Arcane: Let's Burn Down Runeterra!

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Justin and Jinx were mostly behind the counter, though with a slight hint of courtesy, they hadn't completely ducked into cover. It wasn't because they were scared of dying; it was simply because Caitlyn was in such an unreliable state at the moment. The bomb was about to go off before she even started the disarming process. Finally, Caitlyn crouched down fully. Then her legs gave way, causing her to lose balance. Justin and Jinx quickly dived into cover. But they didn't hear the anticipated explosion. "Huh?" Justin poked his head halfway out from behind the counter and found that Caitlyn hadn't fallen, nor had the bomb been triggered. Vi was right there, having caught Caitlyn just in time, disregarding her own safety.

"Hmph, idiot," Jinx grumbled with dissatisfaction and turned to Justin, saying, "There's definitely an unspeakable secret between those two!" Justin rubbed her head. "Are you really not going to help?" "Nope." Jinx shook her head, shrugged off Justin's hand, crouched back behind the counter, hugged her knees, and buried her face in her lap, saying softly, "What does it have to do with me..." Justin sighed deeply. "But she is your sister." Jinx said nothing but reached out a hand to tug on Justin's shirt.

Over there, after Vi helped Caitlyn up, she said, "What should I do? Let me handle it!" "It's too dangerous; if it explodes, you'll..." "It's fine. This is something I should do," Vi said, half-kneeling in front of Caitlyn, looking at her seriously. "If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have suffered these days, and you definitely wouldn't have stepped on a landmine." Looking into Vi's sapphire-like eyes, Caitlyn was momentarily at a loss for words. After pausing for a moment, she nodded and said, "Alright, here are the steps. First, insert the dagger between the sole of my foot and the shoe, and press down hard. Once I take off the boot, press the dagger down with something heavy—then we can leave. Afterwards, we'll detonate it from a safe distance."

"Sounds pretty simple," Vi sighed in relief. Although she and Jinx are from the same parents, they were vastly different beyond their eye color. Jinx was a master at dealing with explosives, while Vi knew only how to throw punches. Fortunately, this wasn't too complex—it just required pressing hard, right? "Here's a dagger," Justin passed over a small sword, straight and double-edged, ideal for stabbing. Vi picked up the dagger, laid on the ground, and aimed it at Caitlyn's shoe, hesitating to insert it. Caitlyn's boot had a cuff under a centimeter wide—neither wide nor narrow. Vi should have been capable of inserting the blade straight in. However, as the blade tip touched the area, she hesitated. She kept hesitating, adjusting up and down by mere millimeters. Once she thought she was centered, she started worrying about the level. She couldn't reassure herself, so she asked, "Powder, Justin, does it look too high or too low to you?"

"No, no," Justin replied. To be honest, from such a distance, how could he see clearly? But a slight deviation wouldn't actually matter; Vi was being overly cautious. "So should I insert it?" Vi asked Caitlyn. "Go ahead..." Caitlyn's voice trembled. She wasn't too fearful initially, but Vi's caution made her nervous as well.

Vi applied a little more force, and the tip of the dagger pierced the edge of the boot, inserting half an inch inside. "Is this okay?" "It's fine." "Then should I push it a bit deeper?" "Alright." What kind of strange conversation is this? Justin was dumbfounded. Usually so impetuous, Vi was now overly cautious. "Get a move on! You're just sticking it into a boot, not breaking—" "Shut up!" Vi shot an intimidating look at Justin, making him shrink back behind the counter. Yes, it was still the fiery Vi we knew. Finally, the dagger was firmly embedded in the boot, precisely in place.

"What's the next step... do you take off your shoe?" "Yes, you have to press down on the dagger with strength... but not too much, or it'll break." "Okay..." Vi, who was unsure of her strength, had never done anything this intricate before. "This is the riskiest part now," Caitlyn took a deep breath. "If we mess up, we'll both..." "I know." Caitlyn fell silent, as did Vi. The two stared at each other in silence, the air tense. Justin and Jinx had already fully emerged, intently watching them.

Suddenly, Caitlyn cupped Vi's face with both hands, leaned forward, and gently kissed her. Vi's pupils seemed to quake, almost releasing the dagger. But then, they calmed down, and suddenly she understood the exact strength she needed. "Wow, doing something so romantic at such a dangerous moment..." Seeing this, Justin's heart skipped; these two were really fearless.

"Whoo..." After the kiss, Caitlyn exhaled deeply. "Now, I have no regrets." "I do!" Vi glared at her. "That was too sudden just now, I didn't feel anything!" "So... let's make up for it after we deal with the landmine!" Caitlyn was taken aback, blushing as she nodded. Caitlyn wore knee-high boots without zippers. Pulling them off would require big movements. She first flexed her foot to confirm the dagger was secured, then slowly began to pull her foot from the boot.

Caitlyn stood on one leg. However, her long crouch and anemia caused her vision to black out upon standing, and she toppled over! She fell onto Vi, but thankfully, Vi remained as unyielding as a rock, completely still. "Sorry..." Caitlyn quickly got up, but Vi smiled at her. "No worries, what's our next step?" "I'll find something to weigh down the mine." "That box over there will do," Justin reminded. Caitlyn quickly retrieved the box, barefoot, stepping over broken glass without a care. "It's set." The box pressed down the knee-high boot, completing the final step. Now, Vi just needed to let go.

"Step back a bit, just in case..." Vi was still unsure. "No, I'll stay with you." "Ah, behold the undying devotion," Justin sighed, then turned to Jinx. "Listen, if we encounter something like this, we mustn't be foolish like them. It's better if one survives than none." Jinx's eyes flickered, but she didn't respond. "Did you hear me?" Justin reiterated, and Jinx finally turned her head, obstinately locking eyes with him. "No." "Be reasonable..." "No!"