-63- Grown up

At the same time, as a violent pink-haired enforcer girl in the Undercity finished her patrol, she was flying on her Hextech hoverboard board toward the Zaunite Council Hall.

Ascending alongside the Retevun Tower, she arrived at the middle level of Zaun. The buildings in this area were close to the tower, benefiting from better air quality since the Retevun Tower was the air-purifying device of Zaun. This is where Zaun's school was located.

To provide the best learning and growing environment for Zaun's children, Silco had spared no expense. He and Vander were currently working in the smog-filled depths of the Undercity.

At this moment, inside Zaun's school, there was a door that stood out, distinctly different from the others in terms of artistic style. This door was adorned with various graffiti patterns, all in a cute style with primarily blue and purple tones. Occasionally, you could even see pink crabs and a shadowy figure in a white cloak.

Hanging on this door was a "Do Not Disturb" sign. Approaching the door, one could hear the sound of clanging and tinkering, along with pleasant music and a girl singing in a lively and cheerful manner.

Upon entering the room, you could see a unique radio set placed in the corner. The display screen indicated the currently playing track. It was evident that the music was coming from this device.

In the center of the room, under bright purple lights, sat a girl with two extremely exaggerated long braids. She was sitting cross-legged, her head lowered as it swayed to the music, expressing joy in every direction.

Her hands were also busy, energetically wielding a wrench to strike something.

The clanging and banging sound was coming from her. When you looked at her face from the front, you would see she was wearing oversized copper goggles. Her eyes were completely concealed by the goggles, and the delicate, small nose was firmly pressed by the copper frame. Her upturned little nose was slightly reddened, and it glistened with a hint of sweat that hadn't been wiped away. 

Her enticing red lips were lightly pursed, and she continued to hum a song. However, upon closer listening, you would realize she was singing randomly, completely out of tune.

"Da la da da, da da da la la."

"Whew, wow, who am I? I'm me, your lovely Powder! And the gentleman beside me is my good buddy, Clacky!"

"Thank you all for the applause!"

She picked up a small piece of metal in front of her, placed it on the ground, stuck out a little pink tongue, and then forcefully raised the large wrench in her hand. In the next moment, she slammed it down with a loud "clang."

"Woah."

Then she bent her body and let out a soft "gugugu" sound. Her body gradually went limp, and she lay down on the ground, still holding the hand that had been trembling from wielding the wrench. She lightly rubbed her face on the ground, unconcerned about the dirt.

In front of her lay an unfinished iron piece, but someone had clearly lost patience. She had no intention of continuing her work.

Doing anything was driven by her passion and love, not a particular purpose. Whatever she did, it was done at her own whim.

Just like now, the long-haired blue-haired girl grew impatient. She rubbed her face against the ground, waiting for her wrist to recover, and suddenly thought about dinner.

"What should I have for dinner tonight?" She began to mutter to herself. "Hmm, I don't want to eat Vi's cooking anymore. If that's the case, I'd rather cook for myself! It's just a matter of cooking over a fire; I can learn it."

"Hmm, Silco and Vander have been too busy lately. If only Silco could cook for me."

"Oh, right! Sevika can cook too! Even though she's really annoying, like a big sister, her cooking is so much better than Vi's. No, even Clagger's food tastes better than Vi's!"

"Haha, to be honest, I feel like even a random rat could toss a few times in a pan and make something tastier than what Vi cooks."

"How does she do it? How can she turn good food into something so unappetizing?"

The girl sitting on the ground, waiting for her wrist to stop tingling, was none other than Vi's sister, Powder, who had braids almost as tall as herself.

Once her hand felt better, Powder lifted her body, performing a graceful somersault. However, "Ah, ah, ah, whoah!!!"

Unaware of the long braid at her feet, Powder's bare foot stepped on it. Her footing slipped, pulling her own scalp in the process, and she fell heavily on her bottom.

"Ouch." She rubbed her behind with one hand and grabbed the table to slowly get up, letting out a painful exclamation.

And immediately, there was a knocking on the door with an anxious voice, "Department Head? Are you alright?"

"Oh, it's nothing. I just had a little fall," said Powder, avoiding any embarrassment by not admitting the truth.

So she quickly put on her shoes and replied with a cheerful tone, "Please don't come in. My invention is at a critical moment, it's super, super, duper dangerous!"

"Yes. But just now, the Blackice Baroness called. She has something urgent to convey on behalf of Lord Silco."

"Hmm? What does he want from me again?" Powder tilted her head, wearing her tall boots. As she began to lace them up, she muttered, "Now, it should absolutely not be dinner time, right?"

"It seems to be someone you know."

"Someone I know? Oh, wow, someone I know. I don't really have many acquaintances, you know? Haha, I only have a few close friends." Powder chuckled self-deprecatingly.

Her friends were just a handful—Mylo, Claggor, Ekko, Silco, well, that's about it, just those few. Vi was family, and Vander was family too.

Ah, it seems like someone has been forgotten.

But he deserved it!

This is Powder's punishment for him!

He's been away for so long, didn't even know to call back, and disappeared inexplicably.

Doesn't he know I'd miss him?

With her boots on, Powder stood up and leaped three times in a row.

"I don't know him, but the Blackice Lady sounded very excited."

"They said it's... someone named Linwin who tried to call you," the girl outside the door said loudly.

Linwin? Who's Linwin? The girl genuinely had no idea.

But from the way the Black Ice Lady spoke, she thought he must be someone very important to Zaun.

So, despite the Department Head's eccentric personality, it was best to clarify this matter.

"Who did you say?"

From inside the room, there were heavy footsteps, accompanied by the sound of someone breathing heavily.

"Linwin, someone named Linwin."

And then what she heard were loud banging sounds.

Is she... searching for something? 

Then, she heard Department Head Powder's loud exclamation, "Why the hell didn't I answer the phone!"

Inside the room, holding her Hextech phone, Powder noticed a notification on the screen.

It was a call from 000003.

And she didn't answer it!

"Oh my god, what have I done!"