Chapter 1: Two sided awakening

Yatogami Yuzuru never quite get the other party's insistence on back alley dealing. He had no qualms about the direct transaction in order to build trust. Just as old people didn't believe in online shopping, those in charge of Opium club only considered this type of covert dealings the proper mafia ways. Though he couldn't find any reasonable explanation about their particular preference other than one too many session of watching the godfather.

Nine in the morning. This alley was considered the Opium's turf, so there normally was rarely any passerby save for the junkies strolling around like zombies. But today even those were absented. This made the alley unusually quiet. Suffocating, even.

Thankfully, he didn't have to wait long, as a black car slowly approached around the corner. Then came Julian, the boss of Opium club, as well as his right hand man alongside his two bodyguards.

They greeted each other in a friendly manner, but no matter how hard he tried, Yuzuru couldn't just chalk their expression up to stomach pain or some equally silly reason. They were smiling broadly, but their eyes seemed evasive. These actions didn't escape Yuzuru, but he could only sigh in his mind while hoping Julian won't have any strange ideas.

"The mutual destruction of the other two group is a prime chance. As long as you focus in penetrating the market while cleaning up the strays, it'll take less than a month for the Opium to become the leading force in Chicago underground dealings. As for a perfect monopoly, that'll depend on your mettle."

Decided it was sufficient enough for introductory pep talk, Yuzuru touched on the main subject: "Anyhow, the remaining fee is three hundred thousand in cash."

"Of course. Of course."

Julian signaled his underling. One of the bodyguard stepped forward, in his hand was something covered in fabric. Judging by the size of the package and its mass, there should not be any problem.

"Please open it. I don't want to leave with a pack of scrap papers."

The underling looked at Julian for instruction. The latter nodded. He took out a knife and cut across the layer of fabric.

When Yuzuru directed his eyes towards the package, Julian drew his gun: "I have no choice. Forgive me, Snake."

Yuzuru could no longer skirting around the issue. The meaning of their strange expression had been made crystal clear!

"Please, Julian. This is no joking matter." Yuzuru smiled wryly, trying to kept his voice calm and rational. "No need to ending our partnership on a bitter note just over a measly three hundred thousand. That is not temperament of a great man who is about to rule over the underground of Chicago."

The three behind Julian also drew their gun, screaming at Yuzuru. Negotiation was no longer an option. In the blind of an eye, their heads was separated from their body. The cut was so clean it seemed as if it was the surface of glass. Not until several seconds latter did the bodies actually collapsed and blood started to spill.

Look at Julian's hand, Yuzuru lamented: "Was it worth it, losing your family over some pocket money?"


Kamisu Koreyume lazily opened her eyes to the sound of the phone vibrating against the table, playing her favorite song. It took a whole five seconds for her to reached out for the phone while still in a half awoke state, refused to leave the comfort of her blanket.

"Still early." She mumbled.

It was just a little over 5:30 am. She turned off the alarm and once again answered the call of her slumber.

Her moment of bliss was short lived, however, as the sound of the alarm rang again. And she would reach out to turn it off again. Her struggle, which happened at five minutes interval, went on until 6:00. Koreyume's mind reminded her that this was the last of the alarm. In other words, she could close her eyes blissfully and the next time she opened them, the date would hopefully advanced by one.

In the end, she decided against it. Mustering as much enthusiasm as possible, she left the comfort of her bed. The cold she felt when her bare feet touched the wooden floor helped her mind regained it clarity. Today was an important day.

If one were to describe the apartment Koreyume was staying at, they would say something along the line of spacious but empty. Contrary to what others might expect from the home of a young woman, she didn't possess any more than living necessities aside from an old CRT television. She bought it on a whim and now it had become her habit to listen to whatever for some white noise when she was doing chores.

Today too, the only noise was the sound of she eating a chocolate bar for breakfast and the news. It was something she had heard over and over recently. A series of suicide by poison with no apparent connection between the cases. The media had no choice but to attributed the reason to stress. It was just a coincidence that a lot of them chose poison to carried out the act. Or so they said.

How impatient.

Finishing her subpar meal, Koreyume turned off the television.


The package hit the ground with a heavy sound reminded Yuzuru of its existence. With Julian's betrayal, he was certain that the package was just a diversion and nothing of actual interest. But...

"It's heavy."

As Yuzuru picked it up, he confirmed his suspicions. The package did not have the expected weight for what was susposed to be scrap papers.

The outer layers was really papers, but after he discarded them, he discovered a metal plate. It was apparently the reason for the weight. There was but a single sentence written on it: 'take the call.'

Yuzuru was assaulted by a bad premonition. He couldn't quite put his finger on how or why, but his instinct told him he was caught up in bad news.

He rushed out of the alley, surveying the area. There was only one public phone in the vicinity. The phone rang when he approached, as if it had been waiting for him.

"Nice to meet you, Gambling Snake. Or you'd prefer Yuzuru?"

The other side of the line was the voice of a man, one that Yuzuru was unfamiliar with.

"And who am I speaking to?"

Instead of answering his question, the man went on: "My initial plan were to hire a bunch of random thugs and play the boss directly for you, but you are a hard man to chase. In the end, I have to sacrifice the Opium club for this chance."

His mind returned to the scene of Julian's dying words: 'I have no choice. I'm sorry, Snake.' Now he finally understood the meaning of their expression. It was not betrayal, it was a look of apologies and resignation.

"In other words, you are my true customer?" Yuzuru asked in a cheerful voice.

"You could say that. Not to mention, we share a pseudo fellowship you know."

"Oh, how so?"

"I've been tracking the man known as Gambling Snake for years. You are a criminal mastermind for hire, and consider teasing others your side job. As for me, my true calling is that of a priest, while I'm a criminal mastermind as a side job."

"Why are you describing my hobby as something so childish?"

"It's better to be childish from time to time, you know. If I'm going around parading as a 'messenger of God' all the time, I'm going to look like a lunatic."

"Interesting. You have a point there."

"I'm glad we came to an understanding. By the way, you can call me Johann."

The man threw his name at Yuzuru as if he just happened to remember it. Of course, Yuzuru had no way to confirmed whether this was his real name or just an allias, but considering the frivolousness when he disclosed his name, he felt that Johann had no reason to lie.

"Listen, Johann. At the moment I won't ask about how did you find out my identity, nor how did you force a group of mafia to do your bidding against their will. As far as I'm concern, the only reason we're still having this conversation is that I'm still three hundred thousand dollars short."

"And what are you going to do about it?"

Yuzuru laughed: "That'll depend on your answer."

"Let me guess, if I refuse to pay, you will come and use the 'poker of demise' to force the money out of me."

"It was one of the options I'm considering, yes."

"Good. Let's save the both of us some time. My church is currently at Chicago, the address is at the other side of the metal plate. Let's talk some more when we meet."

Without waiting for a confirmation or even a reply from Yuzuru, Johann cut the call. Yuzuru shrugged. Spinning the metal plate around, he walked toward the car left behind by Julian group. After all, they won't be using it anymore.


No matter how hard she tried, her body just couldn't survive on sweets alone, much to her dismay. Since she didn't have any class in the afternoon, she could just go straight home but then she would be tempted to dive into the bed hungry. However, it wouldn't be wise to be exhausted today. In the end, Koreyume decided that powering through a conversation with the clerk is less troublesome than having to spent the effort cooking, and headed for the cafeteria.

Just as she expected, the cafeteria was crowded. She couldn't find an empty table, and had to share it with someone else. The old man in front of her was eating his soba in the corner with the expression of someone whose pet just died.

"Is this seat free?"

The man lifted his head to gaze at her for a second, then went back to his meal. Koreyume treated that gesture as a 'yes' and sat down. She was a little uncomfortable at first, but soon the existence of the man was lost to her. She had heard people said that a meal tasted better if you have someone to share them with, but she didn't find any particular difference from eating alone.

Only when she reached for a chocolate bar did she remember him. Out of courtesy, she offered him one.

"Do you want some? People said that eating chocolates makes you happier for some reason."

"Phenethylamine." The man said with indifference.

"I'm sorry?"

For the first time, Koreyume felt that she registered in his eyes. He slightly scowled: "Phenethylamine acts as stimulant for dopamine and serotonin, thus provide effects akin to 'runner's high'. In chocolate, it is produced by the thermal processing of cocoa. Biology sciences should be a standard course for all medical students, how come you didn't know this type of basic information?"

"...I major in forensics."

Now that she took a careful look at the man, she noticed that despite being in his seventies, the air of a sharp intellectual haven't left him. Judging from the way he was dressing in full suit and tie, he was probably a professor. However, Koreyume was positive she never saw him before.

When she voiced her question, the man acted a little surprised: "You don't know me?"

"You are a famous person?"

"Not at all." He said in a cold voice. "I'm just an old man forced to retire in this overly glorified nursing house."

"Isn't everyone working their hardest for the time of retirement? You should be enjoying the fruits of your labor up until now."

"I neither have any fruit to my labor nor the rights to enjoy them."

Seeing that the man didn't have any intention of touching the chocolate bar, Koreyume took it back and opened it after finishing hers. The man looked at her silently. In his eyes, she could see the sorrow of loss. She wondered, did she has the same look in her eyes, because the man proceeded to ask.

"You have something in your mind, too?"

Koreyume licked the chocolate bar, a certain idea began to form in her mind.

"You first."

She said, but the man just shook his head with a wry smile. She decided to pressed him on.

"We both have something in our mind, and more importantly, are strangers that unlikely to meet ever again. Why not get it off our chest? Maybe we'll feel better after hearing about the other's misfortune."

"What bad taste you have, young girl."

"Its only considered bad taste when only one side is giving to the other. When both are giving and receiving, its just banter." Koreyume shrugged while the man remained silence. Once again, she took that as his confirmation. "I'm about to join a battle royale to the death with the whole Tokyo as battlefield."

"You should take that kind of information to the police."

She shook her head: "Commenting is against the rule. Your turn, old man."

The man hesitated for a while. Eventually, he decided to go along with her whimsical idea: "I have something I still need to do, but I was forced to quit. If I refuse, then it will be a real nursing home for me."

"My parents passed away. I held onto them and hurt them deeply."

Koreyume was already prepared to run away if the man were to look at her like a lunatic, but perhaps he remembered her no comment rule, or he was deep in his though, the man didn't seem to paid her strange wording any mind.

"It was my fault that a lot of people lost their lives. Because of my stubbornness, a lot of good people die. My most brilliant student as well as the wife of my son was one of them."

"I deceived myself and people around me. So I have no choice but to cling to a miracle for hope."

"I threw away my life and got nothing in return. Even a miracle can't give me a future."

Both of them sank into silence. It was unknown how much time they spent just staring into empty space without making the lightest of sound.

She smiled sadly: "My future is already set in stone without another option."

The man said softly: "My hope had long died."

The silence visited once again. Koreyume stood up with a sigh, shaking her head: "That was a lot more depressing than I expected."

The man chuckled and waved his hand. That was goodbye for them.


On the way, Yuzuru tried to imagine what kind of place Johann was at, but he was drawing a blank. Never in his dream would he associated priest with bookstore, but here he was, in front of one. Behind the door was a flip sign with the 'CLOSED' side facing outward. Still, he pushed the door opened.

The inside seemed to be a lot more spacious than looking from outside. The first thing he noticed was the smell of leather and paper. There were books everywhere. Stacked on every bookshelves, on the desks, and even the floor. Yuzuru even doubted whether or not he could make it to the table without stepping on some scattering on the floor.

Johann was sitting behind the table, reading a book with one hand and stirring his coffee cup with the other. The manner he carried himself gave Yuzuru the impression of a movie star fell out of favor and turned to drugs.

"Interesting church you have here."

"It was just a personal hobby." Johann looked up from his book.

"Let me say this first hand. You have better luck robbing those homeless hobos living under the bridge than me if its money you are looking for."

As if to demonstrated his point, he pulled out a drawer. Inside it was a half bitten slice of pizza and the remains of an unfortunate mouse having to served as the meal of some unknown creature. Yuzuru was tempted to stuffed the content of that drawer down Johann's throat. The latter continued, undaunted.

"However, I believe I could provide you with something far more valuable than three hundred thousand dollars. Why don't we start by 'how did I find you'?"

He gestured for Yuzuru to sit down and poured him a cup of coffee. Johann began his story.

"This dated back to the massacre of Shinjuku. One month before that night, a group of people contacted me. They had good personel and equipments, as well as military backing so I thought this would be an easy catch. Unfortunately, the place they infiltrated was your home. As luck would have it, Katerina Bright was with you. At that time, I thought of you two as nothing but innocent bystanders caught up in a crime. The communications got cut pretty quickly after they entered. No hesitation, no mercy and no survivor. That was the crime scene left behind by the man latter known as Gambling Snake."

After hearing the name Katerina, Yuzuru no longer had doubts about Johann's credibility. He took a sip of the coffee: "Now that you mention it, there really was a group of unidentified assailants."

"The way I see it, there are two types of perfect crime. First..." Johann raised his finger. "Detailed planning, perfect execution and suitable dealing of the aftermath."

He raised his second finger: "The second is do it first, think about it latter."

"I made my living as a criminal mastermind, so you could say I've mastered my craft regarding the first type. However, even Moriarty could only went so far. That because he could never reached the second type. The most direct and simple of crimes. A case of hit and run, night assaults or pickpocketing all belonged in this category. If the culprit ran away and avoid repeating their crime, even Holmes would have trouble finding them out."

"Are you bragging that you found your way to me despite that?" Yuzuru said.

"Nothing of the sort. The opposite, in fact. Failure to find you despite all the years had been one of my greatest regret. It was not until you encountered miss McRemitz recently that I begin to grasp a clue. The next part is your favorite. How exactly did I find you?" Johann finished his coffee, then pointed at the books piling on the table. "In this book store, each book represents one person. I can see the innermost thoughts of everyone that is not an esper or magus. This is my source of intel."

"Are you saying that you have more than seven billions books in this place?"

"Why are you limiting your logic by space and quantity like normal people?" Johann lightly tapped one of the book. "When I open this book, the name of it could be John Doe, or it could be Mary Sue. When you look at the book in my hand, you might fail to notice that the pile of book didn't decrease in the slightest."

Yuzuru nodded: "I see. Is it your esp, or is it magic?"

"Forgive me for not answering, Snake. But that question crossed the line."

Johann refilled the coffee for both of them: "Let's continue now that the complicated parts are over. You might not known, but miss McRemitz belonged to a powerful organisation called the Mage's Association. However, magus or not, a person can't live in society without coming in contact with one another. The passerby on the streets, the shopkeepers that she came in contact with, those who do business with them, those who do business with those who do business with them. In the sea of humans, I could monitor anyone and everyone."

He concluded the story: "After learning of your appearance, I quickly think of the young man involved in the massacre, Yatogami Yuzuru. And you know the rest."

"So what is your next move after going through the trouble to find me and telling something so scary in that nonchalant tone?"

"I want your cooperation, of course. I believe that story is enough to prove my sincerity."

"It's weird. You said it so politely yet all I could hear is 'I want to use you for my scheme'."

"It's good you are so quick on the uptake. Cooperation, mister Gambling Snake, is each side using the other until there are no more benefits to be have. Then we go our own way."

"You really have an interesting point of view. Still, I need to hear what you have in mind first."

Johann laughed, as if he knew Yuzuru would take the bait: "Unlike you, miss Katerina Bright was not as elusive. No, it would be better to say her favorite prey was normal humans. In other words, I could easily traced her steps."

Yuzuru didn't say anything despite the sudden change in the subject, but he silently urged Johann to continue.

"And there was a common point. They all spoke about a 'contract' with miss Katerina. A contract that could defile the rules of this world."

Johann finally revealed his trump card: "You did it with miss Katerina. You made a contract with her."

Yuzuru silently clicked his tongue. Ever since he stepped foot into this place, for the whole time, Johann had been playing with the hand of both side revealed while he was still stumbling to figure out the game. It was almost close to a total defeat from the start.

"You have been searching for a something that can undo the contract for a long time, haven't you. That's why you didn't back down when miss McRemitz came to retrieve the monkey's paw."

Yuzuru recalled his unfortunate encounter with the magenta hair woman in black suit. The situation got ugly quick and he was lucky to got away with his body intact, all thing considered. Naturally he had to surrendered the monkey's paw to that woman.

"There exist a magic ritual to summon the ultimate wish granting artifact. The Holy Grail War. I need you to win the Holy Grail for me. In return, I shall undo the contract for you when that time come."

"And if this Holy Grail is as ultimate as you say, what's stopping me from using it to undo the contract?"

"Nothing, provide you can win the war without my help that is. I can assure you, those involve themselves in that war are all at miss McRemitz level. Your esp is nothing more than a measly party trick to them. Not to mention the Servants."

"You're not the type of person who would use an ace at the expense of a potential partner when you can win with a two." Johann pushed the book he was reading when Yuzuru first came in forward, the fake smile on his face was particularly irritating. "This book is title 'Yatogami Tohka'. You can take it as a gesture of my goodwill. You can pick any other one if you like. However, only the first time is free of charge. Any question?"

"Where do you fit into the food chain between the pizza, the mouse and the unknown creature?"

"...Now that you mention it, it's a matter worthy of thought."

They talked for about two more hours after that. When Yuzuru went out, he headed straight for the airport for the earliest flight to Japan.


Three in the morning. Even through the rain coat and layer upon layer of clothes, the heavy rain drops still hit Koreyume's body like pellets. Needless to say, it was a waste of money to buy the incense in this heavy rain. Removing a few strands of hair sticking to her face due to the rain, Koreyume felt somewhat thankful. In this weather, unless they were standing as close as roughly ten meters, there was no threat of being seen. And even then, it would be easier to mistook her for a ghost rather than a person. Not that there would be anyone at the cemetery at three am to began with. She bowed one last time before her parents tombstone. There was a hollow rectangular shape area on the surface. She had taken her catalyst for the summoning ritual out from it.

It was a wooden writing scroll from ancient China, the type that was frequent in costume dramas. It was titled 'Book of Dragon Slaying'. Koreyume spread the book and put it at the center of the summoning circle. Her eyes darted over the familiar words of introduction.

'Seven books scatters over the world, given to those who happens to come across. It would be most joyful if the owner could master the subject in each volume."

Koreyume interpreted the meaning of these words as there were seven such volume in this world, each belonged to a subject. Whoever find these books are free to learn the knowledge written within. For example, inside the Book of Dragon Slaying was physical technique, from health improvement exercises to simple martial arts. No doubt there was something more advance later on, but Koreyume couldn't read it. Nevertheless, this was something magical in nature. It was long after Koreyume obtained it did she noticed most of the content of the book was concealed and gradually revealed. In this case, she assumed it was based on the level of her physical prowess.

"Sorry, Guiguzi-san. I didn't manage to learn a single thing." She muttered.

The signature of this book belonged to Guiguzi, a genius of no equal in the warring state period of ancient China. From military tactics, martial arts to science and the way of the occult, it was said that there was nothing he didn't know. Even something he claimed to had only 'dabbled' in, it was plenty for a person to use in their life time.

Most notably, he was famous for his generosity in sharing his vast knowledge. No matter the background, as long as someone was willing to learn, he was willing to teach. Of course, how much they could learn depended on the individuals. Maybe that was the reason for the 'joyful' part. Unfortunately, as a magus, she wasn't able to progress far in the field of martial arts.

Using the book as catalyst, Guiguzi was the servant Koreyume hoped to summon. A bolt of thunder struck as she said the incantations out loud. The howling of the wind and rain became too much for her to bear, until they finally subsided and she could make out of a figure of a person.

Her first impression was that she failed. Her second impression was that the servant she summoned was a work of art. The woman stood in front of her was the very image of a master artist's ideal image given life. There was armor on her forearms and her calfs, but other than that, she dressed lightly in normal clothes. In each of her hand was a long spear. There was no doubt concerning what her class was. The fairy like silver haired beauty stood amidst the rain, her beauty and dignity forced Koreyume to drew a breath, forgetting her surrounding.

"Who... are you?"

"Servant Lancer, Zhao Yun. My courtesy name is Zilong. It's an honor to meet you, my Master."

Lancer bowed down. It was not who Koreyume expected, but even she knew of the peerless warrior made famous by the Romance of the Three Kingdom. The Zhao Yun depicted in the book was a man, but she felt it was just trivial irrelevant detail.

Lancer picked up the book on the ground with a nostalgic expression. It was left ravaged by the mud and the rain, and while it didn't seem to be damaged, it was dirty. However, Lancer didn't hesitate to wipe the book with the clothes on her arm. Koreyume doubted even newborn baby could be that treasured by their mother. Her mind immediately made the connection.

"This maybe preposterous, but might I suggest we move elsewhere for our introduction? I'd like to avoid having the crystallization of teacher's knowledge be left in this state any further."

That was the starting point of Koreyume and Lancer's relationship.


Authors Note: I want to try using an unreliable narrator to tell the story the way they perceive it, therefore I use two separate perspective. Hope it's not too disconnected for your liking.

Comment and criticism are always welcomed.