Web of light. Part 1.2 chapter 19

Victory! After two years of trial and error, after so many discarded hypotheses, I finally got my hands on a means to survive in battle. Even if it hasn't been worked out yet, even if it's unclear how to regulate mana consumption, even if I won't risk using it on myself soon... but I have a chance to win in a direct clash with the enemy. At least I won't "slow down" anymore. Hmm, and Yuto from the canon, under the control of Himari, achieved, if I remember correctly, this effect twice as fast. But unlike him, I understand what I'm doing! Damn, I am! I'm so euphoric!

Chapter 3

We blew almost the entire snake's "budget." For the most part, she spent it on herself and on business, not on trinkets: several sets of clothes, bought a school uniform for the new school year. It turned out to be quite simple to arrange the transfer of documents: Shizuka called "her" "old" school and simply gave the address of the new one. Of course, she was scolded there for taking so long to transmit the coordinates, but the data was sent. Then Mizuchi worked as a copier, copying the handwriting of Chidori's parents, under whose name she entered our school. To school, but not to the classroom: it was not possible to get her transferred to us: and so the bias by five people towards our "B". So the Goddess of Rivers ended up on the same stream as me and Rinko, but in the "A" class. It's kind of fast-paced... But on the other hand, is she a scout or is she out for a walk?

Mizuchi also talked about her role in the Corpse Eater group when we discussed the release of our classes at the "training ground". It's still purely theoretical, but the day is not far off when at least Rinko and I will have to experience Amakawa's abilities for ourselves.

Let's hope that Kuzaki's brain will get an update on high-speed processing of information from the senses and reactions: Hmm, "us." I tried not to even think about matters of personal devotion: the "Ferry" that was embedded in Rinko's central nervous system was anything but affecting the higher functions of the brain. It seems that on the contrary, he was slowing down in some ways. Over the past year, I've managed to spy on the structure of some of the neighbors down the street-Soli borrowed there or vice versa— lent me a large curry cauldron, which I think was the only one on the street. I managed to memorize and draw pictures of the lines of more than fifteen people... including Kuzaka's parents. Do I remember naively talking about behavior programming? When did you not understand the essence of the Ferry, only learned to see the lines of light? Now I doubted that it was even possible. That is, it is possible to influence higher nervous activity... about how replacing a video card with a more powerful one will enable the "Aero" mode with translucent elements in Windows 7... when they come up with it here, this seven. Or you can compare it with installing a good discrete audio system.: the card "wraps" the sound calculation on its processor, and the processor no longer spends its power on this process, which is faster. And if, for a computer, the distribution of tasks from the speed of execution is still on the conscience of the user — whether he uses Aero or listens to music there is his business, then the neural network, which is the "computing center" of the human brain, will try to independently redistribute resources, which will affect behavior... it is unknown how.

So, the lines of light, of course, somehow affected the higher nervous activity of the majority of those examined... but weakly. You can even guess how — I don't know when and on whom Amakawa collected statistics on the work of the "Ferry" in humans, and it's good that I don't know, and I would be afraid to look into the eyes of "unsuccessful experiments", I've had enough of hamsters! Basically, the Ferry affected some physiological functions of the central nervous system, just like Rinko's, by the way. Which ones are beyond my experience to understand. Here you really need to identify patterns with statistics... or find the clan archives, which looks more realistic. I feel like I need to open the "Mystical House" in Noihara, and after talking to Mizuchi about the Yokai's perception of people, I gave up the last illusions that the heir of the clan would be recognized. There will be a fight if I cancel the technique... by the way, it is also unknown how. Or wait until sixteen. I wouldn't want to kill any of the family's vassals, it's not for nothing that my grandfather left them to me. And somehow I'm not ready to go all the way for more than five hundred years of development on my own. Although it is necessary to prepare for the worst...

..I'd rather think about the money. Which are again missing. So, Shizuka specifically spent so much money because she had to hire tutors. I can't give her the right amount of time... and after consulting with her, we decided that communication with adults would be good for her. I also helped, mostly in physics, Rinko took over mathematics, which was difficult for her until I started helping her, and now, having felt her own mistakes, she could even explain mathematics to the spirit, who knew mathematics at the level of four simple arithmetic, at least such simple things as proportion and equation with one unknown. Snake mastered fractions quickly. At the same time, the three of us — the human part of the "association" — were stunned to see how Mizuchi handled the antique abacus, which she also brought from her stash: she was calculating her expenses and her savings. However, two weeks later, the scores still gave way to Excel. Shizuka also discovered Chemistry!

It just so happens that the majority of reactions in school chemistry and organic chemistry in general are somehow related to aqueous solutions. I couldn't even count on getting into the chemistry classroom, except by taking a chemistry teacher hostage and tying dynamite around her. Therefore, I had to buy a set of dishes for the laboratory at home and a Japanese equivalent of the "young chemist". It's not like Shizuka has a lot of free time... but you should have seen how her eyes literally "lit up" when she saw another successful school experience: and I don't mean magic. This is what a person who has come into contact with a Miracle with a capital letter looks like... As it turns out, neither does Yokai.

In general, we "hooked" the snake on the "human world". I don't know how she's going to get out of it when the Spirit Road gets back together in the bay, but I'll probably have to go there with her and try to break the spell on the bulls. At the same time, we'll get to the sea, at least by the end of the holidays.

chapter 104

Hiroe is a smart girl after all. It was she who did not allow our company to completely bury itself in work — it was necessary to let off steam somehow! We still visited the amusement park, which I promised Rinko last year, just walked around the city (the girls were just like that, and I was laying new sensors and connection paths for the signal network). They even had the audacity to come to the very center of a huge ten-story supermarket, which reminded me at the same time of the Moscow GUM, the Moscow Children's World on Lubyanka and some kind of "mega mall" like "Megi". They killed the whole day, but they had fun and relaxed... and they taught Shizuka to crowds of people, which at first made the village yokai just sick. And Shizuka, as it turned out, loves ice cream very much. No, it's not like that: SHE LOVES ME VERY MUCH. And she can eat a kilogram in one person. On the other hand, if you have a body made of water, why not? Although I absolutely cannot imagine what processes are going on inside the demon carcass at the level of chemistry, physics and physiology. I haven't asked Mizuchi yet if she creates a gastrointestinal tract for herself when she eats, why she washes if she uses water herself, and other "cute" details, in order to avoid injury to the template and all that. I'd like to sort myself out here! Although, of course, I'm interested. But — "no one will embrace the immensity," as the NTV channel reinterpreted Kozma Prutkov. And I'll get to the Yokai yet. Although it's better to get to a normal library first.

If you try to search for information on the subject of magic on the Internet, search engines give out huge amounts of information... Most of the time, it's the nonsense and speculation of the townsfolk. There are literally grains of reliable information among them, but sorting it out is not a task for the faint of heart. Unfortunately, it never occurred to Shizuka to use a network of informants to get the information she needed, like properly connected acquaintances and so on... but it occurred to the Corpse Eater. Which, when it came up, Mizuchi was surprised to tell herself. The Ayakashi leader was always aware of the latest developments on the "magic front", learned about significant changes very quickly and was generally a very extraordinary being. Very much on his mind.

At least Kaname's seemingly innocent questions caused Shizuka to literally sink into thought.: I actually noticed that our society makes the Goddess of Rivers think much more often than in the canon. And the first results are already there. By the way, if you think that Hiroe dragged us to the city center just to sit in cafes, don't insult her like that anymore. I myself have fished out at least three goals: to train Mizuchi to respond adequately to clusters of homo sapiens, to look for possible observers from the Committee (because it is quite difficult to run into a policeman from Tsuchi's squad in such a "plebeian" place, at least according to Shizuka, who for some time watched the magicians from a respectful distance fortunately, they did not try to muffle the auras burning with power). Kaname's third reason was to buy clothes for the summer temple festival. Which, of course, we are going to, she had no doubt. "Shall we go?"

Carefully asking Mizuchi if she had any problems visiting temples ("What other problems could there be? I lived at the temple myself... you know."), I just waved my hand. For some reason, boys were not required to dress "specially" for such events, but there was a whole ritual for the female sex... I didn't even listen.

But we still spotted one committee member. Well, what can I say: a slightly flickering aura, weaker than Shizuka's when she hid her power without the amulet. She admitted that in a normal state, without a completely severed sixth sense, she would not have paid attention to this man who was walking two children and his wife through the rows of toys on the top floor under a transparent roof... and in vain. Because he didn't lose his vigilance, and a couple of times I noticed from afar how his eyes were turning blue — I used something like a scanner spell. I had to take a chance and stay where I was: if my Mizuchi amulets couldn't even stand up to such a test... But the guy wasn't the least bit interested in us. Big deal, kids. But he didn't miss any of the strangely behaved personalities who almost turn on themselves in any crowded place. The criteria for the selection of suspicious persons became clear. Indeed, intelligent yokai who are "divorced from life" often behave "not at the checkout," like the woman who gave Rinko the "blessing." Sometimes it's more noticeable, sometimes less, but almost all spirits choose the image of "visitors" in order to somehow justify their oddities. That's how they get caught. After all, our Mizuchi has surprisingly successfully chosen the image of an eleven-year-old girl, how many times has she disagreed with such "ordinary" people without noticing each other? Something tells me that she frowned more than once. No, the inspector himself won't interfere: "call a friend" — and one of the policemen will get his ass off the chair. Or the committeemen themselves will send an elimination team with enchanted ammunition. Shibata-san often interacts with his father... and he often takes his family here on vacation. Hiroe explained innocently in response to my questioning look. Dad generally interacts with many of the middle-level employees. Everyone's computers are buggy and breaking down," a sidelong glance at Mizuchi, "you know!"

"Yes, I understand, I understand how lucky we are to have you! We really appreciate you, don't doubt it."

"And I really appreciate you all!" The one with the haircut smiled.

"The main thing is not to evaluate it as a reward." The gloomy snake muttered and almost choked on the ice cream: Kaname had such a furious look.

"I gave it to you. Word. I. Never. Not. Violating. His" Hiroe literally hissed. It even got to me — it was so unexpected.

"I'm sorry," Yokai looked away. "Me... I shouldn't have said that. To stir up the past..."

With great, obviously visible difficulty, the fragile short-haired girl regained partial composure, but the mask kept trying to slip off her face. She was speaking so softly now that I could barely hear her whisper:

"Father... he doesn't know, of course... even her mother, she considers the Committee to be just a place where money is drained from the budget... a warm, bread-filled place "for your own. But I found out... Over the past year, the Committee has had two offices in two cities... destroyed. All the people just disappeared, they were searched for and not found."

"But how? Police combat groups..."

"Yes, that's the reason. People named Tsuchimikado from five medium and small towns were transferred to Tokyo, and two more resigned. It's not so easy to find information, I had to search on social networks... "Black boxes" in cities with less than five million people are being closed... And I don't want that... so that my father would also "go missing" one day."

For a second, it seemed to me that the warm summer air was freezing like the Arctic trade wind on the White Sea. You can dislike exorcists as much as you like, and transferring magicians gave me additional "freedom of maneuver," but I absolutely did not want to get it at that price. That's why so many Yokai "limits" attacked Yuto from the canon — and this is in the city! That's why, after only five years, the Yokai feel "at home" here, and neither Himari nor the others had any problems. Again. I'll have to act again, and much sooner than I wanted to. But, thanks to Hiroe, there is still a chance to be proactive. You just need to figure out what exactly needs to be done... And don't get too worked up. There's still time. Only the whole mood to walk was gone.

chapter 105.

So we rested. So we've done our job. What happens if the combat group of magicians leaves the city? Nothing at first. Then emboldened, ever-hungry little things like "Chameleons of Dreams" and other not very reasonable stuff will make their way into the city. Usually, these comrades of magicians and yokai with a strong aura bypass the tenth way, which greatly helps to minimize any "minor" mysticism in cities, but when the number of minor yokai grows into quality, the committee members will have to release their magicians onto the streets. Or is it more correct to say "magicians"? I was very impressed with the energy level of the inspector and his family. A very low level. Even I have it eight times higher, judging by the glow of a quarter of the reserve fused into the accumulation amulet. Ask why there is no such problem in the villages. So look at the village houses: all are hung with "voices of the wind", amulets "for luck" from the nearest temple, figurines-"deceptions", and offerings are regularly left. And it's not just cats and rats that take food from the tabernacles.