Eldritch Horror Theatre

The door was heavy, but not impossible to push open.

As it slowly opened inward, the person behind it neither dodged nor got hit.

His head stayed exactly where it was.

This guy was right—casting aside a naive mindset really did help you discover far more interesting things.

It wasn't some urban legend about a flying head, of course; the man's entire body was hanging from the door.

Taking a step inside, Fu Qian easily discovered the secret behind the head's height.

Welded to the back of the door was a contraption that allowed someone to cling to it like a gecko.

It had corresponding supports for the hands, feet, joints, and lower back.

With a little securing, a person could easily hang from it and stick their head out to peek around.

"Heh... if that's all you're willing to see."

Refusing to lose face, and clearly not expecting Fu Qian to be so bold, Brother Peeker found climbing down under such intense scrutiny too awkward. He simply held his pose and let out a cold snort.

"Let me guess. You woke up hungover one morning, suddenly realized your true self, and decided to chase after some forgotten dream you used to yearn for. Driven by that impulse, you drove straight to a place you'd heard rumors about..."

Shooting Fu Qian a condescending glare from his perch, he even continued spelling out his deductions.

And despite framing it as a guess, he sounded incredibly confident.

"Don't look so surprised. Not only have I seen your type way too often, this place is practically swarming with people like you... how else would you have found it?"

It was a well-reasoned argument, and that final point actually hit the nail on the head.

"People really are used to it."

Recalling what he'd seen on his way over, Fu Qian gave a genuine nod.

"And then you finally arrive, only to find yourself completely lost on where to start. That is, until a unique splash of color catches your eye, awakening a feeling you haven't felt in years—because it literally is your feeling from years ago!

"As naive as a child. Did you honestly think your artistic talent had suddenly blossomed?"

Even though Fu Qian genuinely agreed with his assessment, his overly calm demeanor seemed to unnerve Brother Peeker. As he continued to rattle off his sharp-tongued lecture, he finally tried detaching himself from the door.

"So what if they were actual children?"

A stool sat beside the door, clearly a prop used to climb up.

Fu Qian didn't mind. He simply took a seat on it and watched Brother Peeker struggle on the door.

"You're here looking for those two kids?"

Yet his bold action clearly paled in comparison to the shock his question delivered.

Halfway down, Brother Peeker forgot to even move.

...

Old Man Hake's reasoning was spot on. If he had shown up in his work uniform, there was no telling if this guy would be this cooperative.

Now it had not only triggered a conversation, but actually yielded some interesting information.

At that moment, Fu Qian silently praised his partner's foresight.

"Go on."

Of course, that didn't mean he needed to answer the question; he merely gestured for him to continue.

"So what are you actually doing here?"

Unfortunately, the pressure seemed a bit too high. Brother Peeker's train of thought warped, and he chose to continue asking questions instead.

"You have no idea what you're talking about, do you?"

In response, Fu Qian simply offered a friendly smile, even hooking another stool with his foot and sliding it over.

"...I saw them yesterday. A boy and a girl, both just teenagers."

Not failing his sensitivity as an art professional, Brother Peeker subconsciously averted his eyes from that smile and finally tried to answer.

"They arrived really early. I don't even know how they got here... and they didn't seem to know why they'd come, either. They looked totally lost.

"They seemed to be at odds. The girl had a bit of a fiery temper, and she completely ignored the boy, even though he kept trying to talk to her.

"After standing outside and watching for a while, they walked off one after the other, heading toward the place you were just trying to go..."

So the two missing teenagers weren't even getting along?

Brother Peeker's description painted a very vivid picture. Fu Qian could easily imagine the two young people stalking off in an awkward posture, one trailing behind the other, heading off into the distance—without even knowing what kind of distance they were heading toward.

And Old Man Hake had actually hit the mark. The boy and girl really had come to Art Prison.

He truly was a person worthy of his high expectations; the information Brother Peeker provided seemed to push the investigation a massive step forward.

"High expectations" was no exaggeration. Who better to check the comings and goings of the area than a performance artist hanging on his door to watch outside?

"A naive choice."

Even so, Fu Qian still had no intention of giving him any praise. Instead, upholding the essence of Brother Peeker's suppressive marketing, he turned his head to glance at the short tower and repeated the man's earlier critique.

...

"I only saw them that one time. I never saw them come back out."

Brother Peeker had finally gotten down from the door, though he was still licking his lips from excessive nervousness.

Of course, this time he'd learned his lesson. Instead of trying to ask stupid questions, he squeezed his memory as much as possible.

And the last piece of information he provided sounded even more important.

Went in but didn't come out?

"What did they say to you?"

Fu Qian gave a slight nod.

"I didn't chat with them—I just called out, and the girl told me to get lost."

Brother Peeker instinctively tried to deny it, but quickly pivoted halfway through.

Now that was more like it.

Although his earlier critique—about being an adult but still naive—wouldn't have applied to them, that was merely one of his sales pitches anyway.

Seeing two such prime customers, there was no way he would have let them pass by.

Even though it sounded like he ultimately got rejected.

"That's fine. This time you can tag along."

Sweeping his gaze over the various bizarre items, Fu Qian not only didn't mind the other man's earlier attempt to hide the truth, but even offered a word of comfort for the first time since they started talking.

"...I'm not really interested in that place."

After understanding his meaning, Brother Peeker was clearly reluctant.

Unfortunately, before he could even finish his excuse, the mysterious 'hungover' man had already gotten up and walked out.

"But... I was just about to close up shop."

His initial shock gave way to intense fidgeting. But as he muttered to himself, the other man showed no intention of turning back.

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