Are you the famous Vanessa?

"No problem, Mr. Razi! I'll go right away!"

Vanessa hastily answered, grabbed the Flatbed Cart, and hurried outside.

Just as she reached the gate, she abruptly doubled back and snatched up the Nail-Headed Club leaning in the corner. Only then did she take a deep breath and plunge back into the thick darkness of night.

She certainly knew the way to the Wild Dog Gang well.

The Harbor District bordered the Mist Harbor District, where public safety was reasonably good. New Scandinavia General Hospital and Miskatonic University were both located there, and gas streetlights lit the way.

Once she entered the Harbor District under the Wild Dog Gang's control, there were no more streetlights, but since it was their territory, she actually felt a little safer.

This was the route least likely to go wrong, and Vanessa jogged almost the entire way.

Today, however, seemed a little different.

Usually, the Wild Dog Gang members she encountered along the road would watch her pass with cold eyes.

This time, though, after getting a clear look at her Trench Coat and Nail-Headed Club, most of them wore expressions of awe and fear. A few even greeted Vanessa of their own accord.

Vanessa paused before smiling in response. Honestly, she even felt a surge of warmth.

In this cold, distant city, she could count on her fingers the people who would take the initiative to greet her.

Their reactions were a little odd, though-

Vanessa was clearly smiling and waving back at them, yet their expressions grew even more fearful.

Perhaps it was because she was still holding the Nail-Headed Club as she waved.

Whatever the case, Vanessa was quite happy. As she knocked on Dorothea's door, she called out excitedly, "Miss Crow, I'm here! Open up, open up!"

Only after she had knocked for quite a while was the door suddenly yanked open. Dorothea stared at her, looking grim.

"Has no one ever taught you not to disturb a doctor without good reason?!"

"Uh..."

Only then did Vanessa notice someone else inside. Immediately embarrassed, she was about to slip away when she realized the person looked familiar.

She craned her neck to look inside. Dorothea immediately shifted sideways to close the door, but Vanessa had already seen-

"Winnie?"

It was indeed her good friend Winnie inside.

Dorothea glanced back. Winnie nodded at her, and only then did she reluctantly glare at Vanessa and step aside.

Under Dorothea's murderous gaze, Vanessa steeled herself and walked in.

Winnie was sitting in a chair. When Vanessa entered, she tried to stand, only for Dorothea to press her back down.

Vanessa gave an awkward chuckle, took a few steps back, and stood beside Winnie.

"Winnie, what brings you here? Are you sick?"

"Well..."

"Don't go prying into other people's medical conditions!" Dorothea interrupted angrily. Looking at Winnie, who still wore a gentle smile, she sighed.

"She isn't sick. She just needs rest." Then she turned to Winnie again. "You can't keep wearing yourself out like this. Let Allen handle it. If that really won't work, the gang can help too."

Vanessa instinctively wanted to ask more questions, but she also realized it would be a little presumptuous. After hesitating, she still spoke up quietly. "I-I can help too..."

Winnie smiled and tidied Vanessa's hair. "You can't even support yourself. How could you help me?"

"I can support myself! I've made money lately!" Vanessa straightened her neck, brimming with confidence!

-She still had a bulging bag of Leo tucked against her chest!

It was just that the source of that money... seemed a little difficult to explain.

"Anyway, I've got plenty of money. Come to me if you need any!" Vanessa said excitedly. "Oh, right, I've never given you a gift in return... I'll pick out something wonderful for you!"

"Didn't you bring me a Charcoal-Roasted Sweet Potato?"

"That doesn't count!"

"All right." Winnie giggled. "Then I'll look forward to your gift."

With that, she patted Vanessa's head and turned to Dorothea. "I'll take my leave, then. Thank you for your help, Miss Crow."

Dorothea nodded with a stony face, then looked irritably at Vanessa.

She suddenly blinked, because she noticed Vanessa seemed to be... staring into space?

What? Had that pat knocked her senseless?

Vanessa had indeed frozen.

When Winnie patted her head just now, she had seen layers of gauze around Winnie's left wrist, clearly freshly wrapped.

Vanessa remained distracted for quite some time before she came back to her senses.

Her mind was a mess. She knew it was wrong to speculate about a friend like this, but that terrible thought simply would not go away.

Winnie... could she have been one of those people sharing out and eating flesh just now?

How was that possible? Why did it have to be her?

Seeing her standing there dumbstruck, Dorothea could only sigh and go check the goods first. When she returned after finishing and found Vanessa still rooted to the spot, she had no choice but to walk over and wave a hand in front of her eyes.

"...Miss Crow."

"Just call me Dorothea." Dorothea sighed. She felt as though she had been sighing an unusual amount today.

Neither that Miss Winnie nor this Vanessa was easy to deal with.

No wonder they were good friends.

"I hear you've made a name for yourself?"

"Huh?"

"The Mad Caregiver, who likes smashing people into pulp with a Spiked Club. When there aren't enough corpses, she makes more. When there are enough, she makes more whenever she feels like it... Heh. Quite a few of your 'exploits' have been circulating in the gang."

Vanessa's mouth fell open. For a moment, she had no idea how to respond.

How had she become the Mad Caregiver? Where had this Spiked Club come from?

Wait, could it be... wait...

"What, wasn't that you?"

The corner of Vanessa's mouth twitched. "...Probably, yes."

Dorothea stared at her for a while, her brows slightly furrowed, seemingly weighing something.

In the end, she chose her words carefully. "You... are pretty good in a fight?"

"Uh..." Vanessa looked embarrassed. "I did get into a fight yesterday."

"If you're good in a fight... I have an investigation coming up, and I'm short one hired muscle."

Vanessa froze, then pointed at herself. "Me? Hired muscle?"

"Yes... so are those rumors true or not? Can you actually fight?"

"Am-am I good in a fight...?"

Vanessa hesitated.

When she was being controlled, she really was quite good in a fight. But on her own...

Right now, Vanessa desperately wanted that being to hurry up and take control of her, to give an answer for her, but... nothing happened.

Elliot had left early today. Searching houses had tormented him all day long, with endless searches over and over again.

Then he had recorded quite a bit of paranormal information, and he was getting impatient to study it.

So after investigating that Cultist Hideout, he had figured there probably would not be any story events here and gone off to organize the paranormal information he had obtained.

His judgment had been correct. There really had not been any combat, but who could have imagined Winnie was hiding such a huge secret?

And so Vanessa waited for ages. Only when Dorothea opposite her was visibly growing impatient did she finally say, "I... probably can fight... I think?"

"Either you can fight or you can't. What do you mean, probably?"