KYOTO SEEKER, CHAPTER 3
“Let me get this straight-- you want me to team up with a literal newbie here?”
“That’s right! Don’t underestimate his smarts, though,” the Psychic started. “He studies psychology every chance he gets. And he always has a smile on his face while he does it, too! I don’t know how he never gets burnt out, for real!” He sighed. “But yeah, he’s just that smart, and he’s on our side, which means he might be able to give some kind of valuable information to you about the Oculi. I’ll let you two discuss things over a mission just so you’re getting work done while you’re at it,” he smiled.
“Damn, okay-“ Chuuni said. “What’s his name?”
“Why don’t you go ahead and ask?” The Psychic suggested, looking towards a boy with strawberry blonde hair and his head in a book. Said book read, “Psychology 101 - by Yukitarou.”
“Um, hello,” Chuuni said hesitantly, walking up to him.
The boy put a dog ear on the page he was reading and closed the book, saying, “Greetings! Should I assume you’re the Kazan that Yukitarou was talking about?” He asked with a sweet smile.
“Uh, yeah, but you can just call me Chuuni… I came over here to ask for your name, ‘cause we’re supposed to do a mission together, but now I’m curious. Who’s Yukitarou?” Chuuni asked in return.
“Oh, my name is Mangan. And to answer the second question… Yukitarou is the young man standing behind you!” He answered, still smiling gently.
“Woah, Chuuni, you didn’t know? Could’ve at least asked sooner?” Yukitarou teased. “Seriously though, Yukitarou’s too formal, if you want you can just call me Yuki.“
“I’ll pass, I’m pretty sure that’s a girl’s name… But it’s cool that you write books.” Chuuni said, slightly sheepishly. Oddly enough, he felt more out of place in his own world than in the one he was never meant to be born into.
“So out of character, this one! Don’t compliment people, break them down and make them squirm! I’ll take a compliment any day, though,” Yukitarou exclaimed egotistically. “Alright, so your mission is to try to get some information out of each other.”
“Can’t say I feel totally comfortable with having information pried out of me…” Chuuni said quietly. “Can you change the rules a bit?”
“Nope! Actually, I’m doing this for another reason. Mangan’s a Psi, and the lowest level at that, so he won’t hurt you with any of that information, so the whole point is just for you to learn how to identify silent interrogations and avoid them in the case of actual threats. It’s a learning experience,” Yukitarou explained.
Chuuni looked at Mangan, who smiled at him, and then back at Yukitarou. “That makes me curious. Does the lowest level of Psi go by the same name as it does in my, um…”
“Fantasies? Depends, are the people in that rank called Psyches in your imagination?” Yukitarou asked. Ever the blunt one, he was.
“Yes!” Chuuni said in awe. At this point, he wondered if he was dreaming. “In the Psi, there are the Psyches, aka the lowest rank, and then the Psychos, the middle rank, and the Psychic, the highest rank. In the Oculi, the lowest rank is the Glancers, the middle rank is Lookers, and the highest rank is the Seeker. Everyone has different powers, and whatever powers you have determine which team you’re on and which rank. Psyches are super smart, Psychos have melee or combat abilities, the Psychic can read minds— meanwhile, the Glancers can get glances of the future in their dreams, the Lookers can look into the future for a decent amount of time before they get too tired, and the Seeker can look into the future and even change it!”
By now, Chuuni was out of breath, and Yukitarou and Mangan were staring at him in surprise.
“Hehe, maybe you should be a Psyche if you’re that knowledgeable, Chuuni,” Mangan joked.
“Don’t compare me to the likes of you!” Chuuni said, partially joking along and partially serious. “Besides, it’s just basic information about a world I made up anyway.”
“Hello? Does this look made-up to you?” Yukitarou asked. “Do you need pinched or something? ‘Cause you ain’t gonna wake up.”
“Yeah, yeah, you know what I mean. So did you already explain the mission to him?” Chuuni asked, changing the subject.
“Why, of course. Long before I told you, actually,” Yukitarou giggled. “Get on with it, now, we needn’t waste any time.”
“sO oUt Of ChArAcTeR, tHiS oNe! Since when do you speak so formally?!” Chuuni said loudly. “‘Needn’t’? Really? Not the Yukitarou I know!”
“Whatever, man!” Yukitarou laughed. “Get out,” he gently pushed the two out the door.
“Wait, I wanted to finish reading that page-!“ Mangan said before being interrupted by the sound of a door slamming shut. Sighing, he pulled out another book and said casually, “It’s fine, I have a copy of it with me at all times.”
“You’re that devoted, huh…” Chuuni muttered.
Mangan grinned lightly and walked past Chuuni. The world around them at the moment was a complete void, save for the vaporwave-like tiles on the ground with the hot pink outlines.
“This is where I live. It’s mostly hidden from both the Oculi, and the Psi too,” he started, looking back at Chuuni, who fumbled over his steps to catch up with him.
“So, uhh… Since we’re working together, tell me about yourself..” Chuuni said awkwardly.
Mangan snickered to himself before continuing, “Chuuni! You’ll never get information out of someone that way! Though, if there’s one reason I’m giving up information about myself, it’ll be because I know your past thanks to Yukitarou. I know your whole backstory, which is why I feel indebted to tell you a thing or two about myself.”
“…Go on.” Just how bad could Chuuni be at this?
Mangan inhaled. “Firstly, I have two younger siblings at home who I take care of all the time. Even if it seems like my head is always in the books, it’s for them. I read all about how to take care of and raise children properly, because I want them to live a good life, even if no life is perfect. I’m willing to go as far as to do dirty work to make sure I’m paid enough to feed them, or simply to protect them. And that is why… I feel so guilty about this, but I am a spy.”
He looked sadly at Chuuni, still smiling slightly.
“Wait.. so is this a trap, then?” Chuuni asked, now scared.
“Unfortunately so. The Seeker told me he would promote me to a Looker and thus enhance my powers if I did this mission to get any valuable piece of information about you. So far I have learned your personality, how you act under stress or when tasked with something, and most importantly, your backstory as well as your motives to kill the Seeker.” Mangan sighed, looking away. “I’m sorry, Chuuni. But if I do this, I’ll finally be able to see what the future holds for my dear younger siblings. Please forgive me.”
Chuuni jumped back instinctually, but a net too large for him to dodge was placed above him.
“For fuck’s sake, I am not some wild animal you have to tame with a net! Let me go!” Chuuni demanded.
“I’m afraid I cannot do that. Goodbye, Chuuni. I’ll be sure to take notes in my journ-aHK!”
Suddenly, he was stabbed in the stomach by a shadowy figure.
“You’re not escaping with that information. And betrayal is not just. And so you are not just. And whoever accepts this has certified that I am truthful.” Soon Chuuni could make out the figure, and he saw none other than Yukitarou.
“I n-never, got- to finish the-the page…” Mangan said weakly.
“YUKITAROU! WAIT!” He yelled, but it did nothing. Yukitarou then proceeded to cut off his hands, then his legs, and finally his head.
“Why..?” Chuuni asked. “He just wanted to take care of his siblings… why are you like this?”
Yukitarou glared harshly at him, walking past a pile of limbs that were enveloped by warm blood, and a once beautiful head now with pale face and eyes completely rolled to the back of it. Yukitarou began, “I’m not like anything. I’m protecting you, you ungrateful rotten little shit.” Turning around fully to take the net off Chuuni, he pointed the sword too close to his neck, making it bleed slightly. “Unless you want me to kill you too?”
Chuuni began to sob uncontrollably. “Mangan… why… I want to go home now…”
“You are home, Chuuni.”
“But I’m not!”
“But this is your home. And you have to accept that sooner or later. And I will do whatever it takes to make sure you are more comfortable here so that that gets drilled into your head.” Yukitarou bent down to his level, still glaring intimidatingly.
Chuuni kept crying, but all Yukitarou said was, “Don’t cry. It’ll be okay. You’ll get used to it eventually.” The fact that he knew he was going to stay there for so long was not comforting in the least. The fact that he had teamed up with the greatest villain of all, in his very own world… Was not comforting in the least.
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