After Lele left, the air fell into an awkward silence.
With Kirsch's cool indifference and the uncle's heavy thoughts, the two of them looked nothing like people who had come to enjoy an amusement park.
As the "elder," Huck naturally had to break the tension.
"Looks like we got here first, Kirsch."
At his words, she slowly raised her hand and pointed toward the fountain. "Zofia... Pardo..."
Following her gesture, Huck finally noticed Zofia and Pardo feeding cats by the fountain.
So the others had already arrived while he had been greeting Lele.
"Heh... your eyes are better than mine, Kirsch. I'm really getting old."
"Come on, let's join them."
Huck took Kirsch's hand and walked toward the fountain.
Before he could even greet them, Zofia once again demonstrated her airheaded brilliance.
"Even feeding cats can end with falling into the fountain... Let me try."
Splash.
Huck hurried over and fished Zofia out of the pool.
"Waaah, I'm soaked from head to toe..."
Zofia tugged at the hem of her shirt with a pitiful expression. A small fish slipped out from inside her drenched undergarments and was promptly snatched away by a kitten.
Seeing her clothes turn half-transparent from being soaked, Huck immediately removed his jacket like a proper gentleman and draped it over her shoulders.
"I've told you not to go near dangerous places, Zofia."
Clutching the jacket, she laughed awkwardly. "Hehe, it's fine. There are spare clothes in the staff lounge. I'll go change. Please look after little Pardo for me."
Zofia limped away, drawing strange looks from passersby, who were likely forming all sorts of misunderstandings.
Facing two "strangers," Pardo remained extremely cautious.
She was always like this around unfamiliar people—especially dangerous-looking uncles.
She could smell the faint scent of blood on Huck from a distance. Back on Dusk Street, she would have avoided someone like him entirely.
Huck straightened his clothes. Seeing that Pardo was practically bristling, he gave a simple, honest grin.
"Ah... come to think of it, this is our first time meeting in person, right, Pardo? I'm Huck. We've chatted in the group before. You remember me?"
When she heard his name, her guard lowered slightly.
"Oh, you're the kind person who mailed me cream... My name's Pardofelis. Uncle, I'll be honest—you smell strongly of blood."
Pardo remembered the names of kind people very clearly. One good deed often meant countless more—like an endless free buffet.
"Well, I handle most of the dirty and exhausting jobs in the organization... Don't worry. I'm definitely not a bad guy."
"That's exactly what bad guys say," Kirsch muttered softly.
"Ah ha... haha. I know most of the people in the Mad Hatter Party, but I heard four new members joined this time. There wasn't even a hint beforehand."
The [Mad Hatter] Organization had grown into a large force, and the Mad Hatter Party was its core backbone. Having four key members parachuted in was far beyond Huck's expectations.
Most members of the Mad Hatter Party had been in the organization for years. No one knew what connection the newcomers had with that mysterious Mr. Mad Hatter..
No, no... how could Mr. Mad Hatter play favorites? They must all be capable... right...?
Looking at the two girls wearing the organization's insignia, Huck couldn't help but doubt his own assumption.
One girl had striking half-brown, half-deep-green hair and wore an interesting travel jacket adorned with shining golden engraved details. Beneath it, she wore tight hot pants that hugged her hips and accentuated the curve of her thighs, showing off her shapely legs. The combination gave her entire outfit a bold, almost futuristic vibe.
The other wore a simple white T-shirt and jeans, her hair tied in a ponytail. She looked youthful and somewhat androgynous.
The two of them walked side by side along the park's main avenue, bright and full of vitality.
Pinned to their clothes were the party insignias used for identification—two gear-shaped ornaments, one large and one small. Remarkably, they rotated on their own, powered by clockwork springs.
"Hi! You're here so early. We've still got five minutes before the meeting time."
The energetic girl pulled the slightly shy one beside her and introduced them cheerfully.
"Nice to meet you all. I'm Vill-V, and this is Hua. We just joined the organization. Please take care of us, seniors~"
Kirsch replied expressionlessly, "Hello... Kirsch."
At that moment, Zofia returned after changing clothes and handed Huck his still-damp jacket.
"Vi... Vill-V sister."
"Oh ho~ Zofia, long time no see! Look at my new outfit. What do you think?"
"Mm, you certainly dressed for the occasion, Vill-V~"
It was obvious that Vill-V and Zofia were old acquaintances. They quickly fell into lively conversation.
"Seems the new members of the Mad Hatter Party aren't complete strangers after all."
Huck slung the jacket over his shoulder and let out a long breath, though his emotions were hard to put into words.
"Feels like the organization has an overwhelming number of pretty girls lately... and they're all minors at that."
"Come to think of it, the outstanding students at St. Freya Academy are all girls too. At this rate, the future leadership of the Mad Hatter Organization might be entirely female."
Watching the group of girls chatting excitedly about where to go play next, Huck felt an immense pressure settle on his shoulders.
It wasn't male chauvinism—just a powerful sense of crisis. Anyone in his position would feel the same.
The [Mad Hatter] Organization was not some company where one could idle away comfortably. It was a genuine war organization where lives were constantly on the line.
If you opened the camp gates and discovered that your commanding officers were a group of girls whose bodies hadn't even fully matured, would you feel reassured?
How could this possibly look like the secret organization opposing the colossal entity behind MOTH?
If he claimed to be a talent manager taking a group of underage idols on tour, people would probably believe him.
Well... that would technically be a crime. Though, to be fair, they were already the world's number one terrorists.
Life really was getting more and more "promising."
Fortunately, before long, the final two party members arrived.
A gray-haired young man wearing a Japanese high school uniform walked over, accompanied by a gray-haired girl holding a Homu plush.
Huck observed Su's calm and composed demeanor. Among the group of girls, he was the only true adult.
Surely, this had to be the legendary, elusive boss of the Mad Hatter Organization—the mysterious Mr. Mad Hatter.
It was Huck's first time seeing his boss' real face. In the past, he always wore a mask, covered his entire body, and used a voice changer. No one knew his true appearance—not even whether he was male or female.
"Mr. Mad Hatter, you've finally arrived."
Thank goodness—at least his big boss wasn't some underage girl.
After confirming that Mr. Mad Hatter was not a minor, Huck nearly wept with relief.
If the one leading the Mad Hatter Organization had turned out to be an underage girl, he would have applied for retirement on the spot and gone back to the countryside to live out his days.
There would be no way to fight this war.
"I am... That's right. I am Mr. Mad Hatter."
Su admitted it somewhat stiffly. He still wasn't very good at lying.
In truth, this had been Vill-V's arrangement.
For now, Su could not contribute much in terms of medical expertise, nor could he serve as a mascot like Pardo. Becoming the public-facing leader of the Mad Hatter Organization was the best option.
At least in appearance, he looked far more reliable than Vill-V. And Su's ability to judge people made him well-suited to leadership. It was worth cultivating him in that direction.
Mm... to put it plainly, Vill-V had long wanted to be a hands-off shopkeeper. With someone as dependable as Su taking the position, she felt entirely at ease.
It only meant Su would have to work harder, studying various governance strategies under Lecturer.
"Just as I thought," Huck nodded in approval. He hadn't misjudged.
In classic literary works, there were three archetypal monsters: the transmigrator from the Shenzhou, the American drifter, and the Japanese high school student.
On the surface, an ordinary Japanese high schooler—but in reality, someone with unparalleled intelligence and talent. Secretly, he forms an underground organization and wages fierce battles against a colossal evil force. Under his leadership, the organization grows stronger and stronger, until even that monstrous enemy dares not speak lightly.
That matched Huck's expectations for Mr. Mad Hatter perfectly.
He hoped reality would unfold as smoothly as those stories.
Meanwhile, when Pardo realized that Su had openly taken Vill-V's "boss throne," she was about to argue on her behalf.
Vill-V might be unreliable as a boss, but she took good care of Pardo. If they switched to a stranger, what if she could no longer get free goodies in the future?
[Conductor] Vill-V immediately pulled Pardo back and warned solemnly, "Little Pardo, make sure you keep your hands to yourself in the park. I don't want to receive complaints from visitors about pickpocketing."
"Eh... fine." The cat ears on Pardo's hood drooped instantly. She had originally planned to make a hefty profit in this amusement park she had never visited before. Now her grand objective was ruined.
Seeing her crestfallen expression, Vill-V covered her mouth and laughed softly. With a flourish, she handed Pardo a folded sheet of paper.
"Ta-da! Pardo, you did an excellent job during the Honkai mission. This is your reward."
Pardo unfolded it and exclaimed in delight, "A Homu Park treasure map!"
Vill-V had anticipated Pardo's behavior today. To ensure she wouldn't be disappointed, she had specially prepared the map.
"Legend says there are thirteen treasure chests hidden inside Homu Park. Only by solving riddles and defeating the park guardians can you open the Hero's Chest and discover the true ultimate treasure—One Piece."
"Yay!"
Pardo's large green eyes sparkled with excitement. Holding the map high above her head, she bounced up and down. It seemed she would be able to enjoy today's outing after all.
Bronya watched Pardo's excitement and looked eager herself.
Noticing the anticipation in her eyes, Vill-V gently pushed her toward Pardo.
"Little Pardo, this is Bronya. She wants to play with you too. Today you'll be her guide."
Pardo thumped her chest confidently and lifted her chin.
"No problem. Leave it to me. Bronya, let's pull off something big."
"Mm. Let's pull off something big."
Bronya raised her fist, and the two bumped fists in oath.
This amusement park gathering had been organized primarily to let everyone relax.
Although the Third Honkai Eruption had ended, everyone was exhausted from dealing with the disaster it had brought.
Vill-V had failed to prevent Akane from becoming a Herrscher. Su and Kevin had parted ways. Hua had lost her peaceful life. Bronya had lost her memory. Huck had been gravely injured. Pardo had been deeply frightened.
Everyone needed something positive to heal themselves.
Conductor Vill-V believed that constantly tensing one's nerves and abandoning the enjoyment of life's beauty was harmful to psychological recovery—especially for [Id] Vill-V.
She had already done enough. She had borne far more than she ever should have. The Vill-V of the original storyline had not carried such a heavy burden.
The more one knew, the more one bore. Vill-V had not disgraced the title of Flame-Chaser.
Her wallet, however, had borne just as much...
[Id] Vill-V always pretended nothing was wrong, yet inside she was filled with self-reproach. She felt there were still areas where she could have done better.
Even Conductor couldn't stand it anymore.
So Conductor Vill-V wanted Id to relax for once—to set down the weight she carried.
Conductor feared that one day Id might not endure it and would simply erase her own personality. Conductor did not believe Id was as resilient as the old ancestor Kevin.
As for how to organize team-building after the Third Honkai Eruption...
Vill-V certainly possessed knowledge from the Three-Body world regarding post-disaster organization.
But those methods, which pursued objectives at all costs—discarding human innocence, treating the body as a machine and emotions as programs—could be abandoned.
Such organizational methods were indeed highly efficient, yet cold and merciless. Those within them were no different from screws, carried forward relentlessly by the plan, never allowed rest.
Vill-V did not want everyone to live like the Three-Body world.
It was a terribly uninteresting world.
Moreover, from the Crisis Era onward, humanity had barely developed entertainment industries. All technology was pushed toward practicality. Even during the Deterrence Era, as someone stationed on humanity's front lines, Vill-V had little chance for leisure. After all, with a dimensional reduction strike looming, who had the mood to play? The same was true in the Broadcast Era and the Bunker Era.
Thus... Expert's proposal of an office instant-noodle team-building plan... was rejected...
The reason for choosing the amusement park was that, as the (nominal) head of the Engineering Department, Conductor Vill-V had great confidence in the Homu Park she had overseen. She guaranteed it would satisfy everyone.
The real reason, however, was simpler.
Vill-V was broke.
Her account was drowning in debt. To combat the Third Honkai Eruption, she had thrown money everywhere—manufacturing equipment, producing anti-Herrscher armaments, hiring mercenaries for rescue operations.
That was also why Expert had suggested eating noodles in the office. Low-carbon, environmentally friendly, economical.
Homu Park, however, was self-built.
Free admission.
That was important.
The climate there was warm, the sunshine bright, like summer all year round...
[Id]: Wait... That sales pitch sounds oddly familiar... It wouldn't be like that half-finished resort from the [Summer Event], would it? I really don't want to arrive and see Professor Tesla already waiting with heavy mechs set up as guards...
For now, it seemed Conductor had not lied.
Hokkai City truly was warm and sunny, like eternal summer. Even veteran astronauts would sing its praises.
[Conductor]: Mm, not half-finished. Scholar just added... a few extra things.
Unclean ones.