Reborn in Type-Moon: Starting by Adopting Sakura - Chapter 8

Human-faced dogs that stalked the subway tunnels.

The slit-mouthed woman who asked if you thought she was pretty.

Staircases that sprouted an extra step when you weren't counting.

Department store mannequins that wandered the aisles after closing time.

Old portraits whose eyes tracked you across the room.

And of course, the classic—Hanako-san, lurking in school bathroom stalls.

Manaka had an absolute gift for ghost stories, and she deployed them like weapons against poor Sakura, that same sweet smile never leaving her face. Somehow she could conjure pure dread out of bright sunshine and busy sidewalks.

By the time they reached the crosswalk, Sakura was eyeing every stranger with deep suspicion. The woman waiting across the street in her white sundress and wide-brimmed hat? Definitely hiding something horrific under that brim. In Sakura's mind, Akihabara had transformed into a city crawling with vengeful spirits, ghosts peering out from every alley and storefront.

...

Yuu stepped out of the hotel with the serpent's skin finally in his possession. His archaeology degree came in handy for this kind of work—authenticating ancient relics was exactly the sort of thing that looked impressive on paper and opened doors in the magical world. The skin itself was locked away in a specially marked box, surrounded by detection spells that would scream bloody murder if anyone so much as breathed on it wrong.

He made his way to the Tokyo branch of the Mage Association and handed the package over to their courier service. Association express delivery—about as reliable as you could get in this business.

Nobody with half a brain would dare intercept one of their packages. That would be like declaring war on the entire organization, and the Association didn't take insults lightly. Hell, even the couriers themselves had no idea what they were carrying—just instructions to get it where it needed to go in one piece.

That was the beauty of the system. When nobody knew what was inside the box, greed became a lot less tempting.

Of course, there were always exceptions. Someone on the inside—either the sender or someone close to whoever was receiving the package. Those were really the only people positioned to pull off something that stupid.

But even then, most people weren't that reckless. Getting blacklisted by the Association was bad enough, but they also had a habit of sending their enforcement teams after anyone who crossed them. And those guys didn't mess around.

"Fuyuki City. Tohsaka residence. Personal delivery to Tohsaka Tokiomi only."

With those final instructions logged, Yuu headed back toward Akihabara.

The sun had started its descent, caught between the towering buildings and casting everything in that warm orange glow that made even the busiest streets look almost peaceful. The electronics district had that same background noise it always did—laughter, vendors, music no one asked for. Neon signs flickered to life as daylight faded.

He pushed through the familiar wooden door of the bookstore. The wind chime gave its soft greeting.

Inside, the same story as always—not a customer in sight.

Which made perfect sense, considering the subtle repelling bounded field he'd woven around the place. Nothing too strong, just enough to make regular people suddenly remember they had somewhere else to be whenever they got too close.

Orange light spilled through the windows, catching the dust motes that drifted lazily through the air. From the kitchen came the steady thock of a knife on the cutting board, but the front room felt unusually quiet.

Sakura had tucked herself into the corner by the window, knees drawn up to her chest, looking like she'd seen a ghost. Which, given Manaka's storytelling habits, she probably felt like she had.

"Hey, you okay?" Yuu crouched down beside her, pressing the back of his hand to her forehead. No fever—if anything, she felt a little cool to the touch.

"I'm fine, Onii-sama... I just need a little time to get used to everything here. Sorry for making you worry."

"'Onii-sama'?" He raised an eyebrow.

Her face flushed slightly. "Oh—is that okay? If you don't like it, I can—"

"No, I like it. You can call me whatever feels right to you, Sakura." The gentle smile that crossed his face seemed to ease some of the tension in her shoulders.

"Welcome home, Master~" Manaka's voice drifted from the kitchen doorway, where she'd poked her head out. Golden hair spilled across her forehead as she beamed at him.

Yuu glanced between Sakura's shell-shocked expression and Manaka's innocent smile. "What exactly did you show her out there?"

Manaka emerged fully from the kitchen, wooden spoon in hand and flour dusting her apron. She looked like she'd stepped straight out of some wholesome cooking show. "Just what you asked for—I gave her the full Akihabara neighborhood tour. Really helped her get a feel for the local... atmosphere."

Sakura nodded when Yuu looked to her for confirmation. That was technically what had happened. She just hadn't expected a modern city like Tokyo to feel quite so haunted.

"She's probably just tired from all the walking," Manaka added helpfully.

Made sense. A kid spending the whole afternoon exploring would be wiped out. Yuu scooped Sakura up without warning, settling her more comfortably against his chest. "You don't have to be so careful around us, you know. This is your home now too."

Something warm bloomed in Sakura's chest as she leaned into him, and all those lingering shadows from Manaka's stories seemed to fade away. "Okay, Onii-sama."

He carried her over to one of the armchairs by the window.

"Master~" Manaka appeared at his elbow, arms outstretched and eyes bright with hope. "I want one too."

Yuu laughed and ruffled her hair instead. "Later. Go finish whatever you're cooking before you burn the kitchen down."

"Yes, Master~" She practically skipped back toward the kitchen.

…

The sky turned dark way too fast that evening. By six-thirty, thick clouds had rolled in and settled over the city like a heavy blanket.

Manaka stood at the tall window, her palm pressed against the glass. Her skin looked almost translucent in the dim light. She watched the storm clouds gathering, already knowing what was coming.

Summer storms could hit out of nowhere. Especially after spending the afternoon filling Sakura's head with ghost stories...

"This should be interesting," she murmured to herself.

A small smile played at the corners of her mouth.

The hours crawled by, and the city disappeared under a thick blanket of darkness.

BOOM.

Thunder exploded overhead, so loud it felt like the building shook. Lightning split the sky wide open, turning everything stark white for one blinding second.

Then the rain came down like someone had turned on a fire hose.

"Ah—!" Sakura bolted upright in bed, heart hammering against her ribs.

The rain slammed against her window, sounding exactly like fingers tapping to get in. Every shadow in her room seemed to be moving, shifting, watching her.

All those stories Manaka had told her came flooding back—the red-coated girl asking for help with elevator buttons, the slit-mouthed woman with her terrible question, mannequins walking through empty stores. In her mind, they were all there in the darkness, grinning at her with faces that weren't quite right.

"Mom... Nee-san... I'm scared..." She pulled the covers over her head and curled up as small as she could make herself. But even buried under the blanket, she could still hear everything—the rain hammering like desperate fists, thunder rolling overhead like some giant beast prowling the sky.

Her breath came in short, quick puffs under the stuffy covers. Every little sound made her flinch. The old building creaked and settled around her, and each groan of wood sounded like footsteps in the hallway. Was something out there? Someone in a red coat, maybe, wandering the halls...

She squeezed her eyes shut tighter, trying to make herself disappear entirely. But the harder she tried not to think about ghosts, the more vivid they became. She could practically feel them watching her through the walls.

Then she heard it—real footsteps, soft but definitely there, coming up the stairs.

Her heart nearly stopped.

Click.

The light clicked on.

"Sakura."

It was Yuu's voice, and just hearing him say her name made something inside her chest unclench.

She peeked out from under the blanket, and when she saw his face in the doorway, the tears she'd been holding back finally spilled over.

"Onii-sama... I'm scared..."

"Hey, it's okay. You're safe." He sat down on the edge of her bed.

She grabbed onto his hand with both of hers, her voice shaky with leftover tears. "Don't leave me alone. Please."

"I'm not going anywhere."

The panic that had been crushing her chest finally started to ease. Having him there made everything feel real again, solid.

She held onto his hand like a lifeline, tears still wet on her cheeks. Yuu reached over and gently brushed them away with his thumb. "Better?"

She nodded, though her breathing was still a little uneven. The storm outside seemed to be getting worse—rain lashing against the windows in waves, wind howling around the corners of the building. But with Yuu there, the sounds felt less threatening. More like background noise than an invasion.

She was just starting to relax, her grip on his hand loosening slightly, when—

THUD.

Both of them froze.

THUD

THUD

THUD

The sound came from right next door, like someone was pounding their fists against the wall.

"W-what was that?" Sakura's fingers clamped down on his hand again, her knuckles going white. Her eyes darted toward the wall they shared with the next room, wide with fresh fear.

"Just the storm rattling things around. Don't worry about it." He squeezed her hand reassuringly. "Try to get some sleep. I'll stay right here."

"You promise you won't sneak out once I'm asleep?" She looked up at him with those wide, worried eyes.

Meanwhile, next door

Manaka had her forehead pressed against the wall, hard enough that red marks were starting to form on her pale skin.

"Tch... This is not how tonight was supposed to go."