Eldritch Horror Theatre

Lai Ge and Hayami Suzune took even longer to arrive than expected.

It wasn’t until near noon that the two finally showed up, and even at a glance, they looked quite displeased.

”Is something interesting going on?”

Their sour moods couldn’t help but pique Fu Qian’s curiosity.

”...We’re here to confirm Kisaragi Kana’s situation with you.”

His overly eager attitude only made the two Night Watchers look even more annoyed. Finally, Hayami Suzune forced herself to speak.

”No problem.”

Fu Qian didn’t particularly mind that his curiosity went unsatisfied.

”Why did you go looking for Kisaragi Chie?”

Even though Fu Qian was being cooperative, Hayami Suzune didn’t dare relax.Her past experiences dealing with this guy told her she couldn’t drop her guard for a second.

”To look for Kisaragi Kana.”

”...You’re certainly honest.”

Lai Ge, who had been hanging back to observe, couldn’t hold his tongue any longer.

”So why did you seek out Kisaragi Kana? Don’t try to fool us with some nonsense excuse about her being appetizing.”

”Of course not.”

Fu Qian smiled.

”She possesses a unique charm that makes people unconsciously want to get close to her.”

This was the absolute truth.

”I thought you were completely indifferent to her.”

Hayami Suzune scoffed, not quite buying this explanation.

She had dealt with these two freaks plenty of times, so she could pick up on the atmosphere. It was obvious that Kisaragi Kana was the one more interested in this guy.

And after all this time, she could see clearly that this guy was exceptionally cunning. He would never actually make a move on Kisaragi Kana right under their noses and put himself in danger.

This was exactly why his taking the initiative to find Kisaragi Kana was so suspicious.

”Curiosity and attraction are two different things.”

”Due to certain special circumstances, I have a unique ability to observe people.”

Fu Qian pointed at his own eyes.

”In my eyes, Kisaragi Kana is undeniably a special individual.”

”For example, steaks all have their own distinct qualities—tender, firm, juicy. But if one day you found a perfect-looking cut that smelled like shit, you’d definitely be curious about what went wrong, even if you had no intention of eating it.”

That analogy of his was really...

Fu Qian’s bizarre choice of words left Hayami Suzune and her superior with stiff expressions.

”Besides, I assume you came here today to ask about Kisaragi Kana. Haven’t we gotten a bit off topic?”

...

”So in your view, is there a direct connection between Takagi’s death and Kisaragi Kana’s extraordinary abilities?”

Faced with Fu Qian’s perfectly reasonable reminder, Lai Ge finally decided to get straight to the point.

”Judging by how you phrased that, you’re leaning toward there being a connection?”

”You want to confirm if I was also drawn in by her ability, thereby proving she used it to kill someone?”

Fu Qian frowned.

”That’s no good. It’s highly unprofessional for law enforcers to hold preconceived biases. You guys really need to study harder.”

”Answer the question.”

Fu Qian’s mocking skills had undoubtedly reached the state of perfection. Lai Ge had no intention of taking the bait and bluntly issued a direct order.

”The last time I saw Kisaragi Kana, she was still a normal person. Incredibly charming, but definitely just an ordinary human. Of course, that judgment is based on my own observational skills, so it might not be strictly professional.”

Fu Qian recalled with a serious face.

”And when we found her in the basement, she was tied up down there, looking like a textbook victim.”

”If you want my opinion, it’s simple. Takagi died to earn Kisaragi Kana’s approval, so it definitely has something to do with her, but she exists in this scenario strictly as a victim.”

”And judging by Kisaragi Kana’s behavior, she truly only became a transcendent after Takagi died. You should have already confirmed this with Madam Suzune.”

”In summary, it seems you ought to hand this matter over to the police.”

...

”Could the police handle a Tier 7 Transcendent?”

Even though Fu Qian’s words left her somewhat speechless, Hayami Suzune couldn’t help but slam the table at this absurd suggestion.

”That is a flaw in your institutional design.”

Fu Qian said without the slightest hint of guilt.

”Considering I’m also a beneficiary, I won’t offer any suggestions.”

”By the way, since I’ve been so cooperative, can you satisfy my curiosity now? What exactly happened?”

...

Hayami Suzune glanced at Lai Ge and saw that he didn’t object.

”Kisaragi Kana is still at the Base...”

Hm, it actually has something to do with her?

Fu Qian’s curiosity immediately deepened.

”She caused quite a bit of trouble.”

Trouble?

Fu Qian thought for a moment.

”Too much charm radiating everywhere?”

”You could say that. We’ve already had Night Watchers who came into contact with her clash with their colleagues. The rest are also showing clear signs of paranoia. The effect is so strong that it far exceeds her Rank.”

Lai Ge picked up the thread, looking like he didn’t mind airing their dirty laundry.

”We spent a lot of effort sorting out the chaos before locking her up in solitary confinement. Even now, some of our colleagues are still undergoing psychological treatment.”

”And considering she’s something of a nuisance, you figured it would be better to trump up some charges and eliminate her once and for all?”

Fu Qian naturally finished the thought, clicking his tongue.

”There is a serious problem with your law enforcement attitude.”

”Sometimes we have to make expedient decisions. Furthermore, right now there really is no way to rule out the possibility that Kisaragi Kana is hiding her abilities. Plus, even if she truly is unaware, she could still unintentionally harm others.”

Surprisingly, Lai Ge didn’t deny Fu Qian’s accusation.

”That’s no good. Rules are rules. What if one day I get ’expediently decided’ too?”

Fu Qian shook his head repeatedly as he listened.

”Besides, if an unaware transcendent unintentionally commits manslaughter against an ordinary person, shouldn’t the Night Watchers be the ones held responsible?”

”Of course, I’m only providing friendly advice. How you handle it is up to you. So, is there any other news?”

...

”How did you know there was more news?”

The two Night Watchers, left entirely speechless by Fu Qian’s remarks, wore odd expressions for a moment.

”Just asking casually. Mostly because you two look a bit lost, like you’re doubting life itself. I figured a single case wouldn’t shake you up this much.”

Fu Qian said offhandedly.

”So there really is more? Is it a secret I’m allowed to know?”

”This really doesn’t have much to do with you, but it doesn’t need to be kept a secret either.”

Hayami Suzune didn’t consult Lai Ge this time and spoke directly.

”Siren and Anjing had another clash out at sea.”

Oh?

”And Siren lost a Demigod, plus nearly an entire ship of people.”

”The fall of a Demigod is definitely a major event. But didn’t Anjing also lose a ship of people before? Isn’t this kind of back-and-forth exactly what you guys want to see?”

”The way they were lost was that the Demigod suddenly defected and launched a sneak attack on their own team...”

Hayami Suzune said, emphasizing almost every word.

”...What was the name of that Demigod?”

”Sybil.”