Chapter 564: Winter Wonderland
Justice's casual explanation left Riven staring in quiet bewilderment. What was the boundary between the conceptual and the physical? To a former soldier of Noxus, such abstract metaphysics were entirely foreign. However, a sharp spike of anxiety had pierced Riven's chest the moment the High Prosecutor casually mentioned she was blind.
They hadn't lived under the same roof for very long, but Riven already knew she cherished her life here. She loved the quiet mornings, the scent of breakfast drifting through the halls, and every familiar face she saw when she opened her eyes and pushed her bedroom door ajar.
In the quiet sanctuary of her own heart, Riven had sworn a silent oath. If she ever took up her heavy, broken blade again, she would fight with a ferocity that eclipsed her past—because now, she finally had a reason not to lose. She vowed that her next battle would never be for slaughter or the hollow glory of conquest. It would be solely to protect this warmth.
Releasing a long, quiet breath, Riven let her tense shoulders drop. "I was just wondering how you lost your sight."
Justice flashed a brilliant, carefree smile, adjusting the dark frames on her face. "Ah, it's a small matter. Nothing to stress over. Besides, don't these sunglasses make me look incredibly cool?"
Riven nodded slowly, conceding the point.
Ren leaned against the doorframe, tilting his head with a dry smirk. "The sunglasses really do pull your whole aesthetic together."
"Thanks!" Justice beamed, then paused, tapping her chin. "But... um... what would you look like with a pair of dark shades?"
Ren crossed his arms, pretending to give the question serious thought. "You've seen those old police and gangster movies, right?"
"I have, I have!" Justice leaned forward, her grin widening. "Wait, do you mean you'd look like the big, intimidating villain in the leather jacket? Oh! That would actually be an amazing look for you."
Ren waved a hand dismissively. "No, no. If I put on sunglasses, I wouldn't be the star of the movie."
"Then who?"
"The nameless bodyguard in the cheap black suit standing quietly in the background."
Justice froze for two seconds, her mind clearly projecting the image. Beside her, Riven looked up at the ceiling, imagining the exact same scenario.
A moment later, Justice burst into bright, echoing laughter. "Hahaha! You mean the poker-faced cannon fodder? The guys who try way too hard to look tough right before they get knocked out?"
Ren tapped his fingers against his arm. "Personally, I don't think I give off 'cannon fodder' energy. And I'm definitely not poker-faced."
"Please," Justice teased, wiping a tear of mirth from her eye. "If you weren't poker-faced, the mob bosses wouldn't even hire you."
Ren hummed, playing along. "Actually, I think I could pull off being the deep-cover undercover agent. Don't you think?"
"No!" Justice and Riven answered in perfect, immediate unison.
Hearing Riven—who was usually so reserved—uncharacteristically join in on the teasing made Ren blink in genuine surprise. Seeing his rare moment of stunned silence sent both women into another fit of quiet chuckles.
Ren sighed, shaking his head with a faint smile. "I am a deeply misunderstood man."
Justice stepped forward and slapped a friendly hand onto his shoulder. "Hey! Don't forget, we're a great match!"
"So you'll definitely figure me out eventually! Hahaha!"
Ren simply watched her, his expression softening into comfortable silence.
The laughter slowly faded from Justice's face, replaced by a rare look of thoughtful curiosity. "Hey, Ren. Let me ask you something."
"Go ahead."
Justice tilted her head, her brow furrowing slightly above her dark lenses. "You've never mentioned anything about a contract to me. Out of all the demons living here in the human world, I'm the only one who hasn't actually signed a binding pact with you, right?"
Hearing the question, Ren let out a low, amused breath.
"What are you laughing at?" Justice asked, crossing her arms. "This is a serious question!"
Ren held her gaze, his voice dropping into a gentle, measured cadence. "Before I give you my answer, let me ask you a question of my own."
"Alright, alright. Consider it a fair exchange!"
"If you were to sign a contract with me right now," Ren asked, his eyes dark and steady, "would you be doing it as a demon bound by her nature, as a subordinate following a chain of command, or simply because it was your own genuine desire?"
Justice parted her lips to answer, then abruptly stopped.
Ren didn't push for a response, nor did he elaborate. He simply let the weight of the question hang in the air. Slowly, a warm smile spread across Justice's face as she understood exactly what he meant. He didn't want her loyalty compelled by ink and magic; he wanted her to stay because she chose to.
Riven, however, watched the exchange with a blank expression. The underlying nuance flew completely over her head, but she decided it didn't matter. It was between them.
Picking up her heavy bag and the notebook she had promised to deliver, Riven turned and headed up the stairs.
Down the hall, Nami was deeply engrossed in her studies. The meteorological data Shinonono Tabane had provided was staggering—terabytes of complex atmospheric models, satellite videos, and shifting climate algorithms illuminated the glowing monitors on her desk.
Nami leaned close to the screen, her amber eyes tracking the shifting pressure systems with absolute focus.
Riven pushed the door open with a soft creak. "Nami? I brought the notebook you asked for."
Hitting the pause button on a simulation, Nami spun her chair around. Seeing the worn cover of her notes in Riven's hand, her face lit up. "Thank you, Riven!"
"It's no problem," Riven said, handing it over. She glanced at the dizzying arrays of numbers on the screens. "You really lose yourself in this stuff. Isn't it exhausting?"
"It's alright, not too bad," Nami said, hugging the notebook to her chest. "As a navigator, the weather is my battlefield. I have to understand it. A lot of Tabane's data is entirely new knowledge to me. The predictive analyses are incredible. It's the first time I've ever seen atmospheric currents calculated with this kind of precision!"
Riven sighed, offering a small, helpless smile. "You sound so happy just talking about it. I don't understand a word of those charts. To me, if the sky turns dark and cloudy, it means it might rain. That's all I need to know."
"But it's so much more than that!" Nami laughed. "A dark cloud could mean snow, or hail, or just heavy overcast, or even the outer band of a typhoon. It doesn't strictly mean rain." She paused, noticing the blank look in the former soldier's eyes. "Wait. Riven... have you never seen snow?"
"Snow?"
"Eh?!" Nami gasped, slamming her hands on her desk. "But I checked the climate data for this region! It definitely snows here in the winter! Oh, we absolutely have to build a snowman together when it does!"
"Build a... snowman?"
"Yeah! You pack the snow into giant spheres, stack them on top of each other to look like a person, and give it a face!"
Riven tried to visualize the concept. Stacking frozen water to mimic a human form? Finding the mental image entirely elusive, she remained silently perplexed.
Nami sighed playfully, shaking her head. "It looks like words aren't going to cut it. You'll just have to experience it yourself."
Downstairs, the front door clicked open. Lucifer and the rest of the household had returned from their outing.
Seeing Ren and Justice chatting comfortably in the living room drew no strange looks from anyone. It was a common sight; whenever the High Prosecutor had free time, she naturally gravitated toward Ren. Even Lucifer, the CEO of Hell herself, couldn't fathom how the two of them never ran out of things to talk about.
The moment Modeus spotted Ren, she dropped her shopping bags onto the floor and practically sprinted across the room, throwing her arms around his waist. She was hopelessly addicted to the man who held her metaphorical leash. Ever since that blood-red whip had proven its exquisite utility in battle twice over, Modeus felt a physical ache whenever she was separated from him.
Ren patted the lustful demon's head to placate her, looking up at Lucifer. "When did Aoandon say she was coming back?"
"What date did she give?" Lucifer tapped her cheek, thinking. "Uh... I believe she said she'd be back by this weekend."
"Alright," Ren nodded. "Speaking of arrivals, Karura and her group are supposed to drop by today, right?"
"Hmm, yes," Lucifer confirmed, her crimson eyes gleaming with sudden interest. "And she's bringing that girl named Kotori. I have to admit, I'm incredibly curious to see exactly what kind of person this Kotori is."
Ren gave the Queen of Hell a dry, knowing look. "I get the feeling your intentions aren't entirely innocent."
Lucifer offered a haughty, elegant smirk. "Even if you know my intentions, darling, you aren't allowed to spoil the fun!"
Justice and the others simply rolled their eyes, entirely used to Lucifer's dramatic antics.
Glancing at the wall clock, Ren stretched his arms overhead. "Time to start prepping dinner. By the way, Yuko is being incredibly stubborn about refusing to connect to the world network."
Lucifer let out an airy laugh, her tone dripping with playful malice. "Yuko told me that when she finally comes back, if you don't have a very good gift waiting for her, she's going to stage a full rebellion. She's been accumulating quite a bit of resentment over there..."
Ren turned toward the kitchen, completely unfazed. "Let her pout. If she acts up, I'll just confiscate her pipe."
Lucifer gasped in mock horror. "You truly are a devil!"
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