Eldritch Horror Theatre

Talking rabbits?

He had just been wondering if things from the fairy tales could reverse-infiltrate this world. It seemed the situation was far from optimistic.

"What if we accidentally run into them?"

Fu Qian asked.

"Then don't pay any attention to them. Especially don't listen to what they say."

Hani warned, her tone unusually resolute.

"Otherwise, they'll take you into the Fairy Tale World."

"Understood."

Fu Qian looked at her.

...

"You talked to them?"

The moment the words left Fu Qian's mouth, Hani reacted as if electrocuted, instantly flinging his hand away.

"Yeah."

Fu Qian reached into his pocket and pulled out that Green Apple.

"I even gave them apples to eat, but unfortunately, they didn't really like them."

After taking control of Violetta's body, he had quickly noticed his pocket felt heavy. He only realized later that it was his previous loot.

He hadn't expected to bring these items along when his own body was gone. Even that Odd-Flavored Sugar Cube was still there.

"No matter where you are, it's best never to talk to them."

Hani stared at the apple in Fu Qian's hand, swallowing unconsciously.

"Soufflé said they'll make you forget the way home, and what Mother looks like."

"I've actually forgotten a little already."

Fu Qian rubbed the apple in his hand.

The apple did look quite appetizing, but he definitely couldn't give it to Hani to eat.

"It's okay. You'll remember."

After a brief hesitation, Hani took his hand again.

"We've all actually forgotten before. As long as you're careful not to fall back in, you'll slowly remember."

"We've been here for a long time, haven't we?"

"Yeah, a long time."

Hani looked at Fu Qian, her eyes full of pity.

"You've been sleeping more and more lately. That's very bad... We'll go back early in a bit. They can't get into the Red House."

Right.

"But before that, let's go play!"

True to being a kid, her mood flipped in a second.

One moment she was deeply worried, and the next she was beaming with excitement.

"It's beautiful here. Come on!"

Dragged along by Hani, Fu Qian observed their surroundings.

The weather was clear, with a gentle breeze. The occasional pedestrians who glanced their way had very friendly looks in their eyes.

If you ignored the bizarre dangers, it actually felt like a pretty nice place.

"Hani is here!"

Eventually, the two stopped in front of a shop. Beneath a green signboard, a familiar face greeted them with a smile, looking a bit surprised upon seeing Fu Qian.

"Violetta is here too! I rarely see you!"

It really was Mrs. Torrance.

Fu Qian gave a casual response and looked around. It looked like a grocery store.

There were toys, clothes, and spices. There were even caramel-colored cakes sitting in the corner.

They were the simplest style, but they smelled quite good.

Moreover, these people didn't seem afraid of falling asleep.

Fu Qian glanced beneath Mrs. Torrance. It was a brown Deck Chair.

She seemed to have just been taking a nap on it a moment ago.

"They can't see the rabbits, and they aren't afraid of dreaming."

Seemingly aware of Fu Qian's confusion, Hani explained softly beside him.

Just as he thought.

Fu Qian nodded silently; Hani had already excitedly begun playing with the items in the shop.

...

By the time Hani had her fill, a long time had passed, and unsurprisingly, she hadn't bought a single thing.

Mrs. Torrance seemed completely unbothered by this, smiling the entire time as she watched her jump around.

In the end, she even revealed an important piece of news—Bella had come by earlier and bought a cake.

"So sneaky!"

Hearing this, Hani practically jumped into the air.

She was obviously very interested in the cakes, but with empty pockets, she could only stare longingly and hold herself back.

Now, suddenly hearing that Bella was hoarding a treat all to herself, she was instantly filled with righteous indignation.

After confirming the direction with Mrs. Torrance, she completely tossed aside her earlier talk of going back early, dragging Fu Qian along as she gave chase.

The path soon strayed further and further away from the Red House. Eventually, they could even see the azure seawater.

Fu Qian finally realized that this Small Town was actually located on an island.

"Bella!"

Hani finally spotted her older sister. Bella was sitting on a rock, leaning against a tree and gazing into the distance, turning a deaf ear to her shouts.

Hani wasn't going to let her off that easily. She jogged right up to her, her eyes instantly lighting up at the sight of the half-cake sitting nearby.

"You're too much, sneaking off to a place like this to eat all by yourself—"

Hani's words came to an abrupt halt, and she stared at Bella in horror.

Bella was leaning comfortably against the tree, opening her eyes just a slit to look over.

"You were sleeping... How could you be sleeping!"

Hani's voice grew sharp with shock.

"What are you yelling for!"

Bella covered her mouth as she sat up, letting out a yawn.

"I was sleeping. What about it?"

"But you can't sleep! You'll sink into the Fairy Tale World and won't be able to get out."

Seemingly intimidated by Bella's aura, Hani's retort sounded more like a murmur.

"It's not guaranteed to happen. Besides, not sleeping at all is awful."

Bella shot her a dismissive glance before turning her gaze back to the distant seawater, her expression serene.

"What is real, and what is fake?"

"Maybe the Fairy Tale World is the real world, and we're the ones lost here instead?"

Who knew she was such a philosophical girl!

Fu Qian listened, feeling a twinge of nostalgia.

It wasn't surprising, though. When he was that age, his head had also been full of things like meaning, existence, questioning everything, truth and falsehood, life and death.

"B-but... Soufflé said we absolutely must not sleep."

Hani had clearly taken quite a blow, but she still stuck to her guns, quietly bringing up their eldest sister.

"Soufflé... She worries too much."

Bella murmured with her head down, then let out a snort.

"Honestly, if you think about it, even if we really got trapped in the Fairy Tale World, it wouldn't be so bad."

"Maybe we could even see Mother again. What's there to worry about?"

She pointed at Fu Qian.

"Look, Violetta is much calmer than you, even after having so many dreams."

"There's no danger, is there, Violetta?"

She stared straight at Fu Qian.

"Actually, it is still a bit dangerous."

Fu Qian replied casually, but his eyes were focused on the distance.

He had no interest in discussing life with a chuuni girl, even if she had managed to guess a few things right by sheer luck.

If the island was completely surrounded by this kind of sea, physically escaping would undoubtedly be rather difficult.

"Violetta even talked to the rabbits!"

Hani suddenly piped up from the side.

"Really?"

Bella looked at Fu Qian in surprise before turning her head away.

"I told you it didn't matter. I can talk to the animals next time too."

"But—"

Hani only got halfway through her sentence before she stared blankly behind Bella, freezing up entirely.

"What is it?"

Sensing that something was wrong, Bella turned around.

A crocodile-like animal was winding its way out from behind a large boulder. Eight legs sprouted in a dense cluster along its grayish-black body.

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