Eldritch Horror Theatre

”I just couldn’t wait!”

Hayami Suzune answered Fu Qian’s question with a cold sneer. She pressed down hard, slowly crushing the folded paper heart flat beneath her hand.

”Seeing how much Kisaragi Kana was looking forward to your dinner piqued my curiosity. I couldn’t resist borrowing the invitation. You don’t mind, do you?”

Her hands pressed flat against the table, Suzune glared at Fu Qian, her tone dripping with hostility.

Without a doubt, the Night Watcher had come to pick a fight.

She must have spotted the special invitation while escorting the suspect home.

”Of course not. I’m simply flattered by Madam Suzune’s generous attention.”

Meeting Suzune’s murderous glare, Fu Qian maintained his smile.

”I know exactly what you’re thinking.”

Seeing Fu Qian courting death so brazenly, Suzune leaned in a fraction closer, her voice dropping to a low, dangerous register.”Once today’s test is done and the Miracle Potion in Kisaragi Kana’s body is deemed ineffective, you can do whatever you want. You’ll never have to worry about me causing trouble for you again, right?”

”Logically speaking, isn’t that true?”

Fu Qian looked surprised.

”Logically, yes. But unfortunately, I won’t let you get your way.”

It was clear Suzune had learned from their previous two encounters. She wasn’t going to lose her temper over Fu Qian’s demeanor so easily.

”I no longer care how Kisaragi Iken died. But I will absolutely not allow a cold-blooded piece of trash to do the exact same thing to his daughter.”

”I understand how you feel, but are you sure the person in question shares your sentiment?”

Faced with Suzune’s murderous declaration, Fu Qian rested his chin on his hand, his reaction utterly mild.

...

His question made Suzune’s breath hitch, evidently dredging up some deeply unpleasant memories.

”The two daughters of the Kisaragi family are truly hard to understand.”

”I can’t imagine what you did to them, but Kisaragi Kana completely refused to believe me. She is genuinely looking forward to tonight’s dinner.”

”Even her older sister hasn’t said a single word about it.”

”That just means your ability to read people is terrible.”

Fu Qian offered this critique in response to Suzune’s confusion.

”The differences between human hearts are greater than you can imagine. To Kisaragi Kana, as long as she gets the attention she craves, pain and blood mean nothing at all.”

”I figured that out a long time ago. She is truly beyond saving.”

Suzune nodded slowly, surprisingly agreeing with Fu Qian’s assessment in a rare moment of alignment.

”And as for you... honestly, even I have to admit that for an ordinary person, you are quite impressive.”

”Shrewd, cold-blooded, and intimately familiar with human nature. These traits allow you to thrive within the rules, effortlessly satisfying your twisted desires without ever facing punishment.”

”But unfortunately, there isn’t just one set of rules in this world.”

”To be honest, I used to fall into empty philosophical debates about whether the existence of supernatural power was good or bad for this world.”

”But today, I find myself incredibly grateful to wield such power... the power to temporarily shatter those rules.”

As she spoke, a gleaming dagger appeared in Suzune’s hand. With a flip of her wrist, it sliced into the solid tabletop as if it were tofu, leaving a crisscrossing web of gouges.

”Now, can you let me see this delicacy of yours?”

”Or is it that your dinner can’t be prepared unless Kisaragi Kana shows up?”

”How could that be!”

Faced with Suzune’s overflowing killing intent, Fu Qian shook his head, his smile unwavering.

”Although the guest arrived a bit early, some of the more time-consuming items have actually been preparing for a while.”

”Please wait a moment.”

With that, under Suzune’s bewildered gaze, Fu Qian rose leisurely and turned toward the kitchen.

Entering the kitchen, Fu Qian reached out and lifted the lid off a pot on the stove.

From her angle, Suzune could see there was actually a pot of steaming soup underneath.

...

Was this guy really preparing dinner?

Even as she struggled to believe what she was seeing, Suzune suddenly noticed another anomaly.

Dancy Crawford, this cannibalistic monster, was now wearing a mask on his face. She didn’t know when he had put it on.

It was a turkey’s head, brightly colored and fiercely grotesque.

She vaguely recalled that on his way to the kitchen, the guy had casually snatched something from the side.

”Please enjoy. Don’t stand on ceremony.”

While she was still scrutinizing this utterly repulsive mask, Fu Qian had already ladled out a bowl of soup, returned, and set it on the table.

This was...

Suzune subconsciously glanced down. Inside the exquisite soup plate sat a rich, milky-white broth that had clearly been simmering for a long time.

A distinct aroma, blended with the scent of cream, continuously drifted into her nose.

However, after clearly seeing what was floating in the broth, Suzune froze, then nearly threw up.

There were clusters of tissue about the size of walnuts. They were pale and tender, with distinct folds visible on their surfaces... It was the brain of something.

Given her past experiences, Suzune would absolutely not mistake this for the brains of some ordinary livestock.

”Didn’t you say it’s only good when it’s fresh? Who did this come from?”

Forcefully suppressing her churning stomach, Suzune gritted her teeth and asked.

”This one actually isn’t fresh.”

Because of the mask, Fu Qian’s voice sounded somewhat muffled.

”But the brain is different from other parts. If it’s too fresh, there are too many lingering thoughts. It’s best to let it calm down a bit for a better texture.”

”Take your time. There is still plenty over there.”

”You cold-blooded beast!”

Looking at the grotesque turkey head before her, Suzune could endure it no longer and let out a low snarl.

Amidst a flash of cold steel, the dagger tore through the air, thrusting straight toward Fu Qian’s head.

Ever since she had seen this guy’s message, she had already made up her mind to eliminate this menace at any cost.

And after what she had just seen and heard, she regretted her decision even less.

Hm?

Yet in the next instant, this lethal strike—fueled by a transcendent’s fury—actually hit nothing but empty air.

In a split second, the figure wearing the turkey head took a step back, dodging so cleanly that the blade didn’t even graze his clothes.

Staring in disbelief at the scene before her, Suzune’s body froze, feeling as if her very understanding of reality were being challenged.

”You’re a transcendent?”

She realized something the next moment, her voice suddenly turning sharp and shrill.

That kind of speed was absolutely impossible for an ordinary person to achieve!

So this guy wasn’t a normal human being at all. That was the only possible explanation!

”You’ve been a transcendent all along...”

The moment she realized this, an even fiercer rage filled Suzune’s heart.

He had been a transcendent all along. She originally had the chance to eliminate this menace long ago... and some people wouldn’t have had to die...

But she hadn’t.