Tokyo bombing incident Nth time

If she were to ask Kuroyo, she would naturally ask other ghosts as well, which would mean other ghosts might see her... This is mutually beneficial, but if Yuri doesn't take advantage of this, he will be the one being investigated.

The ghosts' answers were basically... nothing.

It was as if the other party had given up after asking Kuroshi that time... Yuri laughed at himself. How could things be that simple? They must have gone to think of another way.

The problem is, what is that method? Yuri doesn't know, Yuri doesn't understand, and Yuri can't think of how to find out.

Even as his mind wandered, he didn't stop moving, continuing to walk towards the next repeater, skillfully "borrowing" energy.

After repeating this three or four times, we've reached our maximum capacity for today, so we can stop now.

——It should be so.

As Yuri drew energy from the last repeater, he sensed something special hidden within it—and then a surge of spiritual energy erupted from it.

Yuri hurriedly erected a shield, but perhaps due to the wrong type, the spiritual energy still covered Yuri.

It didn't have any effect, but it just wouldn't go away... It's obviously a marker.

Release it, immediately! This thought immediately occupied Yuri's main thought process.

Following his own thoughts, Yuri began to try to weaken it. At first, it went smoothly, but after suppressing it to a certain extent, the remaining part became impossible to chew up—Yuri crashed into it and was then knocked back by the mark.

This is definitely not the power to mark himself. He can use this mark to sense the existence of the caster in reverse—this mark is connected to the caster, and to remove it, he has to defeat the caster head-on—or spend a longer time wearing him down.

However, Yuri felt that he probably wouldn't have enough time. To make matters worse, after he sensed the other party's presence, only a short time later, the other party started running—or used some other similar speed-up method. In short, the other party was rapidly approaching.

Correction: if we consider the entire city as a standard, this movement speed isn't exactly fast. It's probably not due to using any special mode of transportation, but it should at least be considered running... And when Yuri tried moving at full speed in the opposite direction, he didn't feel any increase in distance.

Yuri thought to himself, "I've stepped into a trap." He realized that if he had used his magical vision to observe each repeater beforehand, he might have detected it earlier. However, he had never considered this possibility, only avoiding intelligent ghosts that might be spies...

The speeds of the two sides may not differ much, at least compared to the distance between them. However, the spirit's endurance is limitless. If it cannot hold out until the power of the mark is completely cleared, it will eventually be caught up.

That's right, Yuri has already determined through direct contact that the other party is a spirit, or even possibly a ghost—yet another ghost that can roam around.

If Yuri still can't connect this to a very dangerous duo who's been looking for him recently, then his vigilance would probably be rated as negative.

Now Yuri has three paths before him, no, ultimately there is only one path he can take.

Yuri immediately started running in the opposite direction, mentally planning his route, trying to find a way to hitch a ride as quickly as possible.

To put it bluntly, the goal is to stall for time. Once the marker is cleared, the problem can be solved. This will be a chase with a lot of uncertainty, but Yuri has some experience with chases, so he shouldn't be caught easily.

The other two paths were both unacceptable. The first to be rejected was "turning around and facing them head-on to see what they were up to"—this approach was obviously the quickest, but also the easiest way to die a particularly horrible death. Yuri didn't consider himself a coward, but he didn't think he had ever been brave enough to do that—at least the situation hadn't gotten serious enough for him to be that brave.

As for the other option... it's to immediately run towards Akemi. The current angle isn't too bad; it's about 30 degrees off from the straight route away from her. And this small deviation almost certainly won't allow him to be pinned down before he finds Akemi.

This wasn't the first time he'd dragged Akemi into his troubles, but Yuri didn't take it for granted. He believed in handling things himself... especially since Ms. Qiusha had already asked him not to bring Akemi into danger.

Yuri ran onto the highway, jumped into a passing truck, and then stopped in front of the truck—a move he had practiced to perfection.

Information from the markers indicates that the pursuers are attempting to increase their speed, but the overall distance between the two sides remains stable.

The truck wasn't going fast, but it was still a vehicle. The fact that the distance between the two sides remained stable meant that the other party was also using modern transportation, and it was definitely not just a single spirit... Great, the probability of that combination has increased to 90%.

There's still a long time before we get caught up, so we should take this opportunity to study the spiritual force that's been clinging to us.

Forgetting that he was being chased, Yuri refocused his attention.

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.

Cold, tangled, Yuri felt something dragging him into the depths—was it some kind of substance? No, not a specific substance, not energy, not anything concrete…it was death.

Yuri had to repeatedly remind himself that this was an illusion, not a real event... He shouldn't be doing this, as it would pull him out of the spotlight, but on the other hand, the fear of death would also push him away.

Death is an inescapable end; anything entangled by it can never escape. Even if it manages to break free temporarily, it will eventually fall into its net.

Something was wrong. Yuri felt a disconnect in his senses, and he could no longer immerse himself in it.

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.

What just happened seemed to be the source of power, death... a power that Yuri was very familiar with.

However, the form of this power is different from Yuri's understanding... To be precise, it is indeed somewhat similar to a normal ghost, but Yuri is not a normal ghost, and the other party is likely not either.

It wasn't a power from the Wish-Granting series, but it was far more refined than ordinary ghost abilities, and much more closely connected to "death." Yuri felt he could learn more if he could maintain observation, but it was unlikely he could immediately re-enter observation mode.

Checking the distance between the two sides, Yuri noticed that the distance had clearly shrunk, but was now widening again.

So... the other party gave chase intensely for a while, then ran out of energy and stopped? Does that mean they weren't using modern vehicles but relied solely on their own two legs?

Regardless, as the distance increased again, Yuri felt he might have discovered another way to break the mark. Combining his previous observations, Yuri could sense an untouchable thread connecting the mark and the caster, a thread that would eventually sever with increasing distance. At least for now, after ten minutes in the truck, he felt he could more easily destroy the connection between the mark and the caster… He didn't. Now that he seemed out of danger of being caught, it was time to investigate the mark's effects further… Even without magic, observation wasn't entirely fruitless. For example, at what distance could it maintain itself?

The distance between the two sides began to increase rapidly. Considering that Yuri hadn't felt the truck accelerate, it was likely that the other side had stopped pursuing and started turning back. Yuri breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that the danger had passed.

Then the spiritual energy that had been binding him suddenly exploded inward, crashing into the shield he had been maintaining and quickly dissipating.

It wasn't very powerful, but it was terrifying. Yuri instinctively dodged and fell off the box he was sitting on, his head hitting the bottom of the carriage first.

Luckily no one saw it, otherwise it would have been incredibly embarrassing, Yuri thought to himself.

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 appears that after abandoning the pursuit, the other party remotely controlled this marker, engaging in an activity similar to making use of waste... However, the total energy of the marker itself was not high enough, and the final explosion was more of a release of pent-up energy.

Even without a shield, Yuri wouldn't suffer serious damage if he took the hit head-on; it would be roughly equivalent to a powerful punch from Yuri himself. This also confirms Yuri's point that there is indeed a definite connection between the mark and the opponent; it's not something that's thrown out and then ignored.

In the first round, the score was tied 1-1. Yuri was hit first and then quickly ran away from his opponent.

Next came the counterattack... Yuri returned to his ethereal form, leaned out of the carriage, and was greeted by a scene he had never seen before... somewhat like a wilderness.

The next step is to figure out a way back.

123 Testing each other from a distance

"—In conclusion, I believe that our opponents this time are quite hostile, although they may not necessarily be targeting me, but rather anyone who can absorb the energy of the repeaters... They have set a trap and are preparing to hunt down such people."

"At the same time, as far as I know, I am the only one who frequently goes to absorb the energy of the repeater. The spirit does not often attack the ghost, and the ghost is mostly fixed in a specific location and is difficult to move."

"In short, it's still targeting me in the end."

Yuri finally managed to climb back to his residence around nine o'clock in the evening.

Running out is easy; you can just find any car and hitch a ride. But going back in is a different story. Yuri had a run of bad luck today, repeatedly choosing the wrong vehicle, and in the end, he had to walk back in a fit of frustration.

In any case, Akemi had been waiting at home for a while, and it seemed she was not going to sleep until Yuri returned, but she didn't seem flustered.

"What are you planning to do next?" Mingmei asked after listening to Yuri's explanation.

"...I plan to continue going out to resupply. This time, I will carefully inspect each resupply with my magical vision. If every single one has been set with such a trap—that's impossible, right? There are so many repeaters in Tokyo, how could he set traps for each one?" Yuri thought about it for a long time but couldn't come to that conclusion. "However, this is only a temporary measure. After all, it's impossible to cover up the fact that the repeaters' energy is depleted. So I also plan to add random movement. As long as the route I take cannot be identified by any specific pattern, they are unlikely to catch up with me."

"Um...you've thought of everything more thoroughly than I have, so I won't say anything more." Akemi looked like she'd misunderstood. "What I mean is, are you really planning to just keep running away like this?"

"...What if we don't escape? Should we set up an ambush and give them a good beating?" Yuri began to seriously consider the feasibility of this plan. "Would Ms. Murakami Akisa be willing to provide assistance?"

“If she comes, there’s absolutely no possibility of peaceful negotiations, Yuri—yes, I mean, maybe we can talk? Provided we’re safe.” Akemi covered her face. “Are you still not recovered from the Rat King incident? I don’t think there’s any reason for this to necessarily escalate into a mortal enemy.”

"What if they weren't as kind as you?" Yuri wanted to retort, but he had to admit that he didn't have any evidence to prove that they couldn't talk this time.

"So how can we ensure our safety? Is Ms. Murakami Akisa available?" That's the next question. Akemi wasn't unaware that the other side might actually turn hostile, but what could be done to solve this problem?

"You'd better stop thinking about relying on her... She's not my bound tool." Mingmei's hand, which was covering her face, never went down. "Tell me again about the other party's behavior pattern?"

The final decision was that Yuri should continue to proceed cautiously for the next two days to avoid getting blocked again, and to drag things out until the weekend.

Meanwhile, Minmei will find a route suitable for motorcycle travel but not for direct car travel. Yuri will then deliberately trigger the markers to lure the other party to Minmei's location, hoping to initiate negotiations from there.

In a two-on-two match, there shouldn't be an absolute difference in strength.

If you sense the situation is turning bad, then use the old method to escape by motorcycle. It's unlikely that the other party is also using a motorcycle, which will help you quickly shake them off.

During the discussion, Yuri pointed out that this might expose Akemi to the other party's view as well, but Akemi believed it was a price she could bear. Seeing her so confident, Yuri was somewhat taken aback.

Maybe nothing will really happen?

"Also, there's something I'd like to ask. I don't mean to express dissatisfaction, nor am I saying you should do it a certain way, and I'm definitely not saying it's wrong..." Yuri had set up many layers of protection for himself beforehand.

"Just ask," Akemi sighed.

"Why don't you seem worried at all that I came back late?" He finally couldn't help but ask.

"That's because you do it all the time. We didn't agree on what time you'd be back at night, did we?" Mingmei's puzzled expression made Yuri feel incredibly stupid. "Do you really have a regular schedule for going out and coming back?"

...Yuri chose to admit defeat.

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.

The next day, Yuri continued his search for the tape recorders.

He had already figured it out. This kind of tracking was two-way. Just as the other side could confirm Yuri's whereabouts by identifying which repeaters had absorbed Yuri's energy, Yuri could also confirm the other side's whereabouts by identifying which repeaters had been set into traps.

Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, with a large number of repeaters constantly being produced (awakening?), neither Yuri nor the other side is likely to use this vague confirmation as a decisive factor.

And a parrot... it's just a parrot after all. Unless there's a way to elevate them to a higher level, no one can directly ask these ignorant and unaware creatures anything—even if Yuri were right next to them, they wouldn't remember.

In this situation, relying solely on a repeater to collect information is indeed unreliable.

However, some signs can indeed be seen, some of which are not very good signs.

Yuri carefully dodged several ghosts and continued forward.

He used to complain that ghosts were not very interested in reconnaissance, but now he suddenly felt that it wasn't entirely without its advantages. As long as you don't get too close, the ghosts are essentially invisible to you... The fact that the other party asked about the Black World shows that they also gather intelligence through ghosts. Although he probably doesn't make demands on every ghost (Yuri doesn't think any ghost has that kind of influence), even if only one or two ghosts report out points and actions, his route could still be uncovered.

After excluding the space near the intelligent ghosts that Yuri hadn't inquired about, Yuri walked along a winding route... To be honest, he wasn't entirely sure about the exact observation range of each of these ghosts, but in any case, he wanted to stay as far away as possible.

Intelligent ghosts are a relatively reliable source of information, for both sides—if Yuri were to go up to them and ask about their opponent, and they had actually seen him, they would likely tell Yuri without hesitation, since they had no close relationship with their opponent.

But at the same time, the next time they meet their opponent, if the opponent asks them casually, these ghosts will definitely confess that they saw Yuri... And the opponent will of course question these ghosts. The unknown short girl and the unknown tall spirit have already proven to the Black World that they will question the spirits, and will not hesitate to use violent means.

For now, it's safer to focus on observing the repeater.

The observation of repeaters is the main source of those "not-so-good signs".

First of all, the density of these tape recorders that have been set up with traps is not low. Along the way, Yuri found that about two out of every five tape recorders had been set up with traps.

This ambush wasn't evenly distributed; in some places, six or seven tape recorders on one street were all equipped with traps, while on the next street, three or five tape recorders had no traps at all. The deployment was biased, but it was hard to call it a specific pattern—and Yuri couldn't gamble on that.

This shows that the other party's determination to capture them is not small, and the last time was definitely not a fluke—at the same time, it also shows that this kind of trap is of little cost to them.

If you can trap two-fifths of the repeaters, it shouldn't be a problem to trap the rest as well. The only challenge is tracking the new repeaters—but for Yuri, finding the new repeaters is just as difficult.

Then Yuri explored further outwards, refusing to believe that the enemy could have set traps all over the city.

After a day of this back and forth, Yuri finally crawled back to his lodgings, utterly exhausted.

When an opponent's abilities largely overlap with Yuri's, the confrontation becomes quite difficult... Yuri prefers asymmetrical combat where the opponent cannot effectively retaliate, rather than a back-and-forth exchange. After all, once things get into a back-and-forth situation, his weakness in low physical attributes becomes glaringly obvious.

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.

Unfortunately, although he wasn't caught this time, the situation was still heading in a bad direction. Indeed, the enemy hadn't set up traps throughout the city; in fact, Yuri had even reached a place where no one noticed the traps (and, of course, he took the opportunity to steal quite a few repeaters).

However... the areas with traps are generally centered around Akemi's residence, with some deviations, but not too far off.

In other words, the enemy has basically determined Yuri's daily activity area. The half of the city where the enemy has set a trap is not exactly small, but it is not exactly large either.

From another perspective, Yuri's magical vision is not without cost. Now that he is very proficient, his magical vision consumes very little energy, but if he has to check each repeater, it will still seem to consume too much energy.

Even including the gains after leaving the area, Yuri's total amount of spiritual essence only increased slightly this time, and he only made a small profit overall. This was because Yuri actively controlled the use of magical vision in the latter half of the time, only checking it every few streets.

Of course, this doesn't mean there weren't any new discoveries. After multiple observations, Yuri became certain that these traps were always connected to the other party, and the greater the distance, the weaker the connection became—in other words, while the traps covered half of his city, the other party was most likely also in this city, and not far from Mingmei's residence.

The other side did not lower their guard because of Yuri's escape last time, but continued to conduct targeted searches... If this continues, we might run into them at any time.

Yuri sensed the opponent's determination once again.

Faced with such a relentless opponent, the best way to ensure safety is to run away quickly and escape the opponent's search range... However, Yuri didn't want to do that, not at all.

Although it was an exceptional case among exceptional cases, impossible to replicate, defeating the Rat King significantly boosted his self-awareness. It would be too embarrassing to be scared away before even seeing his opponent. Besides, he wasn't quite sure where he could possibly go.

This time, Akemi had a new suggestion: she suggested that Yuri stay in his residence for the next two days and not go out. She would set up a barrier that was "supposedly" able to conceal his presence to prevent the other party from sensing Yuri from a distance.

"I don't object to this stay-at-home plan, but what do you mean by 'allegedly'? Haven't you tested it?" Yuri raised her voice.

Indeed, in Akemi's description, she herself directly used the word "allegedly"—and this word is simply too important to ignore; it sounds incredibly unreliable!

“Because this barrier works on my grandfather’s senses, but it doesn’t seem to have any effect on my aunt…” Akemi said somewhat awkwardly. “I don’t understand the difference either. It’s probably just a difference between humans and supernatural beings, right?”

"It seems, most likely?" Yuri felt that these words did not reassure him at all.

If we're talking about the differences between humans and supernatural beings—then one of our opponents this time is a spirit, which should be considered a supernatural being, right?

"That's right, anyway, I think... I'll always find some use, right?"

“Probably? Always?” Yuri stared wide-eyed. “You’d better stop talking. If you say another word, I might really give up on this barrier.”

As Yuri had requested, Akemi stopped speaking and began moving the items, leaving Yuri standing there, deep in thought.

Yuri's thought process was rapidly spinning.