I'm One of His People

"Ekko, you—what's going on?!"

Seeing Ekko raise his weapon and confront the Lian Hua Gang, Zeri, who had no idea what was happening, immediately tensed up too.

Were they going to fight?

But—but there were so many of them!

If they fought, did that mean Ekko and I would have to take on this whole crowd?

But Ekko and I had only just met, too!

Still, I'd just said I wanted to be friends with Ekko. If it really came to a fight, I—I'd have to help him, right?!

Zeri was torn. On one hand, she'd just made a friend she felt a real connection with. On the other, there was the organization she admired and desperately wanted to join. She truly didn't know what to choose.

When she spoke, Li Ke turned to look at her too.

When he saw her spark-like hair and adorable face, Li Ke froze for a moment, then immediately lit up.

Holy shit.

A buy-one-get-one deal?!

Zeri and Ekko had both come right to him?!

If there were only two young people in Zaun who could change its future, they would have to be Zeri and Ekko. One was a magical girl who used her own powers to stand against the Alchemical Barons, eventually leading her community, family, and neighbors in rebellion against the tyranny above. The other was Zaun's officially designated Son of Zaun, a guy who was righteous to a fault, inside and out, with enough charisma and bright spots to be downright intimidating. Li Ke didn't like Nigga, but he had to admit he liked Ekko.

And now, both of them were standing right in front of him.

Like one of those game Easter eggs: Children of Zaun, unite!

Two of Zaun's finest had appeared right before him!

Li Ke's spirits soared. The slight disappointment he'd felt after giving Jinx dozens of gold coins for research, only for her to produce no results, vanished completely.

"Zeri, run! Don't worry about me!"

Ekko swung his hand sharply toward Zeri and shouted, "This was all a setup! They're all Silco's people, all working for the Alchemical Barons!"

"This has nothing to do with you!"

Ekko shouted. He didn't want to drag Zeri into his own affairs. As far as he could tell, this was a conspiracy!

Silco... damn it!

"But, but..." Zeri was at a loss, unsure whether to listen to Ekko or trust what she'd seen with her own eyes.

Ekko didn't look like he was pretending. His expression was as fierce as a wolf's, and it was terrifying.

But... what Zeri had seen in Hope Community wasn't fake either.

So who was she supposed to believe?

Just then, Li Ke looked at Zeri and smiled warmly.

Zeri gazed at Li Ke. He was tall and slender, with a gentle, handsome appearance. His smile was especially warm, like the spring sunshine. Zeri had barely seen the sun in Zaun, but in that instant, her face suddenly flushed.

He's so handsome.

That was what Zeri thought.

She'd never seen a boy smile so beautifully before!

Oh no, Grandma had said she was getting to that age. Could it be... Grandma had been right?!

Li Ke had no idea that the ability he'd gotten from Ahri was affecting Zeri.

His increased charm and warmth only made people who knew him find him more appealing. But those who didn't know him would instinctively take a liking to him when they met him.

It wasn't like Ahri's ability, which could make someone open their heart completely, but it definitely kept them from feeling any hostility toward him.

And so, Zeri's head was spinning, and her face was red.

Jinx: "?"

Jinx had been beckoning to Ekko, provoking him. When she saw this, she immediately stopped paying attention to the furious Ekko. She turned around, rose onto her tiptoes, and held both hands up in front of Li Ke's eyes. In a very displeased voice, she said:

"Li Ke, you're not allowed to flirt with other women!"

"Or I'll gouge her eyes out!"

Li Ke: "..."

After saying that, Jinx turned her head toward Zeri. Her face was expressionless, but her gaze was dangerous.

Her beautiful blue eyes were lifeless as she stared at Zeri like she was already dead.

Zeri: "!!!"

That look scared Zeri so badly that she snapped out of it at once.

But wait, why were you going to gouge out my eyes?!

Zeri trembled with fear!

"Don't mess around." Li Ke grabbed Jinx's hand and pulled her closer, drawing Miss Jinx into his arms.

Li Ke had gotten used to this kind of physical contact with Jinx.

Jinx was someone who only knew how to express affection through actions and physical contact. Her favorite way to show she liked someone was to hug them and cling to them.

So Li Ke had learned how to handle her.

Jinx refused to back down and pouted. "You have to promise me first."

Jinx was possessive and jealous, and she lost control from time to time. That was just who she was.

But... Li Ke had to admit that those very qualities made Jinx quite charming.

Of course, if he could, Li Ke still hoped Jinx would become a little more normal.

"Okay, okay. I'll only look at you. I promise," Li Ke said, looking down at Jinx.

Satisfied, Jinx let go of the arms she'd wrapped around Li Ke's neck and stood beside him. She spread her legs, raised her right arm, and pressed her elbow against Li Ke's side, just above his waist. She looked at Ekko with open defiance.

Before Jinx could provoke Ekko again, Li Ke turned to him and spoke:

"Ekko, I know you have a lot of questions right now, but I promise you that what you're worried about won't happen."

"This is my turf, and Jinx is one of my people."

"That's right. I'm his," Jinx said, nodding. Leaning against Li Ke, she raised her left hand toward Ekko and wiggled her fingers as if she were playing a piano. Her fair skin and long, slender fingers looked lovely.

She couldn't hide the smug little smile on her face.

"And who are you? Someone who works for Silco?" Ekko asked, staring at the well-behaved Jinx in disbelief.

To be honest, Ekko's feelings for Jinx were complicated. He felt a regret and resentment he couldn't put into words. But right now, what he felt most toward Jinx was hatred.

He wasn't just Ekko; he was also the leader of the Wildfire Gang. He represented more than just himself, so he wouldn't let his personal feelings change how he saw Jinx.

When necessary... he would kill Jinx.

As long as she was still Jinx.

"It's me, Li Ke. Have you forgotten the jar you sold me? You told me it was a treasure you'd brought back from Shurima. I went around showing it off, only to find out that the jar I'd been bragging about all afternoon was Old Brown's spittoon," Li Ke said.

"..." Ekko froze at once.

Zeri glanced at Ekko, looking at him strangely.

Had Ekko really done something like that?

He didn't look like the sort of person who would do something like that.

"Ekko, calm down. We have nothing to do with Silco. We even confronted him not long ago," Vi said from the side, reaching out both hands to soothe him.

Li Ke almost laughed when he heard that.

You really had nothing to do with him?

Big Sister, the money you were using to buy food was sponsored by Silco.

Ekko looked around at the surroundings. The Lian Hua Gang's newly built base was still a work in progress; it lacked everything and was far from perfect. But it had one thing: hope. Every member of the Lian Hua Gang looked healthy, with no signs of having been poisoned by Shimmer, and hope shone in every one of their eyes.

Quite a few of them were familiar faces to Ekko. He couldn't remember their names, but... he recognized them.

Then Ekko lowered his hand and looked at Li Ke.

"Ekko, leader of the Wildfire Gang."

Ekko spoke, his voice calm now.

Li Ke looked at him and held out his hand.

"Li Ke, leader of the Lian Hua Gang."

"Come on, Ekko. There's a lot I want to talk to you about."

Li Ke turned and headed toward a house. Jinx hurried after him, made a face at Ekko, then reached for the hand Li Ke held behind his back.

He'd deliberately left it there for her to hold.

And aside from Isha, it was a privilege that belonged only to her.

"Shortstack, come on."

"If you don't, it means you're scared!" Jinx stuck out her tongue, flashed him the middle finger, and jeered.

Ekko's mouth twitched, and his mind went blank.

What the hell had happened today?!

That morning, he'd run into Zeri and confidently invited her to join, only to find she had no interest in joining the Wildfire Gang. Then, in the afternoon, he'd met Vi, missing for years, along with a bunch of the friends they'd grown up with. And now... there was Jinx, still crazy as ever, but not dangerous?

This was all wrong!

Whenever he'd run into Jinx before, it had always ended in a fight to the death.

Guns and explosives had always been how they talked to each other.

Not like this!

But after taking a deep breath, Ekko followed them.

Zeri stood where she was, hesitating.

"Zeri, you can come too."

At Li Ke's voice, Zeri's eyes lit up, and she hurried after them.