Pardo peeked her head cautiously around the corner, truly unable to make sense of the current situation.
After following that person away from Sundown Alley, she had trailed them all the way to a place that looked like some kind of research institution. Assuming Lin was there, she had snuck inside. However, after searching everywhere, she couldn't find a trace of him. She then noticed a long line of people waiting for something; just as she walked by, a person stepped out, and she was mindlessly pulled into the gap by the flow of the crowd.
At that moment, Pardo's heart skipped a beat, thinking she'd been caught. Instead, she was put through a series of tests. After performing exceptionally well in several categories, she was deemed "qualified" and moved to the interview stage.
She was blocked by four interviewers who looked fierce and menacing. They asked her why she wanted to join Fire Moth. Pardo, not daring to admit she had snuck in, claimed she joined to find someone.
"Who are you looking for?" the interviewer asked.
Pardo thought for a moment and said, "Lin."
She didn't know what kind of image Lin held in these people's minds, but she noticed their expressions shift subtly. Finally, they told her she had successfully joined Fire Moth and would be assigned to Headquarters, handing her a uniform and a badge.
But before she could even board the transport plane, an accident occurred. The place suddenly became chaotic, and no one had time for the newcomers. People were shouting about something called the "Seventh Honkai Eruption"...
Due to various factors, she ended up staying at that branch office until the eruption ended, after which she was finally sent to Headquarters. Since arriving, no one had told her what to do. She moved through the festive, bustling atmosphere like a little ghost.
Still, Pardo liked excitement; usually, when a place in Sundown Alley was lively, she could find a good "harvest."
"Brother Lin... is he really here?"
To be honest, Pardo had felt some regret when she was forcibly recruited. She had a perfectly good house to live in, yet she insisted on looking for Lin, who was somewhere between sane and half-mad—she felt like a cat blinded by the sight of dried fish.
But she didn't feel that way anymore. During her days at the branch, she ate at the cafeteria every day from dawn to dusk without anyone bothering her. Her sleeping quarters, though not as big as her house, were large enough for two of her to roll around in.
Even though Pardo had never left the nook that was Sundown Alley, she could tell that this organization called Fire Moth possessed far more power than all of Sundown Alley combined. As the saying goes, "it's good to lean against a big tree for shade." Pardo immediately thought she might as well just be a "rice moth" (parasite) within Fire Moth...
Then again, what were all these people doing? Pardo watched people passing by with decorations in their hands. She only saw the sanatorium in Sundown Alley hang things like this during Christmas, but compared to Fire Moth's grand scale, the sanatorium looked shabby and stingy.
Of course, her first thought was that the sanatorium also distributed food to the hungry during those times. Thus, filled with anticipation for delicacies and drooling slightly, she secretly followed someone and slipped into the ballroom where the gala was being held.
"I'm... exhausted."
As soon as Mobius entered the lab, she plopped down into a chair, brushed back the strands of hair from her forehead, and let out a heavy sigh.
"...Um, Doctor." Klein watched as Mobius unceremoniously picked up Klein's water cup and took a deep drink. Klein moved her fingers away from the keyboard, interlacing them nervously. "What did you do out there at noon?"
Mobius had been out since midday and only just returned, crying out in exhaustion as if she had performed intense physical labor. In reality, Mobius physical stamina was quite poor; she was the type who needed to rest after walking a short distance. Only experiments could keep her energized for hours or even days without rest.
"...Are you curious?" After drinking a full cup of water to wash away the messy flavors in her mouth, Mobius set the cup down. Her blue eyes swept lightly over the conflict on Klein's face, and her lips curled into an exaggerated, long smirk.
"It's not exactly that..."
"Oh? You'd better rephrase that, Klein."
"..."
Seeing Klein's struggle between speaking and remaining silent, the cheerful Mobius felt her gloom vanish instantly.
"It's exactly what you're thinking. I went to see that guy." In a better mood, Mobius didn't speak in riddles. She yawned and said, "Then I had a meal, did some things..."
"Mr. Lin condition... is it okay?"
"..." Mobius silently rubbed her fingers, saying coldly, "Who knows... whether it's good or bad, only he can judge."
"..."
"Aren't you going to invite me in, Lin?"
Lin wondered if these people had coordinated to visit him one after another. Not long after sending Mobius away, Eden, dressed in a gown, knocked on his door. He stepped aside without a word, which was as good as an invitation.
Eden gave Lin a polite smile and walked into his room, her long dress trailing behind her.
"Did... someone just visit? Am I disturbing you?" Eden immediately spotted one or two long, fluorescent green hairs near Lin bed and desk—clearly left by a woman. She turned her gaze slowly toward Lin as he closed the door. He shook his head silently, though it was unclear if he was denying that someone had visited or denying that she was disturbing them.
"..."
"..."
After they both sat down, Lin ignored Eden. He resumed practicing his hand control. The unsightly characters on the paper grew in number, yet his expression didn't loosen in the slightest.
Eden watched the characters Lin was struggling to write and said softly, "Elysia told me... she hasn't seen you for several days."
"...It's just that she hasn't come to find me." Lin clearly knew Elysia well. Normally, she would have visited him several times over these past few days; the fact that she hadn't meant that even if Lin went looking for her, he probably wouldn't find her. Everyone has their own considerations.
"My friend, though I didn't know the 'you' of the past, you don't look like the person you were when we first met. Did the Seventh Honkai Eruption hit you that hard?"
Eden waited for Lin answer. She didn't usually ask people such direct questions, as her delicate nature made her fear hurting others. But Lin didn't seem like the type of person who could be wounded by words; only direct communication could reveal his true thoughts.
"...And you? The Seventh Honkai Eruption happened right in front of you. What are your thoughts?" Lin put down his pen. His gaze was like a sharpened blade, sweeping across Eden's serene face.