Shinji's Paradox

by GreenEyesOrigamiDragon

Shinji is tempted by a long-forsaken dream, and Illyasviel is confronted by a shrouded figure. This fateful night occurred, and therefore, it did not. An impossible journey featuring an unlikely pair. A Fate/stay night back-in-time narrative set after (and before) Unlimited Blade Works. Also posted on AO3. Contains original characters.

12. Bet

Shinji's Paradox

Chapter 12:

Bet

October 10th, 1989, 7:16 AM, Matou Residence.

Breakfast was a fried egg and fish with rice and miso. The moment the meal was placed in front of me, I felt a pang of hunger, and after the three of us at the table gave thanks, I ate quickly. My soup had ginseng grated into it, and the mana pulsed through my starving flesh like someone had rubbed a balm over my soul.

Byakuya was pleased I had an appetite, and he even arranged for Imai to bring me another bowl of rice, which I was scarfing down just as easily as the first.

It didn't take long for me to gulp it all down like a vacuum cleaner, and I even had my last mouthful before Byakuya or Hinode had made it halfway through their own meals, although they were taking their sweet time having a conversation over their food, which I tuned out to think about other things.

I felt good, and it wasn't just the warm meal. The crest worms weren't draining me dry of mana as they usually did, and I couldn't help but think my outburst last night was the cause; the change was far too sudden for it to be anything else. I was grateful for the respite, but going off what I knew of the crest worms, it probably wasn't going to last and would likely be a precursor for something else. This was just the calm before the storm, as the adage goes. And I wasn't looking forward to the storm.

The worms were moving around, shifting their way over my muscles and around my bones. It would only be a matter of time until they decided it was time to start eating again. I could hope that their restraint would persist, but I wasn't going to put any faith in the things.

I yawned and sensed an achy fatigue slosh throughout my body like mud. The gargantuan amount of ginseng I was always eating hadn't played nice with my body, causing persistent lethargy as well as random bouts of vertigo. And the occasional bleeding issue. The damned roots were turning me into a haemophiliac. Hopefully, it wasn't permanent.

I was going to nursery school today, so I could probably nap there for a good while on something soft to deal with the sleepiness. Hinode would be there, so I probably didn't have to worry about a mana depletion episode. After that, I could spend the rest of my time today plotting a way to get tools for removing the crest worms. Scalpels, forceps, clamps and suture needles. Anaesthetic too.

Some part of me knew that I should probably ask Zouken for those things. He didn't allow me into the more hidden storerooms in the house— I didn't even know where all of them were— so I would need permission. He might not be willing to get those things for me, but if he was then I should expect a price of some sort. And I'd probably have to decline whatever he offers me. The last deal I made cost far too much.

In that case, I'd need to loot a hospital for everything. It's a lot of equipment, and I didn't think a three-year-old nicking sharp objects from hospital storerooms was going to be ignored. Even with the one mental interference spell I knew, there were still cameras and other security measures in Fuyuki's hospitals that I wouldn't be able to bypass.

At least, they were there in the old causality. I didn't know how advanced surveillance technology was at the moment. Did it even exist in Japan? Would I be able to get away with something like that if there weren't any cameras?

There would still be some form of security, so probably not. I'd be caught way too easily. I could imagine the headlines already; "Three-year-old steals medical instruments from local hospitals" written on pale paper in bold ink.

Maybe I could go for a criminal lifestyle this time around. Matou Shinji, wizard-thief extraordinaire. Stealer of riches and hearts. I could wear a gentlemanly outfit and wave around a fancy wand. Put on a show for the crowds as I ransack museums and perform dramatic escapes. A famous detective would be my nemesis, and he would be prodigious in all things, except the capture of…

Magical Matou!

"What put that smirk on your face, Shinji-kun?" Hinode asked, intruding on my fantasy.

"Larceny," I said, not looking her way and still smirking.

I could feel Byakuya's frown settle on me. "Should I be worried?" he asked.

I rolled my eyes at him. "Magical larceny."

"What…?"

"Figured I'd make a great phantom thief," I said, before striking a silly pose. "Stage magician style."

"Don't do that," Byakuya said as he pointed a pair of commanding chopsticks in my direction. "The mage association would have sealing designation on you within the minute. It's a bad idea."

"I agree," I said with a nod. "But it's fun to daydream."

"Speaking of thieves," Hinode said between mouthfuls of rice. "I caught Imai-san snooping around in my things yesterday."

Byakuya paused his eating motions and turned a concerned expression to Hinode. "You sure she wasn't just doing regular housekeeping?" he asked.

"In the storeroom? The one she's not meant to go into? Going through the boxes? The ones specifically labeled 'do not open'? With my mystic codes in them? Only reason I didn't wipe her memories was because I knew she had no idea what she was rifling through. She was looking rather perplexed."

"I know you're a little paranoid," Byakuya said, squinting in thought. "But she might have just been curious."

"She's tried to go through those boxes before. The day I got here, under the pretence of 'unpacking'."

"Twice is a coincidence," Byakuya said before he sighed. "I'll talk to her about it before it becomes a pattern."

Hinode wasn't done, however. "That isn't the only problem. Ever since I met her she's given me weird glances, and pulls away whenever I look in her direction— okay… that makes it sound weird."

Byakuya smiled at her. "Maybe she has a crush on you, Wakumi," he said playfully.

His jolly tone caught me off guard, and I gave him a baffled look.

"Maybe she's ogling my amazing figure," Hinode said with a giggle. "Don't get jealous."

Byakuya had a goofy grin on display. "I'll make sure she knows your off-limits."

Okay, that was a bit different. Now that I wasn't focused on eating or daydreaming about supernatural criminal escapades, I could see that they were being weirdly friendly this morning. It was only yesterday that they were ignoring each other at dinner. Now they share jokes? Hinode is "off-limits"?

"Dad. Hinode-san. A question," I said.

"Hm…?" Byakuya acknowledged through a mouthful of rice.

"Since when were you two this close?"

Byakuya almost choked, and Hinode gently sucked in some air through her teeth.

I blinked at the reaction. "You just called Hinode-san 'Wakumi', too. Did something happen?"

"Uh," Byakuya started with a light cough. "Well, we are living together. So we can't exactly avoid each other… and were meant to actually start being… more, uh— Wakumi can explain. Yeah."

Not one to be thrown under the bus, Hinode snorted and said, "Your dad fucked me silly last night."

Oh, right. The whole reason she's even here.

"Wakumi!" Byakuya cried out indignantly.

"Really?" I said, not missing a beat. "I thought you were still on bad terms. Did you skip the uncomfortable part and get straight to the comfortable part?"

"Nope. We addressed, we undressed," Hinode said, failing to hide a smile behind her soup bowl. "… And I was very impressed."

"Talking about your issues?" I huffed through a grin. "Kinky."

Byakuya stared at Hinode as though she had slapped him. "You've ruined my son."

"He was like this when I found him," she deflected.

I couldn't help but laugh.

"Actually," Hinode started, returning her bowl to the table, still grinning like the Cheshire cat. "Now that we're discussing such things… Shinji-kun is already smart enough to understand what we're talking about. We might as well give him the talk."

I wasn't laughing anymore. "Oi."

Byakuya recovered from his mild shock. "… Elaborate."

"Oi!"

Hinode cleared her throat. "If we just assume that he's the responsible sort and don't straighten him out pre-emptively, then he might abuse his superior intellect and take advantage of some poor girl in the future. Maybe Kane-chan, since she trusts him implicitly. We have time now, so why don't we get this out of the way?"

"Um, that's— that's fine," I said sheepishly. "I already know how babies are made. And about girls."

"Oh? Really? I never told you," she said before she turned to Byakuya. "And I think I'm right to assume that Byakuya hasn't either."

Byakuya hummed the affirmative, finishing the last of his meal as he eyed me suspiciously.

Hinode looked my way with a chilling leer. "So who told you?"

I mentally listed off the adults I spend time around. It wouldn't make any sense for any of the other nursery school staff to have done it.

Did I even know any adults other than Byakuya and Hinode?

"Uh… Zouken?" I whispered the thought aloud.

No! Stupid! Why did I say that?! Go back! Undo!

Byakuya's suspicious gaze became a hardened glare. "Well, now we need to straighten things out."

"Yes," Hinode nodded. "Who knows what kind of skewed logic he's planted in your mind. Girls need to be treated with respect, and I don't think Zouken is inclined to think that way. If we don't do anything, Kane-chan might not be very happy in the future."

"I don't have any plans to involve myself romantically with Kane," I said quickly.

"You mean to tell me that you're leading her on?!" Hinode placed a palm over her face in faux exasperation. "See, this is exactly what I'm talking about."

"I'm not going to rise to your baits, Hinode-san."

"One day, Shinji-kun," Hinode admitted. "Actually, it's occurred to me that you shouldn't be addressing me like a stranger anymore. Your dad is using my name. You could call me—"

"Hinode-obasan," I interjected in my best deadpan.

"— Wakumi-nee-chan," she said, following up with a wink.

"You may have Dad wrapped around your finger, but you won't do the same to me."

She levelled a flat glare at me and hummed. "Are you sure about that?"

I gave her an unimpressed blink.

She scowled playfully, then resumed eating her food with a little more haste than earlier. "I'll make you call me 'Wakumi' one day," she said assuredly, mouth set in a fine line as she chewed.

"Don't bet on it," I said, watching her shovel rice into her mouth with her chopsticks.

Hinode put down her emptied bowl and beamed suddenly. "Okay then, I will bet on it."

"That's not— that's the opposite of what I said."

"Come on, Shinji-kun. Let's make a wager!"

I rolled my eyes and shook my head to make it clear that I wasn't taking anything she said seriously.

Byakuya sighed. "Your going to make my son a gambler now, Wakumi? Please don't corrupt him any further than he already is, apparently," he said, sending a questioning look in my direction with the final word.

I laughed nervously in response.

"Oh, no," Hinode said. "I'm just absolutely sure that I can make little Shinji-kun see just how amazing I am! I'll be such a spectacular stepmother that I'll be the standard that he compares all women to in the future! I'll make sure of it!"

"A wrinkly old bat like you?" I joked.

Byakuya chuckled. "And what are you offering him if he wins this little wager?"

"Ha! He won't," Hinode closed her eyes. "But if Shinji-kun does happen to win— somehow— then…"

I rolled my eyes and looked at her nonchalantly, not even mildly interested in whatever she might think to offer—

"I'll let him name his sibling."

Byakuya's brow went up to his hairline, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. Hinode waited for my response, oozing smugness so thick I could have sworn it was visible.

"Let me get this straight," I started. "If I can avoid addressing or referring to you with your given name until… when?"

"Until I give birth."

"… Until you have the baby, you'll let me name the newborn anything I want?"

"Yep. Byakuya's okay with that, naturally," she said, "Right, Byakuya?"

Byakuya blinked lamely for a moment, caught in Hinode's leer, but ultimately broke eye contact with her and raised his hands in surrender.

Did I… want to name them? To choose the name my little sibling would have for the rest of their life? The subject was a little deeper than the philosophies I thought I was prepared to discuss at the breakfast table.

It dawned on me how little I'd even thought about the whole situation with Hinode being brought into the family. It was so sudden. She had been here little more than a week? Accepting her as part of the family— Zouken's will notwithstanding— shouldn't be taken so lightly.

My father was going to marry another woman.

I was going to have a stepmother.

I was going to be an older brother again.

Why hadn't I been thinking about this? Was it the impending death by worms looming over me? Hinode's presence paled when compared to the do-or-die condition I'd stumbled into. Sure, I had a solution now, but that just made me focus on it more.

And before that, I'd been so preoccupied with feeling guilty about my role in bringing Hinode here in the first place that I probably would have been too busy feeling sorry for myself anyway. Not to mention fretting over all the other quantum butterflies I was and wasn't aware of. None of that even touched the matter of Einzbern's disappearance, either.

Or is it inexperience? I thought, glancing at Byakuya. Family means something else this time around.

Hinode was still watching me, expecting a response of some kind and radiating confidence, completely certain she'd endear herself upon me such that… what was it she had said? That I'd compare all women I met in the future to her? It was a little late for that. Sakura's impression still held terrifying authority over my opinion on that matter.

And just like that, I was thinking about Sakura again.

Another regret to stack onto the pile, even if the paradox erased it… or overwrote it? How did that work?

Whatever. There would never be another Matou Sakura. Not if I could help it. And going through with this wager, I could make sure a baby girl wouldn't be named Sakura. That was something.

But was it actually enough for me to bother with this bet?

"Well?" Hinode prompted.

I narrowed my eyes at Hinode and said, "No making me say it with magecraft."

There was a crack in her otherwise pleased smile.

"Okay," she said. "I wont use magecraft on you to make you say my given name."

I couldn't help but notice that she specified not using it on me in particular, and I didn't doubt she would use others to weasel the words out of me like the manipulative she-devil she was, so I thought it prudent to cover my weak points. "Not on Dad either. Or any of the other kids at school."

Hinode's bubbly facade dropped like a dead bird, and with a click of her tongue she said, "Anyone else?"

I spared a moment to think of others, but no one specific came to mind. "No one comes to mind."

"Okay then. No magecraft on the kids, Byakuya, or yourself. Anyone else is fair game?"

I smiled. "Sure. You've got yourself a wager, Hinode-san."

With a weary sigh, Byakuya stood up to leave the dining room.

---

October 10th, 1989, 7:33 AM, Miyama City Nursery School.

Since both Hinode and I were going to the same place, it was fairly easy to reach an agreement for Hinode to take me there instead of Byakuya.

The car ride had been quick, and my first journey in one this lifetime. The short distance between home and the nursery school passed by in the span of a conversation with Hinode, and the topic of our quick chat was the car itself. The Mitsubishi Magna was spotless on the outside; no dirt, dead bugs, or grime to be seen. The interior was just as immaculate and that made it easy for me to spot the inscriptions subtly written into the seams of the car. The entire vehicle was enchanted with various effects such as security and reinforcement and ran on magical energy instead of petrol.

Talk about saving money on gas.

Once we'd left the car behind with the other parked cars and entered the nursery school itself, Hinode and I both became abundantly aware of the attention we were receiving from the two of her co-workers at reception. The pair were Onishi Asami and Ueno Itsuko. They had turned to greet whoever entered, and they didn't hesitate to speak to Hinode.

"You're a bit late today, Wakumi-san," Onishi said. "Usually you get here before seven."

Hinode said nothing as the electronic door closed behind us, but the soft click of the doors meeting in the middle was enough for Hinode to bring her voice back from wherever it had wandered off to.

"H-Hey, Asami-san, Itsuko-san," she said, greeting them with the confidence of a blowfly facing down a spider. "Things haven't gotten out of hand, have they?"

I stared suspiciously at Hinode, looking for her usual persona and not finding it.

Onishi's eyes were drawn to me and remained there for a moment. As her eyes took me in, likely noting how tired I was, one of her eyebrows made a slow and steady journey into her hairline. "Welcome back, Shinji-kun. Remember to change into your indoor shoes," she said.

"Okay," I responded before I went to the large shoe rack.

"So…" Ueno said, drawing out the word. "You came here with Shinji-kun. Did something happen with Matou-sama?"

"Oh, he… uh, has a chest infection. Yeah," Hinode said. "He asked for my help with Shinji-kun."

At the blatant lie, I paused halfway through pulling off my shoes and gave Hinode a funny look.

Having watched me like a hawk the whole time, Onishi noticed. "Really?" she asked, also turning her attention to Hinode.

Hinode coughed once. "Er… yes."

Onishi adjusted her glasses and cleared her throat. "Matou Byakuya, asked you, Hinode Wakumi, with whom he exchanges only brisk and harsh words with, to bring his son, whom he loves very dearly, here."

That made it clear that Hinode's friends didn't know about recent familial arrangements.

"Correct," Hinode said.

"That explains why you're late, at least," Onishi said as she tilted her head. "It also makes me wonder why he asked you of all people. Itsuko-san gets along better with him than any of us, and she lives closer too…"

Ueno nodded slowly. "I do. I do, indeed."

Onishi turned her attention to me. "And how is your dad, Shinji-kun?"

"He's very tired," I said, automatically going along with the unexpected cover story.

Hinode awkwardly made a show of making sure that her braid was still attached to her head, running her hands along it to hide her relieved sigh.

And then, as I pulled on my second slipper, I had a nasty idea. "I think it's Hinode-san's fault."

Ueno hummed curiously. "Why do you think that?"

"They talked a lot. All night. They were very loud and they forgot to sleep."

Both women slowly brought their gaze upon the reddening Hinode.

"I th-think perhaps you should go and play with the other children, Shinji-kun," Hinode managed to say.

"Okay…" I focused all of my willpower on not laughing as I stood up. "Mum."

Onishi and Ueno each drew a long and deep breath.

Hinode whimpered.

Ueno spoke first. "Oh. My. God. Wakumi!"

Onishi was quick on the interrogation. "How did you do it? What changed? I thought he despised you?!"

Hinode stammered out hurried and vague answers as the other women battered her with questions, and I watched mirthfully until Hinode caught sight of my smug face.

"— Just hold on a— yes, it's serious— no, I hadn't planned to tell anyone until this very naughty child spoke out of turn," Hinode said, levelling an alarming lour at me.

"Hey, is Kane-chan here?" I asked the other two women with a grin.

"Oh, yes. She's in the playroom," Ueno answered my question out of professional habit before getting in Hinode's face again. "So when were you going to think to tell us, hmm?"

I couldn't restrain my laughter anymore and giggled as I turned to head down the hall. This was the retribution she deserved for threatening me with the talk earlier.

"Hey, wait!" Hinode said, trying to follow me.

"You're at the front desk today, Wakumi," Onishi said as she stood in her way. "Also, was he gentle with you?"

"Why are you like this, Asami!?"

Leaving the three women behind, I headed down the hall to the playroom for three-year-olds. The door was marked with a sign that simply had the number three painted on it in bright green. Using the understandably low handle I slid it open with ease and closed it behind me before scanning the room.

A girl bounded over to me like an excited puppy. "Shinji!" she practically yelled at me.

"Hi, Kane-ch—" I began, interrupted when she abruptly seized my wrist and started pulling.

She led me deeper into the room and through the three-year-old chaos to one of the room's far corners "Where did you go?"

"I was sick," I said.

"Sick?"

"Yep. Really sick."

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay now."

She didn't seem to believe me and her eyes flicked over my face, hunting for something.

I thought to engage her attention somehow and started looking around the room. All of the other children were engaged in some kind of early morning activity; chatting with the adults and each other, playing with a dollhouse, some toy blocks, a variety of connecting building blocks, a few reading picture books—

"Puzzles!" Kane suddenly declared, taking me by the wrist again and bringing me over to one of the short tables, under which a variety of children's jigsaw puzzles with varying illustrations were stowed.

"Kane-chan?"

"Here!" she said, letting go of my arm and kneeling to fetch a box from beneath the table.

Already resigned to dealing with her antics, I sat down next to her while she deliberated between two puzzles. They each had a different theme to them; an African savanna and what looked like arctic tundra. Each was decorated with playful caricatures of their native wildlife.

"Which do you want?" Kane asked.

"Oh, um… the one with the penguins," I said, not really bothered by either of them.

She opened the puzzle box with some mild enthusiasm and scattered the pieces on the tabletop before turning to me and pointing plainly at them. "Can you do it?" she asked.

Forced into demonstrating the perfect recovery of my health through the most arduous of fifteen-piece puzzles, I nodded and made a show of thinking over the arrangement. Eventually, I placed the final part of the image in place and smiled warmly for Kane.

She looked it over calmly with a hum, seemingly thinking about it as hard as she could. Then with a frown, she moved the completed puzzle aside, dumped the other one in front of me, and fixed me with an expectant stare.

Guess I'm putting the grasslands together as well, I thought as I went about reassembling the animal cartoons. I finished it faster than I had the first jigsaw, but I made an effort to not go overboard.

Kane sent pensive looks between me and the completed puzzles. "You okay?" she asked again.

I nodded. "Yeah."

The tension left her face, and she visibly relaxed. "Puzzles are fun," she declared, looking at the completed images on the table.

"Nn," I grunted in agreement.

"Katsu doesn't like puzzles."

"… Katsu?" I said, tilting my head ever so slightly.

"Onishi-sensei said I had to play wth Katsu."

I only vaguely remembered a boy named Katsu. I glanced around the room and eventually spotted someone who might be the boy staring despondently at a collection of smooth wooden blocks.

I pointed at him. "Is that Katsu?"

Kane followed my finger. "Yeah. Katsu," she said, joining me in pointing at him.

"Why did you have to play with him?"

"Um… Onishi-sensei said… that I need friends and that Katsu needs friends," she said, humming as she remembered before she smiled wide. "I said that I have Shinji!"

I chuckled at that.

"Then Wakumi-nee-chan said that you stay home lots now, so I should have more friends," she said.

It was fairly easy to put together that the adults had just made sure she had a playmate while I was absent. Katsu looks like a bit of a loner, so they tried to pair them up. "Is Katsu your friend now?"

She frowned. "No."

It sounded like her mind was made up on the matter.

"… Doesn't like paint," she muttered.

"What have you been doing at home?" I asked, if only just to stop her from scowling at the poor kid.

"Uh… TV. Sometimes Mum played games with me. Dad talked with me lots about painting and… um… Dad asked about you a lot," Kane hummed thoughtfully for a few seconds. "Dad's annoying."

Okay, so I was on the mayor's radar, and it sounded like stock standard protective father protocol. That wasn't worrying at all, but I should probably keep it in mind if I ever meet him. "Do anything fun with your dad recently?"

"Um…" she started, before a quick gasp escaped her. "Went to big house!"

Big house. Yep. I totally knew the place.

"We went and Dad got something he forgot," Kane continued. "Weird man was there, and fuzzy colours."

My brow jumped once I recognised her childish term for magical energy. "You saw fuzzy colours there? Weird man?"

"Weird man called Dad 'shichou'. I said that wasn't Dad's name but he laughed. He tried to hide it, but I saw him."

Going by that, the weird man was probably one of her father's subordinates. If this "big house" was somewhere he might forget something, then it could be his workplace. He was the mayor, so that would be the city hall.

"You saw the fuzzy colours there?" I asked again.

Kane nodded fervently.

"At… big house?" I asked.

"Yeah! It went way—" she drew out the word for a good three seconds, lifting her arms and holding them up for emphasis, "— up into the sky and it was a big fountain of fuzzy colours!"

The city hall was apparently a fountain of mana. Was it still in Miyama right now, or had it been moved to Shinto yet? I didn't know where the older one was but I knew the one in Shinto burned in the fire that may or may not happen in five years. Was it being built right now? Was I even right about this "big house" being the city hall?

"Is the big house finished yet?" I asked.

"No. Lots of metal poles. Weird man said it was really important."

The new one in Shinto, then. "Where else have you seen the fuzzy colours?"

She blinked a few times. "Um… at Rudyou Temple and… two more…"

She obviously meant Ryuudou Temple, but why would she see them there? The only reasonable cause I could think of was that the place was a temple; a place of worship and prayer that accumulated mana somehow.

"When did you go to Ryuudou Temple?" I asked.

"No, didn't go," she said, shaking her head. "Saw from home."

She could see the mana at Ryuudou Temple all the way from her house? Wow. If her range is that good, and all she needed was line of sight, then she could probably detect any mana activity in the city if she even so much as glanced in the right direction.

Which, upon further thought, sounded rather dangerous.

If Kane really was that good at finding magical phenomena, her curiosity might lead her into a risky situation. I was already imagining Kane wandering unaware into the midst of a confrontation between magi. And that wasn't even the most dangerous thing that could be wandering the streets.

Servants would be showing up in five years.

I inwardly wished that Einzbern was still here. She would have known what to do. And even if she hadn't we could have planned something easily.

… There is always Hinode, I considered. I should bring it up on the way home. A sigh escaped me as the mental exhaustion from worrying began to set in. I had so much to stress over for a three-year-old that I was honestly looking forward to naptime.

Kane's safety. Zouken. Hinode's silly wager. Whatever happened to Einzbern. Getting the tools I needed to remove the crest worms…

I was glad those four creatures hadn't asked for anything to eat today, and I still had no other explanation for it there than it being a reaction to the magical energy pulse I struck them with last night. It was a heat-of-the-moment thing, and I didn't know for sure if I could do it again.

Maybe I should try and incentivise this behaviour from them instead? Find a way to train them to keep their own hunger in check until I had the tools necessary to excise them from my body. Would that even be possible? It might not even be necessary if I found the tools fast enough. They might even agree to keep restraining themselves like this if I gave them the names they wanted so badly.

I frowned at the thought. I was not going to consider eliciting a negotiation with parasites.

"Shinji-kun?"

I hummed at my name, and the woman on supervisor duty approached me.

"Wakumi-san wanted to make sure you had these with you." The supervisor said, handing me a small wrapped bundle no bigger than my palm.

I quickly realised it was a handful of ginseng root pieces. "Oh, thank you," I said as I accepted the tiny emergency bundle.

Kane eyed it curiously as I pocketed it. "Lollies?"

"Nope. Medicine," I said quickly. "It's to stop me from getting sick again."

Kane gasped at that, before nodding in approval.

"You should thank Wakumi-san when you see her," the supervisor added.

"Yeah, I will," I said.

"Wakumi-san wanted me to make sure you understood." The supervisor continued. "Repeat after me. 'Thank you, Wakumi-nee-chan'."

"Um…?"

"Can you say 'Wakumi-nee-chan'. Like this. 'Wa-ku-mi-nee-chan'!"

I stared at the woman bemusedly before I slowly sent a suspicious glare at the door, where a peeking eye watched with insidious amusement.

A partly visible grin formed beneath it.

"I'll be sure to thank Hinode-san later," I drawled loud enough for my voice to carry.

The she-devil's eye squinted at me before disappearing down the hallway.

"Shinji-kun!" the slightly hypnotised supervisor persisted. "Can you say—"

"No."

---

October 10th, 1989, 4:03 PM, Streets of Miyama

I didn't even wait until Hinode had pulled out of the nursery school's parking lot. "We need to talk about Kane."

Hinode spared a glance at me before she joined the afternoon traffic heading into Miyama. "You mean about—"

"Wait! Hold on just a second," I interrupted, glancing around the vehicle.

Spotting nothing immediately, I searched the vehicle using my own sixth sense. But the overwhelming intricacy of the car's enchantments made it nearly impossible.

Hinode must have noticed my frustrated expression. "You alright there, Shinji-kun?"

There was just too much going on in the vehicle for me to understand it. I might have been able to do it if I had more experience, but it was no more than a dazzling light show at my current ability. Getting nowhere, I opted for verbal confirmation instead. "How secure is the car?"

"What do you…? Ah. No. Zouken will never have a worm in this car. Security system is too tight. I don't feel anything following us either."

That was good. I wasn't sure how much Zouken already knew about Kane but, on the off chance that there was something he didn't know that kept him away from her, I didn't want it leaking to him from myself or Hinode.

"Can I get your perspective on the situation?" I asked.

"… Honestly, Kane's gonna have one hell of a life. Especially with her ability to sense mana being as effective as it is."

I sighed at that. "Then it's as bad as I thought?"

Hinode indicated to take a left turn in a few hundred metres. "I've checked her circuit number."

"And?"

The scenery shifted as the steering wheel spun. "Fifty-eight."

"… Are you serious?"

"No, she has eleven and one quarter— of course I'm serious! She has more than you or I do, and our lineages likely have centuries of selective breeding backing them up," she began to rave, only pausing to take a deep breath. "Fifty-fucking-eight. As a random mutation! It's insane! Any magus would be overjoyed to have an heir born with half of that. Magi are always looking for high quality breeders too. The number of families that would want to spirit her away in the middle of the night is probably 'all of them'."

The blood had drained out of my face. I didn't need one of the car's mirrors to check. I just knew. "If I hadn't opened her circuits…"

"Hey. It's not your fault," Hinode said, voice softened.

I sighed dismally. "She would have lived her life as a normal person otherwise."

"You can't know that."

… But I do.

"Fortunately, there are very few people that actually know about her," Hinode continued, her tone shifting positively. "To the mage community she's basically a nonentity as long as information on her is isolated to Fuyuki. Only us, Byakuya, Zouken, and possibly Tohsaka are in on it."

I had to admit to myself that I'd completely forgotten about Tohsaka. I hadn't met the man yet either, so I had no information to go on other than his status as the Second Owner of Fuyuki. "What do you think Tohsaka might be planning for Kane?" I asked.

"Hm… well, directly, probably nothing."

I blinked. "Really?"

"It's not like she's of any benefit to him or his family. A daughter isn't exactly the right match for a daughter if a magus wants their bloodline to continue. And he has two daughters, so even if he loses one he won't need to seek out an apprentice."

I didn't like how she worded that, but I nodded in understanding anyway.

"So. I have an idea to make Kane's life a little bit safer," she said. "There's two steps to it, though."

I hummed. "Okay. What's the first one?"

"We fill her parents in on what's happened, and advise them on how to deal with it. If she's raised both aware and wary of magi and other such things, then she'll have the common sense to look after herself. Or at least avoid potential confrontations. When she's old enough to make her own decisions and considers leaving the city for any reason we can talk to her about it then."

That sounded great. But it wasn't difficult to understand why it might backfire. "That still involves making her parents aware. Wouldn't that put them at risk?"

"Not as much as anyone else, actually," Hinode said, carefully taking a right turn. "The mayor might not be particularly important to us, but he is still a political figure important to Fuyuki. He has a particular advantage in this situation."

"Which is…?"

"Tohsaka's interests."

"… I don't understand," I said, squinting in confusion.

"The ley lines. Tohsaka needs influence over them if he wants them to stay healthy and useful."

"Uh… I don't know anything about ley lines."

Hinode grunted in understanding. "Managing a territory's ley lines is a major part a Second Owner's responsibilities, and city development affects them by no small amount. Tohsaka is a prominent business owner in Fuyuki, and advises the mayor on some things. I've seen them talk and laugh together, too. It's not just a business relationship; they're really good friends. There isn't even any mental interference involved. I checked."

"There's no reason that Tohsaka would compromise that relationship. The mayor is professionally and sentimentally important to him," I inferred.

" 'Sentimental' doesn't exactly fit when it comes to magi. But Tohsaka is still human, and does try to distinguish himself as a noble man. He probably likes the idea that his reputation is accurate."

"Okay… so we'd tell the Himuros about the less conspicuous parts of the world so that they can raise Kane to be smart when it comes to dealing with them. Naturally, they'd eventually get involved in such things just by being aware that they exist, but her father is the mayor and valuable to Tohsaka, so Tohsaka is incentivised to watch his back, and by extension, the rest of the Himuros," I summarised.

"Yep!"

"And you in no way take pleasure in mildly inconveniencing Tohsaka."

"Oh, on the contrary, I absolutely take pleasure in that."

I sighed and shook my head. "So, what's step two?"

Hinode brought the car to a standstill at a stop sign, and a pair of cars approached from the left road. "I know you said this morning you didn't have plans to court her yourself. But, if you care for her safety, perhaps you should reconsider?"

"I don't like where this is going," I muttered with no shortage of disapproval.

The road cleared, and Hinode drove on. "An arranged marriage. If Kane's already engaged to you by the time knowledge of her existence spreads then there's no self respecting magi family that would target her. It is blatantly against multiple mage association laws to compromise another family's efforts to strengthen their bloodline without good cause. Especially if the entire effort remains within that family's territory."

As frustrating as it was that Hinode had made Kane tying the knot with me a core part of her plotting, it made sense.

But…

"No, that isn't a good idea. As long as Zouken is part of the equation that option isn't safe at all," I countered.

Hinode quirked an eyebrow. "And if the bagworm wasn't part of the equation?"

"An ideal world, Hinode-san," I sighed. "An ideal world."

Hinode hummed thoughtfully, a smile playing on her face "So… ideally… you and Kane…?"

"Please get your head out of the gutter," I groaned with a roll of my eyes. "By 'ideal world' I mean one without Zouken in it. I'm not interested in Kane that way."

"But you look so happy when you're with her!"

"Fun is fun. Friends are friends," I shrugged. "I'm also only three years old."

Hinode grumbled for a moment but recomposed herself quickly. "Anyway. My question."

"Your question? About Zouken being involved?"

Hinode nodded. "Yep."

"You have a way to… keep her safe from Zouken if I married her?"

"Yeah, that was step one."

Talking to Kane's parents…? My confusion must have been painted onto my face in neon colours because Hinode smiled at me as if she'd just won the lottery.

"Shall I explain?" she asked, her face glowing with pride.

"Alright," I shrugged.

She grinned. "So, I'll summarise a little bit. The whole point of bringing the mayor and his wife up to speed on magi is to make sure that Kane has the judgement to stay out of danger when she notices mana activity. In the grand scheme of things— my grand scheme, that is— that's just a side benefit. The main point is to make Fuyuki's mayor, Himuro Michiyuki, aware of magi and their society. In that situation, it will be in Tohsaka's best interests to keep him content as an asset to the management of Fuyuki's ley lines. We already discussed that. You follow me so far?"

"Yeah."

"After that, the only real threat to her safety is being poached as a breeder by opportunistic magi families. If Kane and yourself become engaged, then that risk is eliminated and no one can capitalise on Kane's situation. But that also exposes her to the whims of Zouken, that we obviously don't want."

"That was my point."

"However…" she stressed the word at my interruption, "our upstanding mayor, who would be aware of magi and their practices thanks to us, will know who exactly is responsible if his dear daughter suffers a mysterious disappearance. And who to complain to."

The dots started to connect for me, and I gaped at Hinode. "He would appeal to Tohsaka."

"Right!" Hinode cheered. "Tohsaka would get involved, and it would be personal. Your so-called grandfather does not want a conflict of interest with the Second Owner, and harming Kane or her father would lead to just that."

I was staring at her in wonder. "You would pit Tohsaka against Zouken?"

"Absolutely."

"… You are as bold as a boar, Hinode-san."

"I'm smart enough to get away with it, too," she said. "But the point is that Zouken wouldn't dare harm Kane if it created a situation that inconvenienced Tohsaka."

"Please go easy on Dad in the future."

Hinode laughed. "No promises."

I rolled my eyes at her chortling and turned my attention back outside the vehicle.

Hinode's plan was risky. Far too risky.

At first glance, it might seem well thought out, but looking at it closer made it clear that the whole thing depended on her impressions of Zouken and Tohsaka being accurate. Hinode believed that Zouken respected Tohsaka enough that he wouldn't cross him and that Tohsaka valued his relationship with the mayor as more than a professional asset. If either of those things weren't true, the whole plan would fall apart.

Then there was the arranged marriage part. That required a little more intentional effort, and I didn't plan on letting Hinode, Zouken, or even Byakuya make my life decisions for me. I wasn't even going to consider making Kane my wife. She could always marry into a different family. And it shouldn't be any of my business as long as it was her own decision and not the product of threat or kidnapping.

Being her friend at this point was unintentional; I'd spent so much time in her presence that the bond developed naturally. I valued it enough to look out for her and deal with the dangers she otherwise shouldn't have ever needed to face. But a potential life partner? Not a chance.

The Matou mansion came into view as we rounded a corner. "We're nearly home. You want to pick up this conversation again later?" Hinode asked.

"I'm not happy that you're trying to set me up with Kane," I said. "She could marry into any other magi family with some semblance of a moral compass and we wouldn't have to make things tense between Zouken and Tohsaka."

Hinode giggled. "She's going to be beautiful one day, Shinji-kun. It'll be worth it."

She wasn't wrong. I already knew exactly what she'd look like, and she wasn't unappealing, but I still didn't like the idea.

As Hinode stepped out of the car to open the front gate, Kane's future appearance was replaced with Sakura's, and I groaned in annoyance.

I really didn't like the idea.

---

October 10th, 1989, 4:12 PM, Matou Residence Courtyard

Far to the left of the front door, between the walls that bordered our property and the house itself, was a fairly wide paved walkway that led to the greenhouse. There was no garage or carport at the Matou Residence, so Hinode had been parking her car there. Sakura and I had used the space for our own cars in the old causality, as it was wide enough for two, so getting in and out of Hinode's Mitsubishi was a simple matter.

Dealing with what was waiting for us at the front door was another issue entirely.

Zouken stood in the open doorway out of the direct sunlight, staring at Hinode unenthusiastically. "Woman," he greeted.

"Bagworm!" Hinode returned his greeting with sardonic enthusiasm. "How's it going?"

Zouken harrumphed in annoyance. "I'd ask you not to take that tone with me, but I don't think you would listen."

"You know it!"

Zouken sighed before he reacquired his stoic demeanour. "I've been reading the magecraft texts you brought with you. They are impressive. Especially those regarding the crafting of mystic codes."

Hinode blinked. "Are you… complimenting my old clan's arts?"

Zouken nodded. "I am. And I would like to discuss them at length with you."

"Hmm… well, I don't mind. Tomorrow?"

"Now."

"Oh… okay then."

"Good," Zouken said as he turned to leave.

Hinode sighed. "I guess I'll be busy for the next two hours or so."

I was glad that I wasn't the one stuck with Zouken for that long. Hinode's old clan must have made some outstanding mystic codes if they had caught his interest. Hinode herself must be something of an expert.

I recalled once talking to Einzbern about mystic codes as a possible solution to my circuit issues. She'd said I'd need help making one because it might take far too long to make one on my own, and even suggested asking Hinode for help… before I went and made the worst deal of my entire life. It probably wouldn't be such a bad idea to ask Hinode to help me with my circuits after I'd undone that particular mistake.

Zouken wouldn't have been impressed by amateur work; Hinode might be able to make a mystic code out of anything. She had an enchanted car. What was next? Furniture? Cutlery?

… Scalpels, maybe?

"Hey Hinode-san," I said, gaining her attention. "Could we turn a set of surgery tools into mystic codes?"

Hinode quirked an eyebrow at me. "What would you— oh!"

Zouken, already a fair distance away, turned back and looked at me with what might have been shock before returning to the front door with a speed I didn't know he was capable of. "You don't mean to say that that is your plan?" he said, his cane landing with a demanding clack as he stopped in the doorway again.

I nodded. "Do we have a set of surgery tools that I could use?"

"… There are several sets in the mundane storeroom. You may have Byakuya or the woman fetch one for you, but I will not be aiding you with this, and Byakuya does not have the experience necessary to operate on you," the elder said, stopping to face Hinode. "Do you, woman?"

Hinode was eyeing me strangely. "Um… no. I don't," she said.

"I do hope you understand that extra steps will need taken to ensure the concealment of the mystics from a mundane surgeon. And I will not allow you to contact a practiced magus from another clan because they are likely to plot to steal one of the worms," Zouken said flatly. "Who is going to do the surgery?"

"I will be operating on myself," I said.

A second passed before Zouken and Hinode exchanged a befuddled glance.

"Uh… Hinode and Dad can support me if they like," I added. "I actually need some things I can't get on my own beforehand. Like antibiotics and some kind of painkiller. Morphine. Maybe fentanyl."

"Fentanyl?" Hinode asked.

"I… think it's usually labeled as Sublimaze."

"Well, far be it from me to stop you," Zouken said with a grunt. "Woman. You may use whatever you need from the storerooms to modify the tools."

"Really?" Hinode said, perplexed. "You're okay with this?"

"Yes. Now, follow me to—" Zouken interrupted himself before casting his gaze into the distance briefly. After a moment of stillness, he let out a disgruntled sigh. "Something has come up. We will discuss your arts tomorrow."

Then the elder dissipated into a swarm of creatures that quickly dispersed into the skies and soil. In the blink of an eye, he was gone.

What was all that about?

"Shinji," Hinode said. "What's all this about surgery? You aren't actually planning to cut yourself open, right?"

I shrugged. "It's better than me trying to do it with all the magecraft I can't use. Or somehow convincing the worms to stop eating at all. They haven't eaten today, and I feel great, but I'd be more comfortable if they weren't living inside me in the first place."

Hinode looked me over with scrutiny. "You have any idea how to do it?"

"Yeah," I said, walking through the front door.

"… Is it safe?" Hinode followed me inside and closed the door behind her.

"Foreign body retrieval operations aren't too dangerous unless the foreign body in question is in proximity to any vital organs such as the heart, or if it is wound up in the tissue through some means. The crest worms prefer to remain in my arms— for whatever reason— so the only things I have to worry about damaging permanently are nerves, bones, muscle, and cartilage. They still move freely through my body when they want to, so they aren't fused to my flesh yet."

"So… you think you can pull this off?"

"I know I can."

"Bloody hell, Shinji-kun," she almost shouted. "Did you read a hundred university level medical textbooks when no one was looking or were you a surgeon in a past life?"

I smiled at how bizarrely accurate she was and said, "Yes."

"Don't get cryptic with me, young man," she chided.

I kept smiling and chuckled as I headed down the hallway.

"… Right," she said, rolling her eyes. "So, will the worms really fuse with your body at some point?"

"Eh… maybe?" I frowned. "Zouken may have implied it once or twice? I don't know as much about them as I'd like to."

"I don't see why Zouken doesn't want to help you with this more."

I hummed thoughtfully at that. "Probably because he expects me to solve my own problems. I accepted the worms on my own terms, even if I did underestimate them."

"Stupid bagworm needs to get his priorities straight," she muttered before sighing. "I could get started on those tools now."

I perked up at that. "Really?"

"We still need to discuss payment, though."

The smile on my face slowly fell away, and Hinode's own smirk grew at about the same speed.

Payment? For making the codes? From me? The three-year-old?

"I'm not selling my firstborn to you," I drew the line.

"Haha— Ha! N-No! Nothing like that! Hahaha!" Hinode shook her hand as she giggled.

I folded my arms and started tapping my foot.

Hinode cleared her throat. "I would like to study your magical circuits."

"My circuits? Even though they don't work properly?"

"Well, yeah," Hinode gestured to me. "That's what makes them so interesting."

"Huh…" I said, thinking it over.

What would Hinode stand to benefit from looking at my circuits? They were plainly inferior to all others and offered absolutely no benefits to me. The nerve circuits were worth more. Was that what she meant?

"You mean the nerve circuits or the actual circuits?"

"The actual ones," she said.

"… I guess I can't think of a reason to say no."

Hinode clapped her hands together. "Excellent! Leave everything to Wakumi-nee-chan!"

I groaned inwardly and said, "Sure thing, Hinode-san."

"Bah!" Hinode turned on her heel. "It's only day one. I'll get you to say it eventually."

And with that, she split up with me and headed for a different part of the house. Probably so she could loot the storeroom for the surgeon's tools or another material she needed. Unless she had something else to do. I wasn't going to assume.

It would be happening soon. Hinode was going to make special mystic codes, I'd make my own preparations, and then I was going to finally be free of these damned parasites. I could put them all in the terrarium with the other one and laugh at them while they wallowed in starvation.

A smile spread over my face as I held the thought. After I'd recovered from the surgery, I could pick up the pieces of what I'd lost to the worms. Maybe I could even try and recover Einzbern, wherever she'd disappeared to.

'Soon,' I sent to my misplaced companion. 'I can start looking for you soon.'

And I could start plotting Zouken's demise.

Vengeance for Mother. Vengeance for Sakura. Vengeance for Byakuya.

Vengeance for me.

I took a deep breath.

Soon.

---

October 11th, 1989, 12:04 AM, Matou Residence

Byakuya stood in front of the door to Wakumi's tiny workshop, hand raised and ready to knock.

He didn't understand why he was hesitating. Wakumi wouldn't berate him for wanting to talk, yet it still took a quick breath and a reassuring nod to himself before he rapped on the door.

"Come in!" Wakumi called from inside.

Byakuya opened the door and found her hunched atop a desk with a pair of safety goggles strapped over her eyes. She had some kind of pen-shaped tool in her hand, pressing it softly against what appeared to be a small blade. Faint motes danced around the tip, scattering in various directions before settling into the stainless steel.

Scanning the room, Byakuya noted the various objects littering the desktops. Various tools and devices were neatly arranged in some kind of organisation, but the space Wakumi had been working in was in complete disarray. Tools littered about and even broken, a few magic circles carved into the wood, and some oddly coloured vials of liquid arranged by number. There was even a book open on the floor.

The space resembled a craftsman's workshop more than a magus one, even with the obviously magical elements.

"What are you so nervous about, hmm?" Wakumi said. "… Naughty ideas you want to share?"

Byakuya felt his face flush red, but he managed to speak anyway. "It's just that you've holed yourself up in here since dinner. It's already midnight."

"Huh?" A quick glance at a clock within the room had Wakumi blinking in surprise. "So it is."

She must be the sort to get lost in her work, Byakuya mused as she put down the arcane device and lifted the goggles off her head. "What have you been working on?" he asked.

"I've been modifying a set of surgery tools. Shinji's idea, actually," Wakumi said. "Do you know what he's planning to do?"

Byakuya tossed a few thoughtful glances between Wakumi and the objects within her workspace, ending with a concerned glare at the woman. She must have been joking, and he said as much in what felt like the sternest tone he had ever used.

"Not a joke. He's planning to do the operation himself, too," Wakumi sighed. "I tried to find out how he knows what to do, but he got all mysterious and avoided explaining."

Byakuya felt a worried scowl carve itself into his face. "Did you object at least? Do you think he even understands what he's suggesting?"

"I think that we should let him try, even if he doesn't."

Byakuya almost lost control of his breathing as a deep-seated heat had him huffing through his nose in barely contained anger.

"Hey! Cool it!" Wakumi raised a finger at him. "I'm not being stingy with these tools here! I'm rigging them up with enchantments. Guiding and emergency functions. It'll work. And even if we somehow fuck up the operation, the worms will be gone and the most he could lose is the use of his arms."

The image of Shinji, crippled and armless, flashed in Byakuya's mind. "That's not a good thing, Wakumi!"

"No. But he won't die in June."

Byakuya's mouth closed with a faint click, and the rest of his face hardened into dry stoicism.

He won't die?

His head slowly fell as the heat subsided, and a tremble set into his features.

He won't die.

"He'll be alright?" he asked softly.

Wakumi smiled. "Yeah."

Byakuya felt his breathing become uneven, and he began to involuntarily whimper.

Wakumi reached out to comfort him, approaching slowly and bringing her arms around him. "It's okay. He will make it through this. We will make it through this."

At her words, he was compelled to pull her into a proper hug and hold her body against his. "I-I didn't know what to—"

"Shhh… just hold me. I'm here. However you want."

Byakuya tightened his arms around her even more, letting his hands cling to her. He lowered his face to rest on her shoulder, and he couldn't hold back the faint sniffle that came after a few seconds. He wanted to hold the tears back, but they broke through his meagre resistance far too quickly.

Byakuya felt Wakumi lean her head against his. She pressed her body into his and gently massaged his back as they stood there in silence for at least two minutes. Even with the sheer relief he felt, the way she kept close to him eventually brought last night to mind, and Byakuya felt awkward enough to begin pulling away. "Sorry," he murmured.

Wakumi huffed out a laugh. "You don't have to apologise. I like that you care about Shinji so much."

Byakuya sighed. That wasn't what he meant.

"Stop that," Wakumi said with a pout.

"Sorry."

"Stop that too!"

"Sorr—" Byakuya winced under Wakumi's glare. "Okay. I just want to help him more, and I don't even know where to begin."

"Well, Shinji did say he'd like us to assist him during the operation. So that's something you could do," Wakumi said. "I'm already preparing these tools. Actually, I need to test them on something, but I have no idea what."

Byakuya rubbed the moisture out of his eyes. "What would be ideal?"

Wakumi cocked her head. "Well… since we're supposed to use them on crest worms, if we had something else with those in it then we could use it as a guinea pig. It would let Shinji demonstrate that he can actually do the surgery beforehand as well."

"… I suppose we should make sure he knows what he's doing. He can explain the process to us so we can help him if something goes wrong," Byakuya said.

"Actually…" Wakumi hummed. "Do you know anything about the worms that might make this difficult?"

"Well, I know they take to binding themselves to their host eventually. And that they're always hungry. They don't stop eating."

"Really?" Wakumi said. "Shinji said they hadn't eaten all day today."

"That… huh. That doesn't match my experience. They never took breaks with me."

"With you…?"

"Mhm, I have two of them," he said before he gasped in realisation.

Wakumi blinked. "What?"

"I have two worms in my body. You could test the tools on me."

"Oh! Really? Are you sure?"

He didn't even blink. "Yes."

"Perfect!" she almost hopped on the spot. "I'll let you know when they're ready for testing. We can have Shinji remove one of the worms, modify the tools based on the result, then test again on the second one. Wait, are they fused to your body tissue yet or do they still move around? What are they connected to? How big are they?"

"Wow, you're very excited to see me cut open," Byakuya observed.

"Oh… um, yeah. I kind of got a little invested in the intricacies of making the scalpel blade identify what should and shouldn't be— actually, never mind," Wakumi caught herself before she descended into verbal diarrhoea. "Are they important to you somehow? Your worms?"

"I depend on them when I want to use any mildly expensive magecraft. But that's not important. I can do without them."

Wakumi smiled sadly at him. "Every time you open your mouth I like you even more."

Byakuya assumed that was a good thing, but he couldn't help the nervous shuffle his feet automatically carried out. She had a beautiful smile, after all. And after last night… such things were distracting.

He was still a man.

"So do you like Shinji too?" he asked to stop himself from staring.

"Well, of course I do!" Wakumi said. "You know how smart he is. It's fun to bounce ideas off him. I'm looking forward to watching him grow up, actually. He's cute too. Especially when he's all defiant."

"Defiant?"

"Yeah," she said, rolling he eyes. "Like refusing to call me 'Wakumi'."

Byakuya had to avoid groaning as he recalled the silly wager. "Why are you taking that so seriously? The name thing?"

Wakumi didn't answer immediately, and her smile slowly faded into a slight frown. "Well…" she tried, only falling back into silence, suppressing a sigh into a faint snort.

Byakuya could tell she didn't want to talk about it. "Hey, you don't have to—"

"No it's fine," Wakumi said. "It's just that… Shinji is different to other kids. You know."

"I do," Byakuya said, with a proud smirk.

"I'm good with children, but he's like… The kids at work do what I say because I'm the adult in the room. But Shinji? It's like he's not a child at all. He's as smart as any adult, so he may as well be one. He's always called me 'Hinode-san'. The other kids at work call me 'Hinode-sensei' or 'Wakumi-nee-chan'. Even 'Mum' by mistake once."

Byakuya cocked his head. "And now that you're living here, you think that he should be less… distant?"

"Yeah. When he calls out 'Hinode-san', it's like I'm being addressed by an acquaintance, or a co-worker, or… someone on the street."

Byakuya saw where this was going. "But not family."

"Exactly," Wakumi nodded. "To him, I'm 'Hinode-san', the teacher from school. When I made that bet with him I thought I was just messing with him a little. I'm supposed to be his stepmother at some point, so I figured I'd… well, play with him. It was just meant to be harmless fun, you know?"

"And that changed at some point?"

"Yeah," Wakumi nodded. "Well, it's actually more like I realised why I'd done it in the first place. Today, he set the others at work on me by calling me 'Mum' and… I don't know, it… stuck with me after that." Her mouth pursed into a thin line. "I think I want him to call me that again."

"It's only been a week or so, Wakumi. Give him some time."

"I know it's stupid. I… got a little too excited about being a parent," she sighed. "That makes me no different from any other broad out there, doesn't it?"

"Maybe not. But aren't rocky starts normal?"

Wakumi let his words hang in the air for a moment before she nodded.

Byakuya could see the melancholy in her otherwise neutral expression as her head hung slightly. "He'll warm up to you," he said.

"Are you sure?" Wakumi asked.

"One hundred percent," Byakuya said, earning a smile from her that he enjoyed possibly a little more than he should have.

"Thank you," she said sadly.

He could tell that she didn't believe him completely. "I might understand the situation a little more than you think," he said quickly.

"What do you mean? I've seen him talk to you. He's actually your son. He calls you 'Dad'."

"Yes, but the first time he did that was eleven days ago."

Wakumi's jaw loosened slightly as her eyes widened.

"Maybe he's just waiting for it to be official. You did say you were going to be his stepmother at some point," Byakuya reminded her. "Right…?"

This time, Wakumi's mouth opened into a gape, and Byakuya thought that if her eyes could have widened any further, they would have. Her face slowly turned red, and Byakuya felt his own face heat up no small amount. Once again, his mind wandered to yesterday.

Wakumi's gape became a grin, and she stepped closer to him. "Hey, Byakuya," she said.

Byakuya swallowed. "Um… yes?"

"Wanna ruin your mattress as fast as we can?"

Byakuya took a deep breath.

"Oh, wait," Wakumi moved her head up to whisper into Byakuya's ear. "Our mattress."

---

October 11th, 1989, 1:26 AM, Fuyuki General Hospital

Zouken rounded the corner, his partly chitinous form afloat on countless wings of cuticle, to see the figure vanish into a room as the door swayed violently. Naturally, he pursued, but upon entering the room he found it empty.

By matter of reflex, he willed his familiars to scout the adjacent areas and the parking lot beneath the closed window. They found his target fleeing down the hallway after exiting the adjacent room. They must have employed some manner of magecraft to pass through the wall.

Clever, Zouken admitted as he dashed back into the hallway.

The manoeuvre had managed to put some distance between them, but the mage foolishly ascended a flight of stairs, slowing him down enough for Zouken to regain the lost ground. Once in the upstairs hallway, the mage entered another room halfway down the hall.

But Zouken was ready for it.

The sharp inhale he heard made it clear that his target knew he was boxed in. Whatever magecraft the mage utilised to hop rooms would only lead him to those already filled with blade wing worms.

Zouken burst through the door. It flew off its hinges through the room, crashed through the opposite window, and both men heard it shatter into splinters in the parking lot below.

A hurled tray obscured Zouken's vision as the numerous bladed medical implements that had been placed within it realigned themselves mid-air to impale the worms that had flown into the room with him.

Zouken recovered sight of his target immediately once he swatted the offending tray out of the air and called more worms into the room, only for more steel to skewer them as yet another tray sailed at him, this time colliding with his face before it fell to the floor.

More worms swarmed in through the door and the ventilation system, and the mage clapped his hands together before he swung his left arm to the side violently. A barrier of some nature manifested around him, and it electrocuted the worms as they bashed mindlessly into it. Zouken halted their assault with a thought and had them circle the room instead.

"Xīngxīng zhuóshāng wǒ de pífū!" The mage began to chant.

This one is more persistent than the others.

"Shùlín hūxī tiānkōng!" The mage continued.

Zouken let out a grunt and charged forward. His cane flew, and an ear-splitting crack sounded as it struck the mage's barrier. The cane hummed, and the barrier shimmered before it began to fizzle.

To the mage's credit, his chant did not falter, and whatever he was attempting was beginning to be realised. A sharp light burst forth, enough to blind Zouken and frighten the worms before the mage backpedalled for the shattered window.

Which, to his great misfortune, Zouken had to presence of mind to obstruct.

A guttural cry shook the room as mandibles shredded the mage's skin. "Who the fuck even are you?! You aren't Tohsaka!" he squawked as he fell to his knees.

Zouken harrumphed. "It seems that your research on the city has just as many holes as the woman's did."

"The wo—? What have you done with her?!"

It wasn't intentional, but the query led Zouken's attention to his familiars at home. He could have done without that particular sight, but it would make for an interesting reaction from the mage. "Well, right now… she is rutting," he said.

The unfiltered rage the mage let show was at least somewhat amusing.

"Do not fret. It is consensual," Zouken told him. "And I suppose I can allow you to die knowing that you are the last of your compatriots remaining."

"You already found all eight of them?!"

"Eight? I've slain nine others this night," Zouken chucked at the mage's final attempt at deception. "They were not nearly as determined or capable as you were."

"Tā mā de…"

Zouken waved his hand, and his familiars began to gorge themselves.

The slightly competent mage simply stared fiercely at the elder, unwilling to beg or scream in his final moments.

A shame, Zouken thought. Such strength of will is hard to find.

He had been the last of ten that had decided to make something of a base camp at the docks. The fools had erected at least six bounded fields by the time Zouken had arrived, and without any missive from Tokiomi declaring them welcome, they had to be taken care of. Diplomacy had to come first, of course, so he'd made their position clear to them; they were trespassing on mage association territory, and their efforts to establish themselves there would be interpreted as hostile unless they produced some manner of documentation.

Then they'd introduced themselves as a scouting party from the Hinode Clan, searching for their escaped heiress.

That on its own was problematic for them. Neither Zouken nor Tokiomi had any obligation to put up with their nonsense; the elder for his own interests, and the Second Owner for his arrangement with the said heiress. No one would complain if they were dealt with by more unpleasant means.

But what had sealed their fate was that they also refused to remove themselves.

Zouken had seen fit to do it for them.

As soon as their peril had occurred to them, they scattered themselves and forced Zouken to spend nine long hours scouring the entire city for them. They had earned nothing more than acknowledgement as nuisances, besides the final man being shredded at his feet.

If there was any indication of how they had managed to track the woman to Fuyuki then Zouken had not seen it. She had better be grateful he was cleaning up her mess.

And now he needed to inform Tokiomi of this.

What a waste of time.

Once the cadaver had been completely devoured, Zouken was free to spread his attention through the rest of his familiars and was mildly disgruntled by what was still occurring at home. Not willing to put up with it, he dispersed himself and resigned to spending the night in the city. He'd return in the morning when the woman and the oaf were quiet.

… Good God. How does Shinji sleep through all that noise?

---

A/N

Hello. It's been quite some time. Would you believe that when I started this I uploaded weekly? I know it to be true, yet I just don't believe it.

I've been neglecting the writing in favour of looking for work, an effort that has not borne any fruit. Not for lack of trying.

On that note, here's a BIG question:

Is my writing something that anyone thinks is decent enough to warrant being paid for?

If anyone says yes, I'd probably open one of those p, a, t, reon things or something similar. If it's lucrative enough (I know that it CAN be for some,), then I'd be able to rectify the big gaps of time between chapters by way of more time to write AND potentially ease my economic struggle slightly.

People have told me that it's a good idea (mostly family, they really support my passion for writing), but since you're the readers (you champions, you), you could probably tell me if you think my prose is worth supporting or not, so I wanted to leave that question in the air for you.

In exchange, how about I respond to some reviews?

… And then provide an Omake?

Review Responses:

Freeseti:

The work shall be kept up and it shall be good, even if slow.

WildlyLaughing:

Yep, you got it. Shinji is affecting worms somehow. He never really interacted with the worms in canon (not in any arcane or intimate manner, at least) so I can pretty much do whatever I want with it.

I WISH I'd thought of putting Illya into one of the worms. That would've been awesome.

Switchel is a mix of vinegar, water, and a sweetener of some kind (usually molasses). It really is just a silly American drink.

TodayParade:

Glad you liked it!

TheBluMonki:

Yeah, setting Byakuya apart from his canon self is something I'm glad I managed to pull off comfortably for people. Hopefully, the changes to Kane are received just as well.

And thanks for pointing Calling Card out to me. I'm not familiar with Psyren and the whole card thing, but I think that Born of Prayers has portrayed Shinji quite well. I hope the story continues soon.

Illya definitely didn't run. And as the deuteragonist of sorts, I think it is already a given that she's making a return at some point.

Slavicadonis:

Was this one worth the wait? Seriously, I wish I had more time to write.

Also, singing crest worms are the best headcanon.

Giuseppe:

Yeah, Hinode might be sassy with Zouken now, but she's only doing that because he needs her alive to have the baby. She can tell he's dangerous, but that doesn't mean she's just going to bend to his will quietly (I think that counts as foreshadowing, but I'm going to leave it here anyway).

And I don't think Zolgen Makiri qualifies as a Heroic Spirit.

Sena Kumo:

Huh. I'd never thought to compare the worms to the fae. Considering that the worms are phantasmal beasts of a sort then they are closer to fae than normal creatures. And dealing with children is exactly what I was going for with them; they make a mess when they eat, they ask you for things you can't give them, and throw tantrums when they don't get what they want.

But they can also learn.

I'm really enjoying writing the worms.

Sherodx:

I messaged this fellow so he could elaborate on what he meant, but he didn't respond.

Sad face.

GilxShirou:

Yeah, Illya wasn't having a good time. I figured she deserved a chance to complain about things, even if she came across as hypocritical. It's a normal thing for people to do when they're upset.

RayDjok:

I love looking up obscure references like this.

Steppe14:

I'm glad you enjoyed what I've done so far! And really hope I can avoid the story falling into a coma.

Hunger Man:

I'm glad you think Hinode and Byakuya's interactions are good. I fretted over that scene for a while (the one in this chapter too) as I didn't want to rush them into the bedsheets without them talking things out properly. As you said, this is not a lemon fic; the deed was not the focus, the characters were.

I haven't read Misery, but I looked into it after reading your review and I think it's an interesting comparison, and I'm glad you like what I did with the worms.

And yeah, Shinji's gonna go surgeon mode. That much is already obvious.

BlueCore:

Very deep. Bring floaties.

sakii137:

Were you waiting this whole time? Geez. I really wish I had more time to spend on this.

Anyway, I can see how some would think the worms are cute. They didn't have anything to do in this chapter— didn't even bother Shinji for mana— but I have something lined up for them next chapter.

It WAS the first time Shinji called him Dad. To his face, at least.

Eyebrows are funny.

Yeah. It's pretty obvious at this point that Illya's gonna make a big return. As for how she gets along with Shinji…? That's spoilers.

RIP Mama Matou.

Dads are heroes.

I'm glad you liked the way I handled Byakuya's memories. I needed to give him a proper reason to genuinely care for Shinji and not have it conflict with his canonical actions. Caring for Shinji for the sake of the woman he knows that he loved but cannot recall completely felt compelling to me.

The Wakumi Simps will come.

Eh, you're half right about where Illya is. The worms are also aware of Illya's existence, but not directly, if that makes sense. I don't think I'll expand on the specifics for spoilery reasons.

I'm glad you were surprised by Shinji's realisation.

About the "who said it would be a daughter?" thing, I more meant that along the lines of "It could be a boy, it could be a girl. Who knows?" sort of way that you would normally expect from real pregnancies. But you're right, that would be an EXCELLENT way to stir up drama. And the comparison with Sakura would only be fuel for that.

I can see why anime/manga stereotyping would pin Imai as a yandere now. Suffice it to say that that is not the case. She's something else that is yet to be revealed.

giorno:

As far as I'm aware, the whole spiritron hacking thing is a skill that was developed by Magi out of sheer necessity in the Fate EXTRA timeline. Since this is the Fate Unlimited Blade Works timeline, I don't think there would be any reason for Shinji to learn anything to do with spiritrons, as cool as they are.

Unboundedness:

I'm glad you like my story and the long chapters. I tend to be intimidated by large word counts, and while I would prefer my chapters to be closer to six thousand words instead of ten thousand, many people seem to like the longer reads, and the way I've structured the chapters forces them to drag on anyway. If you were interested, this chapter is almost twelve thousand words long (not including the notes, responses, and omake).

That's all the Reviews!

So yeah, hopefully, the time between this going up and the next chapter isn't too much.

I've put a schedule segment of sorts on my profile page which outlines my planned order for my fanfiction and related projects, and I'll copy it to here, just in case you don't want to visit it:

1. Shinji's Paradox Chapter Twelve. (Done! Hooray!)

2. Shinji's Paradox grammar repair for all chapters. (Also done now!)

3. Cover Art Update for Shinji's Paradox.

4. Shinji's Paradox Chapters Thirteen through Fifteen. (AKA The rest of Arc 1)

5. Cover Art for Child of Din or Pokémon Slayer.

6. Child of Din or Pokémon Slayer Pilot Chapter.

I have not decided if Child of Din or Pokémon Slayer will be my next story, but I'm leaning towards Pokémon Slayer. Your input may affect that decision.

If you have any immediate questions, please ask via Private Message. Reviews will receive responses in the author's notes of the next chapter, and who knows when that will come around.

I certainly don't.

—GEOD

Edit 1: Jan 2023 update. Just filtered out some grammar errors.

---

Bonus Omake

"Magical Matou!"

The murmuring crowd outside of the Fuyuki Public Gallery had grown rather large in the course of the last fifteen minutes.

The street was littered with all walks of life. Some still wore work uniforms, perhaps even having abandoned whatever responsibility they held to attend. So many people had come, and they were excited to be there.

This would have brought the curator to smile had the situation been any different.

"Detective Futsu!"

Futsu spun on his feet, his brown coat swirling about him as he spotted his most trusted man, Officer Heikin, approaching him. "Is he here?!"

"His letter said he'd be here at ten thirty," Heikin reminded him, hastily checking his watch. "It's ten twenty-nine, and you of all people should know he's never early."

Futsu realised his anxiety and took a long deep breath. "Did everyone report in?"

Heikin stood to attention. "Yes, Sir!"

"We checked everyone for masks? No one had anything outside of standard issue? Every officer is stationed with two others that they know personally?"

"All quadruple checked, Sir!"

"Excellent. He will not be taking that jewelled statuette today."

The crowd's restlessness grew. The dastard always announced his heists publicly, using the same newspapers and magazines every time. People weren't stupid either, and the masses had figured out that he was a punctual one.

He was always on time to the damned millisecond.

The detective held a breath and stood alert as the clock ticked to ten thirt—

A chorus of booms and the distinctive whines of fireworks in flight silenced the crowd.

The sky exploded into a cacophony of light and gunpowder echoes. The crowd exploded into screaming cheers and stamping feet.

The pyrotechnic display was mostly blue and white— the colours of the damned thief himself— painting the sky with a baffling number of patterns. Whoever had decided to aid the criminal with this knew what they were doing. Unless the villain himself had arranged it.

Two years and we still had no idea how he funded his demonstrations! He didn't even sell what he stole; they were always returned in the mail!

Finally pulling himself out of his shock, the detective looked around and expected some kind of action from any of the officers at the gallery's front entrance, or even the ones responsible for keeping the crowd at bay.

They had their eyes glued to the fiery show above.

All of them.

Futsu tore his radio free of his coat pocket. "Does anyone have anything to report?!"

No answer.

He reached out and gripped Heikin's shoulder, "All our people are dazzled by the display! Get everyone back at attention!"

"Yes, Sir!" Heikin answered, already pulling out his radio.

There was a lull in the explosions, a silence that only accentuated the sound of the gallery's central window bursting into glistening pieces and the clamorous chime of glass on concrete.

A figure slowly rose from among the shards on the large balcony, and as the fireworks display finally petered out—

A final arrangement of fireworks flew from behind the gallery, detonating well below what any expert would confer a safe height, drowning the balcony in light.

Then his voice echoed unnaturally over the streets.

"Ladies and gentlemen!"

For the second time, every single member of the crowd burst into deafening cheers.

The detective spotted some policemen participating in the applause and felt a burning rage well up. Then he saw what the grinning bastard had hoisted over his head and the anger was quashed under cold horror.

Rubies and sapphires glittered in their settings within a hunk of smooth chiselled marble.

The statuette!

"We have officers at every door and window around that exhibit! How did he get in there?!" The detective roared over the crowd.

"I don't know! No one has reported in!" was all that Heikin could offer.

"Arrgh!" Futsu roared. "How does this keep happening?!"

"Ah! Detective Futsu! There you are!"

The detective raised his head and scowled at the buffoon standing tall on the balcony's railing.

"Wow! Look at those pearly whites! You must be so happy to see me!"

Futsu pulled the megaphone attached to his side free and turned it on. "You are completely surrounded by armed officers! Stand down and face justice!"

"I have somewhere to be, actually."

"And just how do you plan on going anywhere?!"

"Well, detective. It's a nice night, clear skies and a dazzling city— not to mention the delightful crowd we have tonight— I thought I'd take a walk!"

And then he walked. Off the balcony. Through the air. Over the raucous crowd.

"I waaant thaaat!" someone cried out.

Futsu lowered the megaphone and lifted his radio. "What are our officers doing?!"

The answer came back immediately. "Reporting from the exhibit! All of the officers posted here are asleep!"

"He knocked them all out?!"

"We checked the security footage, Sir! He walked in during the fireworks, and as soon as he approached the exhibit, every single one of the officers laid down and went to sleep!"

"They collapsed?!"

"No! They laid on the floor willingly!"

What…?

"Goodness, It appears I'm dawdling here quite a bit," the thief declared, twirling on his feet mid-air, and tucking the statuette under his arm. "I'll see all of you lovely people next time!"

Somebody in the crowd tossed something at him, which he caught with a deft movement, revealing it to be a single white rose.

"I love you!" some lass screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Oh, thank you. You're very kind!"

"I love you, too!" many other people said. Some of them were men.

The larcenist smiled and waved at them before he dashed through the air, shoes stepping firmly on nothing, and stopped on the edge of a nearby building. He put the rose stem between his teeth, gave an exaggerated bow, and then turned and disappeared from view.

Futsu already knew that as soon as the thief left the area he would vanish like a mirage.

Officer Heikin, eyes wide with awe, removed his cap. "He has got to be the greatest thief I've ever seen."

Detective Futsu simply stormed away, dreading the report of another failure to his superiors. It had become routine at this point.

"Next time," the detective muttered. "I'll put you in cuffs, Magical Matou."