Fool's World: The Magician (ch. 2v2) (Patreon)

I found myself sitting in the back seat of a fancy luxury car. Nobara sat next to me, her face pressed up against the window to look out at the city as we passed it by. Majima sat in the passenger seat, his feet kicked up on the dash. He had inconsiderately pushed his seat back enough that I had absolutely no legroom. In the driver's seat was a guy that I didn't know and who hadn't introduced himself. He hadn't said a word so far.

"Oh, so Mifune isn’t some local city! Hey, hey, eyepatch -- how does this city compare to Tokyo?" Nobara excitedly questioned, hammering a finger on the window button to try and lower it, but it was child locked.

"Eyepatch? Ya' a country girl?" Majima asked, as I looked out the window as well, gathering my thoughts about my earlier revelation that I was a member of a criminal organization.

“You can’t make fun of country folk with an accent like that,” Nobara pointed out, more or less confirming that she was. That got a chuckle out of Majima as we drove on a back road towards a large cliff, we had a pretty great view of the city. The tall buildings, the lights that outnumbered the stars -- it was an incredible sight.

Majima let out a huff, "Fair enough, I suppose," he conceded. "Mifune ain’t but a blip compared ta’ Tokyo. Ya’ could fit ten Mifune Cities in Tokyo, easy,” he said, much to Nobara’s awe. “Go on and get a good look at it, then. Ya' never know what could happen to it," Majima said, his tone ominous. I wasn't sure what exactly caused the shift in mood -- when he was bailing us out of jail, he had been exuberant. Now, that slowly bled away into a more flat and serious character. The only thing that had changed, to my knowledge, was how close we were to our destination.

Nobara looked at Majima, then at me, and I just shrugged. He was implying something, but I had no clue what. After all, what could happen to an entire city?

I looked out my window, seeing nothing but trees as far as the eye could see as we left the edge of the city. They raced by at a blistering pace, offering no hint as to where we were going. I had guesses, but they were probably all wrong. I just didn't know enough about the situation. The only facts I was certain of were that I was a member of the Yakuza, I was on my way to meet some guy called Shimano, and I had been told to pick fights with the men of a Nishikiyama family. Now, something might be about to go down that could affect the city?

Keeping silent, I decided to wait until we reached our destination and got more information before I came to any final conclusions. Thankfully, we didn't have to wait too long for that.

We arrived at an old Japanese-styled home seated on the edge of a cliff overlooking the city. It was only a single story tall, but it more than made up for its lack of height in width. Based on the tall walls that we drove by before reaching the front gate, the manor was at least as long as one of the city streets below. The car came to a stop in front of a red gate, a walkway leading to the front door.

Majima got out first, and I followed him out. Nobara got out as well, and it was only then that he looked at her strangely. Then he turned his gaze to me, an eyebrow cocked. He was clearly expecting me to do something. Tell her to stay put?

I barely knew Nobara and I knew that that wouldn't work out.

So, I just steadily met his gaze for a long moment before receiving a shrug that screamed 'I literally couldn't care less even if I tried to' before he pivoted on one foot and started walking. I followed him, and Nobara followed after me. I'd seen it before I entered, but the entire courtyard was filled with people. At least fifty of them. All dressed in suits.

"Welcome, Sirs!" They shouted in unison, dropping into a bow as we walked by. They stood in neat rows, all the people bowing in unison, almost like they were a wave of dominoes falling over in a cascading effect. Majima didn't seem like he noticed, and since we were both Yakuza, I was taking my cues from him.

"Woah, looks like you are someone important," Nobara muttered to me, eyeing the men bowing at their waists.

Majima heard her and let out a snicker, "Ya' got no idea, girly." He said, two men opening the door for us as we approached. As the doors slid to the side, it revealed a wide-open area. A greeting room. Wood floors, cream-colored walls, and a white ceiling overhead. The hallway seemed to be made out of rice paper.

I looked at Majima's broad back for a moment and filed that away. Outside, everyone had been wearing a pin in their lapel. A small golden pin. The only people that didn't have it were Majima, and me. Was that a mark of my rank in the organization? Was I not just a member of the Yakuza, but also a high-ranking member? I mean, it sure beats being a grunt, but at least as a grunt, the stakes would be a lot lower.

If I was a high-ranking member, then there would be expectations of me, and I doubted that I would care for those expectations. Which meant that there would be consequences heading my way if I screwed this up.

Two men at the other end of the lobby stood by a door, and as we approached, the door opened. I spared a glance at Nobara, who seemed interested in the place before she caught my look. I raised a finger to my lips, the universal sign to keep quiet.

Nobara frowned for a moment, then it seemed to click in place. I had lost my memories. I had no clue what exactly we were walking into. Honestly, the fact that she was able to come with me was a red flag in itself -- if this was a meeting between high-ranking members of the Yakuza, then why was she able to come with me? Shouldn't Majima have insisted that she stay behind?

My thoughts came to an end when I stepped inside the room. There was a desk on the other side, several seats lined the walls and they were all occupied. Five men in total -- all in their thirties to forties, all dressed in sharp suits and each with that same golden pin in their lapel. There were about five seats left unoccupied, and it seemed the further that I walked, the more annoyed those five men became.

Majima took one of two seats that were closer to the desk and the man sitting behind it. I met the gaze of a large man -- he was heavy set, and his eyebrows were the only hair that he had on his head. His head was shaved, as was his face, leaving a strong jawline with a square chin bare. His eyes were brown and they pinned me with a look like he was trying to see through me and into my soul. He wore a brown suit with a pale yellow dress shirt and a golden tie.

He, I'm guessing, was Shimano. My boss.

He watched me reach the end of the line. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do. Everyone else was sitting, so I did the same, taking the surprisingly comfortable black leather seat across from Majima. The tension in the room skyrocketed with the action, everyone looking distinctly unhappy, but they said nothing. Though Shimano looked indifferent and Majima looked like he was fighting off a smile.

I don't think I was supposed to do that. But, too late to do anything about it. Oh well.

Nobara stood behind me, going ignored by everyone in the room. But she did sense the tension and crossed her arms in an effort to look intimidating. It was kind of funny, seeing a high school girl do her best to threaten a room full of Yakuza.

"You got arrested," Shimano stated, looking at me, his voice heavy like brass.

No denying that, "Yeah, I did." I answered with an equally flat tone. I was mirroring them. I had absolutely no clue how I would normally act in this kind of situation. No one was standing up and chewing me out yet, but I clearly did something that I wasn’t supposed to -- could they not? Were these people even my boss? Was I theirs? More than that, though, I didn’t know fundamental things about myself.

Did I sit with my legs crossed in a certain way? Did I answer with respect? Disrespect? Did I have nicknames for people? I was missing all of it.

“But, I did what you told me to do,” I tacked on a moment later, doing what felt natural. I leaned into my chair and crossed my legs, propping one leg up on my knee, as I looked at Shimano. He offered a curt nod like he expected that.

“Well done!” He said, and that felt distinctly like false praise to me. Though he did seem to be caught a bit flat-footed when I didn’t give much of a reaction, but he recovered quickly. “Well done. Getting arrested was an unexpected development, but it sends a powerful message in the heart of Nisihkiyama’s territory. That punk brat’s done for. All because of you, Majima,” he said, offering more praise.

Was… was he kissing my ass?

For a moment, I was uncertain how to respond. Should I thank him for the brown-nosing? That felt weird. “Is everything else going according to plan?” I asked, really hoping that he would drop enough hints that I could figure out what the plan actually was. I was told to start some fight, and apparently getting arrested was tentatively a good thing… but what were we doing exactly?

Shimano nodded, “All is going according to plan. After tonight, your actions have paved the way for our success. All that is left is to maneuver our pieces. It will take some time, but I assure you, both of our dreams will be realized with a little patience. Tonight, you laid the foundation. Allow us to build upon it. After all, I understand it you are quite busy with far more important pursuits than dealing with insignificant details such as troop placements. The Akashic Records await,” he said, giving me a pleasant smile.

He was trying to play me. He sounded like he believed every word, but that just meant he had acting props. How he spoke, how he acted… it sounded like he knew exactly how to get me to do what he wanted. He knew how to appease me into allowing myself to be manipulated.

The issue now was that he was trying to appease someone that simply wasn’t there, so it was obvious what he was doing. Shimano was pushing me out of the way. He got me to do a task for him, now he was trying to make sure that all the details were left to him, while I got distracted by something called the Akashic Records. Whatever the hell that was.

“Dreams, huh?” I muttered with a frown, earning a sharp look from Shimano. However, before he could speak, I shook my head, dismissing the issue. “Sure, the Akashic Records await. Need me for anything else?” I asked, being direct and I could feel the entire room bristling at that. Even Majima gave me a rather sharp look.

Shimano gave me a smile that was as sweet as poison, “Of course, but nothing that requires your immediate attention. Thank you for your time,” he said, and I got up from my seat. I spared a glance at Majima, who watched me get up, his face blank. Nobara walked after me, returning the dirty looks that were tossed my way. She was a strange girl. She liked to carry around and beat thugs with a hammer, and had no reservations about mean-mugging some of the most dangerous men in the city. I pretended not to notice -- I hadn’t been able to glean much because no one in the room wanted me here. They were acting on the assumption that I also didn’t want to be here.

I was wary of pushing. Of acting too wildly out of character, or else the jig would be up. It was clear that I had some kind of deterrence against them, but that didn't help me if I could no longer remember what it was.

So, I walked away, the door closing behind me, and I could only guess at what was being discussed behind closed doors. Nobara leaned in close and whispered in my ear, “So, seems like they didn’t like you…” she felt compelled to point out, earning an amused smirk from me.

“Everyone in that room wanted me dead,” I corrected, earning a thoughtful nod from Nobara.

“You’re pretty relaxed for someone that has so many people that want him dead,” Nobara pointed out. So was she, but I guess that was fair. If I had to put it into words…

I shrugged, “If they were going to kill me, then it would have been then. Or they could have let me rot in jail. Shimano definitely wouldn’t have kissed my ass like that if he didn’t think there was a need to.” Why put up pretenses if they were just going to kill me once the job was done? To lull me in a false sense of security? Sure, that was a possibility, but there wasn’t really a need for it when I was completely surrounded by Yakuza soldiers. “They still need me for something. But, the trip wasn’t a waste -- I’m apparently some hotshot Yakuza, and I’m interested in something called the Akashic Records.”

Nobara nodded, as if she knew what that meant, raising my hopes for a moment, only for them to fall back down when she looked at me, “That’s not a bad outlook. Akashic Records, huh? I have absolutely no clue what those are.” she spoke as we stepped outside. I tensed ever so slightly, because if they were going to kill me, then this would be the next best time.

However, as we walked by, the people outside all bowed. The shock wasn’t as strong as this time, and Nobara seemed to preen as we walked, but there was a tension in her shoulders that told me she was ready for action. Across from us, where we had parked earlier, was another car with a man standing by it, with the door open. He… looked so painfully average, it was like he was chosen for the exact purpose of being as dull-looking as possible. Though, what I did notice was that he didn’t wear a golden pin in his lapel. Was he not Yakuza?

He bowed to me as we approached, "Sir!"

“Oh, hey there,” I greeted with a wave, unsure if I should return the bow or not. I eyed the car, realizing that the ride was for us. Well, me, but Nobara would be coming with me. “Are you my ride home?” I asked him, and the guy seemed to wilt ever so slightly. Ah… he was my dedicated driver, or something, wasn’t he? And I didn’t recognize him.

However, he nodded as he rose, “Of course, sir! And I would also like to inform you that your bike has been returned to your garage without incident!” he announced, before he seemed to brace himself.

So, the keys had been mine? Unless these guys had just helped me steal someone else's bike. Well, that was nice. “Thanks,” I said, getting into the car and sliding over. Nobara got in after me, sparing a glance at me. I cocked an eyebrow while the driver circled around to take his seat behind the wheel.

“He thought you would hit him,” Nobara pointed out. My lips thinned at that, but I said nothing. I did seem to be a violent person by nature, but protecting that girl had given me the impression that I aimed that violence at people that actually deserved it. It didn’t sit well with me that I appeared to have been the kind of scumbag that would just smack people around because I felt like it, or for no reason at all.

Add that to how I was treated in that room… I really didn’t care for the picture that painted of me.

“I know,” I muttered, settling into the seat and falling silent as the driver got into the car and we pulled away from the building. The interior of the car was pretty nice -- soft leather seats, tinted windows, and a plane of glass that separated the back seat from the front seats to give us privacy. “We didn’t get much of a lead there.”

“You still don’t remember anything? Nothing jogged your memory?” she asked, and I shook my head. “Do you have any clue what they could be talking about?” Nobara tried, frowning at me, before she spared a glance through the window, drawn to the sight of the city as we reentered it.

I did. “I have a few ideas, but none of them are good. I know that the Yakuza are a criminal organization. That big guy is Shimano, and he seems to be in charge of one of the families. He has an issue with some guy called Nishikiyama, who I’m betting is another big-time Yakuza boss. I think my role was to pick a fight with the Nishikiyama family, but… I’m not sure why.” What made me so special that I had to be the one that picked the fights?

Was it because I was a higher up in the organization? Shimano had kissed my ass, but at the same time, he had still given me orders and passively dismissed me. So, I doubt that I outranked him. Was I a leader of my own family? Was I a top member in the Shimano family? There were still plenty of pieces missing to this puzzle.

We lapsed into silence until we were brought to a building that could best be described as opulent. In the heart of the city, we pulled up in front of an ancient-looking Japanese manor. Unlike the previous one, it had about five stories, each one stacked on top of one other. Getting out, we walked underneath the red gate, heading to the front door as the driver went to park the vehicle.

As we approached, the doors opened for us, revealing a row of maids that bowed as we stepped inside. I froze in place, and two of them took that as a sign to take my shoes off for me and replace them with slippers. Nobara made a noise of amazement while simultaneously sounding incredibly unimpressed. “Welcome back, Master!”

One maid rose up, “Shall I escort you to the bedroom?” She asked me. I pointedly ignored the cocked eyebrow that Nobara sent me.

“Seems like you were quite the ladies man,” she noted, sounding bored with the observation. Maybe even a little disdainful.

“Appreciate it,” I said, ignoring the remark and focusing on the maid. Though, that did earn me the ire of Nobara, who gave me a look sharp enough to cut. “I don’t know where my bedroom is and it’s a big place,” I pointed out. She considered the point and nodded in acceptance. The maid ignored the byplay and led us through the building. Apparently, I was a lazy guy, because I had an elevator installed.

We arrived at the top floor, and it opened up straight into a living room. It was lavish. It had a TV that took the place of a wall, velvet couches, and a long expensive-looking coffee table flanked by sitting mats. Nobara seemed impressed, twirling around to look at the entirety of the room. The maid led us to a door on the other side, which she opened for us, revealing my bedroom.

It was huge, practically a separate living room. There was a futon on the floor, the covers roughly tossed around, piles of clothes kicked into the corners… and there were books. Loads and loads and loads of books. They were piled high, stacked on top of each other in messy piles. A quick look at their spines told me that there was no obvious organization. There were romance books stacked on top of astrology books, stacked on biology books, stacked on math books, which were themselves stacked on science fiction books.

“Looks like you’re an avid reader,” Nobara mentioned, stepping inside as I looked around. "Looks kind of like a shut-in's room, though." Then she made a sound of interest, making me whip around as she moved the covers. With the tips of her fingers, she picked up a thong and waved it at me. “And a ladies’ man,” she remarked, spotting a few others dotted around the bedroom in various piles of clothing.

I smirked, “You never know -- that could be mine.” I chuckled at the face she made, like the thought hadn’t even occurred to her.

“Seriously?” She asked, eyeing me with amusement, and dropped the thong.

“Don’t think so. I’m pretty sure I’m wearing boxer briefs at the moment,” I told her, grabbing a book at random, ignoring her sound of disappointment. Astrophysics. “So… sexually active, an avid reader with a diverse interest in reading material.” On top of being a possibly high-ranking member of the Yakuza. "Keep an eye-"

"Found something," Nobara interrupted, already moving a pile of books over. Walking over, I saw that it was a floor safe. I'm not even sure how Nobara noticed it since it blended in pretty well with the floor, and it had been covered, then covered again with books, but it wasn't like I was complaining. The safe required a password.

"Do you think you could open it?" I asked Nobara, making her frown. She thought about it for a moment before she shook her head.

"No, my Jujutsu sorcery doesn’t really do much against safes,” Nobara said, catching my attention. That was the second time she had mentioned sorcery. I had just meant to imply she should give it a hit with her hammer to see if anything fell loose.

“What can you do exactly?” I questioned, “Other than wield a hammer pretty well.”

To that, Nobara shot me a smirk as she took out her hammer from her handbag, and now that I wasn't focused on fighting I saw that it had a small heart on the business end, and a simple hook instead of a claw on the other end. She spun it in her hand, “I can exorcise curses with this, some nails, and something belonging to the curse. And the hammer works pretty well on things that aren’t curses too.”

“Curses?” I questioned, feeling like that was something worth elaborating on. However, Nobara seemed to disagree.

“Don’t worry about them. If you aren’t born able to see them, then you can’t really do anything about them. And if we do encounter a curse, then you can just leave it to me.” She said, brushing the issue off. And I guess I would have to take her word for it.

Though, it did mean that we couldn't force open the safe. I looked down at it, a frown tugging at my lips as I reached out and brushed my fingers over the number pad. I searched my nonexistent memory, hoping for a hint. Then I looked around my messy room for the combination, wondering if I had perhaps written it down somewhere in all the mess, but nothing stuck out to me. Looking back down at the safe, I took in a slow breath, and let my body take over.

I still had habits. Maybe if I was lucky muscle memory would kick in. I just had to hope that the combination was one I used frequently.

I set my fingers on the number pad, and just picked what felt right -- 1994. My fingers pressed down on the numbers in quick succession. There was a small beep, before the light on the safe flashed green, indicating that it was open. Nobara looked at me, excited, but I answered her before she could ask. "Muscle memory. Seems like I used that code a lot," I said, opening the safe. The door swung up, revealing the contents to us.

My gaze zeroed in on the gun inside. It was a pistol, sleek black. Picking it up, the grip felt good in the palm of my hand. The safety was on, a magazine filled with bullets was already attached, with one already in the chamber. There was another magazine in the safe and a box of bullets. All of which I took out while Nobara reached in and grabbed a journal, unable to let me have all the fun of sorting through my newfound treasure.

"I suppose it shouldn’t be a surprise that a Yakuza has a gun, but it’s the first time I’ve ever seen one in person," Nobara noted. She reached out to it and her eyes widened a bit when I handed it to her. “It’s heavier than I thought. Huh. Guns are kinda cool,” she noted, pulling back the slide and mock aiming it at a stack of books. I found myself frowning, worried that she would put a hole in one of them before I got a chance to go through them, but after a moment, she handed it back to me.

"You should hang on to it. You know those guys didn't like you, so you need something to be able to protect yourself," Nobara said, making a fair point. The gun was deceptively heavy for its size. I stared at it for a moment longer before I nodded in acceptance.

Then she handed me a journal she had found while going through everything else. I took it and flipped through it to find the most recent passage. I found neat and precise handwriting going down the page. However… "Seems we can add paranoia to the list, because this is written in code," I remarked as I went back to previous passages in hopes that it was a recent thing I had started doing. There wasn't a cipher either, so the journal was unreadable.

That was… frustrating. The answers to who I was were in my hands, but I couldn't read it because I had forgotten how.

"It's probably in case I ever got arrested," I guessed, looking back into the safe. The last thing inside was a manila envelope that contained… a stack of money as thick as a brick. Ten million yen, probably. I made sure to grab that too. "And we don't have to worry about cash for a while," I said, handing the brick to Nobara, who inspected it with far too much excitement.

I looked down at the now empty safe, a single question echoing in my mind -- now what? Try to find someone that could break the cipher in my journal? Continue to act as a member of the Yakuza? Make a run for it? To go where? There was still the issue that Nobara had been kidnapped, even if she wasn’t too worried about it.

To that end, heading here hadn't been a waste. We had money, a weapon, and a possible lead on who I was. But only a possible one.

We searched my bedroom thoroughly, flipping through books for more hidden stashes but… the more we explored, the more impersonal the bedroom started to feel, underneath the clutter.

There were no photos. There were no records like a birth certificate. If I hadn’t been brought here, if the maids hadn’t recognized me… I would have never guessed that this was my home.

However, before I could formulate a plan, I heard the maid that had brought us here speak up from the other side of the door, "Forgive my intrusion, but a guest has arrived. Touko Aozaki," the maid said, catching my attention. Not that the name meant anything to me.

"Did she say what she's here for?" I asked, getting up. Sliding the door open, I saw that the maid was kneeling at the door. Weird. Especially when she continued to kneel as she answered my question.

"She did not. Shall I inquire on your behalf?" She asked, and I shook my head. It felt weird having people do stuff for me. I'd rather just do it myself.

"No need. She's downstairs, yeah?" I asked, walking by. Nobara followed along, curious to see who would be meeting me in the middle of the night. The maid shot to her feet and quickly followed after me, intent on pushing the buttons for me to use the elevator, but I beat her to the punch. Stepping inside, however, she took a place by the controls and brought us to the ground floor. Something about that felt really weird, but I didn't have time to question it before the doors slid open.

Stepping out, I looked over at the entrance to the building and saw an unfamiliar woman standing there. She had crimson red hair, pulled back in a simple ponytail. Her hair matched the color of her eyes. She was wearing a pair of wide glasses that sat comfortably on the bridge of her nose, a white dress shirt that was form-fitting, and a pair of black business slacks. Clutched between the fingers in one of her hands was a lit cigarette, which she took a deep drag of the moment her eyes met mine.

"Majima," she greeted, her tone decidedly not friendly, smoke curling around the corners of her lips. "Have you put any thought into my offer yet?" She questioned me and… I predictably had absolutely no clue what she was talking about. I had no clue what the offer she was referring to could be.

However, context clues helped me out a bit. I was a member of the Yakuza, and she was pointedly being rude by smoking in my house, telling me that she wasn't afraid of me in the slightest. So, either she didn't have reason to be, or she was an idiot of some kind. And, she had mentioned an offer. Meaning that she had something or could do something that I had use of.

"Not really. Care to remind me what it was?" I requested, making Touko pause midway in the process of taking another drag of her cigarette. Her gaze slid to Nobara, who offered an uncertain wave, and a long second later she finished the motion and took her drag. She released a cloud of smoke in the form of a sigh.

"If you're going to be like that, then my price is going to increase. Unrestricted access to your family's workshop," she said, but I didn't even know what the starting price was. And what family workshop? I thought I was a member of the Yakuza? Did I run a workshop of some sort too?

I tilted my head to the side, then I shrugged, "Alright. Sure," I agreed easily, and one of Touko's eyebrows shot up at my easy agreement. Maybe I should have fought a bit, tried to haggle her down, but… well… I kinda didn't care? Why bother digging in my heels about a workshop that I just found out existed? So what if she had unrestricted access to it? What did it matter? How did it affect me?

From where I stood, the only value the workshop had to me was as a lead on who I was and maybe as a resource I could use to get Nobara home. Beyond that, I couldn't care less.

"I trust you know where it is?" I asked her, and Touko gave me a small, deadly grin.

"I do," she confirmed easily, with an air of hostility like I was supposed to care. When I obviously didn't react , her eyes narrowed ever so slightly, but her grin widened just as much. Without a word, she started walking into my house, not bothering to take her shoes off. The maids looked like they were a few steps away from murder, but I followed after her, curious to see where she was taking me.

To the basement, apparently. It seemed to be used for storage -- I saw deep freezers, chairs, sitting mats, and various other things. However, Touko walked by it all until she reached the far wall, where I saw that there was a symbol etched into the stone surface -- a spiral. She reached out, flicking a symbol in the air with her cigarette, then the spiral glowed in response. A second later, a seam in the shape of a door appeared, cutting the symbol in two as the door swung open.

Touko looked over her shoulder, giving me an unreadable glance. Like she was expecting something. I just cocked an eyebrow, clueless as to what she expected. That response seemed to satisfy her, because she began walking down the steps. It was a short staircase, taking us underneath the basement, and as we reached the bottom of the stairs…

I smelled the old books before I saw them. Nobara let out a low whistle behind me while I frowned, stepping into my family's workshop. I felt… something. I wasn't sure how to describe it, but the air in the workshop was heavy with something.

"What happened to your memories?" Touka asked me, not even bothering to look at me as she headed to a bookshelf. I spared her a glance before I took in the rest of the workshop -- it was lined with shelves overflowing with books, just like my room had been. However, in the middle of the room was a pentagram drawn on the stone with chalk.

Was my family part of a cult? I wondered how far the rabbit hole would go. Things just kept getting crazier and crazier the more I dug into my past.

Nobara answered for me as I was drawn to a desk, "How'd you know he lost his memories?" she asked, glaring at Touko, and as good as confirming it. “And I think your family is part of a cult,” she remarked to me, mirroring my thoughts.

"He didn't try to kill me after I opened the door. He was a charlatan of a magus -- though, that wasn't his fault. He wasn't chosen to be the heir to his family’s Magecraft, only to have his parents and the Heir-to-be killed in Fuyuki, -- but he was a magus all the same," Touko said, her tone slightly mocking, trying to get a rise out of me. I just ignored her as I picked up a book and flipped through it -- I could read the contents of these ones, but a frown tugged at my lips.

"So, I'm something called a magus? What does that have to do with the Akashic Records ?" I asked, shelving the book a little harsher than needed, before I grabbed another at random.

"The Root -- the ultimate dream for every magus. No one really understands what it is. All that managed to go there are never seen again. If I had to put it in a way you would understand, then the Akashic Records is a library that holds the truth of the world. Where all the answers to every question are readily available to you, whether they be in the past, present, or future." Touko answered as I flipped through another book. I mulled over that for a long moment before I tossed the book to the side, uncaring if it was damaged.

A place that had all of the answers…? That sounded…

"Lame," I decided, grabbing another book, seeing more of the same, before I chucked it over my shoulder, the ancient tome landing with a heavy thud.

Nobara looked at me as if she couldn't believe my response, Touko paused to spare a glance at me as well. I shrugged. I wasn't sure how to put my feelings into words, but…

"Getting all the answers handed to me sounds lame as hell," I summarized my thoughts. I didn't care for being left in the dark like I was -- no name, no identity, no clue who I was. But, if Touko or Majima had told me exactly who I was before this… I didn't like the idea of it. Partly because I would be viewing myself through their biases, and partly because I wanted to find the answers myself. I wanted to discover them with my own effort.

Touko chuckled, "Not the reasoning I expected, but they do say that the journey is more important than the destination. But… you should know by now, you aren't going to like the answers you're trying to find," she said, sounding uncaring.

She clearly already knew what I was just learning. The reminder sparked something inside of me. In response, I placed a hand on one end of a shelf and started sweeping all of the books off of and to the ground. They landed with a clatter, piling up, the fragile pages tearing or bending. Loose dust itched at my nose, but I found myself uncaring.

My gaze zeroed in on an open book at the top of the pile. On one page was a picture. On the other were notes.

A drawing of a child in the process of being dissected. Notes on how he died as part of an experiment. They were all like that. Every single one.

Nobara reached out, placing a hand on my shoulder as I put the pieces together. Something raw and potent rose up in my chest that made my heart pound against my ribs. I clenched my jaw, looking to Touko, who appeared unsurprised and uncaring by my anger. "What's wrong?" Nobara asked, not having noticed, and it took a long few seconds for me to even find the words.

I looked around us, at the books that filled the room… and I was disgusted with every single one of them.

"These books are all about human experimentation," I said, causing Nobara to flinch back, shock flitting across her face. "My family was trying to connect with something in the root. Or beyond it. I don't know. So… they worked with the Tojo Clan, of the Yakuza, so they could have a steady supply… of materials for us to work with." People. Men, women, children… it didn't matter.

It made the reactions from Shimano make sense. I was tentatively part of the Yakuza, but it was a tool that my family had used for generations. However, based on what Touko said -- because I hadn't been the heir, and I only inherited the magecraft because my family died, I was in a weird position.

I hadn't even been able to get inside the family workshop. I doubt I had been able to pull my weight like how previous generations had been able to. Which is why the Yakuza had respected me, but that inability is why they didn't like me.

I had been coasting on my family's legacy while trying to find a way to actually be a magus.

"I don’t know what magecraft is,” Nobara said, taking one of the books and flipping through it. “But, I know there are plenty of sick fucks out there. Sometimes Jujutsu sorcery requires a price that they force onto other people… but this isn’t that.” She observed with no small amount of disgust as she tossed the book to the ground. Then she pinned a accusatory glare at Touko, “Did you know about this?”

Touko tilted her head to the side as she took in a drag from her cigarette, “Jutustu sorcery?” She questioned. “I’ve never heard of anything like that before.” She remarked lightly, not answering the question.

"You don't care about the human experimentation?" I asked her, my voice quiet, with a deadly edge to it.

Hearing my shift in tone, she smiled. It was a smile of pity. "It's a rare magus that will take issue with human experimentation," she told me bluntly. "Everything your family has ever done has been done by every other magus family. A fair few of them are a great deal worse than yours." My lips thinned, not liking the news at all.

This wasn't what I expected. This wasn't what I wanted.

Mikoto Majima had wanted this? Or did he not know about it? He hadn't been the heir, he hadn't been able to get past the door… did he just want to continue the family magecraft without knowing what it was? Or did he know what it was? Did he want to continue the vile deeds that went on in the basement of his house for some dumbass goal like the Akashic Records?

I wanted to know. More than anything in this world, I wanted to know.

I stepped away from Nobara, going to a desk that had a closed book on it. My mind was reeling from the revelation of what had been going on here. I picked it up, tempted to just chuck it, only to stop myself when I saw that it was bookmarked. Flipping it open, I saw a photo.

A red-haired man, and a dark-haired woman -- each holding a boy. Both of them had red hair and amber eyes, meaning that one of them was me. It was difficult to say which one though, since both of the boys seemed around the same age. Fraternal twins?

A picture of my family. Of a brother.

The book was a journal. The final passage was short and simple.

That they were going to the Grail War in Fuyuki to steal something called a Servant, and then use it to win and have their wish granted. None of it made any real sense to me. There was no additional entry. So, it was probably written shortly before they died.

"Touko, when's the next Grail War?" I asked, looking through the journal of my parents. My father to be precise, based on the pronoun and suffix usage. The answers I had gotten were anything but satisfying, but this was a lead.

I had no clue what the Holy Grail was. Why my parents had wanted it. Why they died pursuing it.

Touko chuckled at that, "In about two weeks. I'd recommend against participating, though. You would have died with your memories. Without them, you don't stand a chance." she stated, sounding certain of that fact. Nobara looked at me, not understanding what a Grail War was, and I met her gaze.

Giving her a small nod, Nobara returned it, deciding to trust me. I had her on my side. I had two weeks to prepare. I had money. I had a gun. I had my connections to the Yakuza. Lastly…

"You can have everything in here if you help us win the Grail War," I told Touko, uncaring about all of it. I had no intention of continuing my family's twisted practice. Everything could burn for all I cared.

Because it sounded like the only way to undo my amnesia. To really know who I had been before I lost my memories. To know my motivations and desires without any filter that came from other people. The ultimate mcguffin was my only chance to learn who I was.

Touka finished off her cigarette, mulling over the deal for a second before she blew out a cloud of coiling smoke.

"Sure. Why not?"