The sudden hug startled Pardo, making her fur stand on end.
Though she knew Mei had saved her, they were essentially strangers, having just met. Being embraced so tightly, even by someone like Pardofelis, was awkward.
Fortunately, aside from the tight grip, Mei didn't do anything else out of line. Pardo calmed down slightly, her tail wagging nervously. "Uh, um, Mei-nee, I know you might be a little emotional right now, but could you... let go?"
But Mei, lost in her emotions, didn't react. Helpless, Pardo raised her hands in surrender, glancing at her cat, Cans. "Cans, help me out."
The large, brown cat meowed, walking over curiously. Pardo grabbed him and stuffed him into Mei's arms. "M-Mei-nee, if you like cats, I can lend you Cans for a bit. He's very well-behaved."
"Meow?" Cans, suddenly used as a bargaining chip, looked utterly bewildered.
"..." After a moment of silence, Mei quietly released her grip. She discreetly wiped away her tears, her voice hoarse. "Sorry."
"Uh, no need to apologize." Pardo, freed from Mei's embrace, sighed in relief. "If Mei-nee really wants a hug, I wouldn't refuse... It was just... a little sudden."
Looking at the girl, who was clearly nervous but trying to act nonchalant, Mei couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity.
Voice, actions, habits, appearance, name... everything was identical to that girl. Apart from not recognizing her, Mei couldn't find any difference.
If she didn't know that no two leaves were exactly alike, she would have instinctively assumed they were the same person. But after the initial surge of emotion, she calmed down. The Pardo in the Elysian Realm was a projection of a Flame-Chaser from fifty thousand years ago, while the Pardo she knew was born in the current era. Excluding reincarnation, the only explanation was coincidence.
However, because of The Obsidian Concord, she couldn't help but connect the two.
Speaking of which, how did The Obsidian Concord know the identities of the Flame-Chasers without ever entering the Elysian Realm? And besides Pardo, the name Kalpas also seemed to have a connection to the Elysian Realm.
Could there be a Kalpas in the Elysian Realm as well?
Thinking of this, Mei's breathing quickened.
When she was at her weakest, he had beaten her up twice. Now that she had grown stronger, he had already died in the battle of ARC City. If she could truly meet him in the Elysian Realm, she had to get her revenge.
While Mei was lost in thought, Pardo was secretly observing her. Seeing her expression shift from sorrow to calmness, and finally to a fierce determination, Pardo's ears perked up. "M-Mei-nee? You're not angry, are you? I'll let you hug me, as long as you want. Just... don't hit me."
"..." Seeing the girl's pitiful expression, Mei couldn't help but smile. She reached out and ruffled Pardo's hair. "I was just thinking about some things from the past."
"That's good." Hearing Mei's words, Pardo breathed a sigh of relief.
"By the way, do you recognize this?" As if suddenly remembering something, Mei took a silver coin from her pocket.
This was a gift from the Pardo of the outside world, given to her before she left. Mei hadn't expected it to be a final farewell. She had buried the cookie tin with the girl, but kept the silver coin.
"A silver coin?" Pardo's eyes lit up. As the only merchant in the Elysian Realm, she was very familiar with them. But when she took the coin from Mei, she froze.
The coin had a cat design, Pardo's signature. But the small hole in the coin was clearly not original. She stared at the coin, then took another coin with a hole from her pocket, holding them up to the light for comparison.
"This is...?" Pardo's actions caught Mei's attention. She also noticed that the two coins were identical.
But her coin was from the Pardo of the real world. How could it be identical to one from the Elysian Realm?
"Mei-nee, where did you get this coin?"
"A girl who looks a lot like you gave it to me."
"If I remember correctly, I think I buried this with some other things before joining that battle... Well, it's been so long, the box must have broken by now."
"It's yours?" Mei's eyes widened in disbelief. If the girl had indeed dug up that coin, it was too much of a coincidence. She couldn't help but overthink it.
"That's right. See this hole? I remember when my team was attacked. If this coin hadn't blocked a bullet for me, I probably wouldn't be here." Recalling the past, Pardo looked a little scared. But thinking that she was already in the Elysian Realm, meaning she was probably already dead, she relaxed. "Speaking of which, Mei-nee, you're really lucky. You even managed to find my legacy."
"Legacy..." Hearing the word from the person themselves was a bit ominous, but considering this was the Elysian Realm, it wasn't so incongruous.
"In that case, I'll return it to you."
"No need." Pardo waved her hand generously. "This coin brings good luck. Since Mei-nee found it, it means you've inherited Felis's good fortune. By the way, I'll give you this one too, as a thank you for saving me."
Mid-sentence, Pardo suddenly covered her mouth in surprise. "Oh! I get it now. Because I had the coin, I met Mei-nee and was saved..."
Even though she knew it was a coincidence, Mei didn't refuse Pardo's goodwill. She accepted both coins, expressing her gratitude.
"Don't mention it. Since Mei-boss will be staying in the Elysian Realm for a while, you'll be patronizing my business in the future. Think of this coin as a welcome gift."
"Boss?"
"Yeah, it's a trick I learned on Twilight Street. When I was getting supplies, if I was discovered, I'd shout 'Boss, I got the goods!' to an empty corner. That way, people would think I had a mysterious boss backing me, and most of them would back down."
"You're quite clever."
"Of course. In that kind of place, you need brains to survive. By the way, Mei-nee, you haven't had a chance to see the Elysian Realm yet, right? Let me be your guide. I'm not bragging, but I know this place even better than Elysia-nee." Pardo puffed out her chest, offering her services.
"I appreciate it." Since her injuries had mostly healed, Mei didn't want to stay on the examination table any longer. She left a message for Elysia and followed Pardo.
Shortly after they left, Mobius returned to the lab. Seeing that Mei was gone, she quietly activated a machine in the corner.
The machine displayed Mei's physical data.