Tokyo bombing incident Nth time

"You're judging me based solely on my initial weak demeanor? What if I was just faking it?"

"Then they wouldn't stay on the front lines even when being continuously beaten by evil spirits, would they?"

...I never thought about leaving the front lines, but I also didn't have the ability to do so.

"Speaking of being repeatedly beaten by evil spirits, are you sure you want to find such a weak partner?"

"...Actually, it may not be as you think. I have a question: what is your anchor point? No, no need to answer—I mean, I originally thought you had lost your anchor point and hurriedly tied yourself to the shrine, and I was even prepared to bring the stone lantern with you when you brought it up. But now you can obviously move around without the shrine, without any abnormalities."

Yuri opened his mouth, but said nothing.

"If it's because you established a connection with me and used me as an anchor, then regardless of whether I should be able to sense it, you shouldn't have been tied to the stone lantern while I was in school. Shouldn't I have dragged you to school instead?"

"...What do you think?" Good question, I'm not quite sure either.

“Spirits, whether ghosts or spirits, all have anchor points. Without anchor points, they would return to the world they belong in. Theoretically, no normal spirit can resist that attraction on its own.” Yuri sensed a glint in Akemi’s eyes. “That means you’re not normal—sorry for the slip of the tongue, I meant you’re extraordinary.”

“Is it possible for me to have an anchor point, but that anchor point allows me to operate in a particularly large area? For example, the entire Tokyo area?” Yuri pointed out another possibility.

“That’s certainly possible, but that’s a privilege reserved for higher-level spirits, like those from noble families. It’s a shame, but I don’t think you’re like that…” Mingmei changed the subject. “But I’m not exactly a master either, so from this perspective, maybe I’ve hit the jackpot?”

"In short, the lack of a clear anchor point is a very unique characteristic, and since you're a good person, I don't think I'll lose out—it just depends on whether you feel it's a loss or not. As a spirit, you can't produce spirit essence on your own, and finding other sources of production takes time and effort, so cooperating with me isn't so bad, is it?"

Yuri thought for a moment.

"The benefit for me is that it saves me from having to search for supplies everywhere—what's the benefit for you? Is providing spiritual essence easy for you?"

“It’s not particularly easy, but it’s not too difficult either. Humans are constantly generating essence, and I’m using a special meditation method to concentrate it, which takes some time, but it’s manageable.” Akemi chose to explain her pressure first. “As for the benefits, having a spirit to help will be helpful in many ways, and it will also be very beneficial to my future development. —I promise this help won’t be fatal, after all, I can’t escape if something happens.”

This promise was normal, but what caught Yuri's attention was another aspect: "Future development? How can a spirit help with future development? Helping someone cheat and peek at another person's exam paper? Isn't that a bit inappropriate?"

"Cheating on the exam paper? I never thought of that... I mean, mainly for future exams, I plan to take this subject, having an observable spirit will definitely be helpful, to accumulate a lot of experience in advance."

"A discipline in this area?" Yuri's eyes widened. "That makes sense. Spirits are everywhere, so there must be related disciplines. But if there are related disciplines, wouldn't it be a big contradiction if the average person didn't know about them?"

Akemi understood Yuri's meaning a little better. "...I'm talking about Shintoism...It looks like feudal superstition on the surface, and it probably is, but if there are parts that aren't, then it has an advantage!"

“…Everyone has their own ambitions, but if you feel it’s worth it, then I won’t object.” Yuri extended his hand. “Let’s shake hands again, and cooperate until one of us finds a new plan.”

“Okay.” Mingmei also stretched out her hand and shook it vigorously.

It was already 3 a.m. when she returned to her residence, but Akemi was still wide awake.

Don't you need to sleep?

"Of course I need to sleep, but it's already 3 a.m., and I won't be able to sleep well if I try to sleep now. It's not a big problem for me to get through three days and two nights—I can just catch up on it all over the weekend. I'll do my homework now."

"Are you really human? I don't think a normal human could have such physical strength."

"What are you talking about? If I'm not human, am I some kind of ghost? Besides, what I am isn't anything special," Akemi replied casually.

"Nothing much? I saw half of what you did today. That wall must have been three meters high. Climbing it with your bare hands is one thing, but you made it look like you were flying over it."

"I've always had good athletic ability since I was a child, and it's really nothing special. Many people can do it."

"Many people?" Is this world really that scary?

"For example... well, the high school next door—that is, another high school in this district—has a female captain in their karate club who can break a telephone pole with one punch."

"........."

"Of course, most people are of average physical condition, but it's normal for a few to be as talented as me, right?"

"..." The confused ghost decided to admit his lack of understanding of human society.

Humans are truly powerful creatures.

A few days later, one morning, as Akemi finished her habitual meditation ritual (once again, Yuri saw the shrine emit a tempting light, but this time he wasn't hungry) and was about to leave, Yuri called out to her.

"Do you know any particularly safe places nearby, places with few people, even fewer ghosts, lots of space, and where no one would care if things got broken? Like... a junkyard?"

"Are you connected to the rat spirit?"

"What rat spirit? Do your junkyards have rats running around?"

“That shouldn’t be the case, but rat spirits are very well adapted to city life, and they also participate in the Collectors’ activities. In conclusion, the rat spirits at the junkyard are more active.” Akemi put on her shoes. “Since you have no problem with the rat spirits, you can go to the nearby park. It’s one of the smaller parks around, so there shouldn’t be many people.”

Yuri asked for directions to the park.

After half a day of hard work, Yuri felt extremely hungry, which was a good sign, he told himself, indicating that he had indeed discovered many other uses.

Of course, having one way of using something and being able to definitely utilize it are two different concepts.

For example, Yuri found himself able to examine something from four or five different angles (proving that these weren't fixed methods of focused attention—hunger was the key), but even knowing the structure of something (here, the park bench), its purpose, what it had experienced in the short term, and where it would most easily fall apart—it was still just observation. It required intense, focused observation, a desire for deeper understanding, and then not necessarily understanding what he wanted to know—he got a headache when trying to figure out where it would be easiest to start destroying the bench. Furthermore, testing on living creatures was somewhat effective; Yuri could discern the health status and immediate causes of death of insects.

And then what? What can he do with this?

Of course, this can help a mouthpiece—like Demei—become a forensic expert in some sense, or, like someone you see in the newspaper, a famous detective. Tracking down things that leave traces becomes incredibly easy. But in another situation, when an evil spirit's fist is aimed straight at you, simply being able to see is meaningless.

After witnessing the level of the evil spirits, Yuri downgraded his rating from "more than enough to protect himself" to "a clay bodhisattva crossing the river" (meaning he was in a precarious situation).

Is there a more obvious, more powerful, and more instantly invincible way?

After a one-hour daydream, Yuri was forced to analyze the source of his abilities without any prior knowledge. After ruling out possession (how could a ghost be possessed?), a worldly gift (am I worthy?), borrowed power (whose?), and ghostly abilities (this is questionable; if so, ghosts are quite versatile). Yuri concluded that there was a greater than 50% probability that it was a manifestation of a wish.

To be precise, it means "consuming energy to fulfill desires within a certain range, and this certain range is quite small."

If you were to ask Yuri what he wants... damn it, Yuri wants everything.

But at least for now, Yuri wants a shield, a protective shield, or anything that can increase his defensive capabilities.

And he eventually got one.

A protective barrier emitting a faint glow. This barrier could at least defend against Yuri's own attacks, and it did not require continuous consumption after being deployed.

It will not continue to deplete its resources until it is attacked beyond Yuri's own limits.

Considering that Yuri's maximum strength is enough to penetrate the barrier and hit himself (while consuming a lot of force), the possibility of this shield being consumed by attacks is generally not a concern.

Of course, since Yuri can break through it when he's in good form... it's better than nothing.

The second problem is that the consumption seems to come from maintenance.

Yuri could try to increase the duration of a single release (he just needs to think about it), but the released protective barrier would be significantly more fragile.

The rest of the day was spent finding a balance.

Back at Akemi's place, Yuri, who was starving again, began to regret having used up so much energy.

"Mingmei, how can we quickly obtain more spiritual essence?"

“Accept offerings, leave more traces in human memories, occupy suitable spiritual fields, and devour your own kind.” Akemi counted on her fingers. “Of course, directly devouring the lives of the living is also a way, but I won’t agree to that. You have to get past me first. And don’t think you can do it behind my back. The traces of harming humans will be small at first, but they will eventually accumulate and cover you, generating observable spiritual energy.”

"I don't like hurting others, or other ghosts—and I don't know where spirit fields are, and even if they are, they're probably occupied by others. Is that why other ghosts try so hard to make their presence felt?"

“You’ve discovered it,” Mingmei said without looking up. “As far as I know, there aren’t many ways to obtain spirit essence, and life as a spirit isn’t necessarily easier than that of a mortal. Especially for someone like you who inexplicably consumes a lot of spirit essence.”

"..." Everyone has their own difficulties.

"Oh, right—" Although it still consumes precious energy, I still need to test it out. "Aminmei, take your prayer beads and punch me here?"

“…Your quirks are really unique,” ​​Akemi muttered, casually waving her hand.

The protective barrier had no effect, and Yuri was punched in the face.

"No, I'll become a spirit first, then you can try again." Could this thing only work on spirits and things in a ghostly state? Yuri decided to test it again; he had a feeling this time he was right.

"Hmm?" This time, Akemi seemed to sense something different as well.

"It seems I have the ability to use a ghost shield, but I can't expect to block physical attacks." Yuri reappeared. "What's this? Good at civil war, but terrible at international warfare?"

"We can put it more nicely, that you have no intention of harming humans and are focused on fighting spirits."

Chapter Six: The Hunter (?)

"I'm so bored staying at home."

"Oh."

"I've finished reading all your textbooks—don't you have any other books?"

"Yes, but they stayed in their hometown—have you really seen through it all?"

"I meant I finished reading it, not that I fully understood it."

"Oh."

"..."

"..."

Don't you have any suggestions?

Mingmei abruptly put down her pen, closed her homework, and turned to glare at Yuri.

“You—how do other ghosts manage to stay in one place for years or even decades without moving? Your patience is so different—why don’t you go ask someone who’s easy to talk to?” She took a deep breath. “I’ve never been a ghost either, so I don’t know how ghosts escape the boredom of daily life. I only know that I’ve never seen anyone like you who complains about being bored every day. The world is so vast, and I’m so ignorant. Besides, I still have two subjects’ homework to finish.”

"In short, I think ghosts themselves would understand this situation better, considering they might not even have books to read." Akemi exhaled and took a deep breath, calming herself down a bit.

"Good idea, I'll go ask the other ghosts right now." And also, while I'm at it, get away from Akemi who's inexplicably angry.

Having spent some time in this area, Yuri had gained some understanding of spirits and ghosts. Ghosts were the lingering echoes of human death, while spirits were the spiritual entities corresponding to the objects themselves. They were quite easy to distinguish: those that looked like humans were ghosts, and those that didn't were spirits. The sources of spirits were numerous, numerous—but ultimately, ghosts were the dominant force in the city.

After all, she had never seen a human spirit before. Mingmei said that her grandfather said that humans were too complex to produce "one" kind of spirit.

Yuri only knew some of the lower-ranking spirits, most of whom acted on instinct and were not very useful. The lowest-ranking ghosts were simply repeating what they heard, also unreliable. But thankfully, the ghosts one rank higher were worth talking to.

The level shouldn't be too high either; the standard should be based on the expectation that you can defeat them.

Of all the urban areas, this one was relatively prosperous and vast, and therefore had a particularly large number of ghosts. According to Yuri's ghost observations, people with particularly strong obsessions before death were more likely to become conscious ghosts, while conversely, people who were particularly satisfied with their lives might not even leave behind any ghosts.

This is why there are so many unconscious repeaters, because most people fall somewhere in between.

Moreover, every conscious ghost has a potential trigger point; you could easily run into one if you're not careful. If Yuri hadn't specifically chosen to befriend seemingly weak ghosts, he might have been at a disadvantage. Even ghosts who were very good-natured in life undergo some kind of transformation after death. The obsessions that led them to become ghosts will control them. Or, to use a term from the book, the anthropic principle—those ghosts not controlled by their obsessions have already passed away.

According to information provided by Ms. Kakizaki's grandfather, who wished to remain anonymous, with almost no available evidence and research methods, occult scholars engaged in fierce debates about whether ghosts were the real person. The two schools of thought, which believed that ghosts were a transformation of a human being and that ghosts were a projection of a human being, were evenly matched and neither could prove their point.

Since these mystical scholars are still alive and well, most of them must not have spoken with the ghosts. Most ghosts, when asked this question, would unhesitatingly and without hesitation believe they are the ghosts themselves. It's not that what the ghosts say is necessarily true, but if they were denied to their faces, they would certainly cause a huge scene.

Mikami (the weak, vengeful ghost he encountered in the alley earlier, who later turned out to have died from a hangover), Aoki (who lingered at the scene of a car accident), Shimoda (whose brother pushed an advertising board off a building and killed him), Minamino (who was poisoned by his colleague)... Without exception, all these ghosts believed that they were the real people in the story.

What good would it do to deny that they are the real people?

Strange, it seems like all the ghosts I've met lately have disappeared. It's not that Yuri was particularly close to them, but the sudden disappearance of ghosts I know doesn't seem like a good sign.

While circumventing the dangerous ghost control zone (defined as a ghost Yuri couldn't defeat in a one-on-one fight) and searching for familiar ghosts in the cracks, Yuri saw a furtive humanoid spirit peeking around in the place where Shimoda had once been.

First, they weren't going to the fields, and then they seemed to be nervously guarding their surroundings.

"Hey, you, you're here to see Shimoda too? Come over and hide." The other person saw that Yuri wasn't deliberately hiding and nervously beckoned Yuri over.

Is he one of Shimoda's other ghost friends? I haven't really investigated that. Let's go over a bit and hear what he has to say.

The place where Shimoda stayed was a narrow gap between two commercial buildings, part of which was blocked off by a wall. Generally speaking, there was no point in people coming here.

After Shimoda died, even fewer people came after him.

"Hurry up and hide further in, or it'll be too late when that guy gets here!"

Yuri's rational mind told him that following a stranger or a ghost into a hiding place was extremely risky, but he had no proof.

get ready.

"Shimoda... Shimoda has been eaten alive by a monster!" Yuri heard a suppressed scream as soon as he stepped into the alley. "I'm next! Please, help me, I don't want to stay in this area anymore, it's too dangerous!"

Yuri paused for a moment, making sure that the other party had not launched an attack and had not noticed the protective barrier that had sprung up on Yuri's body—well, maybe the other party saw it, but did not recognize it.

"Asking for help from other ghosts you've just met is either suspicious or a desperate attempt to find a cure. Can you please finish your sentence—what monster, and how can I help you?"

The ghost, who called himself Kang Ying, began to stammer a description of a flying tentacle monster, a spiritual entity that could switch between a human form with an octopus head and a menacing, tentacle-covered octopus form. According to him, this monster was elusive, constantly preying on spirits, bullying the weak and fearing the strong, and particularly favored weak spirits like Kang Ying who possessed some reserves (excluding mentally challenged repeaters) but lacked the ability to resist (excluding powerful units) and didn't band together (excluding spirits). He knew two other ghosts on the same street who had already been murdered.

Yuri interrupted him. "Then how did you escape?"

Such a detailed description must mean you've seen it with your own eyes, right?

“At the time, Shimoda and I tried to escape separately. The monster chased Shimoda first. I saw Shimoda being entangled by the monster and stuffed into its mouth. Then I continued running until I couldn’t run any further, and the monster didn’t catch up.” Seeing that Yuri didn’t say anything, he continued, “After waiting for a long time, I came back here, hoping that the monster wouldn’t come to the same place again—and then I saw you swaggering around outside. I hurriedly called you in to hide together.”

"Hmm..." That sounds reasonable. "So, what kind of help do you want me to provide?"

"Please help me move my keepsake—just a small stone!—I don't want to stay in this area anymore—I will transfer my spiritual energy to you, please help me!"

"...Why do you think I can help you move this... keepsake?" Another question arose, Yuri spreading his hands. "If you can't move it yourself, why should I—"

“You can run around everywhere, so you can definitely move the token! I can’t leave this street.”

Yuri was certain that the spiritual energy the other party spoke of was spiritual essence, and the token was the anchor point.

"It's not that I don't want to help at all, but I need to make some preparations. After all, the risk is not small for me either. I'll come back to you when I'm ready."