From the depths of Joyce's house came the whimpering and wailing sounds like those of a wounded beast.

Shirley stood in the doorway for a long time, then she flipped the light switch, changed her shoes, and walked along the carpeted floor.

The living room is lined with portraits, photographs, and even a few taxidermy and human sculptures.

She walked towards the basement without looking sideways, and countless Wendys stared straight at her on the walls. Some of them had gray hair, red eyes, and white skin, while some were not. But whether it was a portrait or a photo, Shirley's gaze was full of malice.

When Shirley stepped on the stairs to the basement, a sound that sounded like wind and crying became more obvious. She couldn't help but quicken her pace, hurried to the bottom step and pushed open a heavy stone door.

The crying stopped abruptly.

Wendy, who looked about fifteen or sixteen years old as a human girl, was squatting in the dark room, scratching the water pipe with an iron fork. The sound was made by her just now.

Seeing Shirley, she showed a happy expression: "Sister Shirley!"

Viscount Joyce gritted his teeth to endure the dizziness that came and went, and stood at the door for a while.

Then she walked over, bent down and whispered, "What are you doing?"

Wendy replied, "I'm so hungry."

“…I’ll go order takeout.”

"Sister Shirley." Wendy looked up at her eagerly, "I love you the most."

Shirley suddenly stumbled, and almost couldn't keep bending over and fell to the ground.

"...You thought I'd say that!" Wendy's expression suddenly changed. A sinister grin appeared on her dark face. She stretched out her rough, scarred hand, and while Shirley was dazed and bent over again, she grabbed the collar of the person in front of her and twisted it viciously. "Are you happy? Seeing me acting like a well-behaved puppy!"

Shirley was forced to kneel on the dry concrete floor and began to retch. Wendy still held her collar tightly. The girl was surprisingly strong. Even when Viscount Joyce struggled involuntarily when he was suffocating, her hands remained motionless.

But just before she fainted from lack of oxygen, Wendy loosened her fingers.

The girl's fingers twitched, and she dissatisfiedly slammed her fingers, which did not obey her brain's command, on the metal pipe next to her, making a violent vibration - even such a strong impact could not hurt her body.

Shirley coughed for a long time before she recovered. She got up from the ground and straightened her dress. If it weren't for the dust from the basement on it, she would have looked as if nothing had happened.

"Don't abuse your own hands."

This was the first sentence she uttered in her hoarse voice.

"Don't hurt yourself, don't try to commit suicide, don't run away, eat more, and read more." Wendy sat on the water pipe carelessly. "Are you my mother?"

"Oh, no," she said as if she had suddenly realized something. "No mother would lock her child in an operating room or a basement, don't you think so, Sister Shirley?"

Shirley once again showed an expression of barely enduring pain.

"Your abilities are getting stronger, aren't they?" She tried to maintain a cool tone. "I saw you transform the portrait of me hanging in the living room into your current self."

"Don't let your powers spread, Wendy. It will only hurt you."

"You called me Wendy?" Wendy stood up and said happily, "You actually called me Wendy!"

"...Do you want me to call you 'Quintula'?"

"Don't always act like I'm bullying you, Shirley." Wendy leaned closer to her with her head tilted up, saying maliciously, "It's you who's bullying me—you bring misfortune to everyone who approaches you with good intentions. They'll die because of you."

“…”

Wendy suddenly asked, "What's the third stuffed animal you've encountered since you walked in?"

Shirley looked at her quietly, and after a while she answered, "It's the dog I got when I was three years old."

"Poor thing, how did it die?"

"...My father's order was strangled by me."

"What about the middle statue on the right?"

Shirley's answers seemed to come without a second thought: "It was my high school teacher, Richard Coke."

Before Wendy could ask, she spoke without hesitation, "The only time I skipped class, my family caught me. They didn't punish me, but they felt the homeroom teacher wasn't doing enough, so they ordered the principal to fire him."

"Three days later, he jumped off the teaching building while holding his seriously ill mother."

Wendy asked with a grin, "Did you see it with your own eyes?"

"He died in front of me, and it made a lasting impression on me."

"How pitiful... Where's that photo in the living room facing the front door?"

“…”

"What have you done to offend my brother?"

Shirley's pale, beautiful face was blank.

Wendy looked at her and whispered in her ear, "Will he be hurt because of you? Or even die because of you? Just like your dog, your beloved teacher, and me, whom you love and care for?"

"He won't... he won't." Viscount Joyce closed his eyes and took a step back. "You won't die either. You will all live—"

"Will you protect him?" Wendy took a step forward. "Will you keep him safe? Or have you already got me but still not satisfied? Are you going to push everyone into a grave for whatever your purpose is, and then drag the bodies into your own living room? Are you a masochist? Do you find joy and satisfaction in ruminating over your victims and feeling guilty? "

"I didn't—"

"You didn't? Does that mean you will protect him? Sister Shirley, Lord Viscount Joyce, I know you have the ability."

Shirley leaned against the wall, and the cold and wet touch suddenly made her wake up.

"Wendy."

She brushed back her sweaty white hair, lowered her head, and asked, "Do you know where Igor is? Are you constantly activating your powers to find him?"

Wendy stared at her for a few seconds, then sat back on the water pipe with a bored look on her face.

"Answer me!" Shirley cried sharply. "Where is he! Who is it—who is helping him?"

"Go to hell, Shirley," Wendy said, playing with her fingers. "I'm not going to answer you."

Shirley stamped her feet anxiously, strode to Wendy, squatted down, and pulled off the lace white glove on her right hand.

"See?!" She showed a strong expression in front of Wendy for the first time. "The material used for these hands is exactly the same as your brother's left leg!"

"So? What do you want to say?"

"This hand," Shirley said, emphasizing each word, "buried within it is a divine bone. It's the thing inside your spine."

Her mechanical hands formed a circle with a diameter of one centimeter.

"So are your brother's legs."

Wendy's eyes suddenly widened.

**

Unsurprisingly, the capital's most famous amusement park is packed even on weekdays.

To be honest, Azathoth regretted it the moment he stepped through the door.

Just at this moment, Igor asked hesitantly: "Should we continue to go in?"

"Let's go." A phrase that has been repeated so many times suddenly popped up in Azathoth's mind - 'You are here now.'

"Did you buy a full ticket?"

"Yes." Because he didn't know what Azathoth wanted to play, Igor chose the most expensive ticket that included most of the attractions in the amusement park. "Where do you want to go?"

Azathoth's face hidden under the hood had a complicated expression.

He wanted to go to the souvenir shop where there were the fewest people.

Igor was still waiting for his answer. Since wearing formal clothes to the amusement park was too conspicuous, he changed into casual clothes again today after a long absence. However, his temperament clearly distinguished him from the young people who had just started out.

A few hundred meters away, a child suddenly pulled his mother's sleeve and asked, "Mommy, what is that?"

The woman casually looked toward the wall surrounded by greenery. There hung a fantastical wall lamp, emitting a pink light. On the finger-wide lamppost, a thin, black strip, like an octopus tentacle, was wrapped motionlessly around the outside of an iron pipe.

"It's a decoration."

"But I thought it moved just now."

"Maybe you're seeing things? But the design of this lamppost is quite strange," the woman muttered. "Pink octopus legs?"

“…”

They walked away while chatting.

The tentacles, which were turned pink by the light, quickly retracted and hid in the grass when no one was paying attention.

Azathoth breathed a sigh of relief at the entrance of the amusement park.

He was not worried about himself, but about the fragile human being who noticed his touch.

Fortunately, the two of them didn’t see clearly because of their poor eyesight.

"What's wrong?" Igor asked sharply, turning his head.

Azathoth spread out the map of the amusement park in front of him, pointed at the complicated route and said, "I think this place is nice."

Igor's eyes were subtle. To confirm if the map was wrong, he took out the ticket and took a look: "... Diving area? Isn't this an amusement park?"

A staff member who happened to be passing by heard his question and enthusiastically explained, "These are new attractions in our amusement park, with things like bungee jumping, diving, and skydiving. However, they're still in the promotional phase and there aren't many visitors. Only those who buy the full ticket for 1998 Star Coins can experience them."

Then he looked up and saw the ticket in Igor's hand.

Damn, there really are some local tycoons with lots of money.

He immediately said, "You guys are good enough! Do you want to go to the designated area right now? We have a special car to pick you up in the park!"

Igor: “…”

The capital planet is truly vast and rich in resources. Your amusement park actually has a location that includes an ocean, cliffs, and a dedicated skydiving area.

Although the amusement park itself was built on the seashore, the diving site was still a long way away. Azathoth made the final decision, and Igor readily followed suit. In the eyes of the staff, they were like two rich second-generation kids with nothing to do all day, taking a three-hour hovercar ride to another developed coastline.