Kei Kurotori, a 28-year-old struggling novelist, is told by his editor he has no talent. That night he drinks himself into a stupor. He wakes the next morning in an unfamiliar forest. It is Gensokyo, a world where humans and youkai coexist. His right hand now holds the power to rewrite the nature of whatever he touches. But there is a condition: only changes he can clearly imagine in his mind will become reality. Anything he cannot picture remains unchanged.
In the forest, Kei encounters the sh
Illusion Killer — Rewriting Everything It Touches - The Confession in the Plaza — Cutting Without Killing, Exposing the Sin
The village square was wrapped in a strange, feverish tension despite the morning hour.
A wooden cage sat atop the stone paving.
The young men were sweating as they drove in the final nails. The sound of hammers struck a dry, steady rhythm.
"Build it right. Make sure it won't break even if that monster goes wild."
"Hey, is he really coming? The one who killed Lady Reimu..."
"Ginji-san said so. There's no mistake. We're going to capture him to protect the village."
On the young men's faces were fear — and a kind of elation, as though drunk on self-righteousness.
A large crowd had already gathered around the square.
Not just villagers.
In the distance, youkai could be seen as well.
The air was heavy, taut.
At the center, Osaki Ginji stood with his eyes quietly closed.
Slicked-back black hair, neatly arranged. Narrow, dark eyes. An old scar on his left cheek stood out white in the morning light.
In his right hand, he held his usual folding fan.
"...Ginji-san, preparations are complete."
Ginji slowly opened his eyes.
"Good work. Now, all of you, stand back. What begins now is a vital ceremony — one that will decide the future of this village. No — of Gensokyo itself."
Ginji's voice rang out, calm and kind.
The young men bowed and withdrew to the edge of the square.
Ginji turned toward the crowd.
And slowly, he spoke.
"Everyone. Thank you for gathering here today. I am Osaki Ginji, who serves as the village's young boss."
Ginji's voice carried well, to every corner of the square.
"As you all know, a tragic incident occurred the other day. Our guardian deity, the symbol of Gensokyo's peace — Lady Hakurei Reimu — was struck down by a villain's blade."
A murmur rose from the crowd.
"Lady Reimu always protected our human village from the threat of youkai. And she was robbed of her life by a despicable intruder from the outside world."
Ginji paused for a moment and opened his fan.
"The culprit is Kurotori Kei. A sinful man who wandered in from the outside world and killed Lady Reimu. And that man has now returned to this village once more."
The crowd stirred.
"He's still in the village...?"
"Why haven't we captured him?!"
Ginji raised a hand, silencing the commotion.
"Please, rest assured. To protect all of you, I have prepared a cage here in this square to capture that man. And my loyal, dependable allies have already assembled."
Ginji's gaze turned to a single point in the crowd.
There stood Kirisame Marisa, a black hat pulled low over her head, broom in hand.
"...I'll avenge Reimu myself."
Marisa's voice was low, trembling with rage.
Beside her stood Izayoi Sakuya, silver hair flowing in the wind, expressionless.
"As the head maid of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, I shall avenge my master's enemy. Ginji-sama, give the order."
Ginji nodded, satisfied.
"Most reassuring. Then let us begin. Kurotori Kei. You are the enemy of this village — no, of Gensokyo. I will expose your crimes here, in broad daylight."
Ginji's voice echoed across the square.
That was when it happened.
"...So that cage was prepared for me."
A low, flat voice came from behind the crowd.
The crowd parted.
Kurotori Kei stood there.
Unkempt short black hair. Deep brown eyes. His right hand bore numerous old scars, painful to look at.
He was in terrible shape.
His kimono was torn, stained with dirt and blood.
But his footing was steady.
Step by step, Kei walked out to the center of the square.
The crowd held its breath.
"He... he actually came..."
"He's a monster...!"
Kei looked straight at Ginji's face.
The smile vanished from Ginji's face.
"...Why are you here? Both your arms should have been broken."
Kei didn't answer.
He simply raised his right hand, slowly.
His fingertips trembled faintly.
"Ginji. Your little act is over."
Kei's voice was quiet.
But within that quietness was a bottomless rage.
"What are you talking about? You are the criminal who killed Lady Reimu. I am trying to capture you to preserve the order of this village. How is any of that an act?"
Ginji brought his fan to his mouth and narrowed his eyes.
"...That's right. I killed Reimu. That is a fact."
At Kei's words, the crowd stirred again.
"I knew it, you...!"
Marisa readied her broom.
"I'll avenge her, no matter what!"
Marisa swung her broom up.
"Star Sign 'Dragon Meteor'!"
From Marisa's broom, countless stardust particles were released as a barrage.
Golden motes of light hurtled toward Kei like shooting stars.
Kei didn't move.
He simply thrust his right hand forward.
"...Flowers."
The instant Kei murmured that, his right hand glowed faintly.
The onrushing stardust barrage touched Kei's hand.
In that instant, the golden particles burst apart.
Pop, pop, pop.
The barrage turned into flower petals.
Small white petals scattered on the wind.
"Wha...?!"
Marisa's eyes went wide.
Kei kept walking through the petals.
"...He nullified the barrage? Just like that time..."
Sakuya readied her silver knives.
"Then how about this. Illusion Sign 'Killing Doll.'"
From Sakuya's hands, countless knives flew toward Kei as though manipulating time itself.
Silver blades assailed Kei from every direction.
Kei didn't stop walking.
He waved his right hand.
"...Dust."
Kei's right hand touched the swarm of knives.
Clink.
A clear sound rang out.
Every silver knife crumbled into fine dust, like sand.
The wind blew, and the dust vanished into the sky.
"...Impossible..."
The color drained from Sakuya's face.
"Damn it! I'm not done yet!"
Marisa unleashed another barrage.
"Magic Sign 'Stardust Reverie'!"
This time, an even denser barrage of stardust enveloped Kei.
Kei touched his right hand to the ground.
"...A wall."
Rumble, rumble, rumble...!
The ground surged upward.
The stone paving rose as a massive wall before Kei.
The stardust barrage struck the wall and shattered.
"Why, why can't I hit him?!"
Marisa's voice was shaking.
Kei emerged quietly from behind the wall.
"...Your barrage is fast. But my imagination can keep up. That's why it doesn't hit."
Kei looked at Marisa.
"...Stop this already. You just want to avenge Reimu. But I can't afford to die right now."
"Don't give me that! You killed Reimu! You're the one who's wrong!"
Marisa shouted, tears in her eyes.
"...That's right. I'm the one who's wrong. So I won't run. But before that, there's something I have to do."
Kei turned back toward Ginji.
Ginji hid his mouth behind his fan, quietly observing Kei.
"...I see. Your power truly exceeds imagination. But that ends here."
Ginji raised his hand.
At that signal, countless youkai from within the crowd lunged at Kei all at once.
"For Lady Reimu!"
"A mere human, how dare you!"
The youkai's barrages enveloped Kei.
Kei swung his right hand around.
Everything he touched was rewritten.
Barrages into flowers.
Blades into dust.
Ground into walls.
One after another, he incapacitated his pursuers.
"Damn it, what is this power...!"
"The barrages are all disappearing...!"
Kei kept swinging his right hand in silence.
His face showed almost no emotion.
He simply, methodically, neutralized his enemies.
His figure was, truly, that of a monster.
"...Kei's power isn't just that. It's deeper. Far more terrifying."
At the edge of the crowd, from atop a tree, Kurenai watched Kei's battle, her violet eyes gleaming.
"But that's fine. Show me, Kurotori Kei. Show me your true power."
Kurenai grinned.
Her fangs glinted white in the morning light.
Kei sank the last youkai to the ground.
Around him, the incapacitated pursuers lay fallen.
But not a single one was dead.
Kei came to a stop at the center of the square.
"...Is this the end?"
Kei's voice was quiet.
But his body trembled faintly with exhaustion.
Sweat stood on his brow.
(My imagination is starting to fall behind.)
Kei stared at his right hand.
(But I can still keep going.)
Kei looked straight at Ginji.
"...Ginji. I've taken down all your underlings. You're next."
Ginji closed his fan.
"...Why are you so fixated on me? You killed Lady Reimu. Isn't that the end of it? Just surrender quietly."
"...I will surrender. But not by your hand."
Kei turned toward the crowd.
The villagers held their breath, staring at Kei.
"...Listen. People of the village. And youkai."
Kei's voice echoed across the square.
"...I killed Reimu."
Kei said it clearly.
The crowd stirred.
"...I wandered into Gensokyo from the outside world. I met Reimu in the forest. She saw me as an intruder and attacked. To defend myself, I turned a tree branch into a blade. And that single strike pierced her."
Kei's voice was matter-of-fact.
"...I didn't mean to kill her. But I did kill Reimu. That fact doesn't change. So I will be judged by you here. That's fine. I won't run."
Kei exhaled deeply.
"...But before that, there's something I need you to know."
Kei pointed at Ginji.
"...Osaki Ginji. He's using Reimu's death to try to take this village for himself."
The crowd erupted.
"Wha—what did he say...?"
"Ginji-san would do such a thing...?"
Ginji's expression changed.
"Silence! What evidence do you have for such nonsense?!"
For the first time, Ginji raised his voice.
"...Evidence? I have it. You pretended to shelter me in the village while probing my power. Then you spread my past throughout the village. On top of that, you set a trap for me in the forest. You broke both my arms, sealed my ability, and told me to wait to die."
At Kei's words, the crowd grew even more agitated.
"...You said it. 'I'll frame you as the culprit. Your power will be mine.' Your goal was never avenging Reimu. It was to use Reimu's death to control the village and take my power."
Kei stared straight at Ginji.
"...Isn't that right, Ginji?"
Ginji gritted his teeth.
The composure had vanished from his face.
"...Silence, silence, silence! You are nothing but a criminal who killed Lady Reimu! Who would believe a word you say?!"
Ginji shouted.
But the mood of the crowd had already shifted.
"...You're right. I'm a criminal. You don't need to believe my words. But what about him?"
Kei scanned the crowd.
"...How much do you really know about Ginji? Do you know what he does behind the scenes? Do you know he's been involved in the business of making people disappear?"
The crowd fell silent.
"...I know. Because I used to do the same kind of work. So I can tell. What lies behind that smile of his."
At Kei's words, Ginji took a step back.
"...Silence! What would you know?! I have served this village for so long! What could someone from the outside world like you possibly understand about me?!"
Ginji readied his cane sword.
"...Enough. You die here."
Ginji charged at Kei.
A poisoned blade sprang from the cane sword.
Kei didn't move.
He simply touched his right hand to Ginji's cane sword.
"...That blade is meaningless now."
Kei's right hand glowed.
The poisoned blade of the cane sword crumbled away, piece by piece.
"Wha...?!"
The cane slipped from Ginji's hand.
Kei grabbed Ginji by the collar.
"...Ginji. You're trying to seal my power. Use that technique. But it's useless. Your arts can no longer seal me."
Kei pulled Ginji's face close.
"...I killed Reimu. I'm the one who should be judged. You exploited that crime. Now face the consequences."
Kei slammed Ginji's body to the ground.
Thud!
A dull sound echoed across the square.
Ginji lay on his back on the ground.
Blood trickled from his mouth.
"...Gu... ah..."
Ginji gasped in pain.
Kei looked down at him.
"...It's over, Ginji. Your ambition ends here."
Kei said that and looked away from Ginji.
Silence descended on the square.
No one said anything.
Only the wind blew through.
Kei turned toward the crowd.
"...This is the end. After this, do as you like. I won't run."
Kei slowly sank to his knees on the spot.
He placed both arms on the ground, as though throwing them down.
"...Captur
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