Whether Vill-V could truly inherit Elysia's title of "Master of Metaphors,"
And whether Vill-V's metaphors just elevated the so-called "magic show" to an abnormal level—
Let's set those aside for now.
In-game.
Vill-V took out the [Consciousness Collector] and proactively proposed to Mei that she verify her identity first.
"Miss Mei, I specially invite you to view my memories—this is a token of trust, you know~"
"I refuse." Mei rejected her without hesitation.
"Excellent, I knew it, no one can resist such tempta—wait, refuse? That's impossible?"
Vill-V was stunned.
Mei calmly explained that Vill-V didn't have enough credibility in her eyes.
Or rather… she wasn't someone completely trustworthy.
Therefore, she was unwilling to participate in this experiment involving an unknown device.
The situation suddenly became awkward.
...
That's when Pardofelis stepped forward. She didn't want to see Mei and Vill-V continue to argue.
So, she volunteered to test the [Consciousness Collector] herself.
"Pardofelis…?"
Mei didn't expect Pardofelis to step up.
Vill-V, on the other hand, teased from the side, "Oh my, seems like little Pardofelis is still holding a grudge over you suspecting her~"
Pardofelis lowered her head and said, "I wouldn't say I'm holding a grudge… given the circumstances, it's normal for Mei-nee to be cautious."
"But if things go on like this, won't Mei-nee be left without any allies?"
"If I can prove my innocence early, I can help Mei-nee investigate the truth."
"…Also, I believe that Mei-nee definitely isn't the culprit!"
Faced with Pardofelis's sincere trust, Mei finally relented.
Players who watched this segment couldn't help but feel a wave of emotion in their hearts.
Cat-cat really is the best.
To not let Pardofelis's trust go to waste, Mei used the [Consciousness Collector] on her.
The screen went black, then gradually lit up.
"This is…?"
Elysia let out a soft murmur, "The Elysian Realm? Felis's shop?"
Indeed, the in-game scene had shifted from the theme park to the Elysian Realm—specifically in front of Pardofelis's shop.
Pardofelis's voice rang out from within the game.
"Haven't been back in days. I heard from Elysia that there's a new guest in the Realm. I wonder what kind of person they are?"
Mei watched the memory.
She guessed this must've been from before they had met. The "guest" Pardofelis mentioned was probably referring to her.
She pondered.
The players were thinking the same.
They were wondering if there was a deeper meaning hidden in Pardofelis's memories.
On screen—
Pardofelis pulled open a drawer, and her eyes lit up.
"Whoa! So many coins! What a generous sucker… cough, I mean, what a generous customer!"
[Calling them a sucker, lmaooo 23333]
[Mei: Looks like I can get Signets for free from now on (not really).]
[I thought this memory had hidden meaning, but now I get it. Pardofelis probably just wanted to make some money.]
["What Bad Intentions Could Cat-Cat Possibly Have"]
...
Hearing that signature Pardofelis-style line,
Mei was speechless, but also confirmed—yep, this memory was definitely real.
'Guess I'll keep watching.'
The moment she thought that, the image in front of her shattered and reassembled, stretching forward—
A new scene emerged.
Time didn't flow within the Realm. Pardofelis was still leaning against the stall outside her shop, but now wore a worried expression.
"Do I really have to keep going deeper with Mei-nee? Even nice old Ah-Mobius is trying to stop us, and Elysia seems really worried too."
"If this keeps up, Sister Nia will definitely end up fighting with Mei-nee."
"Geez, can't everyone just sit down and talk things out nicely?"
Honestly, Pardofelis's worry felt incredibly genuine, and so did her thoughts.
Everyone could understand why she would think that way.
In life, if two of your good friends were fighting, most people would feel the same.
Can: "Meow~~"
Pardofelis kept talking: "No need to comfort me, Can. Don't worry—I finally found a place I belong. There's no way I'd just watch my companions fall into infighting."
"After all, even if I'm ranked last, I'm still one of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers that Elysia acknowledged~"
"…It's like a dream. That an orphan from Twilight Street like me could be called an [Elite] one day."
"Can, do you think… if my mom and dad were still around, would they be proud of me?"
At this moment, players felt a tightness in their chest.
The livestream also fell briefly silent, before the barrage of comments resumed.
[Didn't expect Pardofelis, who always seemed carefree and bubbly, to have such deep thoughts.]
[Thankfully, in the Realm, she has Can to talk to.]
[But... back then, the real Pardofelis didn't have Can. Can only appeared after she entered the Realm.]
Some viewers in the stream felt heartache after her heartfelt monologue.
Others kept thinking—was this plot development just a little bit suspicious?
[Actually… doesn't it feel like we're getting stacked with emotional debuff buffs here? Is something going to happen to Pardofelis?]
[Pardofelis too is going to stab us in the heart? No way! How could the writers do that to such a harmless, adorable cat-cat?]
[That can't be, right? With Pardofelis's personality, she'd never willingly approach danger. And Mei is there—she'll protect cat-cat.]
The players were anxious—but once they remembered Mei was present, and Pardofelis was always cautious, they convinced themselves they didn't need to worry… probably.
Mei entered the next memory.
It was the night Kevin disappeared.
Pardofelis hadn't gone to rest. She was counting her spoils.
It looked like an ordinary memory.
But suddenly, a sleep-talking line floated out from Pardofelis.
"The first target… will be Boss Kevin. Wonder if he'll accept…"
Huh?
Why was Kevin suddenly mentioned?
Players immediately snapped out of their earlier mood and focused up.
"This has to be kept secret from Elysia. Mm, and also from Mei-nee. Otherwise… they'll never let me get away with it…"
HUH??!!
They were shocked.
Cat-cat, your sleep talk is terrifying.
What exactly are you trying to hide?
Could it be that just after they'd wholeheartedly trusted Pardofelis, the story was about to flip the table?
Their emotions were on a wild rollercoaster now.
The writers had them completely in their grasp.
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