"Ekko, y-you… what the hell is going on?!"
Seeing Ekko raise a weapon and square off against the Spirit Blossom Gang, Zeri—who had no idea what just happened—immediately tensed up too.
Are we about to fight?
But… there are so many of them!
If this turns into a brawl, is it really going to be me and Ekko against this whole crowd?
But… I just met Ekko today!
Still… I literally just said I wanted to be friends with him. If it really comes to fighting, then… then I have to help him, right?!
Zeri was completely torn. On one side was the friend she'd clicked with—someone she'd only just made today. On the other was the organization she admired, the one she'd been dying to join. She genuinely didn't know what to choose.
And the moment she spoke, Logan looked at her too.
When he saw that spark-like hair and that cute face, he froze for a split second—then his expression lit up.
Holy shit.
Buy one, get one free?!
Zeri and Ekko both delivered to his doorstep?!
In Zaun, if you had to name the only two young people who could change its future, it could only be Zeri and Ekko. One would rely on her own magic, clashing with the Chem-Barons and ultimately leading her community—her family and neighbors—to rise up against the oppression above. The other was practically stamped by official decree as Zaun's golden child—so righteous it was almost unnerving, with charisma and presence so strong it was terrifying. Logan liked Ekko, he was a good guy.
And now… both of them were standing right in front of him.
If you wanted to put it like an in-game Easter egg—
Zaun's kids, unite!
Both of Zaun's rare talents were right here!
Logan was instantly in a great mood. The mild annoyance he'd been carrying—because Jinx had burned through dozens of gold coins he'd given her for "research" and produced absolutely nothing—evaporated on the spot.
"Zeri, run! Don't worry about me!" Ekko shouted, chopping his hand hard toward her. "This is all a setup! They're Silco's people—Chem-Barons' people!"
"This has nothing to do with you!"
Ekko said it loud and clear. He wasn't going to drag Zeri into his mess. Looking at it now, this was obviously a conspiracy.
Silco… bastard.
"B-but… but…" Zeri stood there helplessly, not knowing whether she should listen to Ekko or trust what she'd seen with her own eyes.
Ekko didn't look like he was faking. Right now he looked like a vicious wolf—scary as hell.
But… everything she'd seen in Hope Community wasn't fake either.
So who was she supposed to believe?
And then Logan looked at Zeri and gave her a gentle smile.
Zeri stared at his face—tall and lean, warm and handsome, and that smile… so soft it felt like spring sunlight. Zaun didn't get much sun, but in that instant, her cheeks suddenly went red.
He's so handsome…
That was the only thought in her head.
She'd never seen a boy smile that beautifully.
Oh no—Grandma said she'd reached the age where she'd start getting… ideas. No way… was Grandma actually right?!
Logan didn't realize the ability he'd gained from Ahri was working on Zeri right now.
The boost to charm and warmth meant people who already knew Logan would just find him more pleasant to look at. But people who didn't know him? They'd instinctively feel fondness for him.
It wasn't like Ahri's power—he couldn't make someone spill their heart out on command—but it was enough to stop hostility from forming.
So for a moment, Zeri went dizzy, flustered, face burning.
Jinx: "?"
Jinx had been waving at Ekko, taunting him—then she saw that, and instantly stopped paying attention to furious Ekko. She spun around, rose onto her toes, and thrust both hands up to cover Logan's eyes from the front, speaking in a nasty, possessive tone:
"Logan, you're not allowed to flirt with other women!"
"Or I'm going to gouge her eyes out!"
Logan: "…"
After saying that, Jinx tilted her head and looked at Zeri—expression blank, but her gaze dangerous.
Those beautiful blue eyes were dead and cold. The way she looked at Zeri was like she was staring at a corpse.
Zeri: "!!!"
That look scared the life out of her. She sobered up instantly.
But—wait, why are you digging out my eyes?!
Zeri started trembling.
"Quit it." Logan grabbed Jinx's hands, tugged her closer, and pulled the pampered menace into his arms.
He was used to physical contact with Jinx by now.
Because Jinx was someone who only knew how to show love through actions—through touch. Her favorite way of showing she liked someone was clinging to them, wrapping around them.
So Logan had learned how to handle her.
Jinx refused to let it go, pouting. "Promise me first."
Petty, jealous, and prone to losing control—that was Jinx.
But… Logan had to admit, there was something magnetic about her exactly like this.
Of course, if he had the choice, he'd still rather Jinx be a little more normal.
"Alright, alright. I'll only look at you. I promise." Logan lowered his head and said it to her.
Satisfied, Jinx released the arms around his neck and planted herself at his side, legs spread in a cocky stance, her right arm lifted and braced against his side like she was staking her claim. She stared at Ekko with nothing but provocation.
Before Jinx could push Ekko any further, Logan looked at Ekko and spoke:
"Ekko, I know you've got a lot of questions right now. But I promise you—the thing you're worried about isn't going to happen."
"This is my turf. And Jinx is mine."
"Yup. His." Jinx nodded her little head, leaning against Logan as she lifted her left hand toward Ekko, her fingers moving like she was playing an invisible piano—pale skin, long fingers, pretty as hell.
The smug look on her face was impossible to hide.
"And who are you? Someone around Silco?" Ekko stared at the unusually obedient Jinx, like he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
To be honest, Ekko's feelings about Jinx were complicated—full of regret he couldn't explain and frustration he couldn't swallow. But right now, what he felt most was hatred.
He wasn't just Ekko. He was the Firelights' leader. He didn't represent only himself.
So he wouldn't let personal feelings change how he saw Jinx.
If necessary… he would kill her.
As long as she was still Jinx.
"It's me. Logan. You forgot the jar you sold me?" Logan said. "You even tricked me and told me it was some treasure you got from Shurima. I took it around showing off, and in the end someone told me the 'treasure' I'd been bragging about all afternoon was Old Brown's chamber pot."
"…" Ekko froze on the spot.
Beside him, Zeri looked at Ekko with a weird expression.
Ekko's done something like that before?
He really didn't look like the type…
"Ekko, calm down. We have nothing to do with Silco. Not long ago, we were standing off against him," Vi said from the side, raising both hands in a soothing gesture.
Logan almost laughed.
Nothing to do with him?
Vi, the money you're eating on right now is basically sponsored by Silco.
Ekko looked around at the surroundings. The Spirit Blossom Gang's newly built base was still a mess—everything missing, everything unfinished. It wasn't perfect at all.
But there was one thing it had: hope.
Every member of the Spirit Blossom Gang looked healthy. None of them had that Shimmer-poisoned look. And in every pair of eyes, there was something bright.
Among them were plenty of faces Ekko recognized. He couldn't name them, but… they were familiar.
So Ekko lowered his weapon and looked at Logan.
"Firelights. Ekko."
His tone was calmer now.
Logan looked at him and extended a hand.
"Spirit Blossom Gang. Logan."
"Come on, Ekko. I've got a lot I want to talk to you about."
Logan turned and headed toward a nearby building. Jinx immediately followed, still making faces at Ekko before reaching for the hand Logan kept behind his back.
He'd left it there on purpose—for her to hold.
A privilege reserved only for her.
Well—her and Isha.
"Come on, shorty!" Jinx jeered.
"If you don't come, it's because you're scared!"
She stuck out her tongue and flipped him off, screeching like a gremlin.
Ekko's mouth twitched, his brain buzzing.
What the fuck is happening today?!
This morning he ran into Zeri, invited her with total confidence—only for her to not want to join the Firelights at all. Then in the afternoon he found Vi—missing for years—and a bunch of childhood friends…
And now… there was Jinx—still crazy, still Jinx, but somehow not dangerous?
This isn't right.
Every time he'd crossed paths with Jinx before, it was always a fight to the death.
Guns. Rockets. That was the only language between them.
Not… this.
But after taking a deep breath, Ekko followed.
Off to the side, Zeri hesitated where she stood.
"Zeri, you too," Logan called.
Zeri's eyes lit up, and she hurried after them.