Eldritch Horror Theatre

'I knew it. She's still testing me!'

After readily agreeing to Asao Sakura's request, Fu Qian smiled at her. His cooperative attitude was absolutely flawless.

Yet to his eyes, the professional PR representative's expression stiffened for a fraction of a second.

Asao Sakura obviously didn't buy what he had just said. Her final question was nothing but a probe.

It made perfect sense. After all, it was hard to imagine anyone escaping a hunt by the Night Watchers.

What was even more absurd was that he had the nerve to return!

Anyone with half a brain could see how incredibly suspicious the whole situation was.

As a member of the Anjing Company Public Relations Team, Asao Sakura was indeed far more difficult to handle than Sawada.

Yet in the face of her final test, Fu Qian had still agreed without a second thought.

To Fu Qian, Asao Sakura's goals were entirely different from Sawada's. Why would a PR representative care about the actual effects of a potion?

Her sole purpose in coming here today was to ensure that his anomalous case wouldn't threaten Anjing Company's operations.

She desperately wanted to know what role the Night Watchers played in the incident, and what exactly had happened during the conflict that led to Kunio's death.

Their greatest fear was that he had some sort of tacit agreement with the Night Watchers to set up a sting operation.

Under these circumstances, even if he volunteered for a test, she would probably hesitate. There was no way she actually cared about the results.

Her offer had been a pure probe, and his ready agreement had clearly unsettled her.

"That's wonderful."

Before Asao Sakura could say a word, a deeply relieved Sawada chimed in.

To him, Fu Qian's overly cooperative attitude was an absolute godsend.

"I'll go back and arrange it as soon as possible."

"Oh my!"

Before he could even finish, Asao Sakura covered her mouth with a dramatic gasp, looking thoroughly dismayed.

"I completely forgot! That was months ago. The testing window has long since expired!"

"Thank you for your willingness to cooperate, regardless."

She truly was a PR elite. Her ability to lie straight to a person's face was nothing short of masterful.

Fu Qian silently praised her.

Asao Sakura was clearly much stronger than Sawada, bordering on the Mid Tier.

With his deliberate control just now, she would have absolutely sensed that his constitution was no longer that of an ordinary person.

Yet she still blatantly lied, claiming the window had expired and no further testing was needed, completely ignoring that Sawada's face had turned a deep shade of purple right beside her.

"Apologies for the intrusion today. Will Mister Dancy be staying here for a while?"

With her apology delivered, Asao Sakura promptly moved to take her leave.

"Of course. I'm a man who values a high quality of life."

Fu Qian's tone was rock solid.

As soon as he said that, Asao Sakura subconsciously glanced toward the upper floor.

That was where Su Gao was resting.

Though Su Gao hadn't made an appearance, she had completely immersed herself in her role, keeping her aura perfectly suppressed.

Even so, Asao Sakura had long since realized someone was up there.

Thinking back to what she knew of his particular tastes, she flashed a knowing smile at the mention of his "quality of life."

"Understood. Regardless, we're glad to see you back. I will report this situation to my superiors, and we may need to contact you again in the near future."

Asao Sakura smiled and nodded in farewell. The next moment, she turned away, a sharp glare sweeping over Sawada that forced him to swallow every word he wanted to say.

...

"You're trying to draw the snake out of its hole?"

As soon as the two left, Su Gao's figure appeared at the top of the stairs.

She seemed to have adjusted to her new look quite well.

Walking over to take a seat beside Fu Qian, she asked thoughtfully.

Thanks to his earlier explanations, she already had a firm grasp of the local situation.

She had also noticed that he hadn't bothered to hide his aura earlier. In fact, he had deliberately put it on display. He was clearly setting a trap.

"Yep. I'm a success story now."

"But everything I just said heavily implied some sort of tacit agreement with the Night Watchers."

"Because of that, Asao Sakura didn't dare let me go in for a test, but she'll absolutely report this to her superiors."

"Now we wait and see if such a unique case catches the eye of someone important. Say, the person who formulated the Miracle Potion..."

"Do you think they'll make a special trip just to observe me?"

"I'd say the odds are pretty good."

Su Gao nodded in agreement.

"You suspect the potion's formula came from the Origin Council?"

"I can't say for sure, but I'd be perfectly happy if Anjing Company's upper management showed up instead."

Fu Qian was never one for blind optimism.

"Right. Are you going to go 'close the case' now?"

Su Gao still remembered the rest of his plan.

"No rush. Let's wait a bit longer."

Fu Qian leaned back in his chair, looking as relaxed as humanly possible.

"We have to receive our next guest first."

...

"Dancy Crawford... you actually had the nerve to return!"

He didn't have to wait long. Soon enough, a familiar figure appeared outside the door.

Hayami Suzune stormed inside, grinding her teeth in fury as she glared at Fu Qian, who was still comfortably seated.

"Madam Suzune."

Fu Qian's face lit up, and he greeted her with the utmost warmth.

"Long time no see."

A moment later, he frowned slightly, looking her up and down.

"You look absolutely exhausted. What happened to you?"

He wasn't just making things up. Hayami Suzune looked noticeably different from before, her entire demeanor visibly drained.

'What happened? As if you don't know!'

Faced with his faux concern, Hayami Suzune had to fight the urge to scream.

This bastard had vanished without a trace months ago. Terrified that he might target Kisaragi Kana, she had spent every waking moment keeping an eye out for him.

Guarding against a thief was exhausting work, especially since Kisaragi Kana never stayed out of trouble herself.

Who could have guessed that after months of agonizing vigilance, this guy would just waltz right back through his own front door?

But given her past experiences dealing with him, Hayami Suzune knew better than to let him lead her by the nose. She took a deep breath to steady herself.

"Where have you been all this time?"

"Just wandered around."

Fu Qian already had his answer prepared.

"And then?"

Hayami Suzune asked, forcing herself to be patient.

"And then? I got bored of wandering, so I came back. I really prefer living a life of quality."

"What life of quality—"

Hayami Suzune's words came to an abrupt halt as she stared at Su Gao, who had just stepped out from the back of the house.

"Hello!"

Su Gao offered a faint smile, greeting her in a light, cheerful tone she had never used before.

"He... llo..."

After forcing out a response through gritted teeth, Hayami Suzune looked Su Gao up and down, her face twisting in utter pity.

'This bastard actually lured in another innocent young girl!'

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