Eldritch Horror Theatre

Brother Delin’s status in his own home seems rather average!

But it makes sense. Countless movies and TV shows have taught us that the family lives of retired supermen are rarely harmonious.

Fu Qian watched the scene unfold with great interest, in no rush to speak.

He didn’t flatter himself into thinking Rebecca actually agreed with him. Rebutting her elders was the real point, fueled by a teenager’s burning need to assert her presence.

Her rebellious phase has definitely arrived.

”But going by your logic, Rebecca, how does that make them any different from celebrities and public figures? A lot of people know them, too.”

Seeing the awkward chill settling between father and daughter, Mrs. Delin offered a wry smile. Hayami Suzune gathered her wits and attempted to apply her own sense of logic.

”The concept of ’knowing’ someone is far too complicated. It can stem from all sorts of reasons, making it very difficult to define.”

The rebellious teenager remained completely unfazed by the questioning.

”However, using the concept of Depth synthesizes all of this. It’s the equivalent of adding an entirely new dimension—one that’s clear, objective, and doesn’t revolve around any individual’s evaluation.””In my opinion, that’s far more interesting than simply breathing fire or tunneling into the ground like standard extraordinary powers.”

Where did she learn all these words?

Staring at Rebecca, whose cheeks were flushed from her impassioned speech, Hayami Suzune felt a headache coming on. She suddenly understood exactly how the Delins felt.

But alongside her sympathy, a voice screamed inside her head.

If the kid has too much free time, find something for her to do! Listen to that guy and sign her up for some tutoring classes! Anything to keep her from staying home all day watching TV and letting her imagination run wild!

Finishing her internal rant, Hayami Suzune took a deep breath.

She was well aware that although the girl’s logic wasn’t flawless, convincing a teenager like her would be no easy task.

”A definition that appears redundant and useless, yet encompasses everyone—and most importantly, can be quantified. It really is an interesting concept.”

Just then, Su Gao, who had been sitting quietly as a spectator, spoke up. She even expressed a degree of agreement with Rebecca.

”But as far as I’m concerned, I still hope it never gets linked to extraordinary powers. Because when faced with certain entities, humanity is simply far too fragile!”

Why do those words sound so familiar!

Seeing Su Gao make such an astonishing statement, Fu Qian silently grumbled to himself.

But he didn’t actually object to her plagiarizing his views.

Proximity to vermilion turns one red, near ink, one gets stained black—and proximity to a chuuni makes one chuuni.

Su Gao’s current persona was actually perfectly suited for acting this way.

”Exactly, it can be quantified!”

Su Gao’s words had clearly won Rebecca’s approval. The girl immediately nodded in vigorous agreement, marking the older woman as an ally.

”Alright, Rebecca, I think everyone understands your perspective now.”

Seeing that Rebecca’s momentum had peaked, Mrs. Delin finally stepped in to smooth things over.

”Come sit down and have something to eat. Let everyone else continue chatting.”

”Hmph!”

Rebecca still looked somewhat indignant, but successfully leaving a group of adults speechless had clearly given her a considerable sense of satisfaction.

Thus, she didn’t voice any further objections and quickly returned to sit beside her mother.

”This one is good.”

Toward Su Gao, who was sitting right beside her, Rebecca’s affection had evidently soared. She took the initiative to pick out a pastry and offered it to her.

”Thank you.”

Su Gao accepted it politely without refusing.

”Violetta, how did you meet this guy?”

Seeing that Fu Qian was as slippery as an eel and might have even seen through his petty schemes, Laige didn’t bother wasting any more energy on him. Instead, he shifted his attention to Su Gao, attempting to rescue her from the fire.

”Mister Dancy saved my life.”

Su Gao said naturally, casting a glance at Fu Qian.

He already saved her?

Not expecting such an answer, Laige and the other two instantly wore troubled expressions.

No wonder Violetta trusts him so much!

While his motives were hard to say, if he really was her savior, it wouldn’t be easy to change her opinion of him.

...

Given that their little trap had completely failed and the group obviously didn’t have much common ground, they only managed to chat idly for a little while longer. Noticing the atmosphere growing increasingly silent, Fu Qian took the initiative to bid his farewells.

By this time, Rebecca had long since lost the patience to sit still and had been taken back into the house by Mrs. Delin.

Delin and the others looked like they wanted some space to talk privately, so they didn’t try to make him stay. Thus, the tea party came to an end.

”I hope she wises up soon. Dancy is clearly connected to the Siren Group. With the heavy stench of gunpowder between Siren and Anjing right now, it’s only a matter of time before another major clash breaks out. Sooner or later, Dancy is a dead man walking.”

”Yeah, but it looks like she’s incredibly dependent on Dancy. I’m afraid it won’t be that easy.”

Laige shook his head, then turned to look at Delin.

”Anyway, thank you for your help today.”

”No need for words like that with me.”

Delin chuckled.

”What you’re doing now is far more meaningful than anything we did back in the day. Even though I don’t like moving around much anymore, I’m still happy to occasionally get involved.”

”From what you’re saying, is Anjing’s current situation looking bad?”

”They did suffer some losses recently, but it’s far from enough. I’d love nothing more than for them to beat each other’s brains out.”

Laige gave a light snort, his tone that of someone who didn’t mind a spectacle blowing out of proportion.

”They’ve pulled too many petty stunts over the years. It’s making living here more and more uncomfortable.”

”It’s a pity that a problematic Tier 2 is still a Tier 2. With Yasui Tokiyuki holding down the fort, Anjing’s position on Ye Island will likely be very difficult to shake.”

...

After experiencing a bout of heartwarming daily family life, Fu Qian and Su Gao were strolling down the street, intending to just walk back.

Although quite a few things had happened, in theory, he had only just completed his weekly task yesterday, so there was no rush to go clock in.

Following their trip to Wushe Temple yesterday, the most anxious person in this current situation had to be Carlos, the one who had bungled things up.

His previous posture had clearly been an attempt to keep the situation within a manageable scope.

However, Takahashi Yae probably wouldn’t be all that cooperative. It was hard to confirm how things would be reported once they went back.

After giving them a little time to internally digest the information, Fu Qian was very much looking forward to what kind of surprise Carlos would bring him.

Would he call for backup and try to crush him regardless of the consequences? Or would he realize he couldn’t keep a lid on it and come clean to his superiors?

Regardless of the scenario, it seemed a little preparation was in order.

”Are you going to buy something?”

Su Gao was just enjoying the leisurely atmosphere when she suddenly saw Fu Qian step off to the side.

”Yeah, I found something interesting that suits my vibe.”

Fu Qian casually fiddled with a string of masks hanging outside a shop, picking one out as he spoke.

It was oval-shaped and a ghastly pale white, with holes carved out for the mouth and eyes, and distinctive dark red streaks running above and below the eyes.

Although the material was nothing special, it looked like it was made with decent care.

I choose you. My next outfit for receiving guests.