I'm on the Ark, and I start out as Gretchen.

"Alright, let's go back too!" After watching the two figures, one big and one small, disappear from sight, Pado turned her head and smiled at the person next to her.

"Hmm..." Upon hearing this, An Suo did not agree as usual. Instead, after pondering for a moment, he couldn't help but ask, "So, Miss Phyllis, could you satisfy my curiosity now?"

"?"

Meeting Paddy's questioning gaze, An Suo finally couldn't hold back any longer. She leaned closer and lowered her voice to ask the question that had been bothering her all afternoon, "It's just... Miss Phyllis, what exactly is your relationship with that Miss Swire?"

"We're just friends, what's wrong with that?"

Thinking it was some serious problem, Pado suddenly heard such a familiar gossip question and said helplessly, "Speaking of which, didn't you and Gretchen discuss this question all afternoon? You still haven't come to an answer?"

"Hey! Miss Phyllis, you heard that?! We were both speaking so softly!" Although she already knew Paddy had excellent hearing, hearing her say that...

Even so, An Suo couldn't help but feel a surge of surprise.

Actually, it was through Gretchen that Pado learned about it, and she accepted the reason without batting an eye, "Oh well, what can I say, my ears have always been so good!"

"So what exactly is your relationship? I don't believe it's just friends! Miss Phyllis, tell me quickly!"

"Hey~ guess?"

Amidst their playful banter, Pado and Ansuo also left the area.

---------------

After this little incident at lunch, everyone's life returned to normal.

After returning to the Guard Bureau at noon that day, Gretchen didn't linger. Instead, she invited Chen and Hoshiguma to join her before leaving to return to her hotel to continue painting.

After all, she's really pressed for time and has a lot of tasks to complete. If she doesn't hurry, she'll really have to postpone the drawing until she returns to the Reunion Movement.

During these two days, besides Gretchen being busy, there was another person who was also busy and troubled.

"Sigh... why did I have to do all the cooking again?" A purple-haired girl standing in front of the kitchen of Pado Shop sighed helplessly.

Pado, who was carrying two large bags of groceries, happened to overhear the girl's words and replied with a smile, "That's because among us, Mei-nee, you're the best cook!"

"We're really looking forward to today's dinner!! Hey, Anso and I will help you out, let's get started!"

"Then help me prepare and wash the vegetables first." Hearing this, Mei shook her head helplessly and then gave the order.

She's been really conflicted these past few days. She was suddenly summoned and "entrusted with an important task"—to be the head chef of a dinner party, and one with quite a few people at that.

She spent a long time just thinking about what to make to satisfy everyone's tastes, not to mention the subsequent things like purchasing ingredients.

In fact, if it weren't for Pado and Anso diligently helping out, Mei might have already quit and gone out to eat with everyone.

"Alright! Let's divide these up, An Suo."

"Ah."

……

Just as Pado was leisurely taking notes with a large bowl of food, a voice she didn't really want to hear suddenly rang in her mind, causing her hand to pause involuntarily.

'Phyllis, you guys seem to have a really relaxed life over there~ Since you're so free, why don't you come over and help me out later? I don't think you'll refuse, right?'

'...'

After snapping out of her mental lapse, Pado quickly chuckled to herself, "Snake...Sister Snake! Haha, how could I refuse you!"

"But... but let's make this clear first, we can't help with anything bad!"

'Ha~ Even if I really let Phyllis do something bad, what level could you possibly go through?'

Mebius couldn't help but let out a sarcastic laugh before changing the subject, saying, "Alright, enough joking, let's get down to business."

'You should know I'm in Iberia right now, and I've run into some minor obstacles. I need your help to gather some information.'

'I think Phyllis, you should be able to do something as simple as this, right?'

"Phew... so it's just information gathering. No problem, I'll take care of it. I'll come over after the dinner party here." Since the other person had already put it that way, Pado didn't refuse anymore and agreed.

After all, she had personally told Möbius that as long as it wasn't something immoral, he should call on her if he could help.

Once she's said it, the cat has no intention of going back on her word.

"Oh, right, everyone got a meal at today's gathering, Snake Sister, don't forget the lunch in your space!"

Although everyone knew the truth about this matter, considering someone's personality, Pado couldn't help but remind him.

'Phyllis, when did you become so long-winded?'

"Oh dear, I was just afraid you'd forget, Sister Snake! Since you still remember, then we won't bother you any longer!"

Chapter 167 Party

As noon approached, the people who had attended the gathering gradually arrived at Pado's shop.

To ensure the smooth running of the gathering, the cat cleared out the second floor of the shop and put away all unnecessary items before everyone arrived, making the already large space seem even bigger.

Patto, who was leisurely sitting in a rocking chair by the door, perked up when she saw the car suddenly pull up in front of the store. She straightened up and waved, "Wow, Swire, you've finally arrived! Please come up to the second floor!"

"Your shop is running in a way that's unusually relaxed, Pattofelis." Swire got out of the car and couldn't help but complain as she looked at Pattofelis, who exuded a lazy vibe.

To be honest, Little Tiger really felt that the relaxed atmosphere of Paddo was completely out of place with the chaotic and busy feeling of the slums...

“That’s how you should run a shop. If there’s work, do it; if not, sleep and sunbathe. That’s life!” Pado replied confidently.

"..."

Hearing that there was some truth to what he said, Swire, unusually, did not refute it, but silently handed over the gift she was carrying.

The little tiger might disagree with other things, but she wouldn't say anything about this. Because this was indeed the ordinary life of ordinary people, and the life Padfophilis longed for, so what right did she have to judge?

"oops

"How kind of you to be so polite!" Patto exclaimed with a smile as she accepted the gift from Swire.

Swire's lips twitched involuntarily, then she said irritably, "Give it back if you don't want it!"

"That won't do. Once it's in our hands, it's ours!" Upon hearing this, Pado hid the gift in her bosom, looking as if she was afraid it would be snatched away by the person in front of her.

"You guy..."

"Hehe~" Patto smiled at Swire before looking at the others behind her and said, "Alright, don't stand outside anymore, let's go in together."

"By the way, Miss Lin Yuxia, you don't need to stare at us like that. I really did just pick up your jewelry before!"

When her name was called, Lin Yuxia withdrew her scrutinizing gaze and said unhurriedly, "I apologize for the intrusion. I was simply curious about Miss Padoflis."

After saying that, she took out the gift she had prepared in advance and handed it to Pado.

"Hmm...everyone's being so polite, then we won't be polite either!" Pado's eyes lit up slightly as she looked at yet another gift.

“Bringing gifts when visiting someone’s home is normal etiquette. Not only me and Swire, but everyone else has prepared gifts as well,” Lin Yuxia said calmly.

"In that case, please rest assured that lunch today will not disappoint you." With that, Pado took Swire's hand with one hand and waved to the two people who had just parked their car. Then she went into the shop first and headed to the second floor.

Seeing this, the others stopped blocking the entrance and followed the two people in front of them to the second floor of the shop.

Once they went upstairs, they realized that there weren't as many people upstairs as they had imagined; only these four girls were sitting at the table chatting.

These four girls were Gretchen, Hua, and Anso, who had arrived some time earlier.

“There’s no friend here that you mentioned that I can talk to.” Swire said, pulling her hand away from Patto’s as she glanced at the surroundings.

“Don’t worry, she’ll be here soon. Swire, if you’re really curious and want to be alone, you can wait downstairs for a bit.” Paddy paused slightly before adding:

"Trust me, you'll recognize her at a glance."

Cat was not joking about this; Eden's elegance, seemingly etched into his very bones, was absolutely unforgettable. Especially against the backdrop of the slums, it stood out remarkably.

In this situation, she didn't think Swire would fail to recognize her.

“…I’ll trust you this once.” After a moment of contemplation, Shi Huaiya, whose curiosity had been piqued, said.

“You should have trusted us a long time ago!” With that, Pado happily swayed her long tail and turned to the others, saying, “Relax, don’t be shy, just make yourself at home.”

"Oh, by the way, Gretchen brought two paintings today, I think they're for two of you. Why don't you go take a look?"

Pado's words immediately piqued the interest of both Chen and Lin Yuxia, who then curiously looked in Gretchen's direction.

"There are some snacks and tea on the table. You guys chat for a bit, let's go to the kitchen and see if there's anything we can help with!" After saying that, Pado made room for the others and turned to walk towards the kitchen.

Although the cat and the canned food had recently been kicked out of the kitchen by Mei for being greedy, she decided to take another stroll through the kitchen to see if there was anything else she could help with, just to give the guests some time to chat.

Hmm...it's definitely not because Mei's cooking is too delicious or anything...

After Pado left, the four of them exchanged glances, and then each went off to find something that piqued their curiosity or to strike up a conversation.

……

In the kitchen—

"Padre, you've come at the right time. There's no room in the kitchen, could you help me take these vegetables out?" Mei, who was chopping vegetables, said without looking up after noticing Padre enter.

"Oh, and don't you dare steal any food!"

"Oh, don't worry, Mei-nee, I'm not really a glutton." Suddenly reminded, Pado showed a helpless expression, picked up the dishes that had been prepared and walked outside.

……

After admiring Gretchen's other two paintings and exchanging ideas with Hua and the others on the second floor, Swire went downstairs amidst the fragrant aroma of food.

At this moment, she had to admit that Padophilia had indeed hired a fantastic chef. Because she was actually getting a craving...

This is one of the reasons why she is going downstairs now.

As for why it's only one of them, that's because there's also the reason of curiosity.

Swire had lost count of how many times Patto had kept her in suspense about their supposed friendship. Now, she was genuinely curious about just who this person was.

However, her curious friend didn't keep her waiting long. With a soft sound, a motorcycle stopped in front of Pado's shop.

The woman then gracefully stepped out of the car, removed her helmet, and gently tossed her long, wine-red hair before looking at Swire standing in the store. She said softly, "Oh~ beautiful lady, are you also a guest invited by Phyllis?"

"..."

Looking at the elegant and beautiful woman in front of her, Swire suddenly understood what Padre meant when she said she recognized her at a glance.

Chapter 168 Curious Swire

"Ah~ beautiful lady, are you also a guest invited by Phyllis?"

"cough……"

Quickly gathering her thoughts, Swire cleared her throat and said, "Yes, I am also one of the guests invited by Padofelis. She and the others are upstairs now."