Tokyo bombing incident Nth time

When Yuri tried to stretch his spiritual essence, he had a strange feeling, as if the spiritual essence that made up him had already been stretched to its limit, with no redundant parts that could be mobilized, and no elasticity whatsoever.

This doesn't feel very good; it's a bit like being told, "Now let me show you my true abilities," only to find out, "Actually, you've been giving it your all all along."

“I don’t think the injury is that serious.” Mingmei grabbed Yuri’s left arm to examine it. “It’s definitely not a superficial wound, but it shouldn’t be so bad that it can’t be healed even after using up all the energy, right?”

"It's possible to heal by expending energy, isn't that what I'm thinking about saving?" Yuri rolled his eyes at Akemi, then helplessly began to use energy to heal himself.

This operation cannot be considered a victory... but the problem is temporarily resolved.

He could think about the rest later; it wasn't that he had no intention of asking Mingmei anything.

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.

"How did you determine that the other person was a sin-eater? Had you seen them before?"

"I've never seen one before, but I could sense the death aura. The fact that it could bask in the sun meant it wasn't a vampire. So I tried to trick it, and it turned out it really was."

On the way back, Yuri and Akemi exchanged information about their previous fight with Yamanaka Yuka (and her spirit).

In reality, Yuri's situation was fraught with danger, while Minmei's was much easier.

The talisman used by Yuka Yamanaka was not without value; it could hinder the target's movements. In addition, she had a thin layer of spiritual energy covering her body. Although it was not a complete enhancement, it was enough to weaken the attacks launched against her by others—at least when the attacks came from fists and feet.

If Akemi possessed the power of a mythical hero, she could have easily destroyed this layer of spiritual energy head-on, but she didn't this time—before taking out sharper weapons (a knife and iron chains that could be wrapped around her hands), Akemi chose a more roundabout method: grappling, wrestling, and strangling.

The talismans thrown by Yuka Yamanaka have a certain guiding ability, and will chase after her selected target at a certain distance—this does not quite conform to the common sense of physics. After all, those talismans are just pieces of paper, and they are not very hard. Such things have problems even flying in a straight line in a windless environment, let alone changing direction and tracking themselves.

But they did do it, although the tracking distance was limited.

“Is it possible that the spells on these talismans are unusual?” Yuri pointed out a possibility. “The world is so big, maybe there are spells that can make projectiles fly to their targets on their own.”

That sounds really useful, Yuri thought, especially when used on containers of certain corrosive or explosive materials.

“No, it’s not…” Mingmei parked the car by the roadside, reached into her pocket, and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper—it looked like it had at least been a talisman… As for whether it still was, Yuri didn’t detect any spiritual energy. “Take a look.”

Yuri could tell at a glance that the thing was no longer working, and he also recognized some of the patterns and words on it, but he didn't know what they meant when put together.

If you didn't know beforehand that it was a talisman, it would look a bit like something a child would scribble.

"It looks like it's completely broken."

"—That's not what I meant," Akemi interrupted Yuri.

Yes, I guess that's not what you meant, but I don't know what you're trying to say besides that.

“Hmm…it looks a bit old-fashioned, not quite like a modern work, but the basic structure is still the same, without much change—its main function is to intimidate spirits, and it has almost no effect on mortals.” Mingmei pointed to a few nodes, “See this? This means that its main function is to remove possession.”

I don't know, I can't tell at all. The only thing Yuri noticed while staring at them was that he no longer recognized the Chinese characters, and the lines were flying around randomly. Ancient style… is it because the person who taught her these things was an old-fashioned rigid? That's possible.

Akemi sighed, "In short, all you need to know is that this thing doesn't work well for me and it doesn't have the ability to fly on its own."

"Is it that the effect is poor, not that it's almost nonexistent?" Yuri repeated.

“Yes, it’s not very effective.” Mingmei put the talisman away. “After all, I am a cultivator, so I have some sensitivity to these things. These things have a slight effect on me as well—but once your shield is taken into account, they are completely useless.”

The two were too restrained in their fight, which meant that Yuka Yamanaka was unable to put up an effective resistance and could only dodge in a sorry state. However, her physical abilities were not as good as Akemi's, so she couldn't dodge and was quickly taken down. If it weren't for the spirit's defensive action, this battle might have ended in a complete victory for the Yuri duo.

As for why she only started defending at the last minute... her bound spirit usually acts autonomously, and might need her to call it back... something seems off.

After telling Akemi about her question, Akemi shook her head, indicating that she didn't have any particular thoughts. However, the self-acting ability of that bound spirit was indeed quite subtle. If it wouldn't think on its own without being actively stimulated, why did it stop when Yuka was in a panic in the mountains, preparing to perish together with her?

This matter remains a mystery and requires further investigation.

Meeting on April 132

The following afternoon, Yuri appeared near the funeral home that Yuka had mentioned.

He wasn't alone; Akemi came with him to drive and, in case the other side really did take the wrong medicine and were planning an ambush, to make it easier for her to escape with Yuri.

However, this did not happen. When they arrived at the scene, they did not see any tripwires, arrow traps, underground pits, or any five hundred axemen lying in ambush—in fact, there were hardly any people at the scene.

If arriving ten minutes earlier than scheduled didn't result in seeing an ambush, then there probably wasn't one in the end—and if there wasn't an ambush here, then there probably wasn't one. This inference is based on the premise that... Yuka Yamanaka is a normal person, and yesterday's conversation suggests that she is indeed a normal person, although somewhat eccentric, but at least possessing the thought process and judgment of a normal person, and wouldn't easily go crazy.

Yuri's most paranoid thought was that this might be an attempt to lull him into a false sense of security, perhaps leading him into an unfavorable situation before killing him... but being here was already bad enough.

Relieved, Yuri began to look around.

The funeral home was located in a corner of the city, quite far from other buildings. Even before entering, Yuri could feel a chilling aura lingering above the funeral home.

It's hard to say exactly what the yin energy means, but it at least suggests that the place is quite busy. Nevertheless, there weren't many people gathered nearby. Staff and security guards were present, but there weren't any large groups of relatives or friends of the deceased.

Last night, Yuri tried to find records about the funeral home in the newspapers, but to no avail. Nothing major had happened there in the last two or three months.

So why was the meeting place here? No matter how you look at it, it's inextricably linked to this "end of life".

The surrounding environment was actually quite nice and quiet. The two of them found a place to rest a little further away... Who knows what special changes might happen at the agreed time?

Another thing they investigated last night, of course, was the Sin Eaters. After setting this as their target, Yuri and Minmei conducted a targeted search for information.

The Sin Eaters, whose name is said to be derived from the phrase "eating sins to eliminate karma," are people who, due to their close connection with ghosts, consciously or unconsciously become a link between humans and ghosts—a link that is alien to both sides. Since the relationship between funeral homes and ghosts is inseparable, it wouldn't be surprising to Yuri if he said that this funeral home was a stronghold of the Sin Eaters.

But how exactly they acted as this link is hard to say... There's not too little, but too much information on this.

Some say they would take the place of the ghost, atoning for its sins and helping it reincarnate. Others say they would perform actions similar to those of evil spirits that seduce souls, only more gently, by imposing relatively harmless punishments on the ghosts to reduce the punishment they would receive in the underworld in advance. Of course, some also believe that they would simply devour the ghosts, causing the guilty to perish and the innocent to be expelled.

Is the last one mixed up with Zhong Kui? In short, there are a lot of different versions, and it's hard to tell which is true and which is false.

In short, trying to sift through various legends to find out exactly what happened is an impossible task for Yuri, unless he can foresee the future or something (he has tried countless times, but to no avail) – so it's better to just wait for the Sin Eaters to come out and ask them.

So, when will that sin-eater arrive?

…………

The agreed time has arrived.

…………

About five minutes after the agreed time, a short sin-eater hurriedly ran over from a distance, saying, "Sorry, sorry, I'm late."

It certainly doesn't look like an ambush.

"It's nothing, we've only been here a short while—is something wrong?" Akemi completely ignored the fact that she had already checked her watch twice. "Did something happen that caused us to be late?"

"No, no, it's entirely my own fault. I ate too slowly." Yuka Yamanaka looked a little disheveled. "Then I didn't give myself enough time to catch the bus, and I missed the bus rush hour, so I had to run all the way here."

"It's good that nothing happened. You don't need to... um, should I ask your friend to come out?" Mingmei was preparing her words.

"Why don't we just have your friend ride over on horseback like last time?" Yuri waved his left arm. "While it might not be as fast as transportation, it's definitely faster than walking, right?"

Upon closer inspection, the girl who ate sins before him had a flushed face from exercise and was breathing rapidly in small pats (probably to maintain her image). Sweat was beading on her forehead, and her hair, tied in a simple ponytail and pulled back, was unaffected. Perhaps the blue she saw yesterday was just an illusion? It seemed she wasn't old enough to wear heavy makeup yet. If Yuri remembered correctly, she had wiped her face with her sleeve without hesitation when she ran over.

She should at least still have the defects that come with a human body, so why not take advantage of the spiritual body?

"Do you often feel the help she provides as a spirit?" Yuka Yamanaka tilted her head and asked Akemi.

"Often? For example, when I forget my keys, I let him climb in through the window." Akemi lied without batting an eye. In reality, she had never let Yuri climb in through a window because she "forgot her keys"—that time it was an illegal entry without a key.

"..." The girl's expression was a little strange, it was hard to say whether it was envy or a headache. "I don't think this is good or bad, but I may not be used to this mode."

What mode? A mode where you summon the bound spirit to do things whenever something happens?

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Yuka Yamanaka, having caught her breath, glanced at Akemi and Yuri. "Akemi-san, are you also coming to visit? You might need to change your clothes, but I'm sure I have spares."

“No, I’m just responsible for bringing him here. I have to go somewhere else afterward—Chinami invited me to a girls’ party this afternoon, and I think I should go.” Akemi revealed what Yuri already knew.

Although Mingmei's answer at the time was that she might not be able to go (after all, if a fight really broke out, she definitely wouldn't be able to leisurely go to the party), now that she's being notified that she can go, it should still be in time.

After all, that was Akemi's only friend in the class. This relationship had to be carefully maintained, even if she couldn't be friends with anyone else at all—Yuri silently sentenced Akemi's ability to make friends to death in his heart, at least the part about making friends with normal people was a death sentence.

“Okay, that’s fine.” The sin-eater girl nodded vigorously, watching Akemi ride away with Yuri.

Then he turned to Yuri.

"........."

"........."

Yuri felt he should take the initiative to start a conversation, "Didn't you prepare for the possibility that Akemi would come?"

"Why do you say that?"

"If so, shouldn't you have prepared a change of clothes beforehand—" This seems obvious. "By the way, what kind of clothes are they?"

"That's right, and the clothes are those of the funeral home staff. Come with me—there's still more than an hour before the ceremony starts, but we should arrive early."

Yuri then followed Yuka Yamanaka into the area where the funeral home was located—the gatekeeper glanced at her but didn't say anything special.

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.

"Do you come here often?"

The building's structure wasn't particularly complex, but it wasn't so simple that it was completely transparent either. Yamanaka Yuka walked without hesitation and seemed oblivious to the surrounding scenery—Yuri didn't dislike such a solemn and dignified sight, but Yamanaka Yuka wasn't attracted at all.

“Yes,” Yuka Yamanaka replied briefly, “and if everything goes as I wish, you’ll probably come here often in the future.”

As they walked, their conversations gradually increased, and they became somewhat familiar with each other.

Yuri didn't know how the other person viewed him, but from his perspective... the sin-eater girl in front of him seemed to be forcibly trying to mold herself into an adult.

“Ah, look here—” Yamanaka Yuka stopped walking in a walkway, for the first time. “Yes, the spot opposite this window.”

It looked a bit like a small square, with other buildings next to it… Was it a mourning hall? The place was empty, but Yuri could feel a cool, serene atmosphere… a sense of peace and tranquility enveloped the area.

"This is roughly the area. Can you tell what this place is for?"

Although I can't sense it, I can guess from the atmosphere... Yuri thought for a moment, "Funeral, I'm guessing. As for feelings, I can only say that I can't feel it."

This answer is actually quite cunning, since there aren't many places in a funeral home that say they have nothing to do with funerals.

“That’s right, the requiem ceremony will be held here, which is basically the same as a funeral in the common understanding of ordinary people—through such a funeral, the sin eaters will appease the dead and calm the living... at least that’s the plan.” Yuka Yamanaka lowered her voice, “The family of the deceased is unlikely to completely accept death, but at least we can make them feel better and less attached to death.”

"This will reduce—" the obsession will be weaker? Ghosts are created because of obsession.

“This might reduce the number of ghosts in the future, that’s right.” Yuka Yamanaka continued, “These rituals would be more effective in ancient times, but modern people are less susceptible to their influence… Fortunately, at least the part that calms the dead can still work.”

Is the purpose of sin-eaters to reduce the generation of ghosts?

Yuka Yamanaka started again, but this time she stopped after going not far.

"Um... I need to change my clothes, don't follow me." She pointed to a place marked as a women's changing room, "I'll call you when I'm done changing and getting ready to put on makeup."

They said there was still more than an hour before the ceremony started. Was that enough time? Yuri wasn't sure, but he went along with the host's arrangements.

Not long after Yuka Yamanaka entered the building, Yuri saw a staff member walk down the corridor... passing right past Yuri without looking at him... and then walking on.

Although that was the initial assumption, it's now confirmed that not every staff member has the ability to see spirits... And do supernatural beings that can't see spirits really exist? At least the Sin Eaters certainly can.

About three minutes after she went in, Yuka Yamanaka, dressed in a staff uniform, peeked out from the changing room and whispered for Yuri to come in.

"You're done with your makeup?" Yuri was amazed by the speed.

"We haven't started applying makeup yet, but we can continue talking while you're getting your makeup done, so there's no need to waste time waiting."

“That’s perfect. I have a question, may I ask it now?” Yuri asked politely, and after receiving polite permission, he continued, “Where did you learn all these terms and knowledge?”

"Excuse me? Please repeat that?" The girl sat down in front of the mirror and began rummaging through the things she would use to apply to her face.

Yuri repeated the question.

What kind of knowledge are you talking about?

"What was the situation in ancient times, and what were these terms used for?"

Why does Yamanaka Yuka know about the situation in ancient times? And why do she use almost the same nouns as Yuri? Yuri's vocabulary comes from Akemi, while Akemi's vocabulary comes from her grandfather. We don't know where her grandfather learned it from, but it's almost impossible that he taught Yamanaka Yuka it.

The books Yuri reads describe the same thing in multiple ways. The word "spiritual essence" has many names, from spiritual breath and spiritual nectar to essence and quintessence. Could it be that the sin-eater girl in front of him chose the same book as Yuri on her first visit and decided on the wording based on it?

"It's divided into two parts. The ancient stories were mostly told to me by the spirit bondage, and I think he might be quite old—as for the wording, it was told to me by other sin-eaters. So, is there a problem?" Yuka Yamanaka began applying makeup in front of the mirror.

"No, there's no problem, it just happens to be the same version as the one I'm using... I'm a little surprised."

"We have also discussed this issue, although we have not studied it seriously. Our conclusion is that the inheritance of supernatural beings is more stable than rumors among ordinary people. Therefore, if supernatural beings have agreed on a name for each other at some point in ancient times, the possibility of it being passed down will be higher. After all, it is not easy to encounter a disaster that causes an entire supernatural group to be interrupted."

Hey, authors of a certain notebook, did you hear me?

Yuka Yamanaka's words made a lot of sense, but Yuri really did see a supernatural creature group that had died out, and if you include the werewolves, that makes one and a half.

"And then, I also have a question for you. Yu...Ri...Is it okay if I just call you that?" The sin-eater girl hesitated.

"No problem." Aren't names meant to be called?

"Yuri, why do you look exactly like Miss Akemi?"

good question.

133 Society History

Yuri quickly reviewed all the possible answers and concluded that the best course of action in this situation was to tell the truth.