Eldritch Horror Theatre

Obviously, Kisaragi Chie would never speak like that.

”Hello, Madam Suzune.”

Fu Qian turned his head and greeted Hayami Suzune, whom he had just seen that morning.

”Though you should probably be saying, ’How unfortunate, our diviner isn’t at work today.’”

”Makes sense.”

Hayami Suzune took two steps forward, still deliberately maintaining her distance from Fu Qian.

”I couldn’t tell Mister Dancy had such feminine hobbies.”

”Probably because my hobby is women.”

Fu Qian knew his image was utterly beyond saving, so he casually added a bit more color to it.

From his perception, Hayami Suzune had made a beeline straight here just now. There was no way it was a mere coincidence. In all likelihood, she had planted eyes on his residence and had been notified the moment he stepped out....

It was impossible for Hayami Suzune to win a battle of words against him. A single round was enough to leave her gnashing her teeth.

”Are you looking for Kisaragi Kana?”

The next moment, Madam Suzune decisively lowered her voice and demanded.

”And Kisaragi Chie, too.”

Fu Qian answered with complete honesty.

He had certainly come here to observe Kisaragi Kana’s behavior upon her return, but Kisaragi Chie undoubtedly possessed keen observation skills when it came to her younger sister. For that reason, he also planned to chat with the female diviner first.

”Is that so? It seems Kisaragi Chie isn’t quite to your taste, then?”

Hayami Suzune clearly didn’t believe him.

”Don’t be nervous.”

Fu Qian sneered beneath the mask.

”You’re not to my taste, either.”

”...So now that she isn’t here, where are you going?”

After being repeatedly provoked, Hayami Suzune instead calmed down.

Having crossed paths with him several times, she already knew this guy would never do anything foolish; he was simply provoking her on purpose.

”Then I’ll go to where she is.”

Before his voice even faded, Fu Qian had already turned to leave.

Seeing the masked beast walk away without a backward glance, Hayami Suzune took a deep breath and reluctantly chased after him.

...

”Are you going the wrong way? The Kisaragi family’s home is over here.”

A short while later, after watching Fu Qian walk all the way to the vicinity of the Kisaragi residence only to stride toward a different corner, Hayami Suzune finally couldn’t help stepping up to ask.

”I know.”

Fu Qian replied casually. Without the slightest intention of explaining, he stopped directly in front of the door of the Kisaragi family’s neighbor.

Unfortunately, Brother Takagi did not poke his head out from behind the curtains this time.

”Your luck seems rather poor. This one isn’t here right now, either.”

Hayami Suzune had realized by now that Fu Qian was looking for Kisaragi Kana’s current boyfriend. However, looking at the tightly locked door, she couldn’t suppress a trace of gloating.

Click!

Yet that joy lasted only a few seconds. With a soft sound, the security door swung open.

”This is an illegal act...”

Hayami Suzune immediately grew vigilant.

”It is, so you can have the police come arrest me.”

Toying with a piece of iron wire, Fu Qian casually pushed the door open and walked in, deliberately emphasizing the word ’police’.

”...Do you really think there’s nothing I can do about you?”

”Not just me. Gin Kazuhiro thinks so, too.”

Amidst a soft click, Fu Qian opened the second lock.

The special training he had previously undergone in the Furnace was proving remarkably effective. His lockpicking skills had already reached a grandmaster level.

And as the second door opened, a small, elegantly furnished study appeared before him.

The Chief...

Hearing Fu Qian mention Gin Kazuhiro’s name clearly caught Hayami Suzune off guard, instantly extinguishing her reigniting anger.

As expected, he didn’t inform his subordinates!

Even though the back of his head was turned to her, her reaction did not escape Fu Qian’s notice.

It seemed that Gin Kazuhiro, the Chief of Ye Island, ultimately hadn’t ruled out the possibility that Su Gao was a member of the Night Watchers. Therefore, after issuing his warning, he hadn’t given his subordinates any specific instructions, leaning instead toward maintaining the status quo.

In fact, his guess was entirely correct.

Walking toward the wall as he thought, Fu Qian reached out and felt along its surface.

”What exactly are you doing—wait.”

Hayami Suzune’s doubts came to an abrupt halt. Clearly, as a transcendent, her superhuman perception was finally displaying a fraction of its worth.

The next moment, under her shocked gaze, Fu Qian pushed the bookshelf aside and opened a hidden door built into the pale green wall.

Faint breathing, accompanied by a wash of pink, drifted out from inside.

”Kisaragi Chie?”

This time, before Fu Qian could even do anything, Hayami Suzune jumped straight in, letting out a cry of alarm.

Grabbing a few tissues to pad his hands, Fu Qian followed her inside, finding Hayami Suzune nimbly untying a set of ropes.

On a heavy-looking wooden chair, a figure was bound up like a rice dumpling. Her mouth was sealed with tape, leaving only a pair of blinking eyes exposed. It was none other than Kisaragi Chie, the diviner who hadn’t gone to work today.

This is what they mean by ”diligence builds character while laziness destroys it.” This is the consequence of not running your business properly!

While Fu Qian lamented internally, Hayami Suzune successfully freed the female diviner.

Given that some areas were tied too tightly, she simply cut them away with a Dagger.

”Thank you!”

Now free, Kisaragi Chie weakly expressed her thanks.

She looked noticeably frail. Having relied entirely on the ropes to stay upright, she now practically collapsed into the chair.

”Who tied you up in here?”

Right after asking, Hayami Suzune noticed the walls completely plastered with photographs, a map outlining travel routes in marker, and obvious pieces of women’s clothing...

”Is this... your sister?”

Hayami Suzune was certainly no stranger to Kisaragi Kana, and she was thoroughly shocked by a room that provoked so many disturbing thoughts.

”Yes.”

”Where is your sister?”

Having already witnessed the madness once before, Fu Qian carefully avoided touching anything as he walked over to Kisaragi Chie.

”Mister Dancy?”

Kisaragi Chie was visibly startled by the mask, but she quickly recognized Fu Qian by his voice.

”After Takagi tied me up in here, he took her away.”

”Ah! Takagi tied you up in here?”

Hayami Suzune cried out, turning her head as her shock reached an entirely new level. She couldn’t understand what had happened.

”Kana called me over last night. Once I arrived, she told Takagi to prove his love for her. So Takagi tied me up here, and then he took her away. Before leaving, he deliberately left the lights on so I could ’feel that love.’”

Why am I not surprised in the slightest!

Kisaragi Chie’s words undoubtedly carried a massive amount of information, with a perversion index completely off the charts.

However, recalling Takagi’s final state yesterday, Fu Qian wasn’t particularly surprised.

When that guy was heading back, there had already been clear signs that his mind was a little broken.

Of course, Hayami Suzune didn’t have the same level of composure. Under the continuous barrage of shocking revelations, her brain seemed completely tied in knots.

”In any case, Takagi’s current state is highly unstable. It’s still very dangerous for Kana to be with him right now.”

After speaking a few words, Kisaragi Chie’s energy had slightly recovered. The next moment, she forced herself to sit upright, looking at the two of them with earnest sincerity.

”If possible, you two must help me find Kana as soon as possible.”