Eldritch Horror Theatre

It really was like this. The ultimate stage of face blindness—recognizing clothes instead of people?

What kind of abstract scene must the world look like through her eyes?

The excuse the Hairpin Woman had just given—that she almost hadn’t recognized him because his clothes were torn—felt a bit contrived, as though she were grasping for a reason.

But Fu Qian, having already formed a guess, expressed his understanding.

She wasn’t surprised by his face at all because she simply couldn’t remember faces, identifying people entirely by their attire?

Even the hollow look in her eyes as her gaze swept over him suddenly made sense.

For such strikingly bright eyes to possess such terrible recognition skills created quite a contrast. Was this the legendary ”clear but foolish” gaze?

”I’ve had this problem for a long time. By the time I arrived here, it had gotten so bad that I wouldn’t even recognize my own parents if they swapped clothes...”

People really were especially sensitive about their own flaws. Without waiting for Fu Qian to ask, the Hairpin Woman pointed at her eyes and explained with a smile.

”But it isn’t entirely a bad thing. Even though the world seems to be missing a piece because of it, I also get to experience things others don’t.”It even feels like it awakened a certain talent. I have an incredible memory for people’s clothing. Once I see it, I never forget... On my third day here, I saw you wearing this outfit.”

With a somewhat bitter yet open-minded optimism, the Hairpin Woman sighed softly, seemingly recalling a specific memory.

”Mrs. Tracy was there at the time, too.”

...

Those two really did have somewhat exaggerated outfits. They dressed up in the Sanitarium as if they were going to a ball.

Fu Qian didn’t question the Hairpin Woman’s claim of a photographic memory. He simply mused to himself that, given the outfits worn by Tracy and her companion, plenty of people would likely remember them.

Regardless, the casual mention of that other name greatly increased the credibility of the Hairpin Woman’s story.

She really had recognized the original owner of these clothes.

Although, in theory, this wasn’t exactly good news.

He had stripped someone of their clothes without disguising his own face, only to coincidentally run into someone with absolute face blindness, thereby avoiding detection...

At first glance, it seemed like excellent luck—a perfect coincidence.

But one crucial detail couldn’t be ignored: he had just encountered a behind-the-scenes mastermind acting like a ”Director” earlier.

Having such a coincidence occur under these circumstances made it truly difficult to rein in his imagination.

Is this also part of your design? Not only are the staff members pawns you arranged, but even the patients have joined the cast?

Fu Qian silently marveled, suddenly feeling even more satisfied with his previous decision.

Yes, theoretically it might be bad news, but that ultimately depended on his goal.

As he had noted before, his objective right now was never to find a hiding spot to avoid detection. Instead, he needed to interact with this place as much as possible within controllable limits.

By doing so, he could piece together the underlying structure and look for opportunities.

Otherwise, blindly hiding would undoubtedly just be a slow, drawn-out death.

The current situation might seem passive, but simply hiding would be true passivity.

”Actually, it wasn’t snagged. Strictly speaking, I tore it myself.

”Also, that does sound like an interesting talent. Tracy would likely be very pleased if she knew you approved of her taste.”

Fu Qian touched his slightly torn collar, choosing to address her doubts first, and even maintaining his honesty.

”Thank you for the compliment... Mrs. Tracy truly has excellent taste. She has a pair of shoes that suit her perfectly. She was wearing them the last time I saw her.”

Although it was only a small bit of validation, it clearly made the Hairpin Woman very happy, prompting her to recall more details.

Moreover, those details seemingly hinted at another hidden fact—she had not seen Tracy just now.

”Let me think, when was that again... What date is it today?”

Lost in her memories, the Hairpin Woman seemed to hit a snag, furrowing her brow slightly as she checked with Fu Qian.

”I’ve heard it’s the forty-eighth.”

Fu Qian was quite familiar with this question and immediately gave her the answer he had discussed with Tracy earlier.

”Then that would have been on the forty-second...”

Evidently, the Hairpin Woman didn’t find anything strange about the date, and instead genuinely deduced an answer from it.

...

Excellent. That meant the credibility of Mrs. Tracy’s story had also increased.

The Hairpin Woman’s reaction subtly confirmed that this place truly utilized a bizarre method of tracking dates, but that wasn’t the most significant takeaway.

The main reason Fu Qian had so enthusiastically helped her jog her memory was to use the Hairpin Woman to cross-reference the truthfulness of what Mrs. Tracy had told him earlier.

After all, his meeting with this woman was just a chance encounter for now, whereas Mrs. Tracy would very likely be living right next door later.

”Ah, it looks like it’s almost six o’clock. Sorry, I need to head the other way!”

While Fu Qian was taking stock of his new information, the Hairpin Woman beside him suddenly realized something. Giving a soft cry of alarm, she hurriedly bade him farewell.

Oh? The sky did seem to be darkening rather quickly.

Fu Qian looked in the direction she gestured toward and noticed they had arrived at a fork in the road.

The previously mentioned VIP area required bypassing a stone platform and continuing upward, and it sounded like the Hairpin Woman definitely didn’t live there.

Furthermore, she truly wasn’t just making up an excuse to leave. When he had first emerged from the solitary confinement cell, the sky outside had only been slightly dim.

Yet in the brief time it took to exchange a few words, visibility had plummeted, plunging the surroundings into near-nightfall.

Given the Hairpin Woman’s condition, wandering outside at this hour was indeed somewhat unsafe.

But this darkening sky wasn’t entirely a bad thing, especially for an imposter like him.

Ordinarily, the crowd density would gradually increase along this path.

However, the cover of the night, combined with the fact that he was walking alongside someone else, perfectly concealed the issue with his face.

Was this the legendary ’best possible arrangement’?

”Thank you for sharing. Chatting with you was a pleasure.”

Marveling inwardly, Fu Qian nodded in deep understanding and took the initiative to say goodbye.

”You’re welcome. Chatting with this outfit was even more pleasant than I imagined.”

Her response was quite amusing. Not only did she genuinely accept his thanks because of the value Fu Qian placed on her sharing, but she even specifically used ”this outfit” to refer to her conversation partner.

Before Fu Qian could respond, the Hairpin Woman was already waving goodbye with a bright smile, heading down the other path alone.

...

It truly lived up to being a Sanitarium. In this day and age, it was rare to see people adhere to a ’rest at sunset’ lifestyle.

He gave her a friendly glance as she left for barely a second, not letting it stall his own pace in the slightest. Soon, Fu Qian crossed the platform and began to ascend the stone steps.

He had to admit, the sights before him felt incredibly joyful and peaceful overall.

Especially in the direction the Hairpin Woman had taken; the area was clearly much more lively and bustling.

She hadn’t walked far before someone began calling out to her, sounding quite worried.

In contrast, the VIP area felt rather desolate. There were barely any lights to be seen—not even where Mrs. Tracy lived.