[After learning about the First Honkai Eruption, you secretly donated most of the money Anderson provided you to Mobius for her experiments.]
[At the same time, by a stroke of luck, you met Nai'erweiya, a self-proclaimed magician and habitual fraudster.]
[You recognized at a glance that this woman calling herself Nai'erweiya was actually Vill-V before she joined the MOTHs, and you willingly let her swindle you out of 64,800 Euros.]
[Not long after, Vill-V took on another identity and left Twilight Street.]
[You didn't mind this at all; on the contrary, you wished her well and hoped she would have fun with the MOTHs.]
[The days passed one by one, and you became completely engrossed in your cat-petting routine.]
[Monday: Petting cats.]
[Tuesday: Petting Pardo.]
[Wednesday: Petting cats.]
[Thursday: Petting little Aponia.]
[Friday: Fu Li, oh Fu Li, how can you be so lazy? The Honkai is still waiting for you to destroy it.]
[Saturday: Petting Pardo.]
[Sunday: Petting Felis.]
---o---
At noon, the sunlight was just right.
Fu Li sat by an alley near the sea in Twilight Street, casting aside all concern for his image as he sat on the sand, holding a flute and gently playing a melody from Shenzhou.
As for Pardofelis, she was lying on his lap, enjoying both the midday sun and the refreshing sea breeze.
Around them, a group of lazy cats wrestled and played with one another, painting a scene of perfect harmony.
"Mmm... Li, your music is so beautiful."
Pardo nuzzled against Fu Li's leg, her fine figure curled up like a lazy cat cuddling its food.
Or perhaps, like a succubus clutching her meal.
"Oh? Is it? How beautiful?"
Hearing this, Fu Li lowered his flute and smiled faintly, his gentle fingers resting on her head.
His artistic skills had been personally honed under Eden's guidance, and Eden was a superstar for generations. His proficiency was beyond question.
If Pardo knew that in his previous life, he could earn several thousand Euros or US dollars for a single ticket, she would probably die of envy.
"Hmm... let me think?"
Pardo thought for a moment, but her lack of an artistic flair left her unable to come up with a fitting adjective. She simply threw her hands up and gave up.
"I can't think of anything, meow~"
Seeing her like this, Fu Li couldn't help but find it amusing. Just as he was about to say something more, his phone rang.
"Huh? Whose call is this? There's no contact name saved."
Pardo's reaction was clearly faster than Fu Li's. She sat up at once, looking at the phone curiously.
"No name?"
Fu Li picked up his phone, and a smile appeared on his face when he saw the caller. "It's no one important, so there's no need to save the name. But I still have to answer it."
"Oh, I see," Pardo nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite. She didn't say anything further and just watched Fu Li answer the call.
"Hello? Godfather Anderson? What's up?" Fu Li asked.
"...The MOTHs you predicted has been established. Their first high-level meeting is scheduled for 11 a.m. a week from now," Anderson replied.
"Oh, is that so? I understand. Thank you, my old friend," said Fu Li.
"Not at all, my friend. I was just wondering when you plan to leave, so I can arrange a flight for you," Anderson said.
Hearing the eager tone in his voice, Fu Li didn't answer immediately. Instead, he looked over at Pardofelis, who was busy teasing a cat.
"Pardo, are you interested in taking a trip to the Mu Continent with me?"
"The Mu Continent?"
At the mention of the Mu Continent, Pardo's eyes clearly flashed with three parts vigilance, three parts confusion, and five parts curiosity.
Curiosity was, after all, a cat's nature. Pardo answered without hesitation, "I'll go."
But a moment later, she asked cautiously, "Will we be coming back? How long will we be gone?"
"Of course, we'll come back. This is our home. We'll only be gone for a week," Fu Li replied with a smile. Then, he spoke into the phone, "Two first-class tickets, please."
Anderson was speechless. "Alright, I understand. I'll send you the specific address and time later."
"Okay, bye-bye."
After finishing their business, both men eagerly hung up the phone.
"Are we leaving now?"
"No, this is still our break time."
Fu Li picked up a nearby watermelon, handed it to Pardo, and added with a smile, "The flight isn't for a while yet. We'll rest first. I promise, the prosperity of the Mu Continent will exceed your wildest imagination."
---o---
[You and Pardofelis spent a pleasant afternoon together.]
[That evening, the flight to the Mu Continent booked for you by Godfather Anderson had arrived.]
[After entrusting the cat cafe to the old director of the neighboring sanatorium, you took Pardofelis and boarded the plane leaving Twilight Street.]
[Inside the VIP cabin, Pardo pressed her face against the window, watching the rapidly passing scenery, letting out sounds of surprise that were a mix of excitement and a slight bit of anxiety.]
[After getting off the plane, you booked a presidential suite with a balcony at a hotel and spent a wonderful and comfortable night.]
[On the third day, knowing that the MOTHs would be holding their celebration banquet that evening, you decided to take Pardo out to make a memory.]
"A photo?! We can finally take a photo?"
Hearing this, Pardo forgot all about her phone, instantly bouncing up from the soft mattress to curiously examine the camera in Fu Li's hands.
When she first arrived in this futuristic metropolis, Pardo had been excited for a time, but that excitement quickly faded.
After all, there were far too many people in a high-tech city like this. Although their room had a sun terrace, she always felt a little out of place.
Besides, for the past few days, whenever Fu Li was in the room, he was almost always on his laptop, staring at a group of people in suits on the screen with an eager, almost predatory look in his eyes.
For some reason, Pardofelis, for once, didn't feel a hint of jealousy. Instead, she silently felt pity for those people.
"So this is the thing that can capture images? I remember selling one of these before. It was pretty expensive."
Pardofelis fiddled with the pricey Polaroid camera Fu Li had just bought. Without any instruction, she figured out how to turn it on and pressed the shutter button, pointing it at Fu Li.
A photo that was far from professional, one that could even be called amateurish, ejected from the camera. Pardo thought it was just average, but she still carefully kept it.
It was the first picture she had ever taken of Fu Li.
[You spent a day showing Pardo around the city, and you took a picture of her outside the largest five-star hotel in the area.]
[When Pardo asked why you were taking the picture, you just gave a mysterious smile and said nothing.]
[The next day, the MOTHs' celebration banquet was held as scheduled. Sitting on the hotel rooftop, you could see the group of people in suits laughing very happily. But that didn't matter.]
"They won't be laughing for long."
Under the moonlight, Fu Li, dressed in a white suit and wearing a monocle, curled his lips into a smirk. His figure slowly faded away with the moonlight.