The Moment of Devouring (Twenty-Five)

Are you fucking stupid or something?

Is that what I meant when I said I'd changed my mind?

Fu Qian's reply after some thought successfully wiped the smile off Kuraki Eiko's face. For a moment, the atmosphere turned awkward.

Fortunately, her unusual state gave her an equally unusual way of adjusting her mindset.

In the next instant, Kuraki Eiko's features shifted rapidly, soon becoming a different face.

"Your actions are truly impossible to understand!"

Doctor Cynthia, whose expression looked considerably more composed, began negotiating, voicing her sincere admiration for Fu Qian's way of thinking.

"Impossible to understand? You four-in-one lot have some nerve saying that!"

Fu Qian delivered his retort with effortless ease, all the while keeping his eyes on her left wrist.

There was a golden mechanical watch there, adjusted to fit Goya's wrist.

Since a woman's wrist was obviously much slimmer, it was practically about to slip off as it swung around.

Once upon a time, he'd taken one off a certain stand-in, too.

Of course, he'd done the same thing this time.

A thorn beneath Fu Qian's ribs quickly retracted. With a soft clack, a shiny watch dropped into his hand.

That was right. Even after killing someone this time, he still hadn't let the watch go.

But given his current appearance, wearing it on his wrist wasn't exactly practical, so he'd hung it on himself instead.

It was still almost twenty minutes until eight. They could talk a little longer.

After fiddling with it a few times and confirming that the hands were moving properly, Fu Qian put it back, hanging it from his chest like a medal.

The bizarre gesture left even Cynthia staring blankly. Combined with Fu Qian's soul-piercing question, it left her at a loss for words.

"This was necessary. You simply don't