Eldritch Horror Theatre

’Interesting!’

Watching Kisaragi Kana walk toward the bathroom with absolute composure, Fu Qian fell deep into thought.

Purely in terms of difficulty, this task didn’t seem all that hard.

He just needed to ensure nothing unexpected happened to Kisaragi Kana, confirm the specific details of the project plan, and methodically complete the testing. At most, it would just take up a little extra time.

It perfectly matched the difficulty of a Grade 3 Item. The Warehouse’s sincerity was on full display.

But what made Fu Qian curious was the scene from just a moment ago.

Despite her unusual mental state, the woman before him was undeniably an ordinary person. There was no doubt about that.

At the same time, her resurrection from the dead just now was equally real.

The underlying reason for this contradiction was quite intriguing, definitely worth investigating.

Should he establish a research project for this as well?While he pondered, Kisaragi Kana—despite being a mere mortal—displayed an astonishing sensitivity to his gaze.

Right before opening the bathroom door, she glanced back and flashed a cold, enchanting smile, as if saying she had caught him staring.

She didn’t seem the least bit uncomfortable being completely naked under his scrutiny.

”Hurry up. I’ll leave the rest to you.”

Unfortunately for her, she was facing Fu Qian, a man who equally had no concept of shame. He openly admired the view while gesturing toward the kitchen.

Fu Qian had never been interested in bizarre or grotesque foods, but he respected the curiosity of others.

And she didn’t seem too repulsed by Dancy’s special dietary preferences.

”Mhm... I’ll be right out,” she replied.

Fu Qian’s utterly ungentlemanly reminder took Kisaragi Kana somewhat by surprise.

But she didn’t refuse. After acknowledging his words, she stepped into the bathroom.

She actually displayed an excellent sense of punctuality. Less than ten minutes later, she walked out wrapped in a bath towel.

The blood on her body had been washed away, and the wound on her thigh was even bandaged.

Without needing another reminder, she greeted Fu Qian and headed straight into the kitchen to get to work.

...

”These were prepped so cleanly!”

Once she entered her chef mode, Kisaragi Kana became noticeably more talkative, even exclaiming in surprise when she saw the ingredients in the kitchen.

”Just looking at how the ingredients are prepared, I can tell Mister Dancy must be an excellent cook.”

”Wait, this looks like—”

Before she could finish her praise, Kisaragi Kana seemed to notice something, and her voice came to an abrupt halt.

It seemed she really did spend a lot of time in the kitchen.

Fu Qian sat in his original spot with a look of approval, making no move to explain.

Spotting the difference so quickly meant Kisaragi Kana was truly an expert in culinary arts. After all, the visual difference between human lungs and the lungs of certain animals wasn’t actually that huge.

Especially when compared to pig lungs. Unless one was a kitchen veteran, it was very hard to tell them apart.

Uh... well, maybe that wasn’t entirely accurate. After all, most kitchen veterans hadn’t seen human lungs either.

In short, Kisaragi Kana had clearly noticed the anomaly in the ingredients. Combined with their previous conversation, she had probably guessed the truth.

Fu Qian suddenly found himself looking forward to her reaction.

”The ingredients are very fresh. A simple prep should make them taste great.”

A moment later, Kisaragi Kana lifted her head and broke the silence, the smile on her face growing even deeper.

Not only did she avoid pointing out the anomaly, but she even planned to use this opportunity to try a flavor she had never encountered before. She really was full of curiosity.

Seeing this, Fu Qian didn’t say anything more. He merely nodded and gestured for her to do as she pleased.

Of course, she would never be able to guess the true origin of the ingredients she intended to taste.

Mainly because these things were indeed useless now. Given her current condition, he obviously couldn’t cut her open and stuff them back inside her.

Speaking of which, if she ate them, would it count as some twisted form of returning the original parts to the source? He wondered if she would experience the nourishing effect of ’you are what you eat.’

...

Perhaps taking time into consideration, Kisaragi Kana worked quite swiftly.

In just half an hour, three portions of ingredients were all plated and served.

They always said cooks rarely had an appetite after preparing food, but she showed considerable interest, her eyes practically shining.

”Apologies. Were you waiting long, Mister Dancy?”

She invited Fu Qian to take a seat with a hint of impatience.

”Can we eat now?”

”We can. After all, our other guest has arrived.”

Fu Qian replied naturally, though he was looking out the window.

As it turned out, Kisaragi Kana wasn’t the only one who moved swiftly.

”Another guest?”

Kisaragi Kana, who had just sat down, couldn’t help but exclaim in shock once she processed what Fu Qian had said.

She was clearly quite surprised to find she wasn’t the only guest, instinctively following Fu Qian’s gaze.

’Use your brain a little before asking questions. In this dinner, your role was supposed to be the ingredients.’

Fu Qian cast a glance at her.

At this moment, the door not far away was pulled open from the outside. A figure walked in, her face frosty.

She wasn’t old, looking to be under thirty. She had a petite build and wore a sleek, skin-tight outfit, her movements as light and graceful as a cat.

”Mister Dancy Crawford.”

She didn’t hesitate at all. Upon entering, she walked straight to the dining table and locked her eyes on Fu Qian’s face, addressing him by his full name.

”You’re quite vigilant, actually managing to notice my presence so quickly!”

”I’m very sensitive to the aroma of people.”

Facing the hostile female investigator, Fu Qian gave a double-meaning response.

...

”Besides, that doesn’t seem to be the main issue. You trespassed into my home uninvited. You’d better have an explanation, or else I wouldn’t mind calling the police.”

Fu Qian continued with a threatening tone.

”Why am I here?”

The female investigator looked around the room, her tone turning even colder.

”It’s simple. I suspect you are tied to multiple missing person cases and suspected of murder, Mister Dancy.”

She clearly had no intention of beating around the bush and spoke bluntly.

”So you’re the police?”

Faced with such severe accusations, Fu Qian asked in return, his expression still calm.

”Is there any point in playing dumb?”

The uninvited guest scoffed, glaring fiercely at Fu Qian.

”After watching you for so long, I don’t believe you don’t know who I am.”

”Hayami Suzune, Night Watchers.”

”My apologies. However, I recall that incidents unrelated to transcendent powers don’t fall under the Night Watchers’ jurisdiction, do they?”

Fu Qian raised an eyebrow and shot back.

From the very beginning, he knew this female investigator was a transcendent, roughly around Tier 8.

It seemed she had discovered some of ’his’ crimes and was preparing to enact justice on behalf of the heavens.

”So even if it’s a murder charge, shouldn’t the police be the ones handling it? I remember the division of duties being quite clear on this.”

”You’re right. In fact, that’s exactly why you’ve been able to run free for so long.”

Hayami Suzune, however, sneered repeatedly.

”Unfortunately, there’s one thing you don’t know... Kisaragi Kana participated in the Miracle Potion experiments. Until she is officially confirmed as a failed subject, anything related to her falls under our jurisdiction.”