Shinji's Paradox
Chapter 13:
Truths Unveiled
February 3rd, 1990, 11:45 AM, Matou Residence
I was taking notes in the library when it happened. Sudden vertigo. A bitter flavour.
In my rush to leave the library, the rosewood chair toppled over behind me, and the pen I'd been writing with rolled off the table and clattered faintly upon the wooden floor. The library door was already open, so I rushed through and turned into the hallway, making a beeline to the bathroom. Fortunately, that door was already open too, so I managed to flip the toilet's lid and seat up before I couldn't quash the reflex any longer.
"Hurrghglguh!" was the noise I made as I arched over the toilet bowl and deposited what little remained of my breakfast into it.
The prolonged presence of so much ginseng in my diet had become enough that nausea and vomiting came about every four or five days, usually preceded by a dizzy spell. I'd become very familiar with white porcelain and the taste of vomit over the last month, but the worst part was how much mana I lost whenever I emptied my stomach, forcing me to eat more of the roots later.
Another wave of nausea welled up and was quickly followed by bitter liquid gushing out of my mouth into the water below. Anything that had been in my gut was long gone now, and part of me hoped another worm would leave the way the last one had and let me flush it away into oblivion.
The roots were meant to stop me from feeling like I was dying.
A few minutes of silence later I decided that I would probably not retch up anything else, so I closed the toilet and flushed it before I made my way over to the sink to rinse my mouth. There was a small step in front of the vanity cabinet that I used to get high enough to use the tap on my own, and once I was atop it I filled a small rinsing cup with tap water that I quickly sloshed around my tongue and through my teeth before spitting it out.
Then I heard a knock at the bathroom door.
"Are you okay, Shinji-sama?" Imai said.
"I threw up again," I said, filling my mouth with water to rinse it again, gurgling it a little before letting it splash into the sink.
"I see," she said, watching me rinse my mouth a third time. "Would you like something warm to drink? I could bring it to the library if you're going to head back."
I had to think about how to respond. "Dad said I should wait half an hour."
"Ah, right," she said, checking her watch. "I'll bring you something to drink later, then. Will you still be having lunch?"
"What time is it?"
"Fifteen to twelve. Lunch is at one o'clock."
"Yeah, I can still have lunch then."
"Very well. I'll bring you something to drink in half an hour."
"Thank you."
A smile spread over Imai's face. "You're very welcome," she said, bowing before leaving the bathroom doorway.
Relief washed over me as soon as I was sure she'd left. She probably wasn't what I'd initially thought her to be, but I still didn't know what her deal was. My wariness had eventually become a habit, and I always ended up antsy whenever she was around.
'Imai,' Number Two said. 'Strange.'
'Odd… weird…' Number One followed up.
'Stay away! Stay away!' Number Four started to chant.
The worms agreed with my base instincts. Apparently. "That might be a bit of a challenge," I muttered to them as I walked back into the hallway.
As uncomfortable as her presence made me, she still hadn't done anything besides her job, which she was remarkably proficient in. She kept the entire house spotless and prepared the majority of the day's meals on top of all the other miscellaneous tasks Zouken and Byakuya asked of her.
The elder had given her a raise two weeks ago, which meant he thought she was useful. And if Zouken thought she was useful, she wouldn't leave anytime soon.
I re-entered the library and returned to the small study desk. The books I'd gathered from the shelves were exactly where I left them, and a notebook sat open beside them. The chair still lay sideways on the floor, and the pen I'd been using had rolled over near one of the bookshelves.
As I lifted the chair right-side-up, Number Three suddenly declared, 'Imai. No danger.'
I quirked an eyebrow in my surprise. "You think she's not dangerous?"
Number Three somehow communicated that it was shaking its head, or whatever the worm equivalent of the gesture was. 'Not friendly. Not harmful. Does not like. Does not hate. Not threat. Wants something.'
… That was the most any of the worms had ever articulated in one go.
But I agreed with what it said. Imai's initial attempt at being friendly with me probably hadn't gone as planned. Not because she was bad with kids— her original references must have stated the opposite for Byakuya to have even considered hiring her— but because I wasn't normal.
I could only imagine how embarrassed she must have felt at the time. But ever since, she had respectfully kept her distance when she didn't need to be close by.
All of that suggested that Imai was probably only here for the salary. That I could understand. The paycheque was as big as the housework was tedious.
I yawned as I retrieved the wayward pen, and once I'd sat down, I tried to refocus on the book I'd left open before being interrupted. But I was far too tired and worn out from running to the bathroom. I still needed to recover from spilling my guts into the toilet, too.
The words on the page blurred as I tried to read, and I yawned again.
Curse this three-year-old body.
I supposed that Imai would probably wake me whenever she got around to bringing that drink, so I closed the book and rested my head down on my forearms over the front cover.
Sleep came quickly.
February 3rd…? A Dream.
A necessary evil masquerading as passion. Wrong and awful, as desired as it was.
The room was obscured by a violet curtain. A curtain of thread, always tied with red.
Jewels shone above, surrounded by a soft yet burning pink.
Buried in terrible pleasure. A Forbidden joy.
Guilt and thrill fused together. Two undeserving halves bound as one.
Amazing and terrible. The whole world was just violet. My favourite colour. So violet I could scream.
I didn't want it to end.
Please, no more.
Never let this happen again.
Stop.
Please don't stop.
Stop!
Don't let go!
No more!
February 3rd, 1990, 12:21 AM, Matou Residence
A light jostle woke me from… that.
"Shinji-sama?" Imai said, her hand on my shoulder. "Are you okay?"
"Mhmm…" I moaned. "I'm awake."
The hand left my shoulder, the book I'd slept on was shifted to the side, and a small teacup was placed on the desk in front of me.
"Remember to drink slowly, Shinji-sama."
I watched the liquid settle in the cup before I gingerly lifted the cup and sipped from it. That dream was still fresh in my mind. It wasn't exactly a nightmare, but I certainly didn't feel comfortable reliving memories like those.
It'll never happen again, I thought. It was a vain attempt to bury my feelings, but it only sparked a terrible war between relief and agony within me.
After another tentative sip of tea, I realized that Imai was still kneeling beside me, watching me with a worried scowl.
"Are you okay, Shinji-sama," she asked again.
"Yeah," I said. "Weird dream."
"A dream… like a nightmare? Your father told me you used to have those a lot."
I nodded, recalling the entire affair with Einzbern's memories leaking into my subconscious. It had been so long ago that I barely remembered if I'd even devised a plan to deal with it before they'd stopped being nightmares and eventually disappeared alongside Einzbern. If they could prevent my memories from appearing in my dreams, I'd probably welcome them back.
My brief reminiscence was disrupted when Imai delicately put a hand on my forehead and held it there. A little shock and worry came over me, but Imai didn't do anything else more than merely stare at me thoughtfully.
"You don't seem to have a fever…" she said. "Are you still tired? Do you want me to take you to your room?"
I almost thought that was a good idea. "I still need to eat some ginseng at lunch. I can't sleep through that."
Imai checked her watch again. "There's more than half an hour until then. I'll come get you later, okay?"
"Okay."
Imai nodded and stood, brushing the fabric by her knees before she began walking away.
I returned my attention to the desk in front of me. The title of the book I'd slept on was worn and barely legible; it was some five-hundred-year-old text concerning the basics of spiritual evocation and familiars written in the most obnoxious handwriting I'd ever laid eyes on. Einzbern would have been able to help me with this nonsense; she had a better grasp of older variants of English than I ever would.
A yawn and a sigh escaped me at the same time, prompting me to stretch in my seat. I glanced meaninglessly around the library, taking in the view of the patternless wallpaper, and the bookshelves loaded with ancient knowledge.
I also caught sight of Imai, who was still here for some reason.
What is she doing?
She cradled two books in her arm as she paced alongside the bookshelves, scanning the books carefully. She pried another one from the shelves, glancing at its cover, as if checking the title, before nestling it alongside the others in her grasp. Her silent perusing of the tomes continued until she eventually pried another volume off the lower shelves.
And as she began to walk to the library door and leave… I recognised that book.
"Imai-san," I said.
She halted and turned her head to face me. "Y-Yes, Shinji-sama?"
"Care to share your intent with those?"
Her eyes flicked to the books in the crook of her elbow, then looked at me once more. "Your grandfather asked me to fetch these books for him."
He would not need that book. "No he didn't."
Imai blinked. "Er… he in fact did, Shinji-sa—"
"I seriously doubt that."
"I can assure you that your grandfather asked me to fetch these," Imai stood her ground.
"Right," I said, folding my arms. "So that means you're okay with me bringing this up with Zouken later?"
A pale white set itself on her face and my suspicions were confirmed. She was trying to steal them.
Shit. What's the best option here?
For a few measured seconds, as I debated the situation internally, the only sound in the library was the distant ticking of a clock.
"Put those down," I instructed. Then, as Imai registered the words, I used my sixth sense to check the surroundings for Zouken's worms and found…
None…?
Zouken wasn't watching the library.
The light-fingered housekeeper just got very lucky.
I was aware that I was ditching the kiddie act around Imai for the first time, but this was more important. "Have you taken anything else from the house? Recently or otherwise?" I asked quickly.
"Um… no…" a scowl drew over her face as she trailed off. "Wh-What is this? You're acting strange…"
"I'm a little smarter than most infants and I usually hide it. But does that really matter right now?" I deflected, raising an eyebrow. "I can still get you fired if I inform Zouken."
The way her mouth clicked shut told me that she would probably keep any indignation she felt to herself. I didn't think telling her that "killed" was more accurate than "fired" would be a good idea, but I needed to talk her out of her apparent kleptomania. It would be the death of her, otherwise.
"Have you read anything in here? Do you know what all of this is?" I asked.
She thought momentarily before saying, "Isn't it all just occult and fantasy? I'm not really interested in that sort of thing."
"But did you read any of it?"
"I… skimmed one or two paragraphs. But, like I said, I wasn't really interested. And I wasn't really able to understand anything."
Okay, so she wasn't clued into the existence of the world of magecraft. That's good. "So why did you try to take the books?" I asked, gesturing to the volumes still in her arms.
"I… was going to peel the gold leaf off," she admitted, finally putting them on the shelf beside her.
"Honestly, I'm surprised that Zouken hasn't forbidden you from entering here…" I muttered loud enough for her to hear.
"I'm supposed to make sure that every room in this house is in good condition." Imai said. "Your grandfather actually stressed that it was important to keep the books clean."
"And he didn't tell you not to read the books?"
"No."
That wasn't possible. "I don't believe that. There's no way Zouken wouldn't tell you to avoid reading any of the books if he expected you to be taking care of them."
"He didn't tell me I couldn't look at anything in here," she claimed, the frown returning to her face as her grey eyes fell into a cold glare.
She had to be lying. It didn't make any sense that Zouken wouldn't instruct Imai to keep her nose out of the books after telling her how important the library was.
"You're certain he didn't tell you not to read them?" I asked.
"I am," she insisted.
This was ridiculous. "If that's the case, I'll need to tell Zouken that you didn't know. Or that perhaps you just forgot."
Imai looked a little more unsettled.
"But," I continued, "as long as you don't try to steal anything from the house again, I won't tell Zouken or Dad about your attempted theft. Deal?"
"Deal," she said, visibly calmer.
"See you at lunch, Imai-san," I dismissed her.
"Of course, Shinji-sama," she said as she bowed. Then she walked out of the library.
Once I could no longer hear her hurried footsteps, I took a deep breath and stood from my chair to approach the books Imai had placed on the shelf.
Among them was a rather memorable red book with a magical circle made of gold leaf on the front. A book that I knew contained a simple explanation of the process of od conversion.
A textbook for the beginner magus, meant to be read by the magus that I had not been.
Zouken would never have needed this.
I didn't know if Imai had worked in the Matou home the first time around, but the gilding had been missing from this book when I found it in the old causality. She may have succeeded in lifting the precious metal from the cover then, only to be caught and… dealt with.
Perhaps she would live a little longer this time.
February 5th, 1990, 4:23 PM, Miyama City Nursery School
"It's so good to see you again, Wakumi-san!"
Hinode returned the other woman's smile. "I missed you too Suzu-san. And its a pleasure as always, Himuro-shichou."
"Please, Hinode-san. I'm here as a father, not the mayor," Himuro responded jovially.
Kane entered the room hand in hand with her mother, and as soon as she spotted me she waved awkwardly with her free hand. I politely returned the gesture, only to freeze under the judgemental gaze of her father. He only quit staring at me when his wife and daughter elbowed his side and prodded his leg in protest.
"Don't mind Shinji-kun for now. He has to wait for me to finish the interviews before I can take him home," Hinode said. "Yours is the last one for today."
"You're taxiing the boy home?" Suzu said with a curious edge. "How odd. I was under the impression Matou-san wasn't very trusting of you."
Hinode looked a little taken aback. "And I didn't think I'd ever catch the gossip queen of Fuyuki with outdated information."
The older woman's eyes lit up. "Oh? Is there something fascinating going on?"
"That is not why we are here," the gossip queen's husband interjected before waving his hand to the table and pair of couches nearby. "Shall we sit down?"
Overprotective father tendencies aside, the man oozed professionalism.
There were some nods between them, and they all arranged themselves in the upholstered seating. Hinode beside me, and the Himuro family on the opposite couch.
This was just a parent-teacher interview. A short dialogue that was meant to give parents a good idea of their child's well-being and how they behave in a social environment, among other things, before they start kindergarten. The Himuros were eager to learn more about their daughter, and a conversation developed quickly.
Naturally, I was already tuning it out before it even began, and fell into watching the steam billow quietly out of the recently boiled kettle on a nearby stovetop. The school's staff meeting room was rather well-equipped, and even had a little fridge to keep snacks in. One pair of stressed parents had downed four cups of tea while Hinode had talked them through their worries.
I restrained a sigh. Kindergarten would start in April, and I wasn't even sure if I'd even be attending for very long. It all depended on the success of the surgery, and while I was confident that I could do it, it didn't stop me from getting nervous. Hinode was still working on the tools and had said they'd be done soon enough. We were going to test them on Dad first.
Dad had lived with his worms for a long time, and they fused with the flesh in his arms a long time ago. If I could remove those, then my own parasites shouldn't be an issue. I didn't like the idea of experimenting on him, but he and Hinode had talked me into it.
… That idiot.
Hinode would use the results of that to fine-tune the mystic codes before my operation, which by the way things looked, would likely happen in late April or early May. Maybe even on my birthday.
I left my internal pondering long enough to catch Kane staring at me. She looked a tad nervous. I smiled at her, and that seemed to calm her down a little. It was no trouble to make sure she would be in a good mood.
Especially for the second half of this meeting.
I glanced carefully at the small box in my lap. It was no bigger than my forearm and contained something best described as evidence. Something Hinode had prepared so she could make a demonstration later.
I still couldn't believe that Hinode had bothered to ask Tohsaka for his approval to do this— or that he had understood and agreed with the reasons to go through with this. Perhaps he really did care for his friend as much as Hinode believed. Whatever the case, things should be getting interesting soon.
"Thank you for your attentiveness, Hinode-san. I'm glad she's socialising properly. We were rather worried that she was too reserved to make any good friends," Himuro said. "Well, besides Shinji-kun, of course."
That felt like it was somehow a veiled insult.
"Children tend to act differently around their parents. Kane-chan's usually not this quiet," Hinode said. "Especially with Shinji-kun in the room."
That also felt like a veiled insult, so I gave Hinode an accusing glare and an impish smirk flickered over her face when we made eye contact.
"It's a shame he's so sickly. Kane-chan is always so worried about him," Suzu said, earning an embarrassed cry from her daughter.
"That aside, I'm just glad Kane isn't so attached to him that she doesn't interact with anyone else," the mayor said before he motioned as though he intended to stand up. "That went shorter than I'd expected… unless there's something else?"
Hinode nodded, took a deep breath, and then gravely said, "There's something else."
"Is there something we should be worried about, Wakumi-san?" Suzu said.
Hinode spoke in a flat tone. "Has Kane ever mentioned something of the likes of 'fuzzy colours' to you?"
"Ah, that," Suzu said with a nod. "Kane-chan has been displaying signs of short-sightedness for a while now. We've taken her to see multiple optometrists and they're all surprised by how early it's developed."
"She's going to need glasses soon," Himuro added.
Then, quietly, barely audible. "… I'm sorry."
All of us looked to Kane.
"It was a secret…" she said. "And I…"
Oh, right. "It's okay, Kane. We were about to tell your parents about them anyway," I said.
She lit up at that. "Really?"
"Yeah," I put on a smile for her, and it seemed to calm her down.
Her parents were a little less assured by it though. "I don't understand. What secret? Why would you tell Kane to hide that from us?"
"Because there's a bit more to these fuzzy colours than simple myopia," Hinode said.
The married couple slowly exchanged a glance, and Suzu eventually gave a light shrug before they returned their attention to Hinode.
"Shinji-kun, could you set it up, please?" Hinode asked.
Here we go…
I pulled myself off the couch and gently placed the small box on the table. As I opened it, I could hear the Himuros all leaning forward curiously to try and peer inside. Even Kane adorably mimicked her parents as I pulled two objects out of the small container.
The first thing I produced from the box was a folded piece of parchment. Signs of its age were easily visible, and it had a magic circle drawn on it in what I assumed was pencil.
Then I pulled out a small metallic object, which I gingerly put down in the centre of the parchment within the magical circle. It resembled a gyroscope and was no bigger than my palm. The core of the device had odd inscriptions carved into it.
"Pretty…" Kane breathed.
Hinode smiled, automatically switching to the expression she used when she was talking to the kids in the playroom. "What do you see around this, Kane-chan?"
"The fuzzy colours! A lot of them!"
Hinode nodded and then turned her attention to the mayor and his wife, who were blatantly confused. "And what do you see, Suzu-san, Himuro-sama."
Suzu coughed into her hand. "It's a… device of some sort?"
"Yes, it's a… gyroscope, isn't it?" the mayor frowned at the object and shook his head. "This is ridiculous. What are you trying to say?"
"Alright then, I'll just get to the point," Hinode said with an agreeing nod. She lifted her hand and pointed a finger at the thing on the table.
It trembled.
"Xiàngshàng," Hinode intoned.
The circle on the parchment lit up a faint white, and then the rings of the metal object began to shift. They bumped awkwardly on the table until the lettering on the core began shimmering and the device started to slowly ascend, allowing the rings to spin properly around each other.
As the device reached the apex of its climb, about half a metre above the table, I discreetly examined the Himuros and saw them wide-eyed in shock.
"… Is this m-magnets?" Suzu said. "It's has to be magnets."
"This is made of brass, silver, and bone. None of which are magnetic," Hinode said before she tapped gently on the parchment still glittering on the table. "Magnets don't make pencil lines glow, either."
"It's magic!" Kane said enthusiastically.
"Yes, Kane-chan. It's magic," Hinode grinned. "Would you like to see more?"
"Yeah!"
Hinode giggled and produced a small white glow on her fingertip. She drew a small symbol in the air— which I assumed was some Chinese character— and it drew itself together into a small glowing mote on Hinode's fingertip.
The older Himuros looked somewhere between baffled and frightened. The mayor was scrutinising the levitating metal as it rotated and let out a faint hum, Suzu was pale-faced and watching Hinode playfully waggle her glowing fingertip around to amuse Kane.
"Hinode-san," I said.
"Hmm?" She looked at me quizzically.
I cleared my throat and tilted my head towards the other adults in the room.
Hinode followed the gesture, dismissed her light spell, and quickly straightened herself. "Suzu-san, Himuro-sama?"
The two parents drew their eyes away from the levitating bauble and met Hinode's gaze.
"Would you like some tea?"
After a few blinks, the mayor was the first to react. "You… but— this— you're offering us tea?"
"Yes. Tea," she pointed over to the stovetop. "I boiled the kettle and set out some teabags over there before you arrived. We have green, Ceylon, English breakfast, and oolong."
The man's head turned towards the stovetop. "Ah, um… yes. Tea. Green. For me, that is."
Hinode stood and made her way over to the counter. "And Suzu-san?"
"She likes English breakfast," the mayor answered for his wife. "Right dear?"
Suzu snapped out of her confused daze and blinked at him. "Hm?"
"English breakfast. One sugar and no milk?"
"… Yes."
Hinode began setting up the teacups. She also took a pair of juice boxes out of the fridge. For Kane and I, presumably.
"Michiyuki, she…" I heard Suzu mutter, reaching out to her husband, "… she made her finger glow."
"I saw," he said, gently taking her hand.
"And the metal thing float."
"Yes."
"… What's going on?" she almost whined.
"I don't know. I'm sure she'll explain. We should just wait for that."
"Oh… okay."
I already expected the man to be level-headed enough to not panic at the sight of magecraft, but it was clear that he deserved his position as Mayor. Suzu must have had a lot of faith in him too. She was already calmed just holding his hand.
Kane was a bit too distracted by the floating gyroscope-like thing to notice her parents' discomfort, completely dazzled by all the lights that she could probably see swirling around it.
Hinode returned to the couches with a tray of teacups, which she set down in front of the adults. She placed a pair of small orange juice cartons on the table as well, one for Kane and one for me.
It was the mayor who spoke first. "Why did you show us those… things, Hinode-san?"
Hinode took a small sip of her tea. "I am a mage, and I practice magecraft. And I wanted to tell you both that Kane-chan has the potential to do the same things that I can."
Suzu glanced at her daughter, who was still smiling like a loon at the thing hovering above the table.
"So this is magic?" the mayor asked, gesturing to the floating object. "This is being suspended in the air by some manner of spell?"
"Yes," Hinode said.
"You're actually trying to tell us that magic is real?"
"Every single supernatural thing you've ever heard of is true in some sense."
"… Like ghosts?" Suzu asked.
"Yes," Hinode said before she leaned forward slightly. "Do you believe me, or do I need to demonstrate magecraft any further?"
The mayor huffed. "I think you might. This is… well, it's weird. I cannot right now think of any reason you would try to deceive us. But… magic? You want us to accept that? This object could be magnetic, and there are a lot of ways to make light. If you want me to take this seriously, you might need to show us something plainly impossible, Hinode-san."
He wanted to deny that what he'd seen so far was magic, but he didn't know how he was supposed to point it out. So he was pressing her claim, trying to put her on the spot so that she would contradict herself at some point. Looking for the lie— for the flaw in the proof. It was the rational and cautious thing to do, after all, since it wasn't outrageous for him to think that we were trying to con him. He'd probably had to deal with people peddling nonsense every week.
"Alright, then. I'm going to make something appear in my hand," Hinode said, holding her hand out with her palm up. "No sleight of hand, and no mysterious objects up my sleeve. Watch closely."
As the Himuros stared, a brief flicker of spotty white light left a piece of pale wood in her palm. It took less than a second.
"… What is it?" Suzu asked.
"It's a stick of balsa wood made of magical energy. Here," she held it out to the mayor, who carefully picked it out of her hand and inspected it. "If you break it, it will fade."
The man blinked at it a few times, letting his fingers run the length of the conjured item. Then he raised his other hand and, after a moment's hesitation, snapped the flimsy thing in two. Whatever was holding its existence together faltered, and it vanished in a pale glitter.
"Dear…?" Suzu said in her husband's silence.
"It… felt like real wood. And fell apart like it was… made of dust," he muttered to her, staring at the vacant space in his own hands.
Suzu put her hand on his shoulder, and he pulled his gaze up to hers. They held eye contact briefly before their faces set into stern looks.
Himuro took a sharp breath as he spoke to Hinode again. "Why are you showing us this? What does it have to do with Kane?"
"As I said, Kane-chan has the ability to use magecraft," Hinode said.
"She can use magic?"
"There's a distinction between magic and magecraft, but we can skip that for now. Kane has something called magical circuits, which are what let people use magecraft. She has a lot of them— almost sixty— which is absurdly high for someone without mage heritage. Normally they are inert without outside interference, but they were activated on the day that she pushed over Shinji-kun about two years ago."
The mayor's protective glare returned and bored spiteful holes into me. "Why?" he asked.
"I was trying to figure out how to make use of my own magical circuits," I explained. "The contact with me triggered a reaction that sent magical energy through her circuits, activating them."
It was a watered-down explanation, omitting all of the nerve circuit nonsense I thought it would do, but the man just blinked dully at my response, seemingly thrown off.
"I'm supernaturally smart, if that's what's confusing you," I added quickly.
"Before we get completely sidetracked by that…" Hinode interjected, stopping the disgruntled parent from getting carried away. "The thing is, we really wouldn't have had any reason to actually tell you about magecraft if it wasn't for the way that the world of magecraft is run. Practitioners of magecraft are generally paranoid, territorial, exploitive, and ruthless."
Himuro sighed. "You're saying that mages such as yourself are dangerous," he deduced.
Hinode and I nodded.
"You won't have to worry about me doing anything, but you're right. A mage would be able to tell that Kane has significant potential, and most of them would try to acquire her through whatever means are available to them," Hinode cleared her throat. "There's also the way that Kane-chan senses magical energy."
It was Suzu who made the connection. "… The fuzzy colours."
"Yes. She can see the magical energy involved in supernatural phenomena," Hinode said. "That in and of itself isn't weird, but she's particularly good at spotting it. If her curiosity gets the better of her it might get her into trouble."
The parents' concerns and fears were easy to read. They shared a look and seemed to be trying to come to some sort of understanding. Whatever they were thinking must have been rather dark because they were both slowly growing pale.
… And the atmosphere in the room would have remained quite heavy if it weren't for the sudden slurpy noises.
Everyone's eyes were drawn to the girl looking innocently up at the floating metal bauble, playfully swinging her legs as she sipped the last drops of juice out of her carton. We all smiled to varying degrees.
Nice timing, Kane.
"You're telling us about this because you wanted us to be ready?" Himuro said.
Hinode nodded. "Yes. I should give you the basic political situation in and around Fuyuki. And, yes, I know you're the mayor, but I mean on the magical side of things."
The mayor was quick to realise he was in his element. "Alright then, what kind of environment am I dealing with?"
"There are two mage families that live in Fuyuki. Matou and Tohsaka."
"Tohsaka?!" the surprise on his face would have been funny if I didn't want him to keep his cool. "You don't mean Tohsaka Tokiomi do you?"
"The Tohsaka family are responsible for maintaining the ley lines in Fuyuki. The term for his position is 'Second Owner', and it's not too different from the normal legal term."
"… Who is the First Owner?"
"The Mage's Association. It's one of the largest governing bodies for mages."
"So these mage governments are the ones I should be worried about?"
"Not in particular… but the less you interact with them, the better," Hinode said darkly. "On that note; you must not tell other people about magecraft. It's a secret for a reason, and groups like the Association go out of their way to make sure it stays that way."
"I have no problems keeping secrets," the mayor said confidently. "Suzu has plenty of practice keeping things from away from prying eyes, too."
"I can be discreet," Suzu acknowledged. She seemed to have recovered from her initial shock just like her husband.
"That's good to hear," Hinode continued. "Tohsaka-san knows that I'm telling you all of this, so once we're finished up here you can approach him with any further concerns. I think you might be more comfortable talking to him, and I'm certain you can count on him to help you understand the greater political atmosphere better than I can."
Himuro nodded at that in agreement.
"There's also a third family that owns the forests southwest of the city. I don't know any more about them other than that, so I can't say whether or not they'll show any interest in Kane-chan."
"They probably won't go out of their way," I chimed in. "The Einzbern are kind of reclusive and don't care about much beyond their homunculi."
Hinode looked a little surprised. "It's really the alchemists? I thought that had to be wrong. What do they have to do with Fuyuki?"
That didn't bode well. "Did Zouken not tell you why we live here?"
Hinode blinked. "No."
She doesn't know about the Holy Grail.
"Is it important right now?" she asked.
"Not really. I'll tell you about it later," I said. There were materials in the library concerning the local battle royale that I could show Hinode later, and I didn't want to scare the Himuros with that information unless it was completely necessary.
"Anyway," Hinode returned to the mayor, "the only non-mage party in Fuyuki is the Church. Do you know Kotomine Risei?"
"… Yes, through Tokiomi-san."
"He should be able to quite literally offer you sanctuary in an emergency."
"That's… good to know."
Hinode nodded and hummed. "So, those are the major parties in Fuyuki. Tohsaka-san is your friend, and since we now know who they all are— thank you, Shinji-kun— the only mage I'd consider dangerous at the moment is Matou Zouken. Tohsaka-san should keep him in check though. Both families will also keep unwanted guests out, but if things get hectic, you can count on the priest."
"So what can I do to keep my daughter safe from this 'Zouken' character?"
"As I said, Tohsaka-san's relationship with you should keep him at bay, and Kane-chan being friends with Shinji-kun helps. If you ever do meet him— or any other magi, actually— treat them as you would the Devil," she stressed. "Be polite, but don't make any deals or promises."
"Don't lie, either. They'll probably know," I added, drawing a nod from Hinode.
The mayor considered that briefly and eventually said, "If none of the mages in Fuyuki will bother us, then this all doesn't seem as dangerous as you'd originally said, Hinode-san."
Hinode nodded. "Fuyuki is probably going to be the most stable place for Kane to live at the moment, but I'm more concerned about Kane-chan's safety in the long term. If she ever leaves Fuyuki for any reason— a holiday, a school trip, or to study abroad— she won't have the relative peacefulness of Fuyuki to protect her in those situations."
She's really promoting Fuyuki as a safe haven. I really should have made sure she knew about the Holy Grail War before all of this.
"Right now, you decide whether or not you want Kane to learn magecraft, even if only to defend herself from other mages and magical phenomena," she said. "If you don't want her to, then making sure she understands the danger and has people she can count on is still important."
"And who can we count on?"
"The Tohsakas, Kotomine, myself, and all the Matous except Zouken," Hinode checked her watch and sighed. "This is dragging on longer than I'd expected, so, um… Kane-chan?"
I'd almost forgotten she was here for all of that, but it seemed like she was a bit too focused on the floating mystic code to even hear her own name. And, even if she was listening to any of that, it might have all gone over her head anyway.
"Kane-chan?" Suzu said.
"Huh— what?" Kane snapped to attention, looking between everyone.
"Did you understand all of that?" Hinode said.
"Um… yep! I can do magic!"
"That's right!" Hinode smiled at her. "And… make sure that if you see any of the fuzzy colours you tell your parents about it, okay?"
"Because they know the seeecret!" Kane giggled.
"That… reminds me," Himuro said. "Kane-chan told me she saw a lot of them near the new city hall."
Hinode nodded. "That would be one of Fuyuki's ley line hotspots. Kotomine's church, Ryuudou Temple, and Tohsaka-san's mansion are built on the other three."
"Are they safe?"
Hinode nodded again, this time with a light hum. "Kane-chan will probably see more colours in the south-west forest and around the Matou household too. If she sees them anywhere else just let us or Tohsaka-san know and we'll investigate for you," Hinode said, snatching the mystic code out of the air.
"Aww…" Kane whined about losing her light show.
"Okay. That's good to know." The mayor said. "We'll take Kane-chan home for now."
"Are we going?" Kane asked as Suzu led her off of the couch and towards the door. "Bye, Shinji!"
"Bye, Kane," I called back with a wave. "See you later."
The mayor followed his family out of the meeting room and glanced back through the door. He definitely hadn't looked that worried when he arrived. Hinode bowed to him, and he hardened his expression before disappearing down the hallway.
Hinode closed the door. Then, straightening herself, she shuddered.
"You alright?" I asked.
"Oh, I feel awful!" she said, making her way back to the couch where she down the remainder of her tea in a single gulp.
I remembered there was a juice box in front of me, so I unpacked the straw and stabbed it through the foil circle. "They took it rather well, though."
"How was that 'taking it well'?!"
I sucked some juice out of the carton and swallowed before answering. "They could've stormed out when we tried to tell them magic is real."
"But they were so, so… ugh!" she bellowed.
I rolled my eyes.
She glared at me.
I raised an eyebrow.
She glared at me harder.
I sipped my juice.
"I wanna go home. Byakuya is making mie goreng tonight, right?" she said with a sigh. The stress must have made her hungry.
"Imai-san is a competent teacher apparently. Those croquettes he made last week were great," I said.
"They had vegetables from the greenhouse in them," Hinode hummed happily as she recalled them.
I drained the juice carton empty as Hinode stood up and found her shoulder bag where she'd left it, and we both left the room.
February 5th, 1990, 4:37 PM, Streets of Miyama
As we drew further away from the nursery school, the guises of small businesses passed us by, slowly being replaced by the fences and walls of spacious homes and the occasional small parks that dotted the residential blocks. People lived their entire lives in those places. Started families, raised children, ate, slept, and participated in whatever frivolities took their fancy.
They also didn't get involved in magical wars or let phantasmal parasites into their bodies. They feared only mundane things like homework, taxes, and misery.
Those were the thoughts that touched my focus for a little longer than I'd intended them to as I watched it all blur by. I knew it was weird. Or, at least, that it was weird for me. I wasn't the sort of person to consider the troubles of people I didn't know. People who do are the rare ones. Apathy for strangers is supposed to be normal.
Not to the point of disregarding their lives for personal gain, though. That way of thinking made me use Rider's Noble Phantasm at Homurahara Academy. I couldn't recall the exact line of reasoning that led to that particular effort— all I had ever been able to conclude was that I must have been driven insane.
It had taken far too long before the guilt for all of my actions in the fifth war finally started to set in. I remembered how easy it had been to not give a damn about all those people… and I knew that I still thought that way. Ten years to think about it and the miracle of time travel on top of it and I was still a heartless narcissist. As long as I wasn't the one responsible or affected by their suffering then it wasn't worth the attention.
I could feel the spite welling up. Damn him. Damn Zouken. I'm going to enjoy watching whatever remains of his life drain from his eyes when I get around to wiping his miserable existence off the face of the world.
… I didn't feel like thinking too hard about it. It was probably best to acknowledge my newer opinion as a kind of personal growth and leave it at that.
"You've got that adorable thinking-really-hard-face on, Shinji-kun," Hinode said, playfully wrenching me from my thoughts with a flick of the indicator and a smirk. "Is the booster seat uncomfortable?"
"The booster seat is fine," I said monotonously. I'd gotten over that minor embarrassment weeks ago.
Even if I had stopped to glare at it for a moment before I sat in it. It was fine. Seriously.
It was fine.
"I'm just pondering some things," I continued.
She hummed such that her curiosity was obvious. "What sort of things?"
"About normal people, and normal things that people do. They have no idea that they live amongst monsters like Zouken." Or monsters like me.
"… Feeling guilty about Kane's circuits?" Hinode guessed.
More like nearly killing her and over a hundred other people. "No, that's not it."
"What's up then?"
I briefly considered telling her what weighed on my mind—that I'd nearly killed all those people in a desperate ploy for approval from the old monster that we both disliked. It would mean telling her about the old causality, the paradox, Einzbern, and my intent to excise Zouken from the world.
It might have even been a good idea.
So I buried everything deep and said, "I don't wanna talk about it."
"Hey, that's okay. There's no pressure," Hinode said with a saintly smile. "We could talk about what you mentioned earlier instead, if you like."
Did I mention something earlier? When?
Noticing my confusion, Hinode reminded me. "You said you would tell me why the Matou live here."
Ah. That.
I could try to piece together a summary of the whole thing, but I really wanted the notes in the library on hand for that. Would she even know what a Servant was?
The silence lasted a bit too long, and Hinode glanced at me before returning her focus to the road. "Is it… problematic?" she asked.
"Honestly… I'm still kind of surprised that you don't know about it. Have you read any of the books in our library?"
"Hm," Hinode hummed with an affirmative nod as she turned a corner into more built-up streets. "I can't use a majority of it, though. I've always practised magecraft dependent on far eastern philosophies, so much of the Matou library is pretty much useless to me in any practical sense. You know; oriental and occidental philosophical incompatibility."
A memory of Einzbern surfaced— being scolded about mixing Chinese herbology with Western alchemy—and I felt uncomfortably nostalgic. "I never really understood why the two don't mix."
"There's more than one reason, but the fundamental one is that the two operate on different ideological frameworks. Western magecraft operates on the classical elements of Greece, but a lot of eastern practices use a different set based on Taoist philosophy known as Wǔxíng, which is fire, earth, metal, water, and wood."
"Metal and… wood?"
"Yeah. Instead of wind and ether. Both sets of elements are supposed to summarise the physical basis of the world, but they conflict with one another. One frames water and fire as opposites, as well as wind and earth, alongside a theoretical outlier or supernatural unifier. But the other is cyclical in both negative and positive ways without any kind of obvious supernatural representation."
"That doesn't really explain why a Western mage wouldn't be able to use Eastern magecraft," I noted. "As long as you understand the ideology, wouldn't you be able to adjust your perspective?"
"There's something weird about the way a mage's self-hypnosis works after they start using one set. The elemental perspective kind of sticks in their heads, and trying to use the other conflicts with and is rejected by the preexisting one," Hinode explained. "It's possible to overcome it, but it takes a lot of practice and effort."
"So… it's like a kind of confirmation bias?" I speculated.
"Wow," Hinode murmured. "That makes so much sense."
As productive as the conversation felt, I decided to return to the original topic. "Interesting magecraft theory aside, we were talking about why the Matou live in Fuyuki. Did you do any research on the city before you moved here?"
"Um… yeah," Hinode said with a nod. "When I was looking for places to hide from my clan I figured Fuyuki looked nice and quiet. Nothing significant happens here either."
"Your source is obviously flawed if they told you that."
The car slowly drew to a stop at an intersection as a group of people walked over to a crosswalk in front of us. "How?" Hinode said.
"Does 'Holy Grail War' mean anything to you?"
"No." She looked furtively between me and the passing crowd. "Should it?"
It was the answer that I expected, but I sighed in frustration anyway.
"Um…" she said, a little worried now. "Will this be a long conversation? Should I park somewhere?"
"We could wait until we're back home. There's some stuff about it in the library that would make it easier," I suggested. "And Zouken would know more, I guess."
Hinode lifted a brow as the road cleared of pedestrians. "I'm a little concerned that you're bringing up a relic like the Holy Grail of all things. What don't I know?"
"I don't know the specific history, so I can only tell you why it's worrying me. But take a small detour if you feel like you have to," I said, before taking a deep breath.
I saw Hinode glance around the immediate surroundings before she decided to divert into an unfamiliar road. "Alright, what's this 'Holy Grail War'?"
"It's a reoccurring ritual in Fuyuki that usually happens every sixty years or so. Seven Magi are chosen as Masters, and each summon something called a Servant. The Masters and Servants fight each other, and the last remaining Master and Servant pair are both rewarded with a wish by the Holy Grail."
Hinode hummed. "A free for all with a wish granting prize at the end…? It isn't the real Holy Grail, right?"
"It's not," I confirmed, before immediately amending with, "Or… I at least don't think it is."
"You said there's only seven participants? That sounds kind of tame. If it's organised properly I don't think anyone should be in too much danger," Hinode hummed thoughtfully. "What's a Servant like?"
"A Servant is a Heroic Spirit."
"A… what?" Hinode balked before she laughed and shook her head slightly. "Sorry, sorry. I thought you said 'Heroic Spirit' for a second there. You might have to say that again."
"A Heroic Spirit," I repeated. "Noble Phantasms and everything."
A moment passed before I had the displeasure of watching Hinode slowly come to terms with the information. It didn't take long before she decided to slow the car down and execute a perfect parallel park manoeuvre to stop beside a small park clearing. She pulled the handbrake into place and sat there quietly. Her right hand, still on the steering wheel, tightened enough to go white. "You're serious?" she asked.
"Yes."
Once again, Hinode sat quietly and found observing the nearby houses to be a good use of her time. The only sound was that of the car's engine softly humming in front of us.
"Hinode-san?"
She cast a hardened glance in my direction at her name. After a few moments, it softened, and she opted to point her eyes forward, sit quietly, and raise a finger to indicate that she needed some time to think. I thought it wise to let her stew and took to scrutinising the nearby park.
It was a simple cleared area amongst the walled homes and apartments. Some benches, hedges, a lamppost, a sandbox, a slide, and a swing set were neatly arranged on a plot of cleared land, all painted a mossy green, a browned red, or a dull blue. It was a completely normal suburban playground.
"This city is a fucking deathtrap," Hinode eventually said.
I could agree with the sentiment.
"Are they legitimate Heroic Spirits?" she asked.
"No, it isn't the the actual Heroic Spirit. The Grail provides a botched version of the third magic that the Einzbern helped design. There's basically no difference in personality and such, but they're copies."
"… So that's how they're involved."
"Honestly I'm rather surprised you didn't know about it when you decided to come to Fuyuki. It's not exactly considered a very significant ritual by the Mage's Association, but they do know about it."
Hinode took a deep breath and nodded. "That would probably be because none of the global powers in the world of magecraft bother to share much with each other. I grew up in Taiwan, which is Spiral Manor territory."
"Spiral Manor?"
"It's like the eastern version of the Mage's Association, based in China," Hinode said, leaning her head on her hand as she pinched her brow. "When's the next one?"
"Five years. Probably in November."
She growled in exasperation as she put her head forward and caught it in her hands. "This city is a fucking deathtrap!"
"You've said."
"And I'll say it again! I just got done telling the Himuros Fuyuki was basically the safest place on the planet!" Her displeasure was plain to see from the broad hand gestures she made as she spoke. "Does the Church know about this?"
"They mediate it."
That seemed to be the final straw. "Of course they fucking do!" Hinode screeched, forcing me to cover my ears.
Yikes.
"This is the third time I've found myself some kind of security only to have some bullshit get the better of me! Stupid Tohsaka and his stupid face! Stupid Zouken! I'd bet that old bagworm planned this shit! He did, didn't he?!" she asked me pointedly, eyes wide in an undirected fury.
I was not entirely certain, but I was spooked enough to not care, so I nodded to deflect her wrath away from me.
"I can't believe that bastard! I swear, the second he looks like he's about to croak I'm gonna stomp his face into the pavement and make him die faster! I finally settled down! I finally found a guy I actually like, and felt like I belonged enough to get fucking pregnant and it turns out it's in the middle of a Heroic Spirit war zone! How am I supposed to raise a kid in this hellhole of a city?! What if I get dragged into everything?!"
… Some of that seemed a little more important than the rest.
"And not only aren't the church not doing anything to stop it, they're also fucking helping?! Aren't people who live here in danger?! Am I not allowed to have a normal life without magi bullshit ruining everything?!" She clammed up into silence, then turned quickly to face me. "You better not be lying about this or your grounded, young man."
I was in the middle of reasoning through Hinode's earlier words when she delivered that particular ultimatum. It was laughable really, that she thought that might put any pressure on me. I had been telling the truth, so I didn't need to worry about being grounded. I did need to suppress a sarcastic remark, though.
"Not that I'm particularly invested in changing the subject," I said, matter-of-factly, "but was that a mood swing?"
Hinode's immediate response to that was to frown at me in bafflement. A flicker of realisation later, her face grew red, her eyebrows climbed her forehead, and her bottom lip was sucked between her teeth. She then found the steering wheel to be much more interesting than before.
"You okay?"
"… Sorry," she muttered.
"It's fine, I understand. But I'm pretty sure you're overreacting."
"Are you sure? Heroic Spirits are kind of a big deal, I don't want to get wound up in that kind of confrontation!"
"True, but I don't think we have to worry about being here when it all goes down."
"What makes you so sure?"
I opened my mouth to answer but immediately closed it. There was no way I could tell her about my boarding school experience the last time the fourth war had happened. So, after my brief hesitation, I said, "If Zouken is participating, we'd become targets for the other Masters because of our association with him. So he'd send us away somewhere safe, right?"
"What if Zouken specifically doesn't get involved?"
I squinted at her and shook my head in confusion. "Then there wouldn't be any reason for the Masters to bother us in the first place. I don't want anything to do with it, and I'm pretty sure that you don't either. As long as we stay out of it we don't have to worry."
"No, no, I mean, do you think that Zouken would manipulate any of us into fighting the war on his behalf?"
Again, I opened my mouth only for it to snap shut.
It was possible.
I knew that he'd convinced Sakura to summon Rider in the fifth war, and he'd had no qualms about letting me take over when I asked. Zouken might not even care who fought in the war as long as they won for him, or he got to watch them lose.
Had he done the same for the fourth war in the old causality? I didn't know anyone Zouken could've pressed into doing it— I didn't even know who was involved in the conflict beyond Einzbern's parents. It definitely wasn't Dad, and as far as I was aware, Hinode hadn't been discovered then.
This time though, when the fourth war eventually came around, Hinode would be the best mage the Matou had on hand besides Zouken himself.
The only thing the elder needed was the right collateral and he could force her to become a Master and make a wish to his specifications. Byakuya managed the Matou estate and Mage's Association communication for Zouken, and I was a long-term investment for him, so as of now, there is nothing replaceable that Zouken could use to blackmail Hinode.
That would change in about nine months.
"Based on that expression of yours, I suppose I don't need to explain," Hinode said. "You know him better than I do. Would he do it?"
I nodded, processing the awful situation I'd only just realised we were in. "He would absolutely make you do it for his own amusement."
Hinode stared at the steering wheel momentarily before she said, "There's still five years. I suppose I should start preparing myself."
I adjusted my seatbelt as the scenery started moving past the passenger window once again. I averted my eyes, choosing instead to focus on Hinode.
"… You said there was more about it in the library?" she asked.
"I can gather those books for you."
"Thanks. And I'm sorry for yelling," she apologised again.
"Don't worry, it's fine."
I could tell she was focused on the road, but the skin of her face was taut, and she was still gripping the wheel hard enough that the pressure was showing in her fingers, forming a dark red pattern.
… I didn't like that.
Leaning forward slightly so that I was visible in her peripheral vision, I smirked at her.
"What is it?" she asked once she noticed.
"Pregnant?" I said, letting my tiny grin grow.
Hinode pouted. "I was going to tell Byakuya first…"
"I can play dumb if you like."
A little smile finally appeared on her face. "No, that's okay. I'm sure he won't mind."
I let myself settle into the back of the booster seat again. Hinode had a looser grip on the wheel now.
That's better.
February 5th, 1990, 9:57 PM, Matou Residence
"Shinji is asleep," Byakuya said, closing the bedroom door behind him.
Wakumi had changed into her nightwear and was now unbraiding her hair, letting the curtain of dark locks fall over her back. Byakuya thought the length of her hair was nothing short of amazing. It also felt good to run his hands through it on occasion.
… With her permission, of course.
She plucked her white ribbon from the bedside and tied it all into a ponytail. "Good. He was sitting around in that meeting room for a long time, so I was worried he might have been restless."
Byakuya remembered that the parent-teacher interviews were today. The meeting with the Himuros had happened. "How did the mayor take everything?"
"Well, I think it could've gone much better," Wakumi said despondently. "But Shinji-kun insisted that the fact they even listened to us in the first place was good enough. Himuro-san will probably go to Tohsaka-san for some kind of confirmation."
Wakumi performed a full-body stretch after she spoke, and Byakuya resisted looking away bashfully so he could watch the way the cloth of her pyjamas clung to her skin. He couldn't help but notice that she was wearing underwear tonight and took it as a sign that she wanted him to keep his desires in check for now.
"What did you get up to today?" Wakumi asked with a cheeky grin.
"Correspondence with the Clock Tower," Byakuya said with a weary sigh.
"That couldn't have been fun."
"It's mostly just placing orders for materials and other goods. Some of it was little over my head. Mana supplements for Shinji was the easiest request to fill out."
"I imagine you would have done that yourself if Zouken hadn't asked you to."
"Hopefully it won't be necessary once Shinji has had his… surgery."
The word tasted bitter on his tongue. It probably would for a while yet. A three-year-old performing a surgical operation on themselves wasn't exactly something Byakuya thought any responsible parent would ever approve of. Let alone allow the same child to do the same to their parent.
And yet, somehow, he'd been talked into allowing Shinji to do those very things.
"But did it really take you all day to place an order for mana supplements?" Wakumi asked curiously.
"Ah, no," Byakuya said, trying to recall some of the items on Zouken's list. "It was a whole bunch of orders."
"… Food for the worms?"
"Among other things," Byakuya nodded. Then he remembered the oddity on the list. "He's participating in an auction for a piece of the Round Table."
"The… Round Table? From Camelot?"
"Yes, that one."
Wakumi fell silent in thought.
"Everything okay?"
"Mm," Wakumi hummed, slowly walking over to Byakuya. Once she reached him, she pulled him into a hug that he could not help but reciprocate.
He brought his arms around her and took a deep breath. He could smell her shampoo. Plums… no? Peaches? She'd changed it. Byakuya thought she smelled amazing. They held each other for at least half a minute before he loosened his hold enough to look her in the eye.
"What's on your mind?" he asked.
Wakumi stared at him as she took a deep breath through her nose. "Despite how it happened, I'm… really glad I met you and Shinji-kun."
Byakuya smiled as he remembered their first real conversation in the parking bays at the nursery school. "I don't think I'll ever be able to thank you enough for everything you're doing for Shinji."
"Oh, it's only natural that I do something." She pecked him on the cheek. "Making sure he survives beyond his third summer is the least I can do."
"Thank you, though. Really. It means so much to me, and I'm sure that Shinji is just as grateful," he said.
"Byakuya…"
"But that's not all I'm thankful to you for. I've… really enjoyed having you here— and not just because we're active at night."
Wakumi smiled like a demon. "You can just say that you like fucking me."
Byakuya sighed, but he also smiled. "… Yes. That. But also… talking to you and Shinji over breakfast, seeing you off before you go to work and welcoming you back, and spending the evenings talking, seeing you enjoy food that I made or seeing all the work I've done in the greenhouse. I'm… really glad that your here."
Byakuya saw Wakumi glance at the wall, her feet shifting slightly as she took everything in. "I'm glad that I'm here, too," she said.
"I just wanted you to know that… no matter what happens after the child is born, I'm okay with it. So I want to ask you…" Byakuya lowered his head and thought out his next words carefully. "Are you really okay with all of this? With being here?"
Wakumi blinked a few times at Byakuya's words.
"… Being around Zouken, specifically," he continued, still looking at the floor. "I know that he's not pleasant to be around, and you might have concerns, given what happened to Shinji's mother."
The room was silent, so he kept going.
"After you've… done what he's asked, you might even want to leave. If it ever comes down to that then I just wanted to—"
Wakumi lifted a hand.
His gaze was caught by the gesture, and Byakuya noticed that Wakumi was glaring at him with thin eyes.
"I understand what you're getting at," she said slowly. Then she poked the finger of her raised hand into Byakuya's chest. "But I'll make you sleep in the living room for a week if you say anything like that ever again."
Byakuya was surprised, but he was caught in her glare and nodded.
Wakumi's scowl faded, replaced by a faint smile.
Byakuya couldn't help but think that she looked a little sad, and then she gently pulled Byakuya in for another hug and rested her chin on his shoulder. Once again, he could only smell peaches, and he let his arms wrap around her again as he lost his train of thought in the scent.
"I… didn't really have any plans."
Byakuya didn't break the hug when she spoke, but he didn't feel like it would be right to respond to her either, so he just waited for her to continue.
"Before Shinji-kun found me out, all I'd been focussed on was hiding from everyone." She pulled her head back slightly so she could look Byakuya in the eye. "I was… kind of afraid that the idea that I'd be spending the rest of my life alone would come true. I ran away from my clan so that I could live a normal life in the first place, but every time I tried to reach out for something I wanted to do, I ended up hesitating. I couldn't find a partner because I'd have to explain the world of magecraft to them at some point, and if my clan ever found me then they'd probably… dispose of them. That isn't even considering the potential mess with Tohsaka that would come from being found out."
She sighed, releasing Byakuya and running her hands down his arms. He let them slide down to his hands, where they entwined their fingers in a comforting hold.
"When Shinji-kun tried to hypnotise me I thought it was all over, I ran away. From Shinji-kun! I ran away from a little boy! Hahaha!" she giggled. "And then I made the deal with Tohsaka, and I let myself believe that I'd caught a lucky break. I'd thought I was practically invincible as long as I don't make a workshop or mess with the landlord. I didn't want to be involved in magi crap anyway so it was supposedly perfect. Then the bagworm showed up on my door and I was so confident that he couldn't do anything to me."
Wakumi sighed.
"Imagine my surprise when my impenetrable political defence was done in by an address," she said.
Byakuya didn't know what to say. It didn't seem like the kind of thing he could weigh in on; her experience hiding away from the world of magecraft, having her freedom threatened, and having Zouken's ultimatum thrown upon her. All he knew was that because of all of that, she'd been brought into his life, and it brought him comfort that was in no way small.
He was glad she was here— he'd already said as much. She'd already said that she was glad to have met him, but did that mean she was happy?
"Are you… disappointed with the way things are?" He dared to ask.
"No. I think I'm the happiest I've ever been in my whole life," she said.
It was like a balm on his heart.
"This is closest I could ever have come to a normal way of living, all things considered. I've got a handsome man waiting for me at home, a smart kid to spend time with, and a baby on the way."
The balm was flammable. A fire caught in his chest and spread its searing heat to his face. His throat felt like it was being squeezed. "A b-baby?" he managed to squeak.
"Well… yeah. I'm pregnant," Wakumi smiled mischievously. "That was the whole point of all that mind numbing sex we've been having."
They weren't doing that right now, but Byakuya felt numb in the head anyway. He could hear his heart beating in his ears. The rest of the room didn't exist anymore. Only the cheery and captivating woman stood before him looking far too pleased with herself.
And she was pregnant. With his child.
"Hinode Wakumi," Byakuya said as he brought their still interlocked hands between them. "Will you marry me?"
Surprise bloomed on her face, and for a moment, Byakuya feared that he may have been hasty. He'd asked her to stay with him forever, even with the knowledge that it would mean living under the thumb of the monster that stalked the halls and infested the house's frame.
"I, um…" Wakumi held a breath as she looked into his eyes. "Sure…?"
She didn't sound so certain.
Even the confusion on Byakuya's face was hesitant.
"I mean— I thought that was already kind of decided, wasn't it? Or are you just making sure that you do it properly?" she said as her head cocked to one side.
… Oh.
Byakuya cleared his throat. "I… suppose I was a little overcome with emotion. Sorry."
"Hey! No!" She pulled one hand free of the tangled hands between them and lightly poked Byakuya on the nose. "You did nothing wrong. You were completely lovestruck. That's basically a really cute way of saying that I'm awesome!"
Byakuya stood silently as the embarrassment slowly made itself comfortable in his skull.
"Oh, and I'd love to marry you."
His thoughts were suddenly thrown into disarray, and he wasn't ready when Wakumi pulled him closer and pressed her mouth to his.
The scent of peaches assaulted him, this time alongside the faint minty taste of toothpaste. One of Wakumi's gentle arms slowly coiled around his waist, and his hands surrendered themselves to being held captive on hers.
It was a long kiss, and Byakuya hoped it would never end.
When their faces finally separated, hers was red with a broad grin. "Cuddle me in bed?" she breathed out.
She started leading him by their still entangled hands, and Byakuya just nodded as he was pulled along.
February 6th, 1990, 2:10 AM, Worm Pit
Zouken knew his memory was not as reliable as he wanted it to be. Such was the nature of old age, and within a decade, he would see the end of his fifth century. Things did not slip his mind or remain unfinished with any great frequency, but there was the odd occasion— failing to inform the housekeeper not to read the books in the upstairs library, for example.
He was glad Shinji had caught that detail. Their current housekeeper was reliable, and that was a quality difficult to come by.
There was also… something in the back of his mind. Memories that danced on the edge of his mind only to flee when he reached for them, their importance long beyond his recollection. And if he'd forgotten something crucial enough that only its faded image haunted him, then it wasn't too hard to believe that he'd neglected lesser things. It had been a wise decision to keep records of events in his study.
Byakuya had been useful in that regard. Surprisingly, his initiative in managing the estate and some Mage's Association affairs was a boon. If not for taking the menial burden off Zouken's shoulders, then for allowing him extra time to collect his thoughts and make notes.
The competency Byakuya had displayed also much more than Zouken had expected. Necessary commodities from Mage's Association suppliers had arrived ahead of schedule, and the progression of a particular auction in their favour was worthy of note as well. Everything resulted in a satisfyingly concise report placed in the elder's study each day for him to review.
Zouken was pleased with the change.
As he was with the news the Hinode woman had revealed today. She had finally been impregnated, and a spare heir would be available in the event Shinji was unable to overcome his defect, inconveniently perished, or… took after Kariya.
The elder did not want a repeat of that debacle. Not this soon, at least. Shinji's true value had yet to be determined.
The woman had been researching his circuits, and her experiments had resulted in an unusual set of notes. It was an enchantment— likely a component for a mystic code of some nature— but Zouken's understanding of the woman's craft was lacking enough that he couldn't imagine the finished product.
Studying the books the woman had brought with her upon her arrival had made it clear that the Hinode Clan, wherever they hailed from, possessed a deeper understanding of enchantment than he was familiar with. He didn't like the wench by any means, but he could admit that her comprehension of mystic codes and their application was nothing short of masterful.
Zouken would not interfere with her project. If it allowed Shinji to use his magical circuits, then it only meant that threatening her into being Byakuya's mare had been the right decision.
Even if the way Byakuya behaved around her lit sparks of spite within him.
The display earlier. Pleasure in intimacy. Body near body. Embraced in each other.
Curse them and their bodies. They should rot. Rot, just like him, and bask in the same pain he does. Rot! Rot! Rot! Ro—!
Zouken groaned as he forced himself to calm down. The worms before him twisted at the sound.
If the Hinode woman salvaged the Matou bloodline with her expertise, then he wouldn't condemn her for pursuing pleasure. As far as Zouken was concerned, she would have earned it. Byakuya's affection wasn't something he saw any need to withhold from her.
She was also aware of the Heaven's Feel ritual now. Shinji had shown her the material in the library only hours ago.
Zouken had not planned to put forward a Master for the fourth Holy Grail War. Byakuya was soon to have his crest worms removed to validate the effectiveness of the modified surgeon's tools, and even had he not, no one would have expected Byakuya to be capable enough to handle a Servant. Shinji certainly wouldn't be taking part, either.
But the Hinode woman's competency was giving him ideas.
Maybe she would liberate him from his pain?
That, or she would rot.
Zouken shuddered, mirroring the writhing mass on the floor.
… Either would be fine.
A/N
Hi everyone! It's good to see you all again.
And I've got news!
I've decided that my second story is going to be Child of Din! It's a Legend of Zelda story with a focus on Majora. (If you wanted Pokémon Slayer, then that's too bad. I've lost interest in it for now.) I'll be making the cover and then the pilot chapter starting after Shinji's Paradox hits its fifteenth.
Also, starting there, I'm probably going to NOT trap myself into a chapter structure that leads me to exceed ten thousand words every upload anymore. It's a nightmare to edit chapters this large. Even WITH Grammarly.
It'll probably be easier for me to alternate between Shinji's Paradox and Child of Din at that point too. I'm still learning how to make writing a routine and habitual part of my day, and the weekly uploads this story started as are kind of the thing I hope will be normal again. Maybe fortnightly for each story if it works out that way.
Anyway. This chapter.
NEW STORY COVER! OMG! WOWSERS! What do all of you think?
Imai gets some development, and I can't wait to see what people think her deal is.
I want to know what people think of the scene with the Mayor. Like, do you guys think that Hinode's presentation was appropriate? Or believable?
What about the car scene? Was Hinode's reaction to the Grail War good for you guys?
Was the romantic scene okay? What about Zouken's contemplation at the end?
… Also if anyone can figure out the significance of Hinode changing the scent of her shampoo from plums to peaches, then you're the smartest cookie in the jar (or a good googler). It's super obscure, and I kinda popped it in at the last minute.
Review Responses:
TodayParade:
I'm glad you're enjoying my story. And if you keep stoking my confidence maybe I'll find the confidence to make a Patr*on at some point. Who knows?
Morbidly-A-Beast:
Delicious, one might say.
Slavicadonis:
Oh, I'm super stoked that people like Hinode. Byakuya's a lucky guy.
WildlyLaughing:
I'm gonna write that down.
TheBluMonki:
Magic Kaito was the inspiration for Magical Matou, yes. I haven't watched it or Detective Conan in a few years though. I lost my place in the absolutely obscene number of episodes, and I wasn't able to find it again.
As for your advice; It makes a lot of sense, and now I have a better idea of how to proceed. Thanks.
giorno:
Seems I might have to read deeper into the Case Files light novels if I ever touch on spiritron hacking. I probably won't, though.
As for comparing the new cover to Evangelion, you made me curious. So I looked into it and saw a piece of Evangelion artwork with a white background and characters with shadows. I don't know if that's what you meant, but the similarity is completely coincidental. I haven't even seen Evangelion.
Guest:
Do you mean changes like Kane having circuits, her parents being aware of magecraft, Hinode and Imai existing, and Byakuya not being a drunken oaf? There are going to be plenty of other changes, but I need to lead into them organically and keep things within a certain realm of plausibility.
I think I mentioned in an earlier Author's Note that, because of the way the Sixth Magic works, a basic rule for this story is "If Shinji doesn't directly or indirectly change it, it won't change", so Shinji needs to be involved with or connected to every difference. So because he's only turning four soon and basically crippled, he's isolated to the Nursery School and his home. Shinji isn't going to be able to do things like casually visiting the Einzbern Castle at this point, so large changes to significant events will happen later.
BlueCore:
Very nice.
unboundedness:
Glad you're enjoying Shinji's Paradox!
Mr AI:
I already spoke with you. For anyone else interested in the answer, this story isn't influenced by Perseus Mythology. I do think it's an interesting take, though.
thepowerfullkira:
IT'S ALIIIIIIIVE!
Dragonmaster150:
Illya's had it rough, yeah. And this is definitely not related to Prillya. You'll have to wait and see what happens with her later, though.
Louuuiii:
I'm glad you like the story.
And, about Illya's actions: she had some secret intentions motivating her behaviour in previous chapters, and I've opted to leave things vague until Illya returns. It was clear that she wasn't being honest with Shinji, which caused their argument in the first place. You'll find out why eventually.
Shinji's Origin and Factors, huh? I have an Origin prepared just in case it ever matters, but I'm not sure what Factors are. If you mean Elements, then he was born with Wind, and then the worms changed it to Water.
sakii137:
You're the second person to say I need exposure on other websites, and I completely agree. Thanks for your support!
That's all the Reviews!
Thank you all for reading. I'll see you next time hopefully.
Again, I'd like to know what people think of the new cover. I'm happy with it, but praise and criticism fuel my pride and spite respectively. And those emotions are useful.
Potato Bullets!
- GEOD
Edit 1: I wrote up a timeline for Zouken while writing chapter fourteen to sort out some of the whens and whys of his history, and it conflicted with some off-hand narration in this chapter. He's NEARLY five hundred. Not recently older than that.
Edit 2: Jan 2023 update. I looked over and adjusted anything involved with the relationship between Western and Eastern magecraft to be at least compatible with the new material from August last year. It's a shallow topic, so much of what I have here might turn out to be wrong if Adventures of El-Melloi II or another TYPE-Moon thing expands on the metaphysics again. If it doesn't fail to mesh already, that is. Feel free to point out anything that you think is horribly wrong. (I adjusted some stuff related to the layout of the Matou household.)
Edit 3: Some spelling errors needed correcting.