The reason I came all the way to Japan was simply because I was born Japanese.
None of my fellow Executors thought of me as Japanese because of my native-level Italian accent, but I was, by birth, Japanese.
In my first life, I was Korean, and in my second life, I was Japanese. Naturally, East Asian culture is more familiar to me.
It was a very natural thing for me to board a plane heading for the Far East.
So, of all the places in Japan, why Fuyuki City?
There was the region where I lived with Tamamo, and there was Kyoto as well.
But I chose Fuyuki City. To be precise, I had no other choice.
Each region has a magus family that manages the land's ley lines, and not a single one of them was willing to take me in.
I was prepared to use force if necessary.
But wanting to enjoy a happy retirement after all the rolling around I did as an Executor, I naturally chose not to fight.
As I wandered, wondering if there was any place that would accept me, I noticed a powerful flow of magical energy.
A nauseating stench and an aura that seemed to be crammed full of pure human evil.
Something akin to a demon, emanating an aura of a Beast, just like me.
That something was in Fuyuki City.
And so, I headed for Fuyuki City.
I came to find out the identity of the Beast's aura... but no one believes me.
'A Beast? You seem more dangerous. Aren't you trying to turn our territory into a wasteland?' They would usually say something similar and eye me with suspicion.
It's my own fault for having a colorful criminal record, but when a person repeats the same thing over and over, isn't it worth believing them just once?
The ones who piss me off the most are the guys from the Holy Church.
They caught me when I was young, calling me a "bud of unrest," used me to their heart's content, and now for them to wash their hands of me is beyond irritating.
Aren't they the ones who should trust me the most? It's truly absurd.
Even now, I'm barely scraping by, thanks only to the Tohsaka family turning a blind eye.
Of course, if they had refused, I wouldn't have been able to stand it and would have smashed everything... but that didn't happen, so there's no need to mention it.
"...But the road ahead is bleak. And I'm out of money."
A life pinched for money. In the modern era, money is everything. I'm realizing that to the bone.
The sponsorship money from the Tohsaka family is also gradually decreasing.
They said they don't see the need to fund a clinic, disguised as a hospital, that only sees one or two patients a day, and since it's true, I couldn't even argue.
"The only things I know how to do are kill and heal. What am I supposed to do?"
When you kill people to your heart's content, you naturally learn how to save people as well.
You know where to stab to kill, so you just don't stab there.
If blood gushes out like a fountain from a spot, you just treat it.
I also learned medicine well at the Holy Church, so I even have a doctor's license.
But I'm a beggar.
"Aren't doctors supposed to be rich no matter what…."
Damn the bubble economy. Damn this world.
I should have insisted on getting my severance pay in dollars, no matter what.
The value of the yen, bloated with a massive bubble, plummeted as soon as the bubble burst.
"And I poured even that little money I had into useless machines…."
Do you know how much an X-ray machine costs? Over 100 million yen.
As the bubble economy burst, the prices skyrocketed like crazy, so even a used machine easily costs more than 30 million yen.
I spent a ton of money to expand the clinic and bought all sorts of machines, but they're all just sitting unused in storage.
It's not an exhibition; does an ordinary city need a robot for neurosurgery? Of course not.
I was no different from an idiot who poured his entire fortune into a pile of scrap metal.
"...Maybe I'll have a drink."
I'll admit it.
My financial management skills are rock bottom.
Come to think of it, I've never really had to manage money.
The first time, Tamamo took care of it. In the second, in the Fae Nation, there was no currency itself. The third time, Johanna was in charge.
What about ancient Sumer? I was holed up in the Cedar Mountain.
"Haaah…."
Just as I was about to crack open a beer I'd bought from the convenience store, the clinic door opened.
I shoved the half-opened beer can into a drawer and welcomed my precious... patient.
"What can I help you with?"
"A quiet, empty little clinic! I finally found it! This must be that clinic they say is pointlessly over-equipped~!"
Forcibly suppressing the urge to kick him out, I began to check the patient's identity.
"Please write down your name and phone number."
"My name is Uryu Ryuunosuke! As for a phone number… I don't have one!"
"Not even a home phone?"
"Nope!"
The young man with striking orange hair nodded his head with a refreshing smile.
"Well, I understand for now. Is that your real name?"
"It's the precious name my parents gave me."
"What seems to be the problem?"
Mr. Uryu held out his hand.
"One day, this black tattoo just appeared, and I can't get it off no matter what I do~. I was wondering if you knew a way to remove it!"
"You don't have to show me your face."
"I came hoping the doctor could remove it for me!"
Unlike his beaming smile, my expression soured endlessly.
The thick smell of blood wafted from him.
This man.
Is a murderer.
And not someone who's only killed one or two people. At least more than ten.
I quickly came to a conclusion.
Uryu Ryuunosuke is a wanted criminal or a similarly dangerous individual, and he needs to keep acting like a normal person to avoid the police.
But the tattoo on the back of his hand is getting in the way.
I don't know if he got it himself or if it's a wound from a struggle with a victim, but it's a suspicious tattoo to say the least.
He wants to remove it because it could attract unnecessary suspicion.
'But the fact that he was looking for a quiet, empty clinic means….'
I subtly glanced into his eyes.
They were, to all appearances, the eyes of an ordinary person.
His claim of wanting to remove the tattoo seemed to be true, but he probably intended to kill me as well after it was done.
It was astonishing that he could act so normal.
"So, can you remove it?"
For now, I'll just watch.
As a doctor, I performed a thorough examination.
"A tattoo like this is difficult to remove. The extreme option is a skin graft, otherwise, grinding away the skin is the best you can do."
"Ehh~ I don't want any scars on my skin."
"It seems the ink has penetrated deep into the dermis, and very finely at that, so it will be difficult to remove completely. It looks like a rather old tattoo, though?"
"No, no. It just appeared yesterday!"
Yesterday, he says. It doesn't seem like a lie.
There's no way a tattoo that appeared overnight could have such a perfect form, so is there something magical about it?
A magically created sigil.
But the magical energy I felt from this person was next to none.
Uryu Ryuunosuke.
Could he be a participant in the Holy Grail War?
I heard that Masters have Command Spells. And Command Spells take the form of a tattoo.
Since they appear on those who are qualified, perhaps this man is from a forgotten magus family.
I'll have to examine him more thoroughly.
"For now, go in there, get changed, and come to the operating room."
"But I said I don't want surgery."
"I'm going to use the equipment in there to get a closer look at the tattoo. We need to find a way to remove it without surgery."
"Oh, I see! I almost misunderstood!"
I have to kill him.
This guy. He's been fiddling with the knife hidden in his sleeve since he came in.
He must think I wouldn't notice, but anyone with professional training would.
This guy has only ever dealt with civilians.
'A vicious serial killer. Not worth keeping alive.'
I put on a mask.