Eldritch Horror Theatre

When Kisaragi Kana left, her elderly father’s expression was conflicted. He looked as if he wanted to say something, but held back.

Unfortunately, Kana herself was entirely resolute, showing absolutely no interest in talking.

”Aren’t you curious about what happened?”

Once they were in the car, Kisaragi Kana waited for a question that never came, finally losing her patience and speaking up first.

”I’m not.”

Fu Qian didn’t even turn his head.

...

”It was nothing much, really. My father knew I was staying at my sister’s place, so he came over specifically to see me.”

After a brief silence, Kisaragi Kana broke the quiet in a casual, conversational tone, acting as if nothing had happened.

”Is that so? He didn’t look very happy.”So she really can’t control her urge to show off, huh?

Though he gave a casual reply, Fu Qian silently evaluated her in his mind.

His earlier indifference had naturally been intentional. The reaction proved that Kisaragi Kana had terrible self-control in certain areas—she loved showing off her influence over others.

And judging from her files, this wasn’t a side effect of the Miracle Potion, but rather her consistent personality.

”Naturally, there’s a reason for that...”

Seeing Fu Qian’s continued lack of interest, Kisaragi Kana was visibly displeased.

”Because when he walked in, my sister was holding me.”

”Oh? But it’s not weird for two sisters to hug, is it?”

Fu Qian frowned slightly, his interest seemingly piqued just a bit.

”Naked.”

Kisaragi Kana smiled as she added that little detail.

Finally hooking Fu Qian’s interest clearly made her quite proud, and her mood lifted considerably.

So it was that kind of plot? In that case, the old father pulling a knife made sense.

The problem was, how did he know what he might see in advance, to the point of bringing a knife with him?

The truth probably wasn’t that simple.

Although he didn’t think Kisaragi Kana was lying, as an expert in this field, Fu Qian was all too familiar with how to use the truth to mislead.

”Don’t feel bad. The elderly always have a harder time accepting things.”

He didn’t even ask why the sisters had been holding each other, his tone returning to its previous flatness.

...

Kisaragi Kana frowned at Fu Qian, quite dissatisfied with his reaction.

”I don’t actually know what’s going on either. Ever since we were little, my sister has always been very cold to me.”

”It wasn’t until these past few years that she suddenly became much closer to me.”

Despite her dissatisfaction, Kisaragi Kana knew very well that the man in front of her was a dangerous individual—a human fiend who fed on his own kind—so she didn’t dare show any negative emotion.

Lacking influence over such a character filled her with an uncontrollable, deep-seated unease. Biting her lip, she immediately continued speaking about her past.

”To be honest, it really bothers me. Do you know why?”

”Why?”

”Because I actually don’t like being held by someone of the same sex while I sleep.”

”That’s not strange. I, for instance, don’t like having the same sex for dinner.”

Fu Qian comforted her with this horrifying choice of words.

This was indeed the truth. Judging from the case files, Dancy’s victims were primarily young women, the majority of whom lived conservative lifestyles.

From this perspective, him seeking out Kisaragi Kana was actually an anomaly.

...

This conversation had clearly not achieved the effect Kisaragi Kana wanted.

Unfortunately, she didn’t have any more time to keep trying, as the two of them had already arrived at their destination.

Since this was one of her final two opportunities, Kisaragi Kana still took it extremely seriously despite her slim hopes. Her attention was instantly diverted.

Entering the Anjing Building, she took a deep breath, trying to adjust her state of mind to its peak—perhaps hoping to tap into some hidden potential.

However, when she saw Sawada proactively coming out to welcome them, she felt flattered and instinctively threw a glance at Fu Qian.

After all, these two had just had a rather unpleasant falling out yesterday.

”Miss Kisaragi, you’ve arrived. Please, come with me.”

After a whole day, Sawada had evidently adjusted his mindset, returning to his usual elite demeanor.

After greeting Kisaragi Kana, he even nodded gracefully at Fu Qian.

”Okay!”

Sawada’s attitude immediately put Kisaragi Kana’s anxious heart at ease, making her smile even more charming and radiant.

”Can I go in too?”

However, just as she was about to move, Fu Qian suddenly spoke up.

...

Kisaragi Kana’s smile instantly froze. She stared at Fu Qian in disbelief.

But before she could say anything, Sawada frowned and spoke up.

”What do you mean, Mister Dancy? Escorts are definitely not allowed inside.”

”And what if I accept your suggestion from yesterday?”

”...Really?”

Sawada’s acting skills were decent; the way his eyes lit up looked quite natural.

”I must say, I’m very glad you changed your mind. However, Mister Dancy, your attitude has changed so drastically since yesterday. May I know the reason?”

”Simple. I thought about it carefully after I went back, and I deeply feel the world is becoming more and more chaotic. A mere Death Mark can no longer give me a sufficient sense of security.”

Fu Qian explained with a smile.

”Especially Miss Kisaragi’s passion—it has rubbed off on me.”

”It is truly wonderful that Mister Dancy could see things this way.”

Sawada listened earnestly, stared at Fu Qian for a few seconds, and then nodded.

”Then please, come along.”

...

When Kisaragi Kana was led away by the summoned staff, she was clearly still in a state of bewilderment.

She simply couldn’t imagine how her passion had managed to rub off on Fu Qian.

Meanwhile, Fu Qian followed Sawada.

After winding through the corridors, Sawada led Fu Qian into a room.

”You’ll need to wait a moment. Once the test data comes out, I have to report your situation separately. The potion can only be distributed after you pass the review, but don’t worry, your chances are very high.”

”Alright.”

Fu Qian, who hadn’t actually taken any tests, nodded and gestured for Sawada to go ahead.

At the moment, Sawada’s expression looked rather serious.

But this didn’t feel out of place, because everyone they had passed along the way had worn the same expression, giving off the atmosphere of people undertaking a great cause.

Just as he had imagined, the Anjing Company was like a continuously operating machine. A vast sea of materials entered as if on an assembly line, undergoing these permutation and combination tests so that viable solutions could be screened out of them.

However, in the eyes of those very materials, this game of permutations and combinations was an intensely desired stepping stone, because it represented hope.

For a moment, Fu Qian thought of the Ring Archipelago. Comparatively speaking, their approach was definitely more intuitive and effective, though its side effect of lowering social acceptance was just too prominent.

...

Sawada’s review process clearly went quite smoothly.

Less than half an hour later, the door opened again. Sawada, bearing an even more solemn expression, walked in with another staff member.

On the tray in the staff member’s hands sat a tall, transparent glass.

At first glance, the liquid inside the glass looked like rosé sparkling wine. Upon closer inspection, however, one would find that it was actually extremely viscous.

Even though the liquid rippled, it had a distinctly granular texture, like countless pomegranate seeds constantly fusing and tearing apart. At the same time, it faintly gave off a scent of blood.

There was no doubt that this was the Miracle Potion. Its visual effect was truly magical.

While Fu Qian made his silent evaluation, Sawada gestured for the glass to be placed in front of him.

”Regulate your breathing, and finish drinking it within ten seconds.”