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

Forbidden Knowledge Vol.XXX - Acceptance

As the teacher shouted for everyone to stay together, I glanced around at the run-down shrine. Most of my classmates were already making plans to bail.

"How lame is this place?" one of them muttered, crossing his arms. "I thought we'd be going somewhere cool. Does anyone even look after this shrine? I was hoping to see a cute shrine maiden or something."

A second voice called over to me, "Yo, Y/N! We're gonna sneak off and head into town for some food. You coming?"

I looked up from my phone, shaking my head. "Nah, you guys go on without me. Think I'll just stick around."

They shrugged me off with a "Whatever, your loss, Y/N," as they strolled away. I stayed behind, aiming my phone at the old shrine. The flash blinked, and for a split second, the shrine seemed... different. Cleaner, vibrant, like it was taken care of. I blinked, glancing at the screen. Did I imagine that?

Just as I was about to snap another photo, I noticed someone standing next to me, her long blonde hair draping over her shoulders as she leaned on a delicate pink parasol. She gazed up at the shrine with a soft, unreadable expression. I turned to her, startled but smiling politely. "Umm... hello."

She gave me a nod, her voice smooth and calm. "You seem to be the only human interested in the Hakurei Shrine."

Human? I thought. That's a weird way of putting it. I shrugged, laughing it off nervously. "What can I say? I just enjoy history. It's kinda sad this place doesn't get much love compared to the others around Tokyo."

The woman's purple eyes glinted with something I couldn't place. "There's more to it, I'm sure. There are always two sides to every border." She paused, turning fully to face me. "What's your name?"

"Y/N," I replied, feeling a strange sense of familiarity, like I'd met her somewhere before.

"Nice to meet you, Y/N. I'm Yukari."

"Are you here to pay your respects, too?"

"In one way, shape, or form," she said with a little smile. "Yes."

I looked back at the shrine, nodding. "Cool... well, I think my class is getting ready to head back. It was nice meeting you."

"Likewise," she murmured, watching me closely as I turned to leave.

I glanced at my phone and noticed a message trying to load with a poor connection. Before I could step back toward my class, a sharp gleam of sunlight broke through the clouds, and I instinctively shielded my eyes, blinking. As I opened them, I froze, every fibre of me instinctively aware of something deeply... wrong.

The old shrine, the voices of my classmates, the sun—all of it was gone. I was somewhere else entirely. I was standing in an endless library, stretching out into unfathomable darkness, rows of shelves towering like silent guardians of an ancient secret. A metallic taste lingered in my mouth, and my head felt heavy, thick with fog. I struggled to recall what I'd been saying and who I'd been speaking to and felt that knowledge slip away like sand through my fingers.

Confused and alone, I glanced around, the silence of the Library pressing down on her. At that moment, I stepped back and felt my foot hit against something hard. My eyes shifted behind me, and in that moment, I caught sight of something—someone? It was so fleet, passing, but in that blink, I could have sworn to see a girl in a witch's outfit. I blinked again, trying to grasp at the fleeting shadow in my mind, but it faded, leaving me with nothing but emptiness.

"Where am I?" I whispered, my voice echoing faintly in the stillness. "Who... Who am I?"

The silence stretched, and then, as if mocking my confusion, a voice cut through the air sharply, distant and irritated, like a bell striking against hollow metal.