Eldritch Horror Theatre

'Looks like this is it.'

Fu Qian nodded silently to himself.

Kisaragi Kana had most likely used this potion.

And just as he had guessed, not only were the preceding numbers sequential, but the adjacent entries were named "Writhing-1" through "Writhing-9." That practically confirmed this was a preliminary screening.

There shouldn't be any further doubt about the task.

...

"Given your situation, my plan is to choose a physical enhancement potion. That way, it won't seem too jarring when the results come out later."

Seeing Fu Qian actually reading through the list one by one, Sawada spoke up with a hint of impatience.

"Are you sure?"

"Is there a problem?"

The earlier confrontation had clearly shaken Sawada's confidence; he began doubting himself almost instantly.

"What's the difference between potions with the same name but different numbers?"

Fu Qian countered instead of answering.

"Uh... that's top secret."

As Sawada instinctively hesitated, Fu Qian waved the papers in his hand.

"Is there really any point in keeping up this laughable charade? You've already crossed the line; there's no turning back now."

His tone—like someone forcing the innocent into prostitution—clearly did the trick. Sawada quickly gave up his struggle.

"The Company does indeed provide the potions uniformly. In practice, potions with the same name but different numbers aren't carefully distinguished during distribution. Once a test subject selects a suitable category, the exact variant is handed out at random."

"Of course, I personally estimate that potions sharing a name but having different numbers use the same core ingredient and vary only in their secondary components."

It really was the same logic as brewing magic potions. No wonder they needed so many volunteers.

Fu Qian wasn't particularly surprised by this.

"Good. But I'm guessing the potion effects rarely follow your intended designs, do they?"

"True. So far, even in successful cases, the effects are often wildly unexpected and fail to follow any intended patterns. At most, you might spot some twisted, bizarre connection."

"In that case, wouldn't a special subject who miraculously manifests exactly the intended effects stand out for being suspiciously normal?"

...

It did seem a bit like that...

Sawada lowered his head, realizing that was indeed a problem.

"So, your suggestion is to choose an unrelated potion?"

"Yes. But before we do that, you need to come up with a reason for the choice."

...

Leaving the problem to the professional, Fu Qian picked up the second file while Sawada fell deep into thought.

The contents of the new document weren't potion numbers, but a profile report that included age and gender. The name printed on it was Kisaragi Kana.

Fu Qian had specifically asked Sawada to pull this for him.

Twenty-two years old... unemployed... mother deceased from illness, currently living with her father and older sister...

He scanned the file. The information was incredibly detailed, right down to exactly how many men she had been involved with.

Judging by the sheer number, Miss Kisaragi was undoubtedly quite unrestrained and uninhibited.

Furthermore, the dates of her application and potion consumption matched her own account.

"Which one did Kisaragi Kana use?"

Fu Qian tossed the file aside and looked at Sawada.

"Why are you focusing on that?"

Sawada was visibly confused, but he still searched through the documents and pointed it out to Fu Qian.

Sure enough, it was Writhing-7.

"Evaluating the flavor,"

Fu Qian explained casually.

...

"Right now is absolutely out of the question!"

Sawada instantly caught his drift, his expression turning tense.

"The Company keeps a very close eye on every test subject. They won't tolerate a single one going missing. If you're really interested in her, wait until her observation ends and she's officially discarded. You can do whatever you want with her then."

"Is that so? And when exactly will she be officially discarded?"

"Very soon. She only has two tests left."

"Alright then, I'll accept the professional's advice."

Fu Qian was displaying a rare moment of readily accepting good advice.

"Hold on. I actually just had a thought,"

Sawada said, suddenly realizing something.

"When the time comes, you should take the exact same potion as her."

"Oh? And the reason?"

Fu Qian didn't directly reject the arrangement, simply looking at Sawada with a curious expression.

"The excuse is simple: after investigating you, I deduced you might want to use Kisaragi Kana as food. Therefore, I deliberately arranged the same potion to see if it would yield any special results."

"I suppose that counts as a reason."

Fu Qian furrowed his brows in thought for a few seconds and raised no further objections.

In reality, he spent those few seconds doing only one thing: marveling at just how incredibly cooperative Sawada was being.

With his marveling complete, Fu Qian picked up another file—the last one, bearing the name Dancy Crawford.

The contents were equally thorough, even keeping a detailed record of every single victim who had been turned into food.

"You should be the one who knows these things best. Why did you have me specifically pull this file for you?"

Fu Qian read through it carefully, but a look of suspicion crept over Sawada's face.

"Very simple. Because I am not Dancy."

Fu Qian glanced at him, his tone completely matter-of-fact.

"I killed the real Dancy a long time ago. I'm merely disguised as him, so I need to gather more information."

...

Staring dead into Fu Qian's face, Sawada froze for over ten seconds before suddenly breaking into a knowing smile.

"Now that's a good story. A very good story indeed!"

"If some uncontrollable accident were to occur, that would serve as a fantastic excuse for both myself and The Company. I feel much more at ease now."

"Then it's decided. I'll take you out first. Tomorrow, you will come here together with Kisaragi Kana, and I'll arrange the rest."

"No problem."

...

It was nearing evening when Fu Qian returned to the fortune-teller's cabin.

He had already spent the better part of the day resting at home.

According to Sawada, after two more tests, Kisaragi Kana would be completely discarded, and the project would be completed along with it.

But as for himself, beyond simply completing the task, he was equally interested in figuring out a few things—like what exactly had happened to Kisaragi Kana.

"Mister Dancy."

The fortune-teller saw Fu Qian walk in and gave him a gentle nod of greeting.

Sitting across from her, however, was someone he had met once before: Mister Kisaragi.

"Are you here for Kana?"

"Yes. I didn't realize you two were busy?"

Fu Qian casually eyed Mister Kisaragi, immediately sensing that the atmosphere in the room was off.

The man sitting across from the fortune-teller was flushed and currently glaring daggers at her.

With Fu Qian's keen powers of observation, it was easy to spot the short knife concealed beneath the man's clothing.

His daughter, sitting across from him, maintained a peaceful expression but showed no intention of backing down, creating a rather tense, tit-for-tat standoff.

The smell of gunpowder was rather heavy in here!

"Kana is inside. I'll call her out," the fortune-teller said to Fu Qian with a smile.

However, before she could call out, the back curtain was pulled aside.

Kisaragi Kana stepped out with a smile on her face, swaying her hips gracefully. She seemed incredibly pleased that Fu Qian had come to pick her up.

"Mister Dancy, let's go."

After glancing at her father and sister, she greeted Fu Qian.

Mister Kisaragi, who had been furious just moments ago, now lacked even the courage to meet her eyes. He subconsciously averted his gaze.

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