Eldritch Horror Theatre

Were they really this easygoing?

Fu Qian was still in plainclothes that faintly smelled of alcohol.

Realizing this, he abandoned his plan to change into his uniform, marveling briefly at his partner’s suggestion.

In theory, this was more than a mere issue of image. It bordered on a matter of principle—much like how the nurse beside him supposedly couldn’t administer an IV without wearing her cap.

But since his senior colleague had said so—

Fu Qian casually fastened his belt, grabbed his weapon, and pulled a jacket from the coat rack. With that, his preparations were complete.

Meanwhile, Tina, having tossed aside her cap, was still hesitating over the dripping IV tube.

Carrying that equipment out would certainly be convincing. It would offer some proof of her work here and clear up any misunderstandings.

Yet she clearly hadn’t decided whether to actually do it.

Click—But the door was already opening again. Showing absolutely no intention of empathizing with her dilemma, Fu Qian ignored her and walked straight out, leaving her to stay or go just as he had promised.

It was a little chilly, but the weather was nice.

The eight o’clock sun already carried a pleasant warmth. Over by the curb, a black car sat parked with its driver leaning halfway out the window, his eyes closed as he basked in this comfort.

His partner, Hake, truly did look rather advanced in age...

You could tell he had been quite presentable in his youth, but now the wrinkles on his face were densely packed.

His hair was also a mottled gray, especially at the temples.

He carried no scent of alcohol or any signs of staying up late, yet he still looked like he lacked energy.

Judging by his demeanor, if Fu Qian had come out just a moment later, he probably would have fallen asleep.

”Sorry I’m late.”

Fu Qian did not let that happen. Studying him, he stepped up to the car and offered a casual apology.

”...It’s fine. You driving?”

Unstartled, Hake opened his eyes, glanced over, and checked with Fu Qian with a blank expression.

”No problem.”

Fu Qian put on his jacket, his response perfectly natural.

He had fully expected this the moment he came out—hadn’t he stepped directly to the driver’s side?

...

”You probably haven’t had breakfast yet? I know a good spot.”

Relinquishing the steering wheel quite naturally, Hake settled into the passenger seat, looking even more relaxed.

He also had no intention of commenting on the nurse’s cap he had just seen, simply gesturing for Fu Qian to drive straight ahead.

For a mission designated as Number 1, this was a rare slice of everyday human life.

”I haven’t.”

Fu Qian did not reject such a mundane scene, and his driving was very smooth.

”Is it really okay for me to dress like this, though?”

Enjoying the wonderful morning sunlight, he didn’t forget to double-check his attire.

The contrast was simply too glaring. Regardless of Hake’s sluggish demeanor, the old man’s police uniform was impeccably neat and freshly laundered.

”Normally it would be a problem, but now it isn’t, because I was the one who suggested you do it... And thank you for taking the suggestion.”

Though he was no longer resting with his eyes closed, Hake’s forward-facing gaze remained entirely unfocused, and his tone was flat and unchanging.

”You’re welcome.”

As they say, one cannot be too polite. Fu Qian kept his eyes on the road and genuinely accepted the gratitude.

The old man clearly meant something deeper by that last remark. Sure enough, this wasn’t just simple wardrobe freedom.

”I was originally going to show you around today so you could get familiar with the area, but a situation came up... And I figured if you operated like this, we might get better results.”

With that slightly unusual response, Hake finally turned his head to scrutinize the newly appointed young man.

”What situation?”

Fu Qian had already checked his current reflection in the rearview mirror.

Short hair, thick eyebrows, and tanned skin. Though it wasn’t his real face, it certainly possessed a bit of masculine grit.

However, paired with the lingering smell of alcohol, he looked a bit overly masculine. Without a uniform, he looked more like some kind of dangerous element.

”Looking for someone. A missing young couple is suspected to have come our way, and they need some assistance—drive inside.”

Seeming mildly surprised by Fu Qian’s reaction, Old Man Hake’s eyes carried a hint of the exact incomprehension toward young people mentioned in the mission briefing.

Of course, he didn’t keep him in suspense, casually explaining the situation while directing the way.

[Current mission updated: Find the White Key before the Old Hunter.]

And almost the moment he finished speaking, another voice chimed in Fu Qian’s mind.

...

So that was why the mission briefing ended with ”Happy Hunting”?

The mission objective appearing so efficiently was undoubtedly comforting, even if its contents seemed a bit obscure.

”Old Hunter,” ”before”?

So he had a colleague in this? Was this a racing game?

The atmosphere seemed to instantly grow tense. To a certain extent, it felt even trickier than his previous timed missions.

Because you only knew there was a countdown, but had no idea how much time was left.

Furthermore, the meaning of the search target, the ”White Key,” also seemed somewhat vague. It was hard to say whether it was a physical object or a metaphor.

But that didn’t matter. Given that the mission objective had appeared right when Old Man Hake was introducing the case, it seemed he ought to earnestly perform his duties and focus on those two young people.

While he was at it, he could see if an ”Old Hunter” was also taking an interest in them.

”So far, we only have a rough physical description... but it shouldn’t be hard to recognize them, because they’re simply too young. The boy is supposedly only fourteen—there, just park over there.”

Hake’s briefing was still ongoing. He didn’t show any obvious dissatisfaction with this suddenly added workload—but he certainly wasn’t forgetting food and sleep over it either.

An orange signboard and large street-facing glass windows came into view. As Fu Qian followed the gesture and drove up onto a raised lot, they had clearly arrived at the fabled breakfast shop.

Though its business looked a bit average.

...

”The usual?”

Hake was obviously a regular. Almost as soon as they walked through the door, a tall woman behind the counter who looked like the store manager greeted him.

”And you, young man?”

After receiving an affirmative reply, her gaze then fell upon Fu Qian’s face.

”The same is fine.”

Fu Qian had been mixing with the middle-aged and elderly club quite a bit lately, and was actually quite interested in dining choices full of life experience.

”Let’s grab a table by the window.”

Though somewhat surprised, the female store manager didn’t say anything more, and Hake didn’t mind this plagiarism in the slightest.

”Jean, why is it you? Shouldn’t it be Rachel on Wednesday?”

However, when their food was brought over, the old man looked at the young waitress and frowned slightly.

”Unfortunately, Rachel skipped work. You probably won’t be seeing her today.”

Wearing two long braids, Jean didn’t seem to mind being ”disdained.” She merely sighed theatrically, and after setting the food down, she even went out of her way to flash a wink at Fu Qian.