Eldritch Horror Theatre

In the activity known as Universal Infamy, Kisaragi Kana had once achieved the impressive result of Depth 4 and earned the title of Dark Fairy.

Measured against the Transcendent Tier, she was more or less a mid-tier transcendent.

Fu Qian never casually dismissed his own divergent thinking. Besides, his clock-in experience at the Warehouse today indicated that the notoriety law activity was far from simple.

So the impulse that made him not want to refuse her didn’t stem from Kisaragi Kana’s natural charm, but rather her casually achieved Depth 4?

If so, the problem seemed even greater.

”I’m not going.”

The next moment, Fu Qian overcame the faint trace of reluctance in his heart and firmly shook his head.

Being subjected to an influence was one thing; actually being affected by it was another.

”Oh.”

Kisaragi Kana’s expression visibly dimmed. The aura brought by her promotion to a transcendent had actually failed to affect Fu Qian, which clearly left her deeply disappointed.However, she didn’t insist. She turned around and nodded at Hayami Suzune.

”I can leave anytime.”

Realizing she might have gotten her wish and advanced to a transcendent, she was clearly impatient to confirm her own condition.

”You two head back first. Don’t touch anything here. We can’t rule out supernatural influence in this death, so I’ll call someone to handle it.”

Hayami Suzune had nodded in response, then looked at Kisaragi Chie. She hesitated briefly before giving those instructions.

It was obvious that her mind was also struggling to process this string of events unfolding before them.

”Okay.”

First was Takagi’s incomprehensible, manic behavior, and then her sister suddenly becoming a transcendent. Kisaragi Chie had clearly suffered quite a shock. Hearing the instructions, she nodded with a pale face, raising no objections to the arrangement.

And until Kisaragi Kana left with Hayami Suzune, she never even glanced at her sister once.

”It’s still early.”

Seeing Kisaragi Chie staring blankly at the wall with hollow eyes, Fu Qian pondered for a moment. He didn’t offer any decadent suggestions like getting a drink, but instead earnestly urged her to get back to work.

”You haven’t opened for business today, have you?”

...

”What do you want to ask?”

Inside the familiar Fortune Teller’s Cabin, Kisaragi Chie struggled for a long time. She was clearly finding it hard to get into the right state of mind, but she eventually forced herself to speak.

”We can try a different approach today.”

Fu Qian shook his head.

”I know your thoughts are a mess right now and you’re full of doubts, so this time, you can take a moment to think. What do you want to ask me?”

...

”No rush. Take your time.”

”Do you also think the changes in Kana are because of the Miracle Potion, Mister Dancy?”

Seeing that Fu Qian didn’t seem to be joking, Kisaragi Chie had spent nearly five minutes adjusting her mindset before coming up with her first question.

”Not necessarily. Do you remember the issue of talent I mentioned before?”

Fu Qian’s tone was completely flat.

”It might just fall into the category of ’gold will always shine’.”

”I remember, but could it really be that...”

Kisaragi Chie muttered to herself. Of course she remembered this mysterious figure’s evaluation of her sister.

”In other words, all her strange behavior growing up was because of her talent?”

”I wouldn’t rule out the possibility.”

”Then I really don’t know whether this talent is a blessing or a curse...”

Kisaragi Chie sighed softly, perhaps thinking of her deceased father.

”Did you run into Kana and the others at Wushe Temple yesterday, Mister Dancy?”

After that moment of emotion, Kisaragi Chie remembered something else.

”Yes.”

”Did Kana encounter any accidents there?”

”She had a minor conflict with Brother Takagi, but they made up later.”

Fu Qian was answering every question without hesitation.

”How strange.”

Kisaragi Chie’s focus was visibly sharpening. Hearing this, she fell into deep thought, and Fu Qian didn’t disturb her.

”Kana still seemed quite happy yesterday. After she returned, she and Takagi came to my place first. She told me about her trip to Wushe Temple and running into you, even though she hadn’t planned on going there beforehand...”

These words clearly and unintentionally sold out her sister, revealing that Kisaragi Kana’s trip to Wushe Temple was purely to follow Fu Qian and Su Gao.

”Before midnight yesterday, did she go looking for you again?”

While muttering to herself, Kisaragi Chie suddenly looked up.

”Oh?”

Fu Qian glanced at her.

”No, why do you ask?”

”Maybe it’s just my imagination...”

His counter-question made Kisaragi Chie narrow her eyes in deep thought.

”While I was reminiscing just now, I suddenly remembered something. Even though she was excited after coming back yesterday, there was no fundamental difference from her usual self.”

”However, when we met again last night, she seemed a bit different... I can’t shake the feeling that something changed in the meantime.”

So there was a sudden influencing factor after all?

Fu Qian nodded in satisfaction. He had obtained the information he was interested in.

As he had noted before, a major reason he visited Kisaragi Chie first was that, as a highly observant character, she was extremely sensitive to subtle changes in her sister. She was practically a living observation log.

That was also why he had let her ask questions freely just now.

Under such a heavy shock, her thoughts were bound to be chaotic. Letting her take the initiative to ask questions helped her calm down, organize her thoughts, and review every piece of data in her mental log as thoroughly as possible.

In the end, she hadn’t disappointed him, providing a crucial piece of information.

If Kisaragi Chie felt that her sister had changed suddenly, it somewhat corroborated his second theory—that some specific cause had triggered Kisaragi Kana’s abrupt transformation.

And the timeframe was between returning yesterday and midnight.

”Different in what way?”

Fu Qian thought for a moment before asking his second question.

”Well... given her recent behavior, I’ve always been rather strict with her, and she has always been reluctant to accept it.”

”But last night, when I went to Takagi’s place to see her, I scolded her for acting too recklessly. Instead of showing her usual resentment, she actually seemed hesitant. She felt far more obedient than usual. It was a very subtle feeling... But since Takagi’s emotional state was clearly abnormal, he ended up tying me up and taking her away.”

Kisaragi Kana was actually more obedient than usual?

This revelation caught even Fu Qian by surprise, and the bad premonition in his heart grew heavier.

According to Kisaragi Chie’s description, she had scolded her sister, and her sister had shown rare hesitation. The simplest explanation was that Kisaragi Kana’s personality and mindset had shifted because she encountered something. It seemed Kisaragi Chie thought the same.

But in truth, there was another explanation.

Considering Kisaragi Kana’s bizarre persuasiveness toward him just now, if a Tier 7 could exert cognitive interference on a demigod, was it possible that an ordinary person could also exert cognitive interference on a transcendent?

What if Kisaragi Kana hadn’t become more obedient, but rather, her sister was the one who had changed?