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

Chapter 32 - Dating for Dummies

I stepped out of the shop, blinking in the sunlight as my eyes adjusted. There, not far off, I saw Marisa and her father standing together. They were talking, the tension palpable even from a distance. I held my breath, praying that it would go well.

Suddenly, Marisa threw her arms around her father, pulling him into a tight embrace. I could see her burying her face in his shoulder as he held her just as tightly. A genuine smile spread across my face as a warmth blossomed in my chest. It was a sight I hadn't known I needed to see until that very moment. It felt like, after all the missed steps, the setbacks, and the mistakes, something was finally going right for Marisa. She deserved this—she needed it.

A tear rolled down my cheek, and I quickly wiped it away, chuckling at myself. I didn't want to intrude, so I took a few steps back and slipped away, letting father and daughter have their long-overdue reunion in peace. I ducked down a side street and started wandering through the village, the streets oddly empty, even for this time of day.

The emptiness felt strange. It was unnerving how the usual bustle was utterly absent. But before I could dwell on it, I spotted something out of the corner of my eye—a child standing alone in the middle of the road. He was smiling and swaying side to side with an energy that seemed out of place. Something was unsettling about the way he looked at me as if he knew something I didn't.

"Hey, wait up, kid!" I called, picking up my pace. "Hey!"

The boy darted away, and I broke into a run, following him through the winding streets. I caught up to him near the fence at the village's entrance. He stood there, hands behind his back, his smile wide as ever. He seemed too eager like he was hiding something.

I approached him slowly, my brow furrowing. "Hey... who are you? Why do you—"

Before I could finish, the boy pulled a book from behind his back, holding it out toward me. It was a forbidden tome—my tome. The first tome that brought me to this place. I recognized it instantly: Volume 0 - Wishes.

"How did you...?" I stammered, reaching out to take it from him.

But before I could ask anything else, the boy shoved the book into my hands and took off, laughing as he ran back into the village. I glanced down at the tome in my hands, bewildered, and started to chase after him when a voice echoed from behind me.

"What do you remember from your time before the Library, Y/N?"

I spun around, and there stood a figure in the distance, cloaked in robes that were eerily similar to my own from the Library. The details of their face and form seemed to blur whenever I tried to focus on them as if my mind refused to process their appearance. It was like staring at a mirage.

"You..." I breathed, the memories trickling back into my consciousness like a slow leak. "You're the voice... the one who took the burden of Joy from me... But how did I forget that?"

The figure tilted their head as if amused. "But now you've remembered." They leaned forward, a prideful aura emanating from them. "How do you like Gensokyo?"

I stepped back, narrowing my eyes. "Who are you?"

"Don't you know it's rude to answer a question with a question?" they replied, their tone almost playful.

I hesitated but then found my voice. "I... I like it here," I whispered, almost involuntarily. Something was disconcerting about the way I said it, as the words came from somewhere deep within me.

"I thought you would." The figure's voice was low, resonating in a way that made my skin crawl. "Continue collecting the tomes as you have been. Your desires, your dreams, your wishes... Give it all to me."