Ch 27 : A Game of Hide and Seek with Furina
"Su Yuan! Hide quickly! I think I just heard Furina's voice!" Neuvillette spoke in a hurried tone.
He had always remembered that Su Yuan had warned them—under no circumstances should he appear in Furina's sight at night…
Damn it, Wriothesley! Where the hell are you now?
Do something useful!
Neuvillette and Su Yuan were both injured, but Wriothesley was perfectly fine!
Hadn't he said he would stop Furina at the entrance?
"I heard it too. Why would Furina be at Meropide at this hour?" Su Yuan was getting anxious as well.
But there really weren't many good hiding spots in this hospital room…
Under the hospital bed?
Too obvious—she would see him the moment she entered.
Inside the medicine cabinet?
It was big enough, but to fit inside, all the medicine bottles would have to be taken out, which would take too much time.
The bathroom?
That was way too obvious.
Besides, the hospital bathrooms couldn't be locked from the inside…
Clinging to the ceiling like in martial arts novels?
Impossible.
Not only was Su Yuan still injured, but he also lacked the skills to leap up there.
And even if he managed, all Furina would have to do was look up, and she'd spot him immediately…
"You won't let me in? That just makes me even more determined to go in!" Furina's voice outside carried a hint of frustration after being blocked multiple times.
"Don't tell me you're up to something shady inside Meropide!"
"You're acting suspicious—now I have to see for myself! Move aside! This is an order from the Hydro Archon!" Furina declared, and with that, she pushed the hospital room door open!
Just before the door swung open, Neuvillette lifted his blanket, allowing Su Yuan to slip underneath just in time.
"This is just a normal hospital room. Why were you all being so secretive…" Furina pouted as she glanced around.
But soon, her gaze landed on Neuvillette—
"Neuvillette! What are you doing here?" Furina exclaimed in surprise, rushing over to his bedside without hesitation.
"Lady Furina, long time no see. What a coincidence, running into you here…" Neuvillette raised a hand in greeting, though his expression was somewhat awkward.
"Wait a minute! Neuvillette, why are you so badly injured?" Furina's voice was filled with concern as she took in the sight of him wrapped in bandages.
Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. "What happened to you…?"
"No wonder they didn't want me to enter the room—so it was because you were here, recovering!"
"Was it that scoundrel Wriothesley who did this to you? Does he really think that just because he's in Meropide, he can stand above the laws of Fontaine?" Furina's voice carried both heartache and anger.
"I'll make him pay for this! I'll demand justice in the name of the God of Justice!"
"No, Lady Furina, you've misunderstood. This wasn't Duke Wriothesley's doing…" Neuvillette's expression stiffened slightly—after all, he was about to lie again.
"I… I just tripped and fell while walking today… Yes, that's it. Just a simple fall, nothing more…"
"Neuvillette, do you not realize how terrible you are at lying?" Furina's ocean-blue eyes locked onto his.
"I can tell at a glance that you're deceiving me."
"A simple fall, and you ended up this badly injured?"
"Uh…" Neuvillette was at a loss for words.
"And what's with your blanket? Why is it bulging so much… almost like you're hiding someone underneath?" Furina asked suspiciously.
"N-No, it's just… my leg got injured in the fall, so it's in a cast, that's all…"
"Really?" Furina narrowed her eyes at Neuvillette.
"Then lift the blanket and let me see how badly you're hurt."
"Oh… Lady Furina, the great Hydro Archon herself, has graced us with her presence! Why didn't you let me know in advance?" Wriothesley's voice suddenly rang out from the doorway.
"I could have prepared some fine tea to properly welcome you!"
"No need! I'm here for a surprise inspection today. I absolutely detest all those formalities people put on just to prepare for an evaluation!" Furina turned away from Neuvillette and looked toward Wriothesley standing at the door.
"So, Wriothesley? Duke? Care to explain why you went to such great lengths to stop me from coming in?"
"And also—what exactly happened to Neuvillette?"
Hiding under Neuvillette's blanket, Su Yuan didn't even dare to breathe.
This feeling… was strangely exhilarating…
Even though the reality was completely different, it almost felt like getting caught in the act of an affair…
Behind Furina, Neuvillette subtly lifted the edge of his blanket, just enough for Wriothesley to catch a glimpse of Su Yuan hiding underneath.
Then, Neuvillette pointed at Wriothesley, then at Furina, and finally at the door—his message was clear: Take Furina somewhere else.
Wriothesley gave a knowing smirk, understanding the signal perfectly.
"Lady Furina, standing around here like this isn't exactly ideal. Why don't we move to my office? We can sit down and chat over some tea," he suggested smoothly.
"There's no need. You can just explain everything to me right here," Furina rejected him righteously, unwavering in her stance.
"Lady Furina, if we talk here, we'll disturb Neuvillette's rest."
"It's fine, it won't take long," Furina said thoughtfully.
"I just have this feeling… like you're all hiding something from me…"
Neuvillette poked Su Yuan with his finger and then pointed under the bed, signaling him to relocate—staying on the bed was no longer safe.
Su Yuan nodded and began slowly shifting his body…
But as he moved—whether it was due to nerves, his injuries not fully healing, or some other reason—he lost control of his balance and rolled straight onto the floor with a loud thud.
As Wriothesley and Neuvillette both wore expressions of sheer horror, Furina turned around—only to see Su Yuan sprawled on the ground.
"Su… Su Yuan? Mr. Pervert ?" Furina's face was filled with shock and confusion as she took in the bizarre scene before her.
Then, her eyes flickered toward Neuvillette's bed, where the bulge under the blanket had mysteriously disappeared…
"Were you just hiding… under Neuvillette's blanket?"
"What the hell were you two doing?!?"
Su Yuan felt a chill run down his spine.
It seemed that the title of Pervert was now permanently stuck to him…
He regretted everything.
Furina wasn't nearly as sharp or detail-oriented as he had feared.
If he had just obediently hidden under the bed, nothing would have happened.
He had overthought things. Outsmarted himself.
And then—
Furina's eye sockets began to sink, collapsing inward until they became deep, blood-red voids.
Thick, crimson liquid with a pungent, rancid stench started oozing from the holes…
"Darling… It's already nighttime…"
"Why aren't you waiting for me in bed…? Why are you in such a strange place…?"
"Su Yuan! Run! Get back to Palais Mermonia!" Neuvillette shouted as he summoned his Hydro abilities, attempting to restrain the "Furina" before them.
But with just a single tap of her finger, all of Neuvillette's water elements instantly dissipated.
The twisted "Furina" tilted her head, her blood-red voids staring directly at Neuvillette.
Then, in an eerily thin and emotionless voice, she said:
"I have no interest in you. Please do not interfere…"
"Otherwise… I'll kill you."
A massive, suffocating sense of oppression and fear surged over Neuvillette—an overwhelming force far greater than what he had felt from the Eerie transformation of Chevreuse.
"Darling, you seem to enjoy playing hide-and-seek…"
"Then, on the way back, how about you hide and run, while I search and chase after you…?"
"Furina" turned her hollow, blood-red gaze toward Su Yuan and spoke:
"Let's make it our little bedtime game, shall we?"
"Of course, every time I find you…"
"There will be a little punishment~"
"Now then, I'll start the countdown…"
"30… 29… 28… 27… 26…"
"Su Yuan, what are you standing there for?! RUN!" Wriothesley urged from the doorway.
"I'll try to hold off Furina!"
"No need, Wriothesley! Whatever you do, don't fight the Eerie!" Su Yuan got up and moved to Wriothesley's side, speaking urgently.
"Furina's eerie state seems different from the others—she's only targeting me…"
"If she wants to play, then I'll play along with her…"
"What you need to do is evacuate the people—don't let anyone else see Furina in this state!"
"But—"
"Trust me!"
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