Tokyo bombing incident Nth time

Yuri was, of course, the one who actually participated in the project, but when it came to background knowledge, he was practically clueless.

“First, there’s the hunter—that’s a word I actually use, it’s not a general term.” Several people sat in a circle around the coffee table in Leh’s house. “Little Yuka, ask your spirit binder, what were those mortals who chased monsters called in ancient times?”

The girl who devoured sins nodded, then closed her eyes. After a while, she answered, "A samurai, or an exorcist, an onmyoji, a monk soldier—anything is possible as long as one can fight."

"That's pretty much it. 'Hunter' is just a general term: anyone who fights against supernatural beings as a mortal is a hunter." Akemi nodded. "This process doesn't even require you to win."

...If we can't win, then it's all over, isn't it?

"Imagine a scenario, say... Lehweh, you're at night, walking to the edge of an alley, when a supernatural creature that looks like a human, but bares its fangs, tries to suck your blood—"

Hojo Reie, who was taking notes on her computer, looked up. "A vampire?"

“Yes, a vampire, but whatever he is—he’s here to attack you, and he could very well kill you.” Akemi held up a finger. “You’re cornered in an alley, find it’s a dead end, you have nowhere to escape, and the monster is still closing in. Do you surrender, or throw whatever you have at him, even if it only buys you a moment?”

"...Of course I'd throw things down and start climbing over the wall! I don't want to die, so even if there's no way out, I have to struggle!"

Yuri could tell that this response was beyond Akemi's expectations, but she still continued the conversation, "So, when you throw the backpack in your hand, you become a hunter for about three seconds... Depending on how particular the vampires are, your hunter career may last anywhere from three to nine seconds."

"Isn't this too short?" Yuri asked instinctively.

“This is the most common way to become a hunter, and unfortunately, it also has the highest casualty rate—” Akemi sighed. “When I was fighting against spirits, I was also a hunter. There are hunters like this and hunters like that.”

“Okay, I understand what you mean by ‘hunter,’ but the ones we’ve encountered this time are definitely not the kind of scattered, unorganized mobs you’re talking about.” Yuri sat down on a stool by the coffee table, swaying slightly from side to side. “They are organized and coordinated.”

“That’s right, that’s what I’m going to talk about next—there are many hunter organizations in the world, and no one can remember the smaller ones, but the hunters we encountered this time should belong to a relatively large category. In other words, I have basically narrowed down the scope now.” Mingmei gave two names, “There are two possibilities for their organization—either the Valkyrie Task Force or the Cuckoo Group—it’s almost certainly the Cuckoo Group.”

The reporter seemed to have previously said that it wasn't a special task force, but rather the Valkyrie task force?

While Yuri was sorting through the facts in his mind, Minmei continued, "Let's start with the first one. The Valkyrie Task Force is a paramilitary organization—in fact, it can basically be considered an official direct subordinate organization of a certain North American superpower."

"North America? Isn't it Northern Europe?" Yuri knew a little about the word Valkyrie; it should refer to the Valkyrie in Norse mythology—it shouldn't be from North America.

“I really didn’t expect that angle of yours… Anyway, because of the situation in Japan, the Valkyrie task force can practically move around freely. If it were them, it would be perfectly normal for them to disregard laws and regulations, carrying long guns and cannons and acting recklessly—after all, they have special privileges.” The high school girl’s expression was very calm. “Even if they did call the police, the police might not dare to interfere with what the task force is doing…”

After all, Japan is a major North American power, so it can do whatever it wants.

“In fact, what you’ve seen—ether bombs and limiting chips—are common equipment in the Valkyrie Task Force. Although the armies of major North American powers have a bad reputation, the Valkyrie Task Force isn’t necessarily inclined towards the evil side. Of course, it’s not right to consider them pure and innocent beacons.” Mingmei recited verbatim. “In any case, as a paramilitary organization, the task force has a fairly tight structure and a high degree of bureaucracy. To be their opponent is to face a constant stream of new enemies; they’re not easy to deal with.”

Hahaha, hahaha... Hopefully the reporter's deduction is correct. Otherwise, Yuka Yamanaka might have to face the scenario of "becoming an enemy of the state apparatus overnight."

"In short, the Valkyrie Task Force is characterized by its paramilitary nature. They are the type of hunters who are almost entirely uninvolved in supernatural powers, or at least they believe it—at least in their slogans, they completely believe in science." Mingmei rubbed her head. "They probably wouldn't do anything to steal the power of supernatural beings, at least not as a method of combat."

"Is this why you said back then that if it were high-tech weapons, you would know who was using them, but considering their subsequent actions, you wouldn't?" Yuri recalled that phone conversation. "The high-tech weapons you were referring to were this task force?"

“That’s right.” Mingmei paused for a moment before continuing, “Then, I don’t really know what kind of person would do something like stealing the power of supernatural beings… I have heard of people who have tried to transplant organs from supernatural beings into themselves, but they actually cut flesh and blood, not just shake hands and it works, not to mention that the organs of the Sin Eater should be no different from those of ordinary people.”

"Um, Sister Akemi, didn't you just say that another suspect is the Azalea Group?" Yamanaka Yuka raised her hand as if she were in class.

Yuri pressed her hand down. "It's obvious that Minmei hasn't finished speaking. Look at that reporter over there, writing furiously down notes."

Hojo Rei ignored Yuri's teasing and urged Akemi to continue speaking.

"So during this time, I asked other people." Akemi pretended to recall something.

Then Yuri interrupted him, "So, you asked that while you were on the phone in the kitchen?"

"Yeah, wait, were you eavesdropping?" A dagger-like gaze came from the high school girl.

"No, I didn't hear a single word—"

Yuri wanted to explain further, but was interrupted by Yamanaka Yuka, "Yuri-neechan, don't you know it's obvious that Akemi-nii hasn't finished speaking yet?"

Why am I the older sister and she is the eldest sister? — No, why am I the older sister?

Mingmei sighed and continued, "In short, the conclusion is that the method used to attack the Sin Eaters is the Cuckoo Group's method—their real name is uncertain. They are a rather secretive organization, and they may also have a considerable history."

"Then why is it called the Azalea Group? Their logo is an azalea?" Yuka Yamanaka asked again, but this time Yuri didn't interrupt her, because Yuri also wanted to know the answer to this question.

“No, the Azalea Group doesn’t either… at least they don’t wear any identifying marks. It’s their actions that earned them that name—they try to infiltrate other organizations, gain the trust of others, and then use their unique skills to steal the supernatural powers of those who trust them and take their place.” Mingmei’s voice grew heavy. “The details of this skill are unclear, but it’s certain that it requires the target to be convinced to a certain extent for it to work.”

"This...this is too despicable!" The girl who devoured sins, a victim of the Azalea Group, clenched her fists. "Exploiting other people's trust! How could they have the nerve to use such a technique!?"

"...Well, it probably depends on their motives, but I admit, it's really despicable." The high school student mystic carefully chose her words. "But, for example, in mythology, didn't Minamoto no Yorimitsu, Oushi-no-Mikoto, and Susanoo-no-Mikoto all deceive their opponents and launch attacks to achieve victory? If their motives are perfectly legitimate, then it's not entirely incomprehensible."

According to Yuri's memory, the three mentioned above were drugged, dressed as women, and dressed as women while drugging drinks... It seems that quite a few heroes and villains resort to dirty tricks.

Yamanaka Yuka's reaction was quite obvious: "I know Minamoto no Yorimitsu, but who are the other two?"

The Sin Eater girl quickly deflated under the watchful eyes of the three people. "In short, their attack on the Sin Eaters was absolutely not the act of heroes! It had nothing to do with upholding justice!"

“Yes, that’s why the Azalea Group has such a bad reputation.” Akemi calmed the restless Yuka down. “No one wants to be betrayed, and no one likes a traitor—even if it’s to their advantage, not to mention that in most cases they have no way of proving that their actions are beneficial to others.”

Liehui, who had been typing with her head down, looked up. "It's actually worse, isn't it? To gain the enemy's trust, you can't avoid doing what they ask you to do—just like Minamoto no Yorimitsu ate a girl's flesh to gain the demon's trust. Before the final blow, who can guarantee you haven't truly betrayed them? Even after the final blow, who can guarantee you haven't become a new enemy?"

Mingmei leaned back on the sofa and sighed, “That’s right. From the very beginning, the Azalea Group didn’t trust anyone, nor was anyone else trusted by them. Their goals, their organizational structure, everything is hidden in the shadows—and the most crucial part is that they may really not be trustworthy at all.”

"What other bad things have they done?" Yuri immediately realized, "Things that are definitely wrong no matter what?"

“I’m sure if you caught a member of the Cuckoo Group and interrogated him about these things, he’d come up with a whole host of reasons to justify his actions, like it was for a greater good, to better utilize these supernatural powers, to prevent some unknown disaster from happening…” The high school girl didn’t get up from the backrest; instead, she slid down a little further. “But yes, of course, there are some suspicious records…”

Then Akemi told two stories.

In the first story, a highly respected monk in a temple suddenly passed away, and his most trusted disciple took everything his master had and left through the main gate in a dignified manner, declaring that he was going to embark on a path of helping people and saving the world, and then disappeared without a trace.

In the second story, there was a forest hunter who, as a child, was said to have encountered a celestial being who took him away to learn skills. He could enter dreams and was good at predicting fate. However, he was eccentric and hated others asking him for help in using these powers. He never mentioned his celestial encounter. Later, he met the love of his life. Then, on his wedding day, he turned into a ball of fire in front of all the guests and burned to ashes. His wife, heartbroken, quickly left this place of sorrow and disappeared without a trace.

“…The Azalea Group would do something like this?” The silence was finally broken by Lehwa. “I mean, the deceased in these two incidents…at least the first one sounded like a perfectly normal human being.”

“I’m not sure, but a sudden death without any warning does seem like the result of a cultivator suddenly losing the support of supernatural power—and the Azalea Group… if the Azalea Group says they didn’t do it, would you believe them, Yuka?” Akemi asked with her eyes closed.

Yuka thought for a few seconds, “...I have serious doubts. I mean...I’m not sure if they did this specific thing or not, but if they say they did something like this, I completely believe them.”

These words, coming from the victim, carry a lot of weight.

...and so on. Yuri realized that he had unknowingly confirmed that the hunters this time were from the Cuckoo Group.

"Does the Cuckoo Group and the Valkyrie Task Force have any close connection? After all, they are using the task force's weapons. Is it possible that the two hunter groups are working together?"

“It’s unlikely. If it were just ether bullets, we might have given them away—but you’re saying those guns have special identifiers? Of course, we wouldn’t give that out.” Mingmei straightened up and stroked her chin. “Identifiers have special limitations, which could become a weakness. If we really had such a thing, we would be hiding it, not deliberately giving it out for others to analyze. If it were me, I would be installing a self-destruct device—it must have been stolen.”

In this way, after the reporter mentioned the words "special task force," Hirozaki's reason for suddenly launching an attack became clear—he realized that his opponent was unaware of his true identity and believed that he could escape smoothly after winning.

195 Supernatural Relationships

"Of course, these aren't the only two Hunter groups. Actually, there are many more. It's said that there's a Hunter group within the Japanese police force, secretly handling supernatural cases." Akemi recalled, "But I don't know their name. Was it called Squad Zero or Special Attack Squad X?"

“If they really exist, I reckon their work efficiency is just as high as their police colleagues.” Hojo Rei didn’t look up. “I’ve found quite a few supernatural-related unsolved cases on the Lianzhonghui website recently. Although there’s no evidence, I can sense that many of these cases are still unresolved.”

“Ah, right, the Union…” The high school girl, waving her finger, seemed to have received some kind of hint. “There are just too many organizations with that name, but if you’re lucky or unlucky, congratulations on joining a hunter group… or maybe you’ll need to start writing your will?”

"...What kind of hunter organization is the Union?" Leah continued typing on the computer. "I started to have doubts about this when I heard you define hunters."

“The People’s Mutual Aid Association,” Mingmei uttered. “Their philosophy is that when there is no higher power to look after them, people need to take care of themselves.”

"Sounds good, but...are they professional?" the sin-eater girl asked, raising her hand. "It sounds like a neighborhood gathering to me."

"...Compared to other hunter groups, they are certainly not professional." Akemi said firmly, "But the United Association's philosophy is the closest to that of ordinary people, and it is also the easiest for them to get help from ordinary people—for example, without anyone noticing, their website has collected a lot of information about supernatural creatures."

"As long as they can pick out which one is real, that's fine. I suffered a lot while investigating." The reporter stopped typing. "And then? Are there any other hunter groups?"

Then, Akemi briefly introduced the Nirvana Society, which enhances its abilities through special potions; the Shield and Spear Society, which collects and uses various ancient relics (the name seems to be because the ancient relics they obtained when they were founded were a shield and a spear); the Long Night, which is rumored to be filled with believers of various religions; the No Mystery Society, which does not acknowledge the existence of any supernatural events; and the Ashford Order, which seems to be full of strange people with eccentric behavior and arrogance.

"In short, these are the more famous hunter organizations, famous enough that I can even name them—there are many more that aren't famous." The high school girl, who had shifted her position on the sofa, waved her hand. "Basically, we can just ignore them most of the time, and check the details when we actually run into them."

"Which organization told you this information?" Lehwa lowered her head again. "I won't ask who it is."

"I don't know." Mingmei glanced upwards, looking at the chandelier on the ceiling.

This guy made no attempt to hide the fact that he knew but didn't intend to say it, and fortunately, Lehwa didn't press him further.

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 the first topic concluded, we moved on to the second part.

Lehweh's gaze shifted to Yuga.

"What's wrong?" Yuka seemed to sense the pressure coming from the direction of the reporter.

“…I have some unfortunate news to tell you, Miss Yuka.” Leah paused, giving the sin-devouring girl time to prepare herself.

"...What is it?" Yuka's expression tightened.

"...Just this afternoon, the police found two bodies in a rented room." Liehui looked directly into Yuka's eyes. "A man and a woman. The police found no external injuries on their bodies, but both of them had obvious signs of being restrained, but no signs of struggle. The police currently suspect that they were drugged and kidnapped last night, and then died while unconscious... The time of death was around early this morning."

“This is related to… ah.” Yuka started to say but then realized what she meant, “You mean, Ms. Imaizuka, Mr. Hirota…”

"Yes, the police have confirmed that the man's name is Takashi Hirota." The reporter nodded slightly. "Please accept our condolences."

While Akemi and Yuka were sleeping soundly in the same bed, the reporter, who was too excited to sleep, grabbed Yuri, who did not need to sleep, and forced him to reveal a lot of information, including the names of other victims.

Of course, Yuri didn't tell her this for nothing; he very formally asked her to tell him if she found the same name in the news.

“…………” Yuka was silent for a while before slowly speaking, “Actually, I had already foreseen this outcome. When their abilities appeared on those traitors, I already understood… Those who lose their spirit-binding bodies will surely die.”

The atmosphere grew heavy, and Yuri wasn't sure what to say.

Then, the sin-eater girl broke the silence herself, "Wait... you said early this morning?"

"Yes, early this morning," the reporter confirmed. "My source shouldn't make such a basic mistake; the police do believe they died early this morning."

"But...but..." Yuka's words were somewhat hesitant.

“But their abilities were taken away in the early hours of yesterday morning, and by early this morning, a day had passed since then,” Yuri finished her sentence. “Plus, given the current description… they didn’t die on the spot, but were imprisoned?”

Then, while in captivity, he suddenly died?

“…Damn it, Hirosaki, you really deserve to die again.” Yuri realized how to explain it. “I know what’s going on.”

Three pairs of eyes turned towards them.

“Hirosaki once said that their abilities cannot be recovered, just like picking up an enemy's weapon on the battlefield.” Yuri floated up, speaking while thinking, “What if he wasn't completely lying? For example, these damned cuckoos really can't rely on themselves to recover the abilities they've stolen, using them little by little? — Or, can they use these abilities indefinitely, provided the opponent doesn't die suddenly?”

"Whoa." The other three realized what Yuri meant.

If the hunters of the Cuckoo Group cannot use the stolen abilities permanently, what will they do? Will they constantly hunt new prey, hoping to acquire the same abilities as before so they don't have to learn them again? Or will they imprison their captured prey, attempting to reuse them?

The current situation points to the latter—if Yuri were in Yuri's shoes, and he disregarded humanitarian considerations, calculating solely from a utilitarian perspective, he would also choose the latter.

Indeed, prisoners might escape, but if they don't take that risk and simply execute the victims, the cuckoos will have to repeat the same actions every time: approaching the supernatural beings as mortals and trying to gain their trust.

Such a risk is likely greater than a prisoner escape, and it is something one must face personally.

“Wait a minute, don’t their techniques only work if the target they’re attacking believes them?” Yuka retorted. “How exactly do they manage to get someone who’s already been betrayed to trust them again? Everything else is fine, but didn’t we say before that trust is an unavoidable factor?”

Good question. Yuri hadn't really thought of that. He needed some time...

“The problem may lie in the definition of trust, but as long as this trust does not require complete, cold, mechanical rationality, there is room for manipulation.” Lehwa leaned back in her chair. “For example, if it is simply a matter of describing trust in words, then torture and death threats will suffice—if trust under conditions of impaired consciousness also counts, I know of some drugs that, if overused, can have extremely adverse effects on a person’s mental state—even completely destroying a person’s personality.”

Furthermore, this theory can also explain another question: why they were so determined to capture Yuka Yamanaka.

The previous speculation was that if Yuka was captured within a certain period, the process of seizing her power could continue. This theory was still flawed, so it can be considered a lucky accident.

The reason they were so determined to capture Yamanaka Yuka was that, to them, the Sin Eater girl was not just an enemy they had offended—if she were, they could simply leave and Yuri and the others would have no idea where to find these cuckoos—but a new source of power that would bring sustainable benefits if they controlled her.

As for the purity of the trust required... Yuri has experienced it firsthand. He had almost no trust in Hirosaki Katsuya, but Hirosaki Katsuya still managed to come up and forcibly take it—the trust required probably really has no purity to speak of.

“Following this theory, the Azalea Group would have one cell filled with all sorts of victims they’ve captured,” Mingmei said, tapping the table. “It could also be many cells scattered across the group, but it certainly wouldn’t be a single rented room.”

Of course it wasn't a rental house. As a hunter organization of this nature, their victims certainly aren't just a handful. How could they possibly be locked up in a rental house? This rental house was probably a temporary transit point used by Hirozaki and his group. Before transporting people to a more secure place, they tied them up here first.

The nature of the Sin Eaters helped them in this respect; as long as the connection between the bound spirit and the bound body was continuously severed, the bound body could not wake up—just like Yuka Yamanaka, who was only half taken, right? So they didn't need to leave guards and could continue to deploy all their forces to deal with the last target.

What happened next is clear... In the early hours of this morning, the Reapers extracted the spirits that had established a connection with their souls, and then the spirits were killed. Neither the original spirits nor the newly usurpers survived.

Yuri's magic did play a role in this process, but it was definitely not the main reason, hmm.

This theory lacks evidence and has a host of variations. For example, even if the Cuckoo Group's hunters could reliably possess the abilities they stole, the captured supernatural beings would still be extremely valuable—at least they could be used to interrogate them to obtain detailed information about how to use their abilities and various secrets. Given Hirozaki's modus operandi, he would most likely squeeze every last drop of value out of them, not just be satisfied with simply taking the abilities, but would utilize everything he could.

They all end up in the same place, with a prison holding all the victims who haven't been fully exploited.

"Are you planning to go see them?" Akemi patted the Sin Eater girl on the shoulder. "They're all your friends, right?"

“…I will go to the funeral. I don’t know how to face them right now.” Yuka took a few deep breaths. “The lives of sin eaters are often filled with death, but…the death of a familiar person is ultimately different from the death of a stranger.”

Yuri couldn't see anything unusual from his angle, so perhaps Yuka Yamanaka really was able to hold on, just as she said.

“I understand Minagawa-do a little better now.” Yuka changed the subject. “I feel quite sad when people I know die because of the enemy, but he is facing the situation where his loved ones die because of his own reasons, and time and time again.”

Yuri had never experienced this kind of pain, but it certainly sounded terrible.

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.

Then, Lehwa announced another piece of news.

"That's right. Around noon, someone finally noticed the anomaly at the hotel—and discovered the room that had become a ruin, along with the two corpses and one living person inside."

"They weren't discovered until noon?" Mingmei's attention wandered a little. "If I had known this would happen, I should have called the police."