Tokyo bombing incident Nth time

These rats may not have been released under the direct control of the "Rat King," but rather were perhaps taken advantage of by the "Rat King" while hitching a ride.

The concept of resonance should be common sense for spirits. As the initiator, the Rat King should have been able to foresee the large number of rats taking the opportunity to smuggle themselves out, and then decided to take advantage of it. This line of reasoning is also valid.

Chapter 84 Time Never Stops

The two of them have now made some progress in their guesses about the mastermind, but... but what does this mean?

“This means that the mastermind behind this is not alone. It is powerful and has a large number of spirits willing to serve it. It is unlikely that such a guy would show up simply for the sake of showing up. Or rather, even if it were just a simple appearance, it would not be content with just showing up for the sake of showing up.” Mingmei began to deduce.

"At the same time, its subordinates, or vassals, will attack inspired humans, perhaps as a coincidence due to their hunger. But another possibility is that this is part of the plan, only for now, temporarily, they can only access these people," Yuri continued.

This is undoubtedly an aggressive provocation, and if the mastermind behind it isn't mentally challenged—would it be? Of course not—it should be prepared to confront anyone who might react.

As for whether the siege of Mingmei's residence was part of the preparations, it's hard to say... It's possible that they gave the order to "surround any places that can't be entered, and the relevant people inside must be trapped first."

So, for who knows how many times, here comes the first question.

“Mingmei, this is obviously a huge matter that we can’t handle alone, but we’ve already been dragged into it—so, what do you think we should do? If we just wait here, can we hold out until this is over?”

This option is somewhat weak, but not entirely unfeasible.

Yuri found it hard to believe that any spirit would do something so drastic just to deal with their small two-person group; in terms of the situation, they were probably just getting the tail end of the storm.

No matter what the spirit wants to do, its main target is not here, so as long as they hold out until the spirit completes its goal or is defeated by others, the duo can return to a safe state.

Conversely, if they actively explore this matter more deeply, it will inevitably have the negative effect of attracting the other party's attention, and the consequences of a mishap will be even more severe. For example, right now, if the other party gathers more rats to surround the area and prevents the two from breaking out, the story will end, and it will be a tragic one.

Mingmei's family had no food reserves; people can't survive on water alone.

“I’m afraid we can’t just stay here and do nothing, Yuri. Have you forgotten? These spirit rats are attacking humans.” Akemi’s words carried a slight hint of displeasure.

Yuri had indeed forgotten that the suffering of those unrelated was a simple note, and in Yuri's mind, it wasn't real enough. He could certainly realize someone was suffering when reminded, but without reminders, these people would be relegated to the back of the list. But now that he had been reminded, yes, he truly didn't want others to suffer.

"On the other hand, if you want a utilitarian reason, I don't have any food reserves at home. If I stay here, even if I can hold on mentally and spiritually, I can't hold on to food."

Mingmei gave the same reasoning, but pointed to a different conclusion, and what she said made a lot of sense.

Yuri had no choice but to agree; defending in a safe place was a different matter from sitting and waiting to die.

“Perhaps we should move our position first—what do you think of Okumura?” Yuri thought of something that could be done no matter what. “He must have food reserves there, and if you’re on a motorcycle, the rats won’t be able to catch you.”

“This is one of the options, but I actually prefer going to the station.” The high school student mystic shook her head. “Uncle Okumura’s place is a bit far from the center of the incident, while the station is more convenient for movement—after all, the station was originally designed for a well-developed transportation environment.”

Yuri swallowed back the thought, "Shouldn't we have gone to Okumura instead?"

Clearly, Mingmei's words implied that she was inclined to interfere.

Then let's change our approach. If we're going to intervene, what aspects need to be studied?

First, the number of spirit rats is obviously endless, and without breaking the resonance, it's impossible to stop their continuous generation. This isn't to say that the number of spirits in the Shadow Realm is literally infinite, but it should be finite and sufficient. Yuri doesn't believe anyone he knows can single-handedly fight against an endless horde of rats.

Perhaps "Line 2" could work? But even that might not be able to continue indefinitely.

Therefore, simply dealing with the spirit rat swarm is not enough to solve the problem; at best, it can only delay the outbreak of the rat problem, not cure it completely.

To find the mastermind's location, pinpoint the key points of their plan, and disrupt the crucial parts—directly confronting the mastermind should be an option, but Yuri doesn't believe he has that ability. Based on the current situation, Yuri would die as many times as he tries.

To locate the mastermind, we need to find some key features...

Is there anything that becomes more effective the closer you are to the mastermind, and is also observable?

Spiritual energy, that won't work. Yuri's observation radius isn't large enough—although it can certainly be used as a final confirmation method after getting close.

Direct line of sight... that range is even smaller.

Resonance—that's a broad range, and it should meet the criteria, but how do you determine the strength of the resonance? The duo simply doesn't have a way of doing that—

Yuri stopped the elimination—the observation of resonance still seemed to have a way.

The intensity of the resonance determines how many rat spirits can flood in, and the number of rat spirits is roughly equivalent to the number of humans attacked—at least in the initial stages.

If the distribution of inspired individuals in the Tokyo area is even—Yuri doesn't know what could cause them to be uneven, but he can confirm this with Akemi—then the frequency of attacks represents the number of spirit rats, and thus the intensity of the resonance.

The parts that resonate most strongly are naturally the location of the mastermind, or the key moments of the mastermind; in any case, they must be very important parts.

“That’s right. I really don’t think there’s any reason for the distribution of inspired individuals to be uneven. If you’re talking about formal practitioners, they might be distributed in specific locations according to their lineage, but there are so many inspired people that their distribution should be relatively random and even.”

Akemi confirmed Yuri's idea.

Well then, there's a good idea. Hopefully, nothing bad has happened to her yet.

“Akami, we need your cell phone—call Hojo Reie, we have no other choice now.”

Mingmei didn't want to use her own phone to contact reporters, fearing the hassle, but now was clearly not the time to rush out and use a public phone.

Mingmei didn't hesitate and started dialing immediately, clearly having memorized the phone number.

The call was quickly answered, and just as Akemi switched the phone to speakerphone and handed it to Yuri, a reporter's voice came through.

"Who? I have something urgent to attend to right now. Don't talk to me if it's not important—" Hojo Reie's voice was noticeably lowered, but she didn't sound particularly flustered.

“It’s me, the one who met you in the basement and the coffee shop before. If you’re not being chased by a bunch of spirit rats, I’m afraid my business is more important.”

“It’s you—I just escaped from a group of things I don’t know what they are. It should be relatively safe here now, but problems could arise at any time—so please say what you have to say quickly.” Hojo Reie’s voice sounded a little agitated, but she quickly controlled her tone.

“Two things. First, hundreds of swarms of spirit rats are currently roaming the city, and they will attack inspired people—like you, for no reason. So you’d better go somewhere safer. My suggestion is the train station.” Yuri described the location of that particular station. “It will be safer there. The spirit rats shouldn’t be able to get in easily. I can’t guarantee it’s absolutely safe for you, but it’s better than staying in a place without any protection.”

In reality, Yuri certainly didn't count exactly how many rat swarms there were, but it was probably in the hundreds or even thousands.

"Why would it be safer there?" Lehwa immediately asked.

“…Just pretend there are cat spirits there.” Yuri mentally reviewed the consequences of recounting the whole story and finally decided to simplify his statement. “The rat population is overwhelmingly large, but not every place’s inhabitants are defenseless. The station has its adversaries, at least preventing them from running rampant.”

“Thank you so much. Did you call specifically to tell me this good news?” Leh’s voice indicated that she didn’t really believe Yuri did it on purpose, but she didn’t completely deny the possibility either.

“I really want to say yes—but no, it’s just that the question I’m about to ask might take you a little time, and if you pass out in the alleyway at this point, I won’t get the answer.”

Yuri's moral standards are already quite flexible, but at least he hasn't yet regarded lying as a virtue that should be practiced even if it's pointless.

“Okay, so what’s the second thing?” Lehwa didn’t sound disappointed; clearly, she was just asking casually.

"The second thing is that I need your help to check the distribution of coma incidents, preferably with a trend chart." Yuri gestured to the air, then remembered that the other side couldn't see him. "I need these distributions to determine where the problem is centered."

“That should be fine, but it sounds like you’re planning to do something about this—I’d like to know beforehand.” Leh’s voice sounded a little nervous.

Yuri didn't know what she was nervous about, and hoped it had nothing to do with him.

"—I haven't decided yet; overall, my goal is to minimize the damage this time—"

Akemi seemed to be trying to signal with her eyes, but Yuri couldn't understand her meaning from a distance and hoped he hadn't said anything wrong.

"It's still impossible to determine exactly how to minimize the damage; I'm not entirely clear on what's really happening in the world."

“Okay. I apologize for asking, but the situation is very serious, Yuri.” Hojo Reiwat paused. “The number of people in comas continues to rise. I don’t know the exact figure, but it’s undoubtedly increasing. The hospital can handle them now, but if this continues—”

The rat swarm is expanding its range of activity, or its range of available attack targets has increased, and neither of these is a good thing.

“I’ll send you the information as soon as possible. If there’s anything you can do, please act quickly—the rats seem to have spotted me. I’m going to the station now. If there’s nothing else, I’ll hang up now.” Liehui’s voice suddenly became urgent and fast.

The roar of an engine came through the phone; it seemed the reporter had been talking to Yuri from inside the car. This was good news; the rats couldn't keep up with the vehicle, and as long as she didn't stop, she wouldn't be attacked too much.

"Okay, be careful." Yuri nodded vigorously, and then heard the sound of the phone being hung up.

It's time to deal with the other side.

Akemi looked extremely anxious.

"What's wrong?" Yuri asked, becoming tense as well.

"Yuri, have you ever thought about what kind of people would become targets?" The high school girl paced anxiously in the middle of the room.

“Of course, it’s people with inspiration. People without inspiration can’t even come into contact with spirits and won’t be harmed.” Yuri didn’t understand her words. Wasn’t this something he already knew?

"What if I told you that a sufficiently strong resonance could allow the spirit to unconditionally materialize and manifest?"

Ah, oops.

Yuri felt his brain should begin simulating the disaster, but it only sent back one signal: Oh no.

"Could it be that bad?" Yuri asked—not really wanting an answer, but struggling to find evidence that "it can't be."

"I don't know, but if the mastermind can do it this time, what reason would it have not to? It has already launched its attack, and holding back doesn't seem to bring it any benefit."

The idea of ​​sitting still and waiting for the disaster to pass now seems incredibly foolish.

“At best, we’re just scaring ourselves, but what if my worst fears are coming true?” Mingmei gritted her teeth. “We should react immediately, every little bit helps.”

"Calm down!" Yuri raised his voice.

Mingmei looked very anxious, which was normal, but the two of them had almost no cards to play.

No matter how you look at it, it's impossible for this loser duo to be the main force in solving the problem. Their strength is too limited, and if they throw it in the wrong place, it will undoubtedly not make any waves.

"We must take action, but not now—we need to wait for more information!"

Mingmei took a deep breath and stopped moving. "You're right, but shouldn't we get ready before the information arrives?"

That's right, that makes sense, but what exactly are these preparations? And what other preparations can be made now?

Chapter 85 Information and Visitors

It's a little past one in the afternoon.

Six hours had passed since Akemi told her about the two important things, five hours since Yuri left for the station, and one hour since Yuri returned from the station to his residence. The journey there took about an hour and a half, and the return trip took about half an hour.

Ten minutes had passed since Akemi went to bed to rest after Yuri's persuasion.

It's still... unknown how long it will be before they receive information from Hojo Reie and can begin their actual operation.

Akemi was initially reluctant to rest under these circumstances, but Yuri managed to persuade her.

In fact, she knew that there was nothing to do right now, and rest was one of the best preparations. However, if she decided to do this before Yuri repeatedly persuaded her, it wouldn't be like the decisive and energetic Akemi Kakizaki.

Yuri repeatedly emphasized that once they left their accommodation, they would be unable to find a suitable place to rest for a long time.

Of course, that wasn't the case at all; Yuri was absolutely certain that Okumura-ya was a good place to rest. However, Akemi wasn't keen on going, and Yuri didn't specifically mention this when trying to persuade her. As for the station, although the Spirit Rats probably wouldn't be able to get in anytime soon, it was still a station, and anyone who wasn't exhausted probably couldn't get a proper rest there.

Yuri himself suffers from anxiety, but when Akemi shows even more anxiety than he does, he has to switch his role to that of a comforter.

Yuri is now alone in the living room, keeping an eye on the rats at the windows on both sides and the front door. If they suddenly figure out a way to break through the defenses, Yuri will have to quickly wake Akemi and the two of them run away together. Akemi even chose to lie down fully clothed for this purpose, and it's amazing that she can sleep in this state.

Frankly, monitoring three points by one person would be extremely difficult unless Yuri could see in all directions simultaneously.

In any case, he now has some free time to hone his skills.

Yuri hesitated.

That is, should we consume spiritual essence to rehearse possible tactics in advance, or should we preserve the spiritual essence and use our existing, reliable—but not very strong and absolutely non-specific—abilities to face the challenges ahead?

Both approaches seem to make sense.

Rather, they were all correct, but Yuri did not have the spare energy to ensure that he was fully charged after the rehearsal.

Hmm... Although the shrine's energy is still plentiful, it is also used to wait for information.

If only there were some secret that could grant infinite energy, but unfortunately, it's clear that even if Yuri had it, he wouldn't use it now.

Perhaps a compromise should be chosen, Yuri thought, and he should practice a skill that he would almost certainly need to use.

For example, shields, shields, shields and the like.

The initial goal is to be able to deploy different types of shields at will and make the best response in the shortest amount of time.

Considering that it's unlikely that one person would test something like this, we'll start with different approaches.

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.

At 3 p.m., a reporter called, and Yuri, who had already given up on treatment, answered the phone without waiting for it to ring for more than two seconds.

The experiments with the shields were not in vain, but Yuri could not always achieve what he expected—to deploy two shields simultaneously, with the outer layer reducing damage and the inner layer absorbing it.

Anyone with a modicum of common sense would realize that this structure is the best, and Yuri was no exception.

However, it was quite troublesome in practice. Yuri tried repeatedly and eventually increased the success rate to fifty percent.

The success rate is only fifty percent when there are no other distractions and no need to devote any attention to it.

In actual combat, its effectiveness would likely drop to a level that can be completely ignored.

The last-minute cramming plan failed, but fortunately the losses weren't too great.

A thought reminded him that he might have failed precisely because he hadn't put in enough effort.

"Yuri? Are you listening to me?" the reporter asked softly, his voice tinged with nervousness.

Yuri snapped out of his disappointment. "Sorry I was daydreaming. What's up?"

“When I got to the station, I didn’t feel any groups of things chasing me, but I did feel quite a few individual things—I took pictures of some of them with my camera. Are you sure they don’t attack humans?” Hojo Reie seemed to be deliberately lowering her voice.