Eldritch Horror Theatre

"Of course, if you think killing human scum like me is more important than fulfilling your duty, feel free to do it."

Facing the murderous Night Watcher, Fu Qian didn't even raise his head. Instead, he kept both hands busy tackling the macaroni on his plate.

Though he tried to be as careful as possible, the splattering blood still mixed heavily with the ketchup.

This sight made Hayami Suzune's eyelids twitch, deepening her internal struggle.

She undoubtedly wanted to separate this scum's head from his body, fully prepared for the trouble it would bring.

But trouble and duty were two different things. If Kisaragi Kana really did it, then—

"You'd better not be spouting nonsense."

Hayami Suzune gritted her teeth and finally made a decision.

"How could I? If you go outside and look right now, you might even dig up some remains or something."

This was the truth; there really were remains outside right now.

The only problem was that they didn't belong to any student.

After plotting with Sawada yesterday, as preparation for their next phase, Sawada had followed his instructions and delivered Kunio's disguised head.

The purpose, naturally, was to find an opportunity to set up a murder scene and pass it off as an accidental killing.

And although Sawada had wrapped it tightly in three layers inside and out, as long as she put a little effort into searching, finding it wouldn't be hard.

Unfortunately, after vomiting earlier, Hayami Suzune was clearly repulsed by such things. She stared at Fu Qian for a few seconds without saying a word.

The next moment, she stepped forward, pressed a hand against the table, and forcefully yanked the Dagger free.

"I'll give you three minutes to bandage that wound."

She spoke in an unquestionable tone, wiping the Dagger clean on Fu Qian's clothes.

"Then you're coming with me."

"No problem."

Faced with her demand, Fu Qian straightforwardly got up to change his clothes, raising no objections.

Dealing with a Night Watcher who was putting her career on the line, he hadn't expected to brush her off with just a few words anyway.

Recalling Kisaragi Iken's abnormal behavior during their last meeting, Fu Qian decided it was worth taking a look at the scene.

...

"Get out."

Not long after, Fu Qian, who had been resting with his eyes closed, was awakened by Hayami Suzune.

Her face was frosty in the dark as she signaled that they had arrived, urging him to get out of the car.

Although they hadn't exchanged a single word on the way, her mood was clearly even worse than before.

Fu Qian interpreted this as disappointment that he hadn't tried to launch a sneak attack on the road, denying her the chance to swat him dead in self-defense.

Otherwise, there was no explaining why she had so openly let such a dangerous person sit in the back seat, even if he was just an ordinary human.

On top of that, she had even specially laid a blanket on the car seat.

It made one suspect whether she was simply worried about getting her car dirty when she inevitably battered him to death.

Looking through the window, the surroundings were distinctly familiar.

It was indeed the Kisaragi Family Mansion they had visited before.

Even in the nearby distance, a faint light could be seen behind a window; clearly, brother Aoki was still observing from the shadows.

In the night, police tape had already been strung up prominently around the house. Two uniformed officers stood guard at the entrance, sizing up the newly arrived car.

It seemed this case had temporarily been ruled unrelated to transcendents.

After a brief observation, Fu Qian tucked his simply bandaged right hand into his pocket and cooperatively stepped out.

Upon recognizing Hayami Suzune's face, the two officers noticeably relaxed. One of them immediately took on the role of guide, leading them into the crime scene.

They made their way to the second floor. It was apparent that the murder scene had been preserved in its original state as much as possible; he wondered if Suzune had specifically requested it.

In the not-too-spacious bathroom, a bathtub filled with an ice-water mixture came into view. Kisaragi Iken, whom he had met before, lay stark naked inside.

His lower abdomen had been ripped open, and blood dyed everything red.

Even the murder weapon was obvious—a short knife that looked like a crafted piece of art, stabbed at an angle into the bathtub, its exquisite carvings soaked in blood.

"Any thoughts?"

Hayami Suzune had kept her eyes glued to Fu Qian almost the entire time he was examining the scene, and now she asked him directly.

It was clear she was suppressing her emotions in the face of this bloody sight.

"Not a professional."

Responding to her question, Fu Qian actually bent down to examine the corpse with the utmost seriousness.

"Although the wound was made in one continuous motion, the technique wasn't clean enough. It's obvious they don't use a knife often."

"Grab a random butcher off the street, and their cuts would be much cleaner than this."

...

"What else?"

Fu Qian's analysis not only drew sidelong glances from the nearby officer, but it also made Hayami Suzune's expression twist. Yet, she managed to keep her voice steady and asked again.

"There's more!"

Fu Qian stood up and tapped his head.

The next moment, he suddenly cast his gaze upwards at a forty-five-degree angle. His eyes turned glassy, his voice ethereal.

"There are no signs of forced entry, because the person wielding the knife knew this house extremely well. There was no need to be so rough..."

"They even knew the victim was physically and mentally exhausted, completely off guard. They simply passed through door after door, walking up the stairs step by step..."

"Their movements were firm and sacred, like a shepherd granting release to a suffering lamb..."

"This is... I get it!"

Watching this unfold, the eyes of one of the officers suddenly lit up as he couldn't help but exclaim.

"This is the legendary power of empathy! He's entering the killer's mindset, reconstructing the crime!"

The officer spoke with the look of someone who completely understood.

...

Hearing the officer's words almost made Hayami Suzune's breath hitch.

Looking at the bright-eyed officer, she really wanted to tell him that this wasn't empathy; it was restraint. The guy in front of them was far more twisted.

Unfortunately, before she could say anything, the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs echoed behind them.

The two officers were startled half to death and snapped their heads around to look.

The next moment, another uniformed officer appeared at the top of the stairs, and behind him were two young women.

Kisaragi Kana and her fortune-teller sister.

It was obvious they had heard the news on the way over. Now, facing this bloody scene, the two sisters—despite their vastly different personalities and appearances—wore the exact same wooden expressions.

Meanwhile, Fu Qian's immersion wasn't over yet.

"The ice water slows down the bleeding... They wanted Mister Kisaragi to last until the very end. This was a premeditated plan..."

"In fact, Mister Kisaragi did hold on until the end... He even had enough strength to resist during the process."

"But the identity of the person holding the knife made him lose all will to resist..."

With those final words, Fu Qian slowly stood up straight, his eyes scanning everyone in the room with the casual gaze of someone strolling through a grocery market.

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