Disclaimer: I own nothing, this is purely a fanfic for enjoyment.
Cross-over from various games, books, anime, manga, and movies.
The familiar characters you see here belong to their respected authors and owners.
"Speech"
Time*
Chapter 53: Boredom to Excitement
A few hours later*
I let out a small yawn as I slowly spun around in my chair, letting it creak quietly beneath me, waiting for something crazy to happen after Rion and Sakamoto left to do their jobs.
I'd come to an understanding: life becomes excruciatingly boring when Fates aren't constantly nipping at your heels. Nonetheless, that's fine with me. I've already gotten plenty of "fun" from Fates since I awakened my past-life memories, more than enough chaos to last me a while.
But, damn, am I still bored.
I let out a long sigh as I rose from my seat and walked casually toward the window, glancing through the glass to see if there was anything worth my attention.
Sadly, nothing interesting was going on at the moment. Then again, with class in session and nearly all the students attending right now, it wasn't exactly prime time for chaos.
I slipped a coin from my pocket, its worn edges familiar beneath my fingers. Infusing it with my Spirituality, I entered Cogitation, my mind sharpening as I flicked the coin into the air.
I repeated the question in my mind: Is there anything interesting happening soon today? Seven times before catching the coin cleanly in my palm. I opened my hand to reveal heads—a positive result.
A faint smirk tugged at the corner of my mouth.
Good.
Rather than waste energy heading to the Sefirah Castle for Computational Divination, I flopped onto one of the beds, the mattress sighing under my weight. For the first time, I chose to rely on Dream Divination, letting my eyes slip closed as I repeated the same question silently, waiting to see what visions sleep might bring.
Soon, I began seeing a cascade of bizarre and vivid scenes. I see Mai cutting down a pack of humanoid foxes with effortless precision. Next, I glimpse Momoyo casually backhanding a group of delinquents with enough force to embed them in nearby brick walls. Then Osaragi appears, tearing through her enemies with a piece of French toast dangling from her lips, unfazed by the chaos.
I blink, and the visions dissolve, the Dream Divination ending as I slowly open my eyes to stare up at the ceiling in disbelief.
"What the fuck?" I mutter aloud, letting the words hang in the school infirmary. "Right. Maybe I should have worded my question a bit better..."
I turn my head toward the wall clock, and it's only 2 in the afternoon.
With a deep breath, I close my eyes once more and let myself relax a bit before I perform a second Dream Divination.
I repeat my question: Should I leave work to do something fun outside of school? Seven times in a row. Then I await whatever the Dream Divination might unveil this time.
In a few seconds, I see only a handful of vivid snapshots. First, I find myself sitting in a maid café, casually sipping a drink as the bustling scene plays on around me. Then, without warning, a deep hole opens directly beneath my feet, sending me plunging downward into blackness. Finally, I witness myself tearing through countless people in a bloody rampage.
I blink, and the Dream Divination slips away as I slowly open my eyes, staring up at the ceiling in disbelief.
Either Fates somehow broke through the seal I placed on them last night, or something else is meddling in my future.
I rise from the mattress. I erect a wall of Spirituality around myself, securing my surroundings and cutting off unwanted interference. Then, without a moment's delay, I send myself directly to the Sefirah Castle. I need answers, and I need them immediately.
Quickly, I perform a series of Computational Divinations, weaving together the fragmented results from the two Dream Divinations.
It doesn't take long for the answers to become clear. From the first, Mai is about to get ambushed by a clan of fox youkai, all because she inadvertently killed one of their kin without realizing it at the time. Momoyo, meanwhile, is not in danger; she's just annoyed at a group of delinquents who tried to make her step on them, much to her growing rage. Osaragi is simply busy with her morning job and forgot the time, which explains the rushed snack.
From the second, I discover a maid café not far away, a place I'd crossed paths with in a future I'd briefly glimpsed, and it sparks my curiosity.
In both of my lifetimes, I'd never been to a maid café, and now seemed a perfect opportunity to experience it myself. The hole opening beneath me, I realize, is a purely random event, a quirk of fate akin to a Japanese person tragically being struck by a truck, and it will manifest if I ignore this opportunity and wander in the opposite direction.
As for the bloody massacre, it all ties back to marriage, or more accurately, many people resenting me for having the chance to be with Momoyo. That future chaos ignites if I choose to head up to the school rooftop in the next few minutes.
I exhale quietly, letting all these revelations sink in. The path forward is now a delicate thread, and I need to be careful which direction I choose.
Overall, even with Fates still partially sealed and unable to directly influence a large portion of my future and those I care about, I somehow still find myself entangled in a fair amount of crazy nonsense—or at least most of it. The maid café, for all its curiosity, turned out to be entirely ordinary and nothing special in the grand scheme of things.
I slap my forehead in exasperation as I force myself to do something impulsive, simply because boredom gnaws at me. Even with the aid of Cogitation, it hadn't kept me from nearly putting myself in trouble again.
I sighed quietly and turned away from the depths of the Sefirah Castle, letting its corridors fade behind me. The moment I crossed back into the physical world, I tore down the wall of Spirituality and carefully put away the silver ritual knife.
As I stood there, trying to clear my mind, I fell into deep thought. Whatever I chose to do next, I'd need to be careful. The future remained a delicate thread, strong enough to hang my choices upon, yet fragile enough to break under a single impulsive move.
15 minutes later*
"Well, this is interesting." I said dully as I found myself surrounded by a motley crew of people dressed in all kinds of attire.
One of them, lurking near the corner, was dressed up like a cliché ninja in all black, face mask and all, trying a little too hard to blend into the shadows. Another stood taller and more composed, wearing traditional shrine maiden garb. Some were in sleek black suits with sunglasses, exuding an aura more akin to bodyguards than everyone else.
"Yoichi Nagumo, true name: Chikao Fukai." The shrine maiden stepped forward, her voice firm and clear, making sure everyone in the school infirmary who hadn't gotten the memo knew exactly who I was. "You have somehow made a connection with the Kawakami Clan. How do you plead?"
"Haaa?" I tilted my head, letting a deep, mocking gaze cut through her confidence. "Pleading… for what, exactly?" I asked softly, letting a dangerous thread seep into my voice. "You guys seem to think that numbers, a few more masks, a few more suits, will make a difference against me."
"Hey, just because you're still part of the Order doesn't make you some big shot. News flash, little brat. You're dealing with the big league here." One of the bodyguards stepped forward threateningly with a piercing glare. "Don't make me hurt you."
"Ooh, I'm so scared." I lied through my teeth, letting the mockery drip from my voice. I sneered at them, fully aware these were the very people I'd butcher on the rooftop in my dream. "How exactly are you going to hurt me without a heart, hmm?" I asked softly, letting a mischievous smirk tug at the corner of my lips.
Confused glances darted back and forth across the room. I raised my right hand casually, a hand that now held a beating heart, growing weak by the second. The bodyguard who had challenged me looked down in disbelief to find a gaping hole in his chest where his own should be, a rush of deep red soaking through his white shirt.
The room fell deathly silent. Everyone was stunned; a few took shaky steps back, unsure if they were about to suffer the same fate. I tossed the nearly lifeless heart back toward its owner in a casual arc. The bodyguard tried in a panic to put it back in, hands slipping against the bloody muscle, but it was already too late. His knees gave way, and he fell to the ground, drawing in his last, faltering breath, and now lies there dead.
I remained standing there, unfazed, a smirk creeping back across my face. "Any more questions?"
My Spirituality flared, a piercing warning that danger was about to come from all directions, and I acted without any hesitation. Before anyone could attack, I darted forward faster than their eyes could track, tearing hearts from chests in a grotesque flash of movement.
Some tried to flee, turning to scramble toward the exits, but I was already there, a step ahead of them. My hand punched through a sternum, crushed a beating heart into pulp, and then hurled it across the room. The bloody projectile struck another attempting to escape through the window, sending them careening sideways with bone-shattering force.
I dipped low just in time to avoid a short sword meant for my back, then rose smoothly, locking eyes with the ninja who struck. Fear blossomed in their gaze just a moment before I darted forward and plucked their eyeballs from their sockets in a single, decisive movement. The ninja cried out in agony, blindly slashed at the air in panic, and staggered back.
With a casual flick of my wrist, I tossed one of the bloody orbs into the mouth of a nearby attacker, causing them to choke in horror and stagger, unable to breathe. The room fell into chaos, a chorus of dying breaths, gurgled pleas, and the wet sounds of tearing flesh, and through it all, I remained silent with a killer smile on my face.
I wrenched the short sword from the dying ninja's grip and, with a single clean stroke, severed their head from their shoulders. The body fell forward in a lifeless heap. Twirling the blade effortlessly between my knuckles, I hurled it backward without looking, a perfect throw, and it pierced a shrine maiden's left hand, pinning it to the wall just as she was about to complete her chant.
I turned to my left, delivering an elbow blow directly into a bodyguard's face. The force shattered their jaw, sending a cascade of bloody teeth flying through the air. Without pause, I snatched two of the airborne teeth and hurled them forward with inhuman force, turning them into literal bullets that struck others, ending their lives.
With a casual wrist flick, I tossed the last bloody eyeball toward the shrine maiden pinned against the wall. It fell directly into her gaping mouth, choking her and cutting off her chant in a gurgling mess.
"Come on, everyone." I said quietly, letting a bloodthirsty smile illuminate my face, a chilling contrast against the chaos I'd wrought. "The fun's just starting."
The room fell into a chorus of panic, some begged, some tried to resist, all fell under my hands just the same. To me, their fear was a rich, sweet symphony. To them, it was a nightmare made manifest. I fell upon them without pause or mercy, a wolf amongst sheep, a force of nature tearing through everything in its path.