Tokyo bombing incident Nth time

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

On another weekend, after completing the customary Spirit Essence Reserve ritual, Mingmei told Yuri two pieces of news.

The first piece of news had nothing to do with Yuri, but it still dealt a significant blow to Akemi's mood. Kento Kurahashi, the student who had gone astray, had indeed returned to school, but reportedly still often seemed distracted and absent-minded, as if he had suffered some kind of lingering effect.

Akemi, wanting to help if she could, went to take a look and ended up witnessing Kurahashi and his classmate arguing about whether the previous church event was good or bad.

If Akemi hadn't coughed so clearly to indicate that someone was around, the two who seemed to be friends would probably have started fighting.

Despite the argument, Kento Kurahashi remained steadfast in his belief that the cult was right and that he himself had caused them trouble. He demanded that his friend cease his malicious attacks on the cult. Akemi agreed that her friend's words made sense and were not overly emotional; she considered the malicious attack to be Kurahashi's exact words, not Akemi's judgment.

In addition, Mingmei saw a rather stubborn spiritual force in him, which was well hidden, but could not be suppressed when he argued with his friends.

In other words, although Kurahashi has returned physically, his heart has not. Deep down, he is still a believer and doesn't see anything wrong with it.

Considering Yuri's previous description of the situation, Akemi believes that this spiritual force played a very important role in the process, a profound psychological suggestion that made the subject more resolute when wavering—firmly continuing to support the cult.

"Don't you have a way to get rid of it?" Yuri was also helping to think of a solution.

Thinking about it carefully, he had indeed seen a lot of spiritual energy in the followers before, and there were more people with spiritual energy than those without when the entire church gathered.

Unfortunately, given Yuri's level of expertise, he could only determine whether something existed, not what its specific effects would be.

Based on previous conclusions, these spiritual forces are likely a special effect used to ensure loyalty—if they are removed, the problem will improve further.

Besides, Yuri had seen the process of casting such a spell before; it was just a matter of a single sentence. Since it was cast so easily, it shouldn't be too difficult to undo it either.

“There is a way, but it’s not very convenient.” Mingmei looked troubled. “My skill level is about the same as that cult leader’s, so I should be able to undo anything she can put out…”

"However?" Yuri mentally predicted what Akemi was about to say.

"However, if the person is not very cooperative, it will take a lot of effort."

Yuri further confirmed what Akemi meant by "cooperation," which meant "not to act rashly, and to mentally cooperate with Akemi's external pressure to resist the spiritual force."

...How could someone who has already been infected possibly cooperate with Akemi to resist the spiritual force? That's why Akemi simply gave up on this operation.

"So, how much effort is required for this that takes so much effort?" Let's settle for something less easy, something that simply requires a solution.

“He needs to stay still. Whether it’s persuading him to stop, tying him to a chair, or knocking him unconscious, it’s all fine. Then I can perform the ritual around him for about an hour.” Mingmei shrugged. “We can’t even do the first step unless we become kidnappers ourselves.”

Yuri's focus is not on this.

"An hour? She cast the spell with just one sentence, and you need an hour to undo it?" He noticed another aspect: wasn't the difference between these two corresponding actions too great?

“If I had been there and had known beforehand that the other party would use this move and had prepared accordingly, I could have strengthened the victim’s psychological defenses in a very short time—your journalist friend is right, this kind of thing becomes easy to resist once you have a mental defense in place.” The high school wizard’s voice revealed a sense of helplessness. “Even if I couldn’t directly deflect the power, it would be easier to deal with before it started to affect the victim’s mind.”

Now it seems that we are obviously too far from that point in time.

“If I were to violently break the curse without any regard for consequences, it would be much faster. As long as I pay a small, recoverable price, it would probably only take a few minutes. However, whether this would have an adverse effect on Kurahashi’s mental and physical health is another question. Some people are mentally strong and will not waver even if they can feel their minds being stirred up by two conflicting forces. Others are particularly fragile and it can directly trigger various mental illnesses.”

Then Akemi added, "—My father's book calls this the 'breakdown point,' meaning that when people encounter unacceptable things, they protect their mental state by falling into a breakdown. Obviously, some breakdowns only last for a moment, some last for a long time, and some people will never break down no matter what. I'm not familiar with Kurahashi, so I don't know which type he is. What if he's a particularly fragile type?"

"What should we do? Won't he cause trouble if he continues like this?"

If so, Yuri felt that they should make a plan to make Mr. Kurahashi Kento disappear for an hour on his way home from school, which shouldn't have a particularly bad impact.

"It's hard to say. The duration of this kind of spell is usually not permanent, but how long the recipient will stay in this state varies greatly depending on the individual. The longest recorded duration shouldn't exceed three months, right? For most people, it should wear off in about a month."

It's been long enough... Wait, Yuri seems to realize something.

"If this spell usually only lasts for a month, does it need to be replenished periodically and the spell recast?"

Akemi frowned. "Although the performance is similar to what you said... in reality, as long as we hold regular gatherings to reinforce the impression, we should be able to extend the time... Of course, the performance is indeed similar to what you said."

Therefore, this cult will definitely hold regular meetings within a month... In fact, if it were Yuri, he would set it to once every two weeks, in case of any unexpected situations. Now that six or seven days have passed, their next meeting should not be far away—and it will not be long before the cultists reappear.

The second message was much more straightforward and didn't require much analysis; Yuri and Minmei both sensed something was very wrong.

According to the statistics compiled by several returning Spirit Hunters who rushed around Tokyo, the activity level of Spirits has not decreased, but has continued to increase.

It's not that all the spirits in the Tokyo metropolitan area are becoming active, but this problem has appeared in a fairly large area roughly in the direction of the spirit gate that was sensed last time. It's possible that these two things are related, but the exact relationship is uncertain.

The Soul Hunters lacked the manpower to survey the specific boundaries of this area; they even suspected that the boundaries were constantly shifting. But what was certain was that Mingmei's residence was included within it.

Yuri had been honing his new abilities, and Akemi personally confirmed the veracity of this news. She had recently witnessed numerous battles between spirit groups; their numbers had increased dramatically while the space to contain them hadn't grown significantly, further intensifying their instinct for survival.

If this situation can remain stable in the long term, it will eventually reach some kind of balance, but right now the chaos is still expanding its influence.

For now, there haven't been any reports of anyone being killed because of this, but trouble may arise in the near future.

The Soul Hunters must have felt considerable pressure: they, who always thought of Akemi as a child, actually took the initiative to ask Akemi to tell them immediately if she saw anything unusual.

If they weren't under immense pressure, they probably wouldn't have asked for this. They hoped that Mingmei could act as an observation station, because they themselves were clearly unable to observe all the information.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Yuri once held onto the hope that "maybe things will just stay this way," but now that hope is like a colorful soap bubble that has been floating for too long—still beautiful, but increasingly fragile, and it seems as if you can see the countdown to its bursting.

According to Akemi's understanding, not only the Spirit Hunters, but also some other supernatural individuals they knew (whom Akemi herself did not know), including Akemi and Yuri, all of whom felt that the situation was getting out of control.

But no one can clearly judge exactly how or in what way the situation got out of control, nor does anyone know what the consequences of this loss of control will be.

Everyone is sitting on a time bomb, but no one knows whether the explosion will simply produce a glow or blow them to pieces.

Akemi wasn't opposed to being an observatory, but she wanted to do more than that.

“Yuri, I think you should go to that station and ask the spirit occupying it what it thinks about this.” After a moment of silence, Akemi spoke again.

Although Yuri could tell that Akemi's suggestion was not limited to this, he still interrupted her.

"Why me? Why can I do this? I won't get beaten to death on the spot, will I?" Yuri asked one question after another.

Akemi didn't get angry because she was interrupted, but slowly explained, perhaps Yuri's question was within her expectations.

“Our root carving friends have already told us that the one at the station isn’t particularly irritable, and based on the information I’ve gathered from subtle inquiries over this period, it’s probably not the type to deliberately cause such a thing—so if you just go and ask, you won’t get killed on the spot.” Mingmei first explained the most important third question.

This sounds reasonable, at least Akemi seems to genuinely believe it—and even disregarding their friendship, getting herself beaten to death wouldn't do her any good.

"As for the first two questions, it can be summarized in one sentence—I can't guarantee you can do it, but you should at least try. And I can't go. Spirits are one thing, ordinary people are another, and for me, it's yet another matter." The high school student mystic spread her hands, showing no sign of lying.

"It has a strong bias against human paranormal individuals?" Yuri began to reconstruct the other party's image in his mind. "Why? Because human paranormal individuals have tried to exploit it before?"

Yuri felt a lack of imagination, as he immediately thought of what the Fire Spirit had said.

“…This is hard to explain, Yuri.” To his surprise, Akemi looked conflicted. “Anyway, what I said is correct, but the specific details are hard to explain…If the time is right, we can analyze it slowly.”

“If it’s hard to say, then don’t bother,” Yuri reassured Akemi. “Anyway, are there any other things to note? If not, I’ll set off as soon as possible.”

“Let me explain the whole situation to you briefly first, and you can still make it before you set off,” she waved her hand. “I also feel terrible and think the sooner the better, but we still need to stay calm, right?”

Yuri felt that these words weren't just directed at him; Akemi clearly also needed to suppress her anxiety in this way.

Chapter Seventy-Seven: The Station

Yuri arrived at the station.

Akemi thought she could take him to the vicinity of the station, but since she couldn't possibly take him directly to his door, Yuri simply set off on his own.

Along the way, he also kept thinking about the plan proposed by Akemi.

Her plan was actually very simple.

First, go see the big shot, and then if possible, persuade them to help you directly (the probability is extremely low, but what if it happens?).

If the big players are willing to provide information, then we'll take whatever they give us without being picky (the possibility is slightly higher, but not by much).

If the big players are neither willing to help directly nor provide information, but also do not directly expel people (which is the most likely scenario), then proceed to the next stage.

Ask the other spirits in the station for information.

Yuri noticed but didn't connect the dots: if there was a powerful spirit in the station that wouldn't attack you but would actively stop the chaos, then it would be a refuge, a truce point—given the current turbulent state of the spirits, there should be many fleeing spirits seeking refuge there.

As a spirit, Yuri should be able to blend in with them relatively easily... probably? In any case, it would definitely be more convenient than for Akemi, who is a mortal.

Considering that as long as the bigwigs at this station aren't the masterminds, many of those seeking refuge there should be victims of this spirit mutation. As long as Yuri states that it's for dealing with the mutation, these spirits shouldn't mind telling Yuri things they deem unimportant.

The two of them want as much information as they can, and much of the information that is unimportant to them can be helpful to others.

Important note: Never say that you have any connection with the Spirit Hunters—whether it's something like, "What are Spirit Hunters? Can you eat them?" or "I've heard of Spirit Hunters, but they have nothing to do with me" is entirely up to Yuri's judgment—in short, don't say you have any connection.

Upon hearing this, Yuri couldn't help but interject, asking what would happen if he said he was a member of the Spirit Hunters.

After thinking for a moment, Mingmei solemnly told Yuri that in the worst-case scenario, he might die.

Spirit Hunters have a lot of reputation among spirits, and it's usually concentrated in their fearsome and infamous reputation. Getting involved with a Spirit Hunter might increase your threat effectiveness, but you'll lose your ability to negotiate.

Does Yuri really have the ability to walk into the very center of a group of spirits and start threatening them all?

Of course not. Yuri added in his mind that "this group of people have just been driven out of their stronghold and are under the protection of other big shots. They are very angry, and Yuri probably can't fight that many of them"—obviously, this condition would not make threatening them any better.

In short, these spirits are not enemies, most likely not, and there is no benefit in deliberately provoking them.

Finally, if possible, it's best to make an agreement with these spirits, such as "when you're just a little short of having the strength to beat up the mastermind, please ask these victims to step in and help you."

Although it may be possible to persuade the other party later, who knows when something might happen? What if something happens and there's no time to communicate in a crisis?

The success rate for this isn't high either, but it's always good to give it a try.

Akemi brought Yuri a few coins in case he needed to communicate with her quickly if necessary. However, she also deliberately told Yuri that if anything happened, he should just throw the physical coins away and run away, and not lose or suffer a loss for such a small amount of money.

Yuri could tell that she meant to say she lost her life... Tsk, what, does Yuri really look like the kind of person who "must win every chance and then lose everything, even what he already has"? As a loser who has been beaten and forced to flee in a sorry state many times, Yuri is completely confident in his own mortal safety.

In the remaining time, Yuri went over the plan in his mind twice more.

To be honest, Mingmei's plan wasn't particularly brilliant, nor was it particularly eye-opening, but the steps involved were relatively detailed—Yuri himself wasn't exactly a strategist, and couldn't think of a better way right away.

Consider it a way to save his brainpower. Besides, Yuri himself didn't expect it to be a refuge, which shows that his decision-making might not be as good as Minami's.

Not long after the second viewing, Yuri arrived near the station.

There's no time for a third time, unless you're willing to stand there like an idiot outside the station.

After calming himself down, Yuri stepped into the station area.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The station area is not actually measured from the ticket gate or entrance, but rather is a roughly ellipsoidal area centered on a certain point, and its specific boundaries are said to change from time to time.

Mingmei believes this is a result of the center point itself frequently shifting.

Yuri wondered how he could possibly tell if he had actually entered the station.

However, this doubt has now been dispelled.

Ordinary people wouldn't be able to sense it, but a spirit like him could definitely feel it; the atmosphere around him changed the moment he entered.

If the previous feeling was like the wilderness, dangerous yet free, the moment you step in, the atmosphere shifts to a kind of territory where you can feel both security and restraint. In other words, there is a sense of order, which you can't feel without comparison.

If Yuri had lived inside the station all his life, he might have found the atmosphere inside to be quite ordinary, while the outside world was full of chaos and madness.

Yuri secretly tested his strength and manipulation of his spiritual essence, concluding that this wasn't a forced order created by some kind of physical force. If he disregarded the consequences, he could still cause a ruckus... but regardless of whether he wanted to, the fact that the atmosphere itself could create a sense of order without force was already quite remarkable.

At least Yuri himself didn't know how to do it.

Instead of conducting research, let's get down to business first.

Yuri took a few more steps forward and saw several spirits of different kinds.

It's a bit strange to see these spirits staying here, especially since Yuri can also see the material world at the same time.

An exaggeratedly large dog spirit squatted in the convenience store inside the station, its enormous body taking up the entire window.

The black and white dog looked quite intelligent, giving Yuri the impression of being... Level Two.

A motorcycle spirit struggled to shrink itself into a cleaning passage. Although it did manage to get in, it seemed completely unable to turn around, Level Two.

There were two bird spirits, one that looked somewhat like a parrot and the other that Yuri thought was most likely a sparrow. Both were level two, and they were glaring at each other fiercely.

At the entrance to the restroom, there was a puddle that had become a spirit. The fluidity on its surface indicated that it was still alive. Its power far surpassed Yuri's, but was slightly inferior to the previous fire spirit... Level three.

Seemingly noticing Yuri's gaze, the puddle bulged slightly towards Yuri. Yuri felt as if he had been caught spying, and hurriedly and awkwardly looked away.

With just a glance, Yuri spotted several spirits remaining in place. Of course, this was also related to the fact that they weren't deliberately hiding; spiritification itself was one of the best ways to conceal themselves.

The density of spirits here is much higher than outside, and they can coexist peacefully, which could be due to two reasons.

Yuri observed the environment itself this time.

Well, it's not the first type. Although this place is a convergence point of spiritual veins, it's not like there are spiritual marrow vents everywhere. The restroom might be somewhat like that, but even if it is, it should be the weaker kind—not much stronger than the kind that Mingmei pointed out to me last time.

According to the principle that "the stronger the spirit, the more it consumes," the spiritual essence here should be far from enough to satisfy the spirit's needs.

So, since it's not the wonderful situation where "the spiritual essence here is so abundant that everyone can eat their fill while lying down," then it must be the second one: "This is already a non-combat zone, and those who fight each other will be beaten up by the local leaders."

As Yuri observed these spirits, they also observed Yuri (with the exception of the two birds who might be killing each other with their eyes), but none of the spirits spoke up.

This seemed a little creepy, so Yuri quickened his pace.