Leaning in close to Pardo's back, Vill-V discovered that although Pardo was dirty, she did not actually smell.
That made sense.
If she carried a foul odor, it would be easy to notice her during petty theft. She would not be able to approach her targets so easily.
So Pardo must have been consciously keeping herself clean all along.
"Don't be afraid. I'm your senior. The money you picked up today was stolen by me."
"Oh, oh! So you're the one who threw the money today... A fellow professional, nice to meet you!"
Although Pardo said that, her body only tensed further.
In their line of work, fellow professionals meant rivals. Among thieves, deception, betrayal, even killing for profit were hardly uncommon.
And she had just admitted that the money belonged to her. That meant she was a creditor.
She must be here to take it back.
It's over, it's over. I'm going to get stabbed.
"I came to make a deal with you. Do you want to live a life without worrying about food and drink?"
"A life without worrying about food and drink?! N-no, no! I don't want that at all!"
Pardo looked as if she were about to cry.
A life without worrying about food and drink?
Yes. If you're dead, you don't have to worry about food or drink.
"Sis! Big sis! I'll return all the money! I don't want it! I don't want any of it! Pardo doesn't want to die!"
She clutched the bulging sack tightly, intending to hand it back to Vill-V. But when she thought about how much money was inside, she could not bring herself to let go.
So she ended up hugging it while crying.
"You don't need to return the money. Relax. I'm not sending you to your death. The deal I'm offering is that you join my organization and work for me. In practice, you'd just be the organization's mascot—running small errands and getting paid for it."
Vill-V spoke gently.
When she first saw Pardo, she had been excited—tinged with a trace of emotion.
This was the first time she had encountered one of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers of the Previous Era in this world.
In this unfamiliar world, those remembered heroes felt like meeting a fellow townsman in a foreign land.
Pardo was even wearing the same hood as in the game, her outfit strikingly similar.
Vill-V had recognized her at a glance.
That alone stirred many memories within [Id]—memories of long nights spent grinding through the Elysian Realm.
She had nearly cried.
Of course, as the current [Conductor], she would not allow herself such weakness.
Instead, she calmly considered how to deal with Pardo.
Though Pardo's thieving skills were exceptional, that was only in a place like Dusk Street.
Against a formal force like MOTH, she would be hopelessly outmatched.
If left alone, Pardo would likely follow the original storyline.
She would attempt to "pull off one big job" by infiltrating MOTH.
She would be caught.
Sent for human experimentation.
Turned into a MANTIS.
Forced onto the battlefield.
And ultimately die on the moon.
Yes, Pardo was remarkable. In the end, she would live up to the name of a Flame-Chaser.
Or rather, she had always lived up to it.
But was that truly what Pardo wanted?
Or was it merely the choice forced upon her by circumstances?
When Vill-V first saw her, the image that surfaced in her mind was:
"Sister Mei... I don't want to die..."
Being reshaped by one's environment was an unbearably painful thing.
Vill-V had felt that pain when she first created a persona.
She did not want this yet-unmet friend to experience the same suffering.
"Oh, work, work. That's good, that's good," Pardo responded mechanically, still not quite processing it.
"Who is this Granny Rosa you mentioned earlier?"
"Oh, she's a very kind granny. She often gives me tasty food. Lately she hasn't come around. I heard she fell ill and needs a lot of money for treatment."
Speaking of something familiar, Pardo's body gradually relaxed.
Vill-V gently released her, confident that Pardo would not try to run now.
"What about Uncle Kandal?"
"Uncle Kandal... I can't say. It's a promise. It's a secret! Even if you beat me to death, I won't say!"
Pardo shook her head vigorously, looking extremely serious.
Although the earlier conversation had already made it obvious that Uncle Kandal handled the disposal of stolen goods and introduced clients for her.
"I see."
Vill-V pulled a slice of cake from her sleeve and handed it to Pardo.
Pardo's eyes sparkled.
"W-wow, you—"
"Vill-V."
"Sister Vill-V, how did you do that? If you keep cake in your sleeve, won't it get squashed?"
By the time she finished speaking, the cake was already in her stomach.
Faster than magic.
She clearly feared Vill-V might take it back.
Though swallowing it without tasting—wasn't that no different from bread?
"That is the surprise of magic, my adorable little audience~"
Hearing praise from her "audience," the Magician persona within Vill-V immediately felt the urge to perform.
She produced a wand from thin air.
With a light tap of her top hat—
A mass of cotton candy swelled from within.
Mixed inside were various snacks, like a colorful candy box brimming with delicious treats.
"Th-this... Sister Vill-V, have you always been carrying so much stuff? How did I not notice before?"
Pardo circled around her, unable to detect any trick.
Incidentally, by the time she completed the circle, half the snacks in the cotton candy were gone.
"If the secret of magic were easily uncovered, it would hardly be called a surprise~"
Vill-V tipped the hat upward, and the cotton candy vanished back inside before settling neatly atop her head.
Just as Pardo began worrying whether Vill-V's head was about to be smeared with sugar, Magician removed the hat again and performed a bow.
Both her head and the inside of the hat were completely empty.
Pardo clapped repeatedly, clicking her tongue in amazement.
"Incredible! If I had a trick like that, imagine how much I could stash away. Truly worthy of a master. Sister Vill-V, are the people working in your organization all like you?"
"No. We're not a pickpocket organization. I founded it for my own purposes. If I had to name a goal, it would be to save certain people. For example, you."
Vill-V had never assigned some grand mission to the Mad Hatter Party.
From beginning to end, it existed to serve her alone.
There was no need to burden it with heavy banners like saving humanity or fighting the Honkai.
It was also the backdoor she had prepared for herself.
A retreat from the destiny of a Flame-Chaser.
"Huh?"
Pardo looked flattered.
No one had ever valued her like this before.
"What's there to save about me?"
Since birth, Pardo had been abandoned again and again.
In others' eyes—even in her parents'—she had been nothing more than a stray cat to be discarded at will.
It was repeated abandonment that had taught her how to survive.
Having lived her entire life in such a world, she genuinely could not see what about her was worth anyone's need.
Perhaps the goods she sold were more valuable than she was.
Vill-V smiled, offering no further explanation.
"In any case, welcome to the Mad Hatter Party, Adventurer Pardo."
"Eh? I never said I'd join. But... since there's money involved, I guess I can reluctantly sign up."