Tokyo bombing incident Nth time

Author's message

——The author has something to say——

Thank you all for reading this novel to this point. I am extremely grateful.

Next up is Volume 3.

Please feel free to offer any suggestions here, and I will try my best to improve.

Cuckoo in the nest

118 invited again

A week passed after the Rat King incident, and everything seemed to have calmed down.

It was already mid-November; two months had passed in the blink of an eye since Yuri could remember.

In the beginning, Yuri prepared every day to prevent the Rat King from attacking again. Although he didn't know where it would come from, he figured it wouldn't be too far off.

To be honest, Yuri was getting impatient. To avoid being caught off guard when the Rat King launched his attack, and to ensure he was in top condition, he hadn't been studying the notebook recently.

Moreover, it is foreseeable that if he continues to remain on guard, the study of this notebook will never be able to proceed.

What world.

Meanwhile, Ms. Akemi Kakizaki remained completely unperturbed and continued to wander around the school. According to her description, most people at the school were "slightly" affected by the "unexplained coma incident," and their understanding of it was currently divided into two categories.

First, a terrorist organization attempted to create poison gas to attack all of Tokyo, but their plan failed. The gas was leaked before it was fully manufactured, spreading over a large area, so only the most sensitive people were affected.

Secondly, a terrorist organization attempted to use biological weapons to attack all of Tokyo, but they chose the wrong strain of bacteria. Although it was indeed lethal, its reproductive ability was very poor, and so on.

In fact, some foreign terrorist organizations whose names are even forgotten have reportedly come forward to claim responsibility for the incident, while the Tokyo government has not responded to inquiries about who was behind it.

Mingmei's attitude toward this matter is quite contradictory. On the one hand, she hopes that ordinary people can know the truth so that they can better protect themselves. On the other hand, if no one knows about the occult, it seems that they are less likely to be dragged into occult incidents and are therefore safer.

She's had it tough too.

And recently, new troubles have arisen.

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.

"Yuri, Auntie called again." Exhausted, Akemi collapsed onto the sofa after hanging up the phone.

It was another Sunday evening. In the week that followed, Yuri was exhausted from trying to keep the Rat King away—while Minmei was constantly bombarded with phone calls from her aunt.

The bombardment covered a wide range of topics, from safety precautions to the future of werewolves, but it didn't touch on academic performance, which is something that normal parents (even those who consider themselves parents) are very concerned about.

Mingmei had a very difficult time dealing with her aunt, struggling to cope with everything, which gave Yuri a headache.

"Is she going to say the same old thing again?" With a friend's concern, Yuri leaned closer. "Should we find an opportunity to point this out directly and ask her not to say similar things every time?"

“Most of the time it’s the same old routine, but this is where things will be different, Yuri.” Akemi continued to lean back on the sofa.

"What's different?" Yuri, of course, readily pressed on.

“This time, she specifically asked if you were nearby, and I said yes—then she told me to tell you not to go out for the time being—at least not for half an hour.” Mingmei drawled out the words.

"What will happen in the next half hour?" Yuri immediately became alert. "The Rat King is finally going to—"

“No, not the Rat Queen, but she’s going to drag you out again in half an hour, Yuri.” Akemi gave a twisted smile that was hard to decipher, but if Yuri were to guess, it probably meant, “It’s finally your turn.”

"...I suddenly remembered something about Hojo Reie's place..."

"Don't even think about it. Last time there really was something wrong. If you're going to use that excuse this time, you'll have to make something up before you leave."

…………

Yuri floated above his usual spot, the hardworking stone lantern, and began to think about whether he had offended Ms. Murakami Akisa during this time... He shouldn't have, right? Akemi didn't do anything reckless, did she?

Time passed by minute by minute.

About twenty minutes later, there was a knock on the door, and the sound was quite forceful.

Akemi knocked on the door, and then Ms. Murakami Akisa walked in.

It seems a little different from the past...

Yuri quickly looked the other person over. The biggest difference seemed to be that the other person did not have animal ears and was completely human.

"Yuri? Come out with me for a moment, I need to talk to you about something." Murakami Akisa waved to Yuri across Akemi's face.

"What does this have to do with me?" Mingmei didn't move aside.

“I can’t say there’s absolutely none, Akemi,” her aunt replied ambiguously, “but I’m just here to see him.”

“If it concerns me, I should be allowed to listen in.” Akemi still didn’t step aside, and Yuri sensed the tension.

"Hey, who is he to you? How can you decide who he talks to?" Murakami Akisa's tone didn't sound like she was capable of calming down the conflict.

"Um, Akemi, it's okay, I'm sure your aunt won't kill me." Yuri felt he should step in and smooth things over.

The result didn't seem very good. Akemi did step aside, but at the same time, she glared at Yuri fiercely with a murderous look in her eyes.

Before things got any worse, Yuri slipped past Akemi and hurriedly followed Murakami Akisa out of Akemi's sight.

He told himself to remember to come back and apologize afterwards.

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.

"Hmm?" Yuri asked, sounding puzzled.

"What's wrong?" Murakami Akisa responded.

Just like last time, the two went for a ride on a motorcycle, but Yuri could sense a subtle difference.

The speed didn't decrease, but there seemed to be a slight lag when turning at intersections... similar to Akemi's driving mode, it's probably at a normal level - but last time when turning at intersections, the turning was as smooth and agile as water, there's a difference between the two times.

"It's nothing, is the road condition bad today?" Yuri didn't directly ask his question.

Of course, the actual road conditions are basically the same as last time. The roads are the same, the number of cars and pedestrians is different but the density is not much different. The route is not completely the same as last time, but a considerable part of it is the same process.

“Ah, no, it’s not that. It’s mainly because of my current state… I’m basically a mortal now.” Murakami Akisa suddenly realized. “Unlike last time, last time I asked the spirit of the wind to tell me which way to go to avoid traffic jams and the glass eye traps. This time I’m just relying on my memory.”

Simply put, there was navigation last time, but not this time.

"Then why not maintain the previous state? Is there some kind of consumption?" Yuri asked casually, as consumption was the most likely reason he could think of.

"To be precise, it's not about energy consumption. It's not that there's none at all, but when it's not involved in combat, recovery is faster than consumption. However, firstly, if we bother the spirits every day, they might go on strike at a crucial moment, and we'll be the ones who suffer. Secondly, if we're noticed by mortals and they leave behind witnesses, that would be quite troublesome." Murakami Akisa sighed. "According to the rules, witnesses should be made to completely forget that they saw werewolves, but that requires a lot of effort, so it's best not to do it unless necessary."

Yes, that's true. Many people don't pay attention to what passing motorcyclists look like, even if they're not wearing helmets—but cameras do remember.

"Are werewolves afraid of being discovered by Glass Eyes?" Most Glass Eyes are about the same level as Yuri, and the outstanding ones are even better than Yuri, but werewolves are also better than Yuri. If you think about it this way, it seems there is no need to worry about Glass Eyes at all.

“Glass Eyes are damned information brokers, and unfortunately, it’s in their racial nature. Forcing them to give up on this is tantamount to wiping out their entire clan. Even werewolves can’t easily make this decision—werewolfs are the maintainers of balance between the shadow world and the material world, not arbitrarily dominating beings.” It’s hard to say whether Murakami Akisa’s words were frustrated or arrogant. “Glass Eyes’ strength is not a problem, but if they provide information and other adversaries launch an ambush, then even werewolves will be in trouble… Werewolves aren’t invincible.”

The Rat King didn't see it that way; he felt they were treating him like a ruler. Since the Rat King wasn't there, Yuri decided not to say anything.

The two remained silent for a while.

Although Yuri didn't dislike simply going for a drive, since he didn't handle driving himself, to be honest, he didn't feel that his relationship with the other person was close enough to go for a drive together when nothing had happened.

"Did you just ask me out to show me the night view?" Yuri asked, half-jokingly.

The city's night view is indeed quite remarkable. The environment illuminated by the lights is different from the wondrous patchwork world I've seen in the film world before—in the film world, the flat ground next to a tall building might still be unpolished stones, and the distance between a swamp and a shopping mall could be less than ten kilometers... While I can't say I dislike the wondrous natural environment of the film world, the orderly design of the city is not bad either.

Of course, in terms of scarcity, the environment in the Shadow Realm is definitely rarer, and most people may never see it in their lifetime... It might be the complete opposite for spirits.

"At first I had so much to say, but now that it's time, I don't know where to begin," Murakami Akisa's voice came from ahead. "Yuri, what do you think is happening in this city?"

Looking around, Yuri found nothing significant or ominous.

“A lot is happening, but most of it doesn’t affect me, or at least not significantly—so basically, nothing has happened.” Yuri chose a mediocre answer. Even if everyone he knew were to come and judge his answer, including the Rat King Train and his group, he was confident that he would get almost no negative comments from anyone other than “truly ignorant.”

"That's really a solid, steady approach... Let me tell you my answer honestly." Murakami Akisa's tone rose slightly.

"..." Yuri was indeed a little curious about what Murakami Akisa's answer would be, so he chose to keep quiet and wait to hear the specifics.

“I don’t know. I once thought I knew this city inside and out, but recently, the city seems to be changing, and the spirits of Tokyo are restless…” The werewolf in the driver’s seat shifted slightly, “but no one can explain what is changing. I’ve asked around.”

"Just like the Rat King?" Yuri felt he understood. Restlessness, of course he had seen it before—he had just been beaten up.

“No, not the Rat King—it’s perfectly normal for such high-level spirits to have their own plans—I’m talking about low-level spirits, even those that lack self-awareness…” After a pause, Murakami Akisa continued, “They give off a slightly different feeling, which, according to historical records, is a sign that something big is about to happen.”

"Hasn't it already happened?" Yuri felt that this was a big deal since it was the Rat King's doing.

"No, not really—the Rat King is probably just part of this bigger event."

Yuri sighed inwardly.

In short, Murakami Akisa made her judgment based on her observations of "feelings" and "atmosphere," concluding that something bad was about to happen in Tokyo. As for actual evidence, she had none to offer, so she also doubted her own feelings. —Her final conclusion was, "My feeling was probably right!"

Yuri dislikes the concept of "feelings" because he often feels like he's about to face a terrible disaster, and he feels like he's wasting time whenever he's idle. It's as if a meteorite the size of 65 million years ago is about to crash down on him, and Yuri has to work his hardest to master his skills without wasting a single second—otherwise, he and everything he loves will all turn into a crater with a bang.

What's worse, when Yuri had the time to go and feel his "feelings," he was clearly wasting his time. Could these feelings be reliable? If they were, Yuri would also feel that someone in Tokyo was definitely plotting to attack all supernatural beings, seize their power, and achieve their own imagined grand scheme.

“I think you’re being a little too tense, Ms. Murakami Akisa.” Bringing her thoughts back, she continued, “I’ve heard that werewolves are incredibly powerful; when they gather together, they can fight the Rat King in his true form and even win—”

“Of course we can win, but because there will be sacrifices, it’s unlikely that either side will fight to the death.” Murakami Akisa confidently interjected while Yuri was speaking, “If we really have to fight to the end, even if dozens of us attack together, the Rat King will be the only one to lose in the end.”

Yuri wasn't sure if this confidence was genuine, but since Murakami Akisa hadn't denied it, that was good.

“So, since werewolves have such power, what is there to worry about?” Yuri spread his hands—then realized the other person couldn’t see him, and reluctantly withdrew them. “Whatever it is, just fight.”

Supernatural beings are difficult to govern by law—especially after Yuri noticed that werewolves can teleport.

Teleportation may be a unique ability of werewolf "assassins," but becoming a spirit would be enough to escape from any government police officer in the conventional sense.

In other words, social norms and customs cannot stop them—in this situation, they can freely resort to violence—Yuri felt that his reasoning was very reasonable and without any flaws.

119 Parents' Meeting

After Yuri made his outrageous remarks, Murakami Akisa did not react immediately.

"...If you said that to other idiots, they would laugh and pat you on the shoulder, saying you're smart enough—but I'm not that kind of idiot." Murakami Akisa finally responded, "We werewolves are indeed very strong, but that doesn't mean every werewolf is invincible—in fact, no werewolf is invincible."

Yeah, that's how it always comes down to adding them all together. Even without adding them all together, Yuri has seen it firsthand; six or seven werewolves probably really aren't enough to take down the Rat King.

"So, if two people are lost in every incident, the 'invincible' werewolf pack you mentioned, the one they have in their minds, will soon vanish." His voice was somewhat low, probably because he was thinking of something unpleasant. "And even if they were all together, they wouldn't be invincible. If they really were invincible... putting aside my sister's matter, how did the clan's elders experience a generational gap?"

Oh no, Yuri forgot about that.

“Can’t you all stay together in this situation? Not to mention everyone squatting together, can’t you move in small teams?” Yuri immediately suggested.

"No, in fact, this is precisely the situation where more things happen. If they used all their personal time for work, they could manage, but after reserving a certain amount of personal time, everyone would just be scattered. Even someone as worried as me came to talk to you during my free time, not to mention the others."

...Oh, right, you were also operating alone.

“Well, there’s nothing I can do about that. It seems the problems you foresaw,” Yuri added in his mind, along with the problems he foresaw, “are beyond our ability to handle.”

"That's true." Then silence fell again.

Sigh, more silence? This can't go on forever. Although not much time has been wasted, Yuri feels his mental pressure increasing.

"Whether you should say it or not, speak up, Ms. Murakami, I'm listening." In the end, Yuri couldn't hold back and took the initiative to start the conversation. "If you don't speak, I can't make a judgment."

"..." Although she didn't reply, Murakami Akisa further reduced the speed of the motorcycle, and it seemed that a conclusion would be reached soon.

This time, Yuri didn't have to wait too long.

“She said she’s already told you about us, so I’ll take that as her having told you everything.” Seemingly realizing that her words were a bit roundabout, Murakami Akisa quickly added, “I meant, Akemi.”

"Whether she told everything or not, I don't know," Yuri thought. "How could I possibly know there are things I don't know?" However, he didn't interrupt her. Otherwise, what could he say, "No, actually she didn't tell everything"?

"Then you must know that Akemi is a werewolf prospective," Murakami Akisa seemed to have adjusted her thinking. "You know she's very likely to become a werewolf, right?"

“I don’t know exactly how likely that is, but if you’re talking about the Wolf Clan, I do know about it,” Yuri quickly replied.

Is Akemi truly a wolf's offspring? Yuri wasn't actually sure, but Murakami Akisa believed so. There was no need to argue with her here; it wouldn't change reality anyway—it was best to keep the question in mind.

“Not only that, Yuri—although Akemi, under her grandfather’s tutelage, has never really admitted this—I’ve seen her enhanced state under the moonlight.” Murakami Akisa slammed on the gas pedal and turned onto a straight road. “Although this is quite common for werewolves, any werewolf who can exhibit this state is not far from becoming a true werewolf.”

Murakami Akisa's words were very certain, and Yuri had no intention of arguing with her here—even though his own knowledge was far from sufficient to reach this conclusion. —He found another point of doubt.

"Akemi has only been in Tokyo for a little over two months. When did you see her being enhanced under the moonlight?"

Akemi has been in Tokyo for over two months, spending almost two of those months with Yuri. Akemi seems to be able to sense her aunt's presence to some extent (which could be further evidence of the Wolf's lineage), but she never mentioned it before the Rat King incident. Furthermore, according to Yuri's observations, Akemi doesn't particularly enjoy nighttime outings if nothing has actually happened.