piltover."
Ren gave her a puzzled look.
Vi laughed. "It's obvious! Because nobody in the entirety of Piltover would dare call her 'little police officer', and she's not even getting mad about it…"
Sensing Caitlyn's sharp glare, Vi just winked and waved a dismissive hand.
Ren considered this for a moment. "Since that's the case…"
Both Caitlyn and Vi leaned in, curious to see what this man—so utterly different from the prim gentlemen and stuffy nobles of Piltover—would say next. Caitlyn, in particular, had a look of anticipation that she couldn't quite hide.
A slow smile spread across Ren's lips. "Since that's the case, let's continue to use the title of 'little police officer'."
Caitlyn froze. A flicker of surprise, then a brief, hopeful spark in her eyes, was quickly masked by a practiced frown. "You mean you have no intention of dropping the 'bad man' title either, right!"
Under the astonished gazes of both Caitlyn and Vi, Ren simply nodded.
'Are there really men who like being called a bad man?' Caitlyn wondered. Back in Piltover, any of the gentlemen or nobles would probably challenge someone to a duel for such an insult. The more powerful the man, the more certain the challenge. Even a commoner would blush and argue.
Ren looked at their bewildered expressions and smiled. "Jinx mentioned that you have a lot of nobles and wealthy gentry over there. They must care a great deal about their reputation."
The two women nodded. Caitlyn asked, still confused, "So, why… huh?!"
Before she could finish, Ren leaned in. He braced one hand on the back of her chair and the other on the table, effectively caging her in. His smile was warm, but his eyes held a playful glint. "But on our side, a title like that is often a pet name between lovers…"
Vi let out a low whistle. "Ho ho~"
A deep blush instantly flooded Caitlyn's face.
Ren's voice dropped to a gentle, intimate murmur. "And on our side, there's an old saying that goes… 'If a man isn't bad, a woman won't love him.' So…"
Caitlyn felt like she was going to spontaneously combust, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from Ren's gently smiling face.
He whispered, his breath warm against her cheek, "So… thank you for the compliment, little police officer."
At that, Caitlyn's composure completely shattered. "Who complimented you?! Huh?!" she shouted, her voice cracking.
Before she could finish her tirade, she saw Ren reach out with a tissue and gently dab the corner of her mouth. Caitlyn tried to stand, but her legs felt like jelly, utterly refusing to obey.
"What are you doing?!" she yelped, a mixture of shame and anger coloring her tone.
Ren's smile never wavered. "There's a grain of rice at the corner of your mouth. You wouldn't want the criminals to laugh at you when you're on a mission, would you, little police officer?"
"Stop calling me that!"
"Say it again."
"Vi! Stop laughing!"
"Hahahaha! Sorry, sorry, but I can't control myself! Hahahahaha!"
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