Eldritch Horror Theatre

Having just escaped her confinement, Kisaragi Chie didn't seem to hold any grudge against her younger sister. Her worry was completely genuine.

"Not a problem. I'll find them as quickly as possible."

Hayami Suzune had finally recovered from the shock of the earlier revelations, and she readily agreed.

Based on their interactions over this period, her relationship with Kisaragi Chie seemed quite good.

But immediately after making the promise, she realized a glaring problem.

"So, do you actually know where they went?"

"I don't know."

Kisaragi Chie shook her head without hesitation.

"When they left, I didn't hear them mention an address or anything like that."

"As for their date spots... this is the only one I've ever been to."

Kisaragi Chie gave a silent sigh.

"That might be a bit of a problem. We'll just have to narrow it down step by step... We may need to use the police database to track them down."

Hayami Suzune's brows furrowed tightly.

"On the bright side, there haven't been any reports of violent crimes from last night until now. That means there is a high chance Kisaragi Kana is still safe, so try not to worry too much."

After comforting Kisaragi Chie, she noticed Fu Qian standing in the corner, deep in thought, and couldn't resist a mocking jab.

"Aren't you an expert at hunting prey, Mister Dancy? Why don't you figure out where they went?"

She wished for nothing more than to eliminate this bastard, even if his malicious intentions were exactly what had led to Kisaragi Chie's timely rescue.

"Sure."

To her surprise, Fu Qian agreed without the slightest hesitation.

"You know where they went?"

Hayami Suzune was startled.

"Did you arrange all of this?"

Clearly, her past experiences dealing with Fu Qian had left her in a state of extreme paranoia.

"You're overthinking it. I'm just a concerned citizen."

Fu Qian shook his head and pointed toward the wall.

"As for how I know, couldn't you see this giant heart on the map?"

Map?

Hayami Suzune and Kisaragi Chie both froze, following the direction of Fu Qian's finger.

Under the exceptionally suggestive pink lighting, the map was indeed marked with an array of equally suggestive little hearts spread across various locations. One of them was noticeably larger than the rest.

"Given that your sister demanded her boyfriend prove his love, it makes perfect sense they would go to the biggest heart, right? Judging by the map, it looks like an art studio."

That... actually made a bit of sense.

Kisaragi Chie and Hayami Suzune exchanged a glance, and ultimately, the victim's sister nodded.

"Then let's go as quickly as possible."

"Indeed."

...

"This place is a little remote. Does your sister like painting?"

A short while later, Hayami Suzune parked the car and stepped out to survey the surroundings.

"Among the people who like her, there's someone who likes painting."

Kisaragi Chie carefully weighed her words, delivering an answer that sounded like a tongue twister.

...

"If I remember correctly, the man's family name is Ishida. He's a somewhat unsuccessful painter who makes a living teaching art."

"Then this must be the place."

While Hayami Suzune remained speechless, Fu Qian pointed a short distance away.

A sign with bold black lettering against a white background clearly displayed the name "Ishida."

"It's not open. Normally, it would still be a bit early..."

Approaching the building, they were met with tightly shut doors. Kisaragi Chie furrowed her brow, while Hayami Suzune instinctively glanced at Fu Qian.

Before the words had even settled, the door popped open.

Acting as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened, Fu Qian put his tools away and signaled for them to head inside.

Hm?

Inside was a classic art studio layout. Two rows of easels faced each other in the relatively small space, clearly set up for amateur students to use.

Almost immediately, Hayami Suzune's gaze sharpened. She rushed forward and kicked the second door wide open.

Fu Qian wasn't the least bit surprised by her sudden movement.

Because at that very moment, the stench of blood in the air was unmistakably thick. No matter how dense Hayami Suzune could be, there was no way she would miss it.

"Madam Suzune..."

Kisaragi Chie looked shocked, clearly startled by the sudden reaction. Once she recovered, she hurriedly chased after her.

The layout of this art studio was remarkably similar to Kisaragi Chie's divination hut. The front served as a public workspace, the back was a living area, and there was a smaller private studio off to the side.

The private studio's door was wide open. Standing right at the threshold, Hayami Suzune stared forward, looking completely dazed.

"Is that our dear friend Ishida?"

Fu Qian stared at the corpse inside the room, seeking confirmation from Kisaragi Chie.

"It looks somewhat like him..."

Kisaragi Chie replied stiffly.

You couldn't exactly blame her uncertainty. The corpse was in a gruesome state. The man's head had been smashed into a bloody, mangled mess, spraying a massive splash of gore across the easel directly in front of him.

"He's been dead for a while."

Hayami Suzune took a deep breath. She didn't even need to step closer to examine the body before reaching that conclusion.

Whoosh!

Fu Qian didn't say a word. He simply continued walking forward and pulled open a door tucked in the corner.

A flight of stairs leading downward revealed itself. It was the entrance to a basement.

"There's someone down there!"

Hayami Suzune clearly heard something. Her eyes lit up, and she rushed past Fu Qian to race down the steps.

Turning the corner, in the much dimmer light facing the bottom of the stairs, a figure was sitting on a pile of clutter. Even though he realized people had arrived, he showed absolutely no reaction.

From his profile alone, they could immediately recognize him. It was Takagi, the man who had taken Kisaragi Kana away.

At this moment, he was cradling a hand against his own cheek. An expression of sheer, intoxicated bliss covered his face, as though he were ascending to the Heavenly Kingdom.

Of course, the scene would have been much less horrifying if that hand had still been attached to an arm.

The pale, delicate hand he was caressing had clearly been severed from its original owner's wrist.

"Kana..."

Arriving a step behind the others, Kisaragi Chie's voice trembled as she sprinted down the remaining stairs.

Takagi made no move to stop her. He completely ignored her, his fanatical gaze fixated on another corner of the basement.

Kisaragi Chie threw herself toward that very corner, only to find that her younger sister had suffered the exact same fate she had. Kana was tightly bound to a chair.

Furthermore, the end of her right arm was completely bare.

The hand Takagi was holding had indeed been chopped off from her wrist.

Miraculously, despite the thick splatters of blood covering the floor, her completely unbandaged stump had already stopped bleeding.

Furthermore, Kana's mouth was not gagged. Even as she saw her older sister rushing toward her, her face betrayed no sign of pain.

"Are you insane? Did you kill the man upstairs?"

This bizarre, gruesome scene in the basement completely baffled Hayami Suzune.

"This was the place where we first met..."

Under Hayami Suzune's furious glare, Takagi finally lowered the severed hand from his face. Yet, his gaze remained entirely fixated on Kisaragi Kana, and his words were dripping with deep, obsessive affection.

"I still remember it perfectly... the feeling I had when I first laid eyes on you here. When I saw what you and Ishida were doing down here."

"Ever since that day, I've fantasized about this countless times. The feeling of your soothing hand against my face... I spent every waking minute yearning for it."

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