"Designed on purpose?"
Pardofelis played along perfectly, putting on an expression that practically screamed, 'I don't understand any of this, but I'm amazed.'
So this was the world rich people lived in? Even their guns were custom-made!
Eden: "…"
Pardofelis really was far too easy to read. Eden explained, "It's one of the benefits Schicksal gives its members. Every member can submit their weapon requirements, and the Manufacturing Department will produce a weapon based on those specifications."
"Every member gets that right?"
Pardofelis suddenly realized that some of her earlier assumptions might've been completely wrong.
Maybe Eden's rich-lady habits weren't part of her personality at all. Maybe she'd picked them up from the organization she belonged to!
"That's right." Eden nodded, then added, "But not everyone uses that privilege. The standard weapons and equipment Schicksal issues are already excellent. In some cases, they're even better than what we might request for ourselves.
"Standard weapons and gear are also easier to learn, so most members, especially newcomers, rarely submit requests for custom weapons. The main exception is people who'd already developed their own distinct fighting style before joining Schicksal."
Pardofelis nodded as though she understood, though only barely. Then something seemed to occur to her, and she gave Eden a strange look.
"So, Sister Eden… what exactly does Schicksal do? Why does every member need standard weapons and combat gear? And you'll even make custom weapons for them…"
Pardofelis had clearly realized that something wasn't adding up.
If yesterday's incident hadn't left her with no real chance to ask what happened after the explosion knocked her unconscious, she probably would've caught on much sooner.
That was also why Eden had chosen to reveal this much. Sooner or later, Pardofelis would learn the details of what had happened yesterday before Eden left Sundown Alley.
Eden wasn't planning to tell her what Schicksal truly was yet, much less reveal the truth about the Honkai. That might scare the girl off on the spot. Still, giving her a few hints was necessary.
If Eden kept everything secret while Pardofelis learned through other channels that Durandal had single-handedly taken on every criminal gang in Sundown Alley yesterday, then wiped out the drug-trafficking group on the spot, the secrecy might have the exact opposite effect and drive her away.
A little honesty was needed to earn a little trust.
So when Pardofelis asked, Eden gave her a deliberately broad answer. "Schicksal is a legal organization directly affiliated with the United Nations. It also carries out some military functions."
"…"
Pardofelis's expression grew even stranger.
After all, an organization directly under the United Nations had come all the way to Sundown Alley to recruit an orphan who'd grown up scavenging through garbage. No matter how she looked at it, the whole thing felt absurd.
Pardofelis had always known exactly how capable she was. Still, everyone had a little vanity, and she couldn't stop herself from feeling secretly pleased.
An organization with a background like that actually wanted her!
That thought alone was enough to make her reconsider her plan to reject the offer outright.
Maybe… she should wait and see for a while longer?
As for asking Eden for more details about Schicksal, Pardofelis could already guess how that would go.
It'd probably end the same way as when she and Aponia had asked why Durandal and Elysia had suddenly disappeared. Eden definitely wouldn't give them a detailed answer.
An organization like that obviously had plenty of secrets it couldn't casually reveal to outsiders or newcomers. Pardofelis understood that completely.
"So, Felis, what's your decision?" Eden asked, looking at her.
Pardofelis jolted. "I-I haven't decided yet!"
Her answer surprised Eden a little, since that wasn't what she'd been asking about. More than anything, though, Eden was pleased. This time, Pardofelis hadn't immediately rejected the offer by using her own supposed "mediocrity" as an excuse.
Eden knew exactly what had happened, but she put on a puzzled expression anyway. "I was asking whether you'd agree to let me visit your home, Felis. I wasn't trying to recruit you just now. Of course, if you're willing to give me definite answers to both questions right now, I certainly wouldn't mind."
"Huh?"
Pardofelis scratched her head in embarrassment, then waved her hands several times. "I still need time to think about joining Schicksal, so I can't answer you yet. As for you wanting to see where I live…"
She remembered the pair of pistols inside Eden's handbag, and her expression relaxed a little.
Sundown Alley was chaotic, but there really weren't many people with guns. The area where she lived was a slum, and most of the thugs there considered themselves big shots if they owned a huge machete.
Looking at it that way, Eden might look rich enough to be the fattest sheep imaginable, but if anyone actually tried to rob her, there was no way the woman carrying two guns would be the one who suffered.
"If you don't mind the place, Sister Eden, then let's go buy some groceries first! I'll cook tonight and give you a proper meal at my place!"
Pardofelis planted her hands on her hips, looking as though she was determined to show Eden what she could do in the kitchen tonight.
Eden couldn't help smiling. The girl in front of her really was adorable.
If she could truly recruit Pardofelis to her side, then work and daily life in the future would never be dull.
Why had Eden involved herself in so many different fields? Talent was part of it, but her personality mattered just as much.
She loved new experiences, and she found meaning in life through them. The easiest way to find something new was to step outside her usual circle and try something she'd never done before.
But now, Pardofelis seemed to have shown her another way to keep life fresh.
If someone this interesting stayed by her side all the time, then every day would naturally bring something new.
From that point of view, Eden actually liked Elysia very much—as a friend, of course.
Elysia enjoyed a few drinks just as much as she did, making her an excellent drinking companion, and she was also endlessly interesting. She always met the world around her with such sincere enthusiasm that Eden knew she could never match it.
Unfortunately, Elysia couldn't be her drinking companion very often. Most of her attention was focused on someone else.
Pardofelis was different. She was only fifteen.
Under normal circumstances, Eden still had at least another three to five years before she'd need to worry about Pardofelis becoming like Elysia and pouring most of her time and energy into someone else.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL