Forbidden Knowledge Vol.1 (Marisa Kirisame X Male Reader)

Chapter 30 - Picking up the Pieces

The Human Village felt eerily empty as we walked in, the usual bustle replaced with an unsettling silence. Only a few people were around, moving quickly with their heads down. Most of the shops had closed up, windows dark, and doors locked. Even the lanterns along the street seemed dimmer than usual, casting long shadows across the deserted roads. It looked more like a ghost town than the lively place I'd gotten used to.

"People going missing all around the village... How did we miss this?" I muttered, shaking my head as I scanned the empty streets. "You'd think we'd have realised something was wrong a lot sooner."

"It's not just the Human Village, you know. It's all of Gensokyo," a voice called out, cutting through the quiet.

I turned towards the sound, only to be blinded by a sudden flash—a camera. I blinked, spots dancing in my vision as I tried to make out the figure holding it.

"Now that's a keeper," the voice continued with a playful lilt. "I can see it now—headline: 'Culprits to the Disappearances Caught Red-Handed.'"

Marisa crossed her arms, huffing. "Very funny, Aya. You print that, and that's slander."

The girl with the camera smirked, though she seemed slightly wounded. "Slander is spoken, Marisa. You're looking for libel."

"Aya?" I asked, finally getting a good look at her. She had long, dark hair, a pair of black wings folded behind her, and a reporter's badge dangling from her neck. "Oh, you're the one who runs that newspaper, right?"

Aya adjusted her camera and rubbed her nose in a smug gesture. "Yup, that's me. Even people from the Outside World know about me." She grinned. "Aya Shameimaru, a journalist for the Bunbunmaru Newspaper. It's actually a tragedy we haven't met sooner, Librarian of Alexandria."

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. "How do you know that?"

"Oh, please. I know everything," Aya replied, waving a hand dismissively. "Word travels fast around here. I've been dying to get you in for an interview. My readers would love to hear about the one who defeated both Reimu and Marisa in a duel."

"I was going easy on him!" Marisa shouted defensively.

Aya flipped open her notepad, jotting something down. "Was going easy on him, so claims the Ordinary Magician," she said aloud, clearly relishing the tease. She turned her attention back to me, eyes glinting. "So, what do you say, Y/N? Up for a little interview?"

"Uh... sure?" I answered, not entirely sure what I was getting myself into.

"Great!" Aya exclaimed, pulling me aside, pen poised at the ready. "Let's talk gossip," she said, clicking the pen a few times with the excitement of someone who just stumbled onto a goldmine.

"Right now?" I glanced at Marisa, who had a look on her face that seemed like a mix between annoyance and panic.

"Of course! Can't let this chance slip by," Aya said, already scribbling something in her notebook. "I want to know everything, and so do my readers. Don't leave a single detail out."

I sighed, not sure where this was going. "Okay... what do you want to ask?"

Aya twirled the pen in her fingers thoughtfully. "Good question. You always want to start with something juicy that grabs the reader's attention, you know? Let's see..." Her grin widened as if she'd just had a stroke of genius. "What's your relationship with Marisa?"

"What?!" I practically choked on my breath as Marisa went bright red.

"Wait, don't answer that!" Marisa shot back, practically leaping forward to snatch Aya's notebook away. "What kind of question is that?!"