Eldritch Horror Theatre

True, it was already a little late.

As the uniformed woman answered, Fu Qian naturally glanced to the side.

The small metal alarm clock, already slightly rusted and sitting directly on the floor, clearly hadn’t been set to go off at eight.

Perhaps it had been set for an earlier time, but that hadn’t worked either.

”You’re late.”

The uniformed woman had evidently checked the time as well. A moment later, she shot him a cold look.

”Yes, I’m late.”

His expression mild, Fu Qian nodded, still leaning steadily in his seat.

”...Aren’t you going to hurry up and leave?”

His lack of urgency was unexpected, and his unwavering gaze made the uniformed woman squirm.Subconsciously pulling her coat tighter around herself, she averted her eyes, bewildered by his reaction.

”No rush. Like I just said, I can’t remember what I’m supposed to be doing.”

His expression unchanged, Fu Qian offered an unassailable excuse. His gaze shifted downward, landing on her smooth, exposed knees.

”So, have you figured out why you’re wearing that outfit? We’ve already established that I wanted you to give me an IV drip.”

It looked like a normal morning after a hangover, but weirdness permeated every detail, and the mission objective had yet to appear.

Given the circumstances, Fu Qian was in no rush to head out and confirm his ”important business.” He preferred to take a moment and deeply experience the local customs.

...

Even though her bizarre outfit was completely hidden beneath her coat, Fu Qian’s scrutiny still made the uniformed woman acutely uncomfortable.

That discomfort spiked sharply when she subconsciously followed his train of thought.

”Sorry, I can’t remember the exact process either.”

Her face flushed red, then went white. Though she seemed to have realized something, she forcefully shook her head a moment later.

”I’m leaving now.”

Dropping any intention of holding him accountable, she hurriedly put on her shoes, ready to leave.

”So you have something to do at eight too?”

Making no move to stop her, Fu Qian let his gaze drop to her shoes.

They were white and traditional in style. While they matched the color of the uniform underneath, they paired much better with the trench coat.

”Did you still need something?”

Her movements stiffened. She didn’t seem used to Fu Qian’s tone.

Glancing up at him, she refused to show weakness in the face of his calm yet suffocating pressure. She gritted her teeth and fired back.

”Of course I do—”

Unfortunately for her, Fu Qian remained effortlessly smooth, as if he had expected her to say exactly that.

Honk—

However, her unyielding resilience was finally rewarded.

Before Fu Qian could even finish, he was interrupted by a car horn blaring right outside.

It came from just beyond the door, directly facing the window. It was almost certainly a reminder for someone inside.

”...Your important business might have arrived.”

Startled, the uniformed woman also looked as if she had been granted a pardon.

Neatly and swiftly slipping on her shoes, she offered this casual reminder. Seizing the distraction to escape the awkwardness, she marched over to the door and pulled it open without waiting for Fu Qian to reply.

”Mr. Hake...”

She had clearly been prepared to put her head down and dash away without another word, but she froze at the sight before her and subconsciously blurted out a greeting.

”Good morning, Tina.”

A feeble voice drifted in. He didn’t sound awkwardly surprised, nor did he ask if anyone else was in the room.

...

This was probably his partner.

Even though he had scarcely moved his neck the entire time, Fu Qian easily reached this conclusion.

The uniformed woman was named Tina, and she knew the man outside.

Her greeting carried an unconscious air of respect, like one would show a highly esteemed elder.

Coupled with that distinctly aged voice, the man perfectly matched the description of the partner from the briefing. He was likely a veteran local police officer.

And clearly, as the rookie, Fu Qian had missed some sort of appointment, prompting Mr. Hake to come looking for him in person.

As for how he could confirm their profession—right next to Tina’s trench coat on the rack hung a full dark uniform.

The style was completely different from what Tina was wearing; it clearly wasn’t a novelty prop.

Furthermore, resting within easy reach beneath the Deck Chair, Fu Qian had already felt the heavy weight of a handgun.

”Sorry I’m late. I’ll be right out!”

At this point, Fu Qian finally sat up, grabbed the weapon, and called out toward the door.

”Then I won’t get out.”

The exchange was seamless. Hake naturally replied from outside, proving he was indeed the ”important business” Fu Qian had kept waiting.

His tone carried no blame, yet it remained so profoundly feeble that one got the distinct impression he was only saying that—he never had any intention of getting out of the car.

”What did you say... you still needed me for?”

Amidst this back-and-forth, Tina, who had been in such a rush to leave, hesitated for a moment before turning back. She softly brought up Fu Qian’s earlier remark.

”Right. Help me pull this needle out. You can even take it with you.”

Understanding that she probably didn’t want to walk away under the gaze of an acquaintance in her current state, Fu Qian casually gestured to his Left Hand.

Uh...

The request was clearly unexpected, yet indisputably reasonable.

Tina hesitated for only a second before resigning to her fate and getting to work.

...

Her technique was indeed practiced.

He barely felt a thing. The needle was quickly removed, and as Fu Qian flexed his slightly numb hand, he once again reaffirmed Tina’s professionalism.

With skills like that, she really didn’t need a costume to emphasize her role—

”Your hat.”

A moment later, he pointed at Tina’s head, offering a friendly reminder.

”Ah—”

Realization striking her, Tina let out a yelp slightly quieter than her initial shriek, slapping a hand over her mouth to stifle the sound halfway through.

Flustered, she snatched the hat off her head. Her face had flushed an unmistakable, furious red.

She had been so careful to cover her body, yet she had been wearing that hat the entire time. It was easy to imagine how ridiculous the image was.

Had she walked out like that, no expression or words could have masked the humiliation.

It was a good thing he had reminded her, though the warning felt a bit late...

”You can walk out with me or stay here a bit longer. It doesn’t matter.”

Meeting Tina’s complicated gaze, Fu Qian remained as easygoing as ever, his expression entirely unbothered.

”It doesn’t matter if you wear the uniform or not.”

Before Tina could respond, Hake’s feeble voice drifted in from outside once again.