Tokyo bombing incident Nth time

...Was it because they were eaten dry by the Rat King? The Rat King destroyed something they needed to become truly self-aware ghosts—this inference seems plausible.

To confirm, close contact with the body would likely be necessary, meaning Yuri would have to crawl into the cabinet, almost overlapping with the body… While he could certainly do it—the cabinet's "drawers" wouldn't block spirits—even he felt it was too blasphemous to do so. Furthermore, Yamanaka Yuka had previously warned against stimulating these ghosts; if Yuri crawled into the cabinet to confirm the body, it would obviously constitute a disturbance.

There seemed to be nothing else to discuss here. Yuri asked the sin-eaters in a low voice, "What's the next step?"

"Wait a little longer." *1 "Let's begin." *2

The three of them had a clear disagreement.

Then Yuka Yamanaka and the other two people started staring at each other.

"Aren't we waiting for the others?" The sin-eater girl looked quite confused. "Sister Imaizuka, Mr. Hirota and the others haven't arrived yet, have they? They should be here soon, or we might miss it."

“Well, they have some other things to do—although they all said they could come if they really wanted to, as you can see, everything is fine, and I don’t think it’s necessary for everyone to come—especially after you insisted yesterday afternoon that you could come,” Minagawa explained.

"Oh..." Yuka Yamanaka's voice noticeably lowered, and she fell silent.

"What do you mean by 'beginning'?" Yuri interjected.

“We’re saying we need to do a final check on the bodies. These people didn’t die honorably, and some of them joined this sect because they had lost everything else… There was even a family where the only survivors all perished together—those who were left here in the end were… unable to put on a big show at the funeral.” Hirosaki lowered his voice to almost nothing when he said the last sentence, as if afraid that the ghosts would hear him.

The ghosts did not react.

“So, before cremation, we will do a final check on their condition, which is also part of the ceremony.” Mr. Hirozaki’s voice returned to its original tone, still quite heavy. “Moreover, as you can see, these ghosts may not have intentionally altered their remains, and we must restore these alterations, otherwise it will be troublesome if the government representatives find something wrong.”

It seems their task is to prepare the body for the deceased, but...

Seemingly knowing what Yuri wanted to ask, Hirosaki immediately continued, "Normally, this part can be done by the staff, but since we need to exorcise so many ghosts at once, I think it's better to have the Sin Eaters take over from the beginning, so I asked Mr. Minagawa for help."

Was this guy prepared all along? He speaks so eloquently; no wonder he got promoted. Yuri inwardly praised him.

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.

After everyone had no questions, Hirosaki and Minagawa stepped forward and began the examination of the body, with Yamanaka and Yuri following behind.

It might be a bit rude, but Yuri thought this action was similar to checking stationery: pull out the drawer containing the body, observe the body's clothing, limb condition, and expression, and put it back if everything seemed fine, and make minor changes if there were any issues.

While the two men took on the physical labor, Yuka Yamanaka was in charge of the actual sorting. Being so close to the deceased made her look a little pale, but her behavior remained normal.

This is to be expected, as contact with death is unavoidable for a sin-eater, and she may even have seen her own remains.

Yuri followed behind her, staring at the corpses. Yes, they were all faces he had seen back then... but back then, these faces didn't have this heavy aura of death.

One by one, the twelve bodies were examined, and there were no major problems. There were more than twenty ghosts here, but only half of them died in the cult incident (marked as the Rat King incident in Yuri's mind), and they were the only ones for whom the ritual to deliver their souls and appease their spirits was to be performed this time.

After the examination, the next step, in theory, would be a formal farewell ceremony, followed by cremation. The four people returned to that corner and waited for time to pass.

"Click".

A strange sound came out.

Mr. Minagawa noticed it immediately and signaled the other three to stop talking and listen carefully.

Yuri noticed another difference: there were three fewer ghosts than when he first entered... and all of them were faces that had just been examined.

135 The Sin Eaters' Society - Resurrection

The sound only lasted briefly before stopping, making further investigation impossible.

“There are fewer ghosts, everyone.” Before Yuri could speak, Minagawa once again spotted the anomaly before his two companions… However, it seemed he didn’t have the same level of precision as Yuri. “Has anyone noticed what happened?”

That's right, three are missing, and the other ghosts haven't changed.

"Hey, both of them are still conscious. A ghost went missing while unconscious?" Yuka Yamanaka walked up and began to ask the two conscious ghosts for details.

Yuri thought it was unlikely to yield any results—even he hadn't noticed when the ghost disappeared, so it was even less likely that the ghosts, whose attention was focused on different things, would notice.

“They said they didn’t notice, but one of them said that the number of ghosts was still there before Yuri and I came in, but I’m not sure about that… Can you determine when the ghosts disappeared?” The sin-eater girl asked the two people who were already there, “Before we came in, or after we came in?”

“…I’m not sure.” Minagawa shook his head slightly. “But I think it was most likely after you came in—could it be your friend…”

Hey, don't slander someone's innocence out of thin air.

Yuri wasn't too nervous because he felt he could find the whereabouts of the vanished ghosts. He didn't say it immediately just to see how the sin eaters analyzed things.

Although the longer he kept it hidden, the harder it was to speak, he was trying to find the right balance.

“Impossible, there’s absolutely no possibility of it—one is one thing, but how could we not have noticed if he had consumed three in a row? At such close range!” Yamanaka Yuka rejected the possibility. “If someone really had the ability to consume three ghosts in a row and not notice a single flaw in front of them, how could that be possible—in short, it’s impossible.”

"How is that possible? How could you have almost killed me?" Yuri muttered to himself, then thought of that question and decided to give him a hint and find out more.

"Didn't you plant any spiritual energy within the ghosts beforehand that could be used for tracking? That shouldn't be a taboo for you. Theoretically, as long as it's not activated, no ghosts should be harmed, right?"

Yuri hadn't used his magical vision to observe the ghosts after entering, so he couldn't determine whether any spiritual energy had been implanted within them. Although it was clear from the current situation that it wasn't... what if they just hadn't remembered?

“That would be very disrespectful to the ghosts who are about to be released from their suffering, and it could be agitating—of course, most importantly, I wouldn’t do that.” Minagawa shook his head. “That’s a technique used only in the mountains.”

The girl who ate sins nodded in confirmation, adding, "And this is my first time here, so I didn't do anything like this beforehand... although even if I had come, I probably wouldn't have specifically wired the cables for them. — As for what I was doing before, I don't think I need to say more."

You were chasing Yuri all over the place before, and Yuri knew this perfectly well.

It seems they don't have a clear idea of ​​how to handle this matter yet—although their expressions and frequent glances at the cabinet suggest they have some guesses, they haven't made a decision yet.

Yuri decided to give them a push and help them resolve the issue as quickly as possible.

Focus your attention on one drawer, silently say "excuse me" to yourself, and pull the drawer out a little.

If this ability could be continuously strengthened, perhaps it would be possible to pull out the entire drawer with a thought... However, even if it were possible, Yuri did not intend to go that far, as that would be far too impolite.

Just shake it slightly until it makes a "bang" sound.

"What did you do?" The sin-eater girl immediately glared at her menacingly. "I just sensed you..."

“A detection method—” Yuri began to lie through his teeth, “Did you just hear that sound again?”

“Yes, it’s in the closet. I heard it very clearly this time.” The girl’s attention was diverted. “It seems my guess was right. They suddenly hid back on their own bodies.”

The other two people didn't seem surprised, suggesting they had the same suspicion.

“Low-level ghosts without minds wouldn’t make such a move. Could it be that they suddenly woke up?” Hirozaki offered his conjecture.

That's unlikely. Ghosts do wake up suddenly, but three of them waking up all at once seems a bit much.

"In short, it seems we'll have to open all the cabinets one by one to check the situation," Minagawa sighed. "I really don't want to disturb those innocent dead, but..."

If that's what you're hesitating about, Yuri has a solution.

"No, you don't need to open all the cabinets, just 021, 032, and 033—these three will do."

After comparing his memories, Yuri concluded that the three missing ghost faces corresponded to the remains inside those three bodies.

Fortunately, one of the elderly ladies was not among them; otherwise, he would have been on high alert.

Even now, he cannot let his guard down. Although Yuri did not pay special attention to his back, he had a peripheral vision of his back. If the ghost entered the cabinet where his body was without disturbing him, it meant that the ghost had "woke up" and went straight to his body without any hesitation.

This doesn't seem like a spur-of-the-moment decision; it seems like it was premeditated.

They'd better have planned this all along, otherwise it might end up in a disastrous situation where "Yuri is the culprit!" He's here to observe the ecology of the Sin Eaters and collect the pre-arranged reward, not to make enemies.

"How did you know?" Yamanaka seemed a little doubtful.

“Didn’t I tell you? I tried to investigate, and comparing it with my memory, I think there’s a high probability it’s one of these three.” Yuri said, walking towards the drawer. “I’ll open it. You guys keep an eye on things and make sure nothing goes wrong.”

Then, Mr. Hirozaki quickly walked over and blocked his way.

Does he have a different opinion?

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.

“This is our responsibility, and we must not allow the guests to take action if possible—besides, are you the type who can fight?”

Yuri nodded; he did indeed possess considerable fighting ability.

“Then you shouldn’t do that—I’ll do it myself. I’ll open the cabinet. Mr. Minagawa and Ms. Yamanaka will be watching me. If they can’t hold on either, then I’ll ask you to step in.”

Yuri couldn't tell whether it was courage or saving face, but it seemed that Mr. Minagawa completely agreed with the plan and was nodding repeatedly, while Ms. Yamanaka did not resist the plan.

Since they all said so, Yuri simply stepped back. The aisle could accommodate three people walking side by side, but considering the need to pull out the drawers, a maximum of two people per row was possible, and ideally, only one person per row should be allowed to avoid interfering with each other.

As for the distribution method, Hirozaki was in the middle and responsible for opening the cabinet, Yamanaka and Minagawa were on either side, and Yuri followed behind Yamanaka.

There were no problems when adjusting their positions. Although Yuri and Hirozaki bumped into each other's arms as they passed each other, it was just his carelessness. Come to think of it, it's too much to be involved in something like this and not even be able to make contact with a spirit, even though he's not a sin eater.

After adjusting their positions, Hiroki slowly opened cabinet number 021.

A hand reached out from the cabinet and grabbed him. He tried to back away as he lifted the cabinet—before the body's hand could grab him, Minagawa lunged forward and grabbed the body's wrist with his right hand.

In Yuri's vision, an energy emanated from Minagawa and rushed toward the corpse—then a ghost was squeezed out of the corpse, but its wrist was still held in Minagawa's hand, making it unable to move.

Then, the ghost immediately tried to shrink deeper into the cabinet, but before that, Minagawa's left hand grabbed her, and then he released his right hand, which was holding both the body and the ghost, and forcefully pulled the ghost out.

Then, Ms. Yamanaka, standing in front of Yuri, placed a talisman on the head of the still-flailing female ghost, abruptly slowing its movements. — Minagawa then continued to exert force, pulling the ghost away from the body, while Hirosaki took the opportunity to put the body's hand back in its place, pushed it back, and closed the cabinet door.

Afterwards, Minagawa seemed to be performing some kind of operation on the ghost, and the ghost's expression... couldn't be said to have become more peaceful, but at least it wasn't as crazy anymore.

During this time, Yuri took the opportunity to observe carefully and concluded that it seemed the talisman had sealed the opponent's power, weakening them to the point of being unable to move freely... However, it seemed...

“Miss Yamanaka…do you think this is normal?” Yuri looked at the sin-eater girl who was holding a handful of talismans.

"Which part are you referring to? I feel there are many things that are not normal," Yuka Yamanaka replied in a low voice.

“Of course I’m referring to the part of the other party that was so easily controlled—is your spell really that powerful?” Yuri continued to stare intently at the ghost that had been suppressed. “I suspect that this ghost hasn’t truly awakened.”

No matter how you look at it, this ghost's level is not much different from a broken record... at least in terms of intensity, but she clearly has a certain plan and routine.

Although she is now only struggling silently and making calls, seemingly without any rationality...

"Is it possible that she's being controlled? Have you ever heard of the ability to directly control the actions of a ghost?" Yuri continued his speculation.

“I’ve heard of it, and actually, I can do it too,” the sin-eating girl replied softly. “The possibility you mentioned does exist… I also feel this ghost is too weak… But, who, when, and for what reason?”

Yuri couldn't answer any of these questions, and he was facing an even bigger problem—to be honest, he felt like he was about to become the prime suspect in this situation, although the sin-eater girl in front of him hadn't thought of it yet, but it would be too late by the time she did.

"Let me lend a hand to the next ghost; I feel I can't stay out of this."

There are two more, and they are connected together.

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.

It didn't take long for Minagawa to subdue the ghost, and the four of them continued to approach the other two cabinets.

Yuri sped past Yuka Yamanaka from the side, moved closer to the other two, and slowed down just before they were about to meet, making a suggestion, "I'll open the cabinet this time."

Hirosaki seemed to want to say something, but before he could find the words, Minagawa spoke up, "Why?"

I couldn't detect any hostility, or at least it wasn't obvious.

“As you can see, I am a spirit, not flesh and blood—I won’t be seriously harmed easily if I’m scratched or bitten. You—especially you—are probably not like that.” Yuri looked at the ordinary man, Hirosaki. “Besides, it’s not in my moral sense for me to watch you take risks.”

“…Hmm…” Minagawa began to consider.

Hirozaki objected again, "But as a spirit, you can't possibly touch the cabinet, can you? If you use your psychic powers to drag it, it will make too much noise."

That's a good question, but clearly, it shows a lack of understanding of Yuri's abilities.

Yuri had already prepared to reveal this to them when he made the suggestion, so he didn't hesitate at this point.

Yuri clapped his hands lightly to attract attention, and then materialized.

"..." Silence fell over the surroundings as the three of them stared intently at Yuri.

"You...is this also one of your characteristics?" Yuka Yamanaka was the first to react. "You can move around anywhere and manifest at will. How many spirits like you are there?"

"To be honest, I don't know. But I think there aren't many. If there were many, I should know." Strictly speaking, Yuri felt there might not be any, but Yuri felt it wouldn't be good to exaggerate his specialness too much... Being able to manifest at will was already special enough; to become one of a kind in the world would only have negative effects.

Yuri himself didn't know how he mutated like this.

"This really surprised me. What do you think, Katsuya? What should we do?" Mr. Minagawa asked Mr. Hirosaki for his opinion.

The person being questioned seemed to be struggling internally. In the cold storage environment, Yuri could see sweat beading on his forehead, not to mention his tightly clenched fists.

Did I do something wrong? Yuri began to doubt himself, wondering if he had done something wrong... Why did this person look like he was under immense pressure?

“No, I still insist on doing this myself—thank you for your kindness, but it’s my duty!—I mean, it’s what I can do.” Hirosaki Katsuya’s voice rose for a moment, then he quickly realized his mistake and lowered it again, but the firmness in his voice did not disappear.

It seems that if Yuri continues to insist on doing this step himself, he might have to break off relations with Yuri.

Yuri only wanted to help, not to provoke conflict, so let it go... He took a step back, spread his hands, and said, "Okay, then at least let me join the group that's preparing to react."

This time, the other party did not refuse.

136 The Sin Eaters' Society: Hidden Worries

After the argument ended, it was time to deal with the remaining two cabinets.

...After the previous exchange, Yuri kept an eye on his surroundings and saw nothing unusual. The number of ghosts had not changed, but the two ghosts inside might still be able to hear the sounds outside.

To avoid any unforeseen complications, and without wasting any more time, the group moved closer to their target cabinet.