FGA Chapter 2

When you've just beenn knocked unconscious by a firestorm, the first thing to do when waking up is to check your current condition

I pat my head. My ass. My stomach. There's no bullet wounds nor burnt on the rest of my bodies, which either means some fucker remove it or the whole dying thing is a dream

The second thing, is to check your surrounding

This is where it gets unsettling

My eyes roamed around the normal-sized bedroom with caution. Something that wouldn't have looked out of place for a child from a middle-class family to have

Point is, back in my place middle-class is a rare sight. All the decent folks there have moved away to avoid the ever-increasing crime rate in the area, so this just doesn't make sense

I looked down at my hand to see unmarred hand. Slightly chubby and completely void of any scars, it was as though these hands belon to something else. Someone younger than me

--And I got turned into a fucking child. Great. This just gets more confusing by the second

I sure hope there are somehigher powers out there that could explain my current predicament, or I might lose my shit for real

Congratulation on a successful awakening, [Player]!

Right. Okay. Really. Anything that can get this over with and explain to me whatever the hell happened would be appreciated

Glaring at the offending screen, I pressed the accept button. Right away, several more materialized around me while hovering midair

[Player] has been given another chance at life.

Your current Karma score is: -500. As such, a compatible body has been prepared as your vessel

Please say [Status] to view your attribute

This is just like a video game. I mentally contemplate. A part of me is still in shock at how easily I seem to be accepting this, the other part is wondering as to why I only have -500 karma

Oh, right. It's because I am a trash. I guess the body I'm inhabiting must be severely deformed then

"Status" I muttered, looking into thin air as the screen appeared before me

Name: Shinji Matou

Magic Circuits: None (Permanently atrophied)

Skills: None

Perk: None

Suffice to say I'm weak as fuck. Should have seen that coming, to be honest

So, now this looks like one of those RPG where you have to grind a shit ton of stuff to level up. Though, the more concerning thing would be the name I was given

Shinji Matou

I closed my eyes

A character from the Nasuverse. Or to be more accurate, a character from one of their titles named Fate/Stay Night. His presence in the plot is minimal and all he did is hindering the player character at every chance possible

Character? An arrogant ass with some serious bully problem and an ego larger than his dick. In terms of abilities, he is the "strongest" characcter in the series when it comes to entitlement

Pretty pathetic, I must say

From what little I could gather through this whole bullshit ordeal, I was given another chance at life. The system grants me with the Gamer ability, but due to my low karma score I was reincarnated into one of the shittier world as a trash-tier character

Right. You fucked my life once, so you're going to do it again, huh?

I reluctantly pressed the [Continue] button. That's when my eyes widened at the options displayed in front of me

Choose your starter perks (2)

I take that back. At least it isn't going to be as bad as I thought it would be

With greedy eyes I browsed through the option. Most of them were better than I expected from a beginner stage introduction

At firt glance that is

[Absolute Rationality]: A monster of logic. You remain calm and collected within all situations. Grants an inherent immunity against mind control Magecraft. Some of your more extreme emotions may be blocked off

[Apprentice of Arms]: A deadly duelist. You can summon three chosen Noble Phantasms below B-rank. The armaments of your choice are selected with consideration to you skill

[Elemental Lord]: An Average One. Your affinity with the five elements (Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Ether) are increased drastically to above the level of a first-class Magus. Your Origin is unlocked

[Otherworldly Contract]: You became a lethal Counter Guardian. All your physical abilities, magecraft, and skills are strongly enhanced to superhuman level in return for a deal with Alaya

[Phantasm Breaker]: Passive skill. Your attacks are applied with Conceptional Damage to opponents in possession of Mana. The larger their Mana reserve, the larger the damage done to their bodies

[Devil's Tongue]: You possess a convincing disposition akin to a magical blessing. People are more inclined to trust you in certain matters once this ability is activated.

From what I can see, the system is being generous by allowing me to choose two out of the multiple choices present. It is best that I be smart about this shit

[Otherworldly Contract] is out of the roster first. I have seen the anime. Becoming a Counter Guardian, or making a contract with Alaya in general is not going to be a good thing no matter the context

Realistically speaking, it provides a huge ass boost to how hard you can hit, but I don't think I'll be much efective against opponents of higher caliber in the Nasuverse like, say, Saber or Berserker.

It is the definition of a high gain, zero growth skill. Scratch that

While tempting, [Elemental Lord] and [Apprentice of Arms] will also have to go. The former is useless with my atrophied Magic Circuits, while the latter would be relying on chance to grant me some decent stuff

Noble Phantasm sounds good on paper until you realize they require Mana to be out to good use. Not to mention I can't wield a sword to defend myself.

It would be good if I get a gun Noble Phantasm, but the chance of that happening is almost close to zero

Now, that leave three viable skills left: [Phantasmal Breaker], [Absolute Rationality], and [Devil's Tongue]

Now, none fo them are bad. [Phantasmal Breaker] is a good way to rack up damage against magic casters with no inherent drawbacks from you.

[Absolute Rationality] helps me think clearly in dangerous situations which could potentially be a life-saver. That nice immunity is also a niche addition

[Devil's Tongue] could be advantageous if I use it right. Befriend a few from Canon and convince them on different courses of actions can help me survive. I'll use them for my own gains

After a moment of thinking, I chose my desired perks and pressed on the continue button

[Absolute Rationality] and [Devil's Tongue] has been chosen

Yuuup. My priority is not to go on a Magus-killing spree like that one crazy assassin. It is to survive in this fucked up world as the trash that I am, plain and simple.

For that, I'm going to choose the ability to bullshit my way through deadly situations, and the ability to calmly think up ways to bullshit them in the first place. Truly an unexpected combo

Before I could nod in satisfaction, someone knocked on the door of my room

"Nii-chan, I brought you tea"

....

...Oh shit

______________

There is only one person in this entire universe who would call a piece of trash like Shinji Matou as "big brother"

I stared at the door with comprehension.

The door, to which mere moments ago have been knocked on by that person. The aforementioned individual is no one else but the Sakura Matou, who, by rights of adoption, can be considered to be my sibling

Reluctantly, I found myself walking forward and swung open the door

Outside stood my sister. She looks even younger than I imagined to be, which was only a given considering I myself is nothing but a boy at this point

However, what struck me about her is just how dead she look

I mean, holy shit. I've seen some fucked-up things back in my world as a gang member. People getting their dicks cut off, forced to drink their piss as humiliation or being force fed their testicles. Then there are those who have their skin flayed alive, left screaming and begging to be killed when they were done with him

None of them look as...well, spiritually, emotionally, and potentially psychologically disabled like this little thing in front of me

"What do you want?" I calmly gazed at her from head to toe. Sakura's empty eyes were cast into the ground, seemingly avoiding mine-- Something that I took note of

"Grandpa called me to tell you. He wants you downstair for breakfast"

My stomach churn slightly at the mention of Zouken Matou. Suppressing the feeling of nausea, I gritted my teeth

"I don't feel well. Go down and eat without me"

"Actually, nii-san" Sakura whispered gently "He told me to come down with you, or otherwise there will be no breakfast"

"Wait for me then" Grumbling slightly, I closed the door in her face. I turned around and let the silence of the room consumed me, chewing my lips  in contemplation

That was unexpected

Originally I would imagine myself to be a bit surprised to see her but is went unexpectedly smooth. Must be work of [Absolute Rationality] limiting the more extreme of my emotion then

My feelings regarding Sakura is...well, pity

Aside form that, nothing much. She's a dead girl - Shirou will have a better chance at patching her up than I ever will. Maybe as her brother I could offer some assist--

I took a deep breath.

Nope, right now is not the fucking time to worry about someone else. If there's anything I should be tearing my ass over it's the fact that I'll have to sit in the same fucking table as Zouken for the next few hours or so

And potentially spend my time in the same house as him for the next decade

Fuck this

_______________

"You're late, Shinji"

As I walked downstair, I was greeted with an old man sitting at the table. His wrinkled face turned into a smile as those black, bottomless eyes landed on me

"Come here, you little boy. Breakfast is ready"

He is just as I imagined him to be. A monster hidden beneath the guise of a benign old man

Damn it, if only I was Kiritsugu Emiya the motherfucking Magus Killer, this smiling shitstain before me would already be dead

I kept my calm as I approached him and took my seat. The sound of the chair's leg scraping against he ground is the only sound to be heard between us as I took the seat opposite to him, leaving Sakura in the middle

"Damn it, Sakura. What's the date today?" I looked down at my breakfast questioned my sister

"It's currently Sunday, nii-san. We don't have school today"

Good. I will have more time to organize myself and potentially train on my gamer power then.

I looked down at my breakfast, then at the patiently waiting Zouken

"Itadakimasu" Remembering those old ass traditions is a pain. But still, it seems to get the job done as the meal went on in silence, only broken when Zouken finished his bowl

Placing the chopstick on the table, the old man's eyes bore straight into Sakura. His smile grew wider in porportion to the deadness on my sister's face

"Training begin one hour from now"

I stiffened in shock, while my sister only nodded obediently. The old man left, leaving the two of us behind in an awkward silence

How delusional I must be. Yes, this will be what I'll have to live under for the next few years. With a crazy old man and an emotionally damaged sibling, as a piece of trash with no redeeming quality whatsoever

Damn

"Well. I'm finished" Looking at my food, it's clear that I no longer have an apetite

At the corner of my eyes I saw my sister getting up to collect the dishes from me.

I don't want to care for her. But that doesn't mean I don't sympathize with the pain she has to go through. Shit, Sakura is probably one of the only things I can't stand about the Fate universe

"Nii-san?"

It took me only a second to realize I'd subconsciously grabbed into my sister's arm, hovering above my plate.

At Sakura's questioning gaze, I opened my mouth

"Leave the dishes to me" I said, much to her confusion "Go to your room and take some rest"

"I'm not sure I---"

"Listen to your big brother" Sakura stiffened at my response "You have your training to do. Just let me do the job for you"

I could already feel the image of Shinji Matou I toldd myself to carefully maintain crumbling that very second. The character breaking dialogue isn't lost on my sister, who opened her mouth in confusion...and then closed it

"I am in your debt, Nii-san" She bowed before walking out the room. The last look she threw at me is a mix of disbelief, confusion, and some other emotions I'm too inexperienced to tell

"Don't thank me yet, you idiot" I leaned back into my seat

I had expected a tamer reaction from that girl. But meh, given that this Sakura is much younger when the series starts it is only expected for her to show some minimal reaction to my words

My eyes glanced back at the pile of unfinished food. I picked up the chopsticks and began eating once more with some reluctance.

As much as I felt queasy right now, nutrition for my body is still necessary to maintain a certain degree of energy in my body. That's a fact that I learned pretty much early in my life

The first thing I need to do now is to figure out how this Gamer system works

In the traditional sense, you only need to kill things to earn EXP. In other games, you can do some trivial shits like scratch an old man's balls and earn EXP for completing the quest

The latter is just ugh. Hope Zouken don't like them kids young and dandy like me

Naw, what am I saying? There's no way the creepy old fuck would have any sexual interest in someone else, especially Shinji Matou of all people. That's like getting a fucking Beast-class Servant in a holy Grail War

But okay, I'll have to buy some guns just in case that happen

I let the chopsticks down and began cleaning up the table. Stacking the dishes on together, I brought them to the sink for a proper washing

Think, little Matou, think. What other features can a Gamer like me have access to, that is not considered actual power or skills within the game world?

I looked at the dish before me

Wait a minute

[Analyze]

Nothing happened

[See status], Nothing. [Perceive]. Nothing. [Inspect]. Nothing. [Analysis]. Nothing. [Observe]. Okay, something happened.

A window popped out from underneath me. On it lies several lines of description that I glanced over with interest

Item: Porcelain Plate

Type: Utility / Projectile

Special Ability: Holds food

Damage: 3 (Physical)

Sounds great. I think I'll need to check my current status to see how I would last against a weapon of this caliber. "Status"

Shinji Matou

HP: 4/4

MP: 290/290 (Atrophied)

Strength: Knees weak palms sweaty. Arms like fucking spaghetti

Agility: Can outrun a snail with some effort

Endurance: This baby just hit me and now I'm in incredible pain

Mana: Above average. Can't be utilized

Luck: Above average. Nothing worthy of note otherwise

Perks: [Survival Instinct], [Absolute Rationality], [Devil's Tongue]

Damn, System. Why do you need to roast me like that? I understand though. These stats are fucking atrocious. As my HP is only 4, a single throw from a plate would mean I'm out cold

I looked at the dish for another moment. Another feature from RPG came into my mind

Now that I think about it, it's an ability that most would consider essential as a utility in a game, but never have any idea how overpowered it would be if manifestedd into the real world

"[Inventory]"

My eyes widened in intrigue as out of nowhere, the a black hole surged up and swallowed the item in whole, leaving nothing behind but my bare hand

+1 [Dish] has been added to your inventory

1/64

An inventory that store things not by weight, but by quantity. An inventory that violate the rules of space and time, allowing me access to another dimension

....This has a lot more potential than I thought

______________

It was not until night that her "practice" with grandfather ended. Once again thrown into that dark place, experience the same pain, and emerge an empty shell of a person

With dreary feet Sakura walked herself to the kitchen where just this morning she had had their breakfast. To clean after the mess Shinji would have most certainly left behind as a way of suppress her

It is not the first time he blamed something on her. The girl recalled. On the contrary, the odds of him putting in actual effort to help her is close to none.

Shinji Matou is simply that type of person

That is why Sakura did not hope for the best. For when there is hope, it would only crush her in that resulting despair

Just like her uncle Kariya, just like--

She stopped at the door to the kitchen. There he is. His seaweed blue hair and seemingly dead eyes the only noticeable features in the dark shadow. Shinji is waiting for her

Is he going to beat her up for making him wait? Is he merely waiting to ridicule in believing he would actualy assist her?

"Take a seat" He said, and Sakura obediently complied. The young girl sat opposite to him, waiting for the eventual mockery

"..."

"...How was your day?"

Something is wrong

"Nii-san. A-are you alright?" She asked. For the first time since meeting the Matou boy, Sakura felt afraid of him "It seems you are tired.  Please let me clean the dishes for you"

"I don't think you get the question. I asked, how was your day?"

The boy in front of her did not budge nor did he made any threatening gesture---Something that instill even more fear in her. His every body movement is calm, almost made with absolute rationality that defy every characteristics she had perceived of him

He cannot be read. He cannot be predicted. The boy is something categorized as a "complete unknown" in her eyes

And that is why it made this Shinji more frightening. Everything about him raise her danger sense to a primal level of fear

"Well?" He spoke quietly, and she suppressed the newfound sense of terror she never knew she had before

"It- It went as usual" The girl struggled to speak through shivering frame "There's nothing to worry about"

"Ah, that's good" Her brother made a smile  that would have left a dog dying in it's spot. Shinij's hand moved to the side as he stood up, his frame towering over her "I guess you deserve some reward, then"

"Yes, Nii-san"

Sakura gazed down at the table with an empty gaze

It is only expected, her brother is a growing boy and she, a meek, obedient child who would not talk back, is the perfect target to release his pent up frustration on

At least, something had remained the same

The sound of dish scraping against the table reached Sakura

"...I baked some cookies for you"

Her gaze snapped up in disbelief, just in time to see a glass sliding up to her

"And I got some milk at that too. There's none at home so took some time walking to the nearby store"

Shinji explained with a dead voice. Before the jumbled mess inside her mind could make sense of what exactly is going on, he already left the kitchen

Shinji's footstep echoed off the empty corridor, leaving his sister behind in confusion and indecision

Sakura looked at the plate of cookies before her in hesitation

In the end, she picked a single one and bit into it

Unknown to the younger girl, the worm hiding in the corner returned to it's Master, who frowned at the information he received

Matou Zouken's narrowed eyes land upon the corridor to which his grandson had retreated to. He wondered what exactly had changed about him

____________________

Yeah! Wooo! I managed to survive my first day in the Matou household

The future is looking damn promising!

______________

Before you ask, no, this is not the same dude who reincarnated into Kiritsugu's body in my other book. He's a totally different one

Second, this book will only stay as a side project. That means update will not be consistent. Chapter length may vary from 1,000 - 4,000 words, but rarely beyond