Web of light. Part 1.2 chapter 17

Chapter 93.

If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it, you know. As an illustration of my abilities, I blocked the Ferry's ability to work magic on the vessel. An ordinary glass jug, however, with a lid. However, as in the case of the counter in Noihara, Shizuka managed to push through the barrier by force... but to do this, she had to half "let go" of her aura, which filled the entire room. If I hadn't treated the walls with a "Ferry" a long time ago, all the magicians in this part of the city would have known about the presence of a strong yokai in my house. Is she the one who trusts me so much, just like that?! As always, I didn't feel anything (I just saw it), but Rinko and Hiroe clearly shivered. The kitchen immediately felt damp and a little chilly.

Finally, the snake stopped twirling the decanter, removed excess water from the air, and disguised itself again. We went into the living room and sat down — I on a chair, Mizuchi perched on a stool, and Kaname and Kuzaki on the sofa. They were silent.

"There's too much unexpected information, you know." The Goddess of Rivers spoke first. We need to think about everything. But first tell me, Yuto Amakawa, why did you invite me to your house? Humans and yokai... not a very suitable company, you know.

Yeah, and here's a "serious conversation." The main thing is not to lie, I'm sure Shizuka will notice the lie — a couple of trifles, this is not poker!

"You know," I continued, matching the snake's tone, "after trying your cooking, I didn't notice any differences in the result. To be honest, I didn't even look for it, I wanted to eat so much, but everything is so delicious here!

"It's not the most convenient example to look for differences..."

"Do you think it's necessary to look for differences in physiology? Recently, twenty-five centuries ago, some scribes argued about what a man is. Do you know what the canonical form of the answer was?"

"And what is it?"

""Bipedal erect without feathers"!"

Rinko and Hiroe giggled in unison, even the snake smiled. I suspect that the ancient Greek philosophers also served as a good template for jokes for their students. Okay, you almost convinced me, you know.

"Now tell me, Yuto, why did you invite me to your place? Since you knew who I was?"

That's a pushy one! Okay, I'll answer the other part of the question.

"I called you because I wanted to meet you again, that's all. And, by the way, this is the first time I've heard that there were any special conditions for an invitation to visit."

"That's it, it's fair! The Amakawa were famous spirit tamers..." The snake said a little more quietly.

Damn, he's thinking fast! The bottleneck in my logical constructions is because in the reasoning "how do I know that you won't hurt me if I believe you", there is no logical answer to give.

"I don't remember anything like that," I said again, quite honestly. "I had friends among the spirits, a white cat named Himari, a brownie... Unfortunately, I don't remember much... But I'm sure they were my friends. And I'm not going to divide my friends according to the principle of who consists of what!"

"That's what you're saying now. What will happen when you turn sixteen?"

"Well, take it and check it out!"

Fuck! You should slap yourself in the mouth! It's so stupid to blurt out on emotion! Now you have to convince her of your love again... Convince in...

"Hmm... An interesting idea, you know! I'll take advantage of your suggestion."

what?!

"Your family refused to be exorcists, but I'm sure the Circle will show interest in you after removing the seal of suppression. Or maybe even earlier. Since you've decided to follow a peaceful path, I'll help you stay on it..."

Is she serious, or should I decipher this high-sounding, however logical explanation as "with such an ability, I won't give it to anyone anyway"? Yes, I hope I made the right bet on the character of Mizuchi based on the results of the meeting in the forest and the manga I once read...

"...That's why I'll stay to keep an eye on you."

"Hey, hey, stop! Not so fast!" and this is Rinko. "What means: "I'll stay to look after you"?!"

What a dynamic! Just a minute of lengthy discussions and immediately the specifics! Shizuka, I respect you!

That's what it means. I will live here and make sure that Amakawa Yuto does not lose his way.

""Live here"?" The confused Rinko immediately highlighted the key parameter. Well, yes, well, yes. After all, I only told my friend about the need to establish contact with the Yokai community. Actually, that's what I thought would happen. Manga is a manga, but why do spirits sit in the forest and not in the city? My "inner" plan was this: to convince Mizuchi, the only yokai who (as I said above) would not try to make me, if not an artifact slave, then a tributary, "unfastening the roof" of some amulets per month, of her usefulness. It's still risky... but it's no less risky than waiting a few more years to get in touch with someone armed and protected. In addition, it would turn out that I had "deceived" Shizuka with my behavior at the first contact, but otherwise everything was logical: I met, remembered, and chose the path. And an exchange — "help with amulets on my part, help with information and, possibly, abilities on Mizuchi's part" — is the optimal strategy, let mutual trust arise first... but someone immediately took the bull by the horns!

"To live here," the Goddess of Rivers repeated. Be close. If the owner of the house doesn't mind. Wow, how polite, they didn't ask such questions to the canonical Yuto... because it's a test. Ha, and the snake understood my slightly veiled advertisement exactly the right way — an offer to cooperate.

"I don't mind, the house is big and pretty..." then the smile on my lips faded, "... empty."

It wasn't really a game. Indeed, you can turn a house into a fortress as much as you like, but the fact that you are the only defender does not make it any more pleasant.

"Yuto..." — it's Rinko again. Shake my head. Smile.

"Everything is fine. I really agree, but..." I glanced at Shizuka. "...If we share the household chores, too. It's pretty hard for Rinko and me to keep the whole house clean by ourselves."

"It's settled, you know."

"What, you're just going to move in with Yuto?" My neighbor couldn't wrap her head around the outcome of the impetuous negotiations.

"What will the neighbors think?"

"I'll say that my very distant relative has arrived, and that's it."

Now it was Kuzaki's turn to shake his head. However, there is a great way to "crush" an impressionable girl.

"Besides, I looked at the map of the area of the reserve where Shizuka said she lives. There are no settlements or even houses there."

"The spirit of the house is not... A roof over your head is not necessary to live," The snake nodded, "but maybe the house is hidden behind the barriers, why did you think there was nothing there?"

"Satellite imagery, you know!" I couldn't resist mimicking her again. But it looks like our guest is with computers... Although now I'm a neighbor, I don't know her. At least not well enough to avoid asking stupid questions. We have a lot to tell each other. It's time to voice your side of the sentence.

I can do very little, but what I've been able to learn on my own, I do quickly... You saw it. You're not hiding in the woods from a good life, are you?

"A group of police officers from the Tsuchimikado clan is patrolling the city... and she kills every yokai she meets."

Whoops! Is there a battle group in the city?! And even on a permanent basis, as I understand it?! Why are Himari and company so free to roam in the manga? We certainly should have run into these serious guys first.

"You've seen my capabilities. I can see your aura, but it can be blocked just like mine. True, I haven't made such complicated amulets yet (yeah, because I didn't really need them!), but the general principle is clear. Then no one will distinguish you from an ordinary person. And yours... comrades?.. I can help you if you need."

"Now it was Yokai 's turn to think. If the exorcists find out about your connection with the Yokai, it could turn out badly..." After a moment, Shizuka said.

"You said yourself that I'm from the tamer clan, I'll just say that these are my vassals... if you vouch for them in front of me. However, I don't know much about exorcists from other clans, about the Circle, and I don't remember much about the Yokai either... Will you tell me?"

That's it, the cards are turned over, it's time to check the layouts.

"I think I can help with that. But what will you do when you turn sixteen?"

Yeah, an important point, plans for the future should also be agreed. A temporary alliance is one thing, but long-term cooperation is quite another!

Then I'll voice my "idea" again:

"Maybe it's naive, but as I understand it, the part of the yokai that would like to live with people is mostly forced to hide? I wish that this endless senseless slaughter between the exorcists and Ayakashi and within each group would stop. We can give each other a lot, we can just live peacefully next to each other... I want to build a society where it is possible. Even if it's not a society, even if it's a single city... with my abilities... and with my last name, it's possible."

"It sounds naive, you know!" The snake grinned, and there were so many emotions mixed into that sad smile that perhaps only Hiroe figured it out. "But I want to see what you can do."

"And now that you've already agreed, what position will I have in your secret society, Yutoo-kuu-uu-un?"

Hiroe! Well, you can't just climb into such a beautiful picture with dirty boots! Have I forgotten about you, or are you sitting here listening with all your ears?! But Rinko seems to have forgotten, she jumped up!

"Is the position of head of the analytical department suitable for you?" I suggested matching the haircut. "But I don't have anything to pay your salary yet. Don't you want to wait for "secret society" to move from the category of words to something more substantial?"

"Ha, he found a fool! I'd rather "go to work" now and set my own salary... You know!" I copied the intonation of Mizuchi Hiroe in my voice.

Poor Rinko! Such a dumbfounded look! Just like that, we were talking quietly and peacefully about high things, and then bang! -the secret society." After all, Hiroe is still such a child, despite all her abilities... it seems that this phrase can be applied to all four participants of the "show".

"It seems that such agreements are usually fixed like this." Satisfied, Kaname brought her "gift" bag from the kitchen and... pulled out four thin-walled small porcelain bowls. And a small, only one hundred grams, bottle of elite (without any quotes! I saw how much it cost in the supermarket!) cherry nectar.

"After that, even I think it wouldn't hurt." Rinko muttered to herself, but everyone heard.

Hiroe reached out to pour the liquor herself, but Shizuka took the bottle away from her and very quickly poured the viscous, thick pink liquid into four completely equal parts. I don't know about anyone, but I remembered "uncle" Lenya, my neighbor in the stairwell in the distant "there": either he was also a spirit, or a water magician. The skill demonstrated was absolutely identical!

"To the bottom!" Hiroe warned. "well. Kampi!"

The liquid rolled down the tongue, pleasantly tingled the esophagus along the way and settled in the stomach, growing into a soft, warm lump. The tension left after the negotiations immediately subsided. The sounds of cicadas singing outside the windows "appeared", the soft light of street lamps turned on to disperse the impending darkness. It's already half past eleven at night! Damn, we sat down, dinner!

"I think it's time for us to go home." She nodded at Hiroe Rinko. "It's late, and sleeping for half a day on the only day off is too much."

"I'm not going, laziness!" it seems that Kaname liquor, who has overworked in the field of intellectual labor, is the only one who is a little "far away" in the brain.

"Tomorrow is the day off anyway, I'll call my mom now. Will you let me stay the night, too, Yuto-ku-u-un? Or should I call you boss now?"

So, "don't pour for the fifth table anymore"! Damn, how can you get drunk from twenty-five grams of fifteen-degree liqueur? Or did Hiroe just "let go" of herself, and this is a setback?

"Well, no way!" Rinko, driven by the jokes of the day, simply grabbed the cropped one by the elbow and dragged her to the door to the street like a caterpillar ant. "I'll take care of her, Yuto! We'll come by for breakfast tomorrow."

Waving my hand at Rinko, I locked the door and turned to a somewhat indifferent Shizuka, who, despite all her endurance, was apparently emotionally exhausted by the nervous events of the day.

"Come on, I'll open the second bedroom for you and give you a futon. And we'll do the dishes tomorrow, it's okay. Indeed, it's time to sleep!

Interlude 10. The Amakawa House. Shizuka on a futon

The snake lay staring at the ceiling. Life is a complicated thing, and no, no, and it will give you such a choice that it's better not to choose at all. Once, fear decided everything for her. The second time there was hatred, and the corpses of the enemies were frozen in ice at the bottom of a mountain lake... The third time, there was desperation, and only the intervention of the Corpse Eater forced her to join the battle of spirits against spirits... some intelligent spirits against others. And suddenly, she got a "fourth time." And from whom? From three children, one of whom is a descendant of Amakawa (she understood this in her mind, but, not feeling any exorcist power in the cub, she could not accept it in her heart), the second is a flawed branch of Yakoin... who, without any magic, "revealed" her nature, and the third is an ordinary girl... with a blessing in your hair.

Mizuchi cursed her curiosity, which was not satisfied with any of the trials that had befallen her: Well, why, why did she decide to find out something additional about the strange guy she met in the reserve. Too much for she, a "spy". She persuaded herself to go and check, of course, that the police spies from the department for combating manifestations and sects would send a combat group, three to five magicians, who would scout and knock out everyone they scouted. Why wasn't Yuto afraid?.. Because he's used to spirit's, he's used to them as his friends, he really doesn't see the difference... and because he could kill her in one hit. Just one magic absorber. Bind all the mana with his strange power, which is not magic, in a body made of water — and the snake got caught. The water will spread out, and she will simply die without even noticing it, maybe, however, she will have time to move... Or maybe not. Those movements near the ravine... they made sense. Yuto was preparing to hit to defeat, but she did not attack, and he immediately calmed down. A naive child... who managed to lure the cynical old Mizuchi into his house, from where you can't even get out unless you open the door or window... which I desperately wanted to do. Run, run from where you've been warmed up! Escape from where the danger is unknown from which side. Run, run, frantically shuffling your feet, from where three pairs of children's hands have already ruined your fate... and they will definitely break it tomorrow.

Impossible! Become indistinguishable from a human? But it's possible. All you need is a magician-not a magician, an exorcist who left the clan voluntarily (well, let him not formally marry — his parents did it for him). An exorcist who dreams of peace, not glory.

Damn it! She talked to Yuto about the new world for about ten minutes and found no inconsistencies. It seems that he has been thinking about this problem all the time since the death of his parents... a very, very strange death. Yuto is like her. Yuto is like her reflection in the water. The exact opposite... and a chance, a ridiculous, unthinkable chance for hope! Perhaps her consciousness had hardened and withered after so long, an unthinkable thing, ayakashi, the aspect of water, yokai, the Goddess of Rivers, she couldn't think big like one kid. Even hulf-Yakoin was impressed... clearly not her job. Tomorrow, Yuto — Mizuchi didn't like to mention the clan name — promised to make a set of amulets for her, completely blocking the aura. Tomorrow she will be able to look at people's lives from the inside, for real, and not like a picture in an illustrated book.

Mizuchi moaned softly and gripped the edges of the futon with her fingers. Don't run away, just don't fucking run away! The murdered family... Just don't squander the only fragile chance that their deaths won't end up being just an episode in an endless war. There were still three hours left before dawn.

Sometimes people's minds generate such monsters that all the monsters under the bed run without looking back and losing their stashed second socks!..

Interlude 11. Kuzaki's House, Rinko Kuzaki's bed, 6.40 am, Sunday

..and the sleep of the mind causes panic even among the monsters of the human mind.

Of course, Rinko, having dragged her tired friend from Yuta's birthday, got permission to leave her at home. Unlike Amakawa's half-empty house, the Kuzaki rooms were all distributed. Therefore, put the futon on the floor, and sleep, girls, in the same room. Who knew that a short-haired woman also suffers from sleepwalking? It's a good thing it's not nocturnal enuresis!

In short, at the moment of awakening, Rinko found herself lying almost across the bed, with Hiroe's legs on top of her, wearing pajamas given out from Kuzaki Jr.'s supplies. Kaname managed to lie down with her head in the opposite direction from the pillows in her sleep. Rinka's blanket lay more or less evenly on top of this body structure, and Ranmaru, the Kuzaki family's cat, completed the composition with a chubby, one-and-a-half-year-old cat. Naturally, the cat chose the place of geometric intersection of girly bodies, weighing down Hiroe's legs a little more and not made of cotton wool. And Hiroe herself is cheerful... She was snoring!

Kuzaki's stomach and back completely disapproved of the new method of sleeping and hurt a little more than they do after an intense workout, which did not add to their owner's dovish gentleness. Realizing that she couldn't sleep anymore, the girl got out from under a pile of small bodies, shooed Ranmaru away and wondered what to do with this little girl for invading her personal space: maybe rub her ears? He snores as if nothing had happened! Or maybe tickle? He smiles in his sleep, it's such an infection! Oh so! Rinko picked up a glass of water from the bedside table, where she always left it overnight, and filled her mouth with all the contents. Pshaw! Right in the face of the obnoxious girl!

The result exceeded all expectations: Hiroe screamed at the edge of the ultrasound, jumped up from the prone position (on a soft mattress — the trick is quite difficult even for Rinko) and, picking up a pillow, hit the hostess of the room right on the head with all her might! She didn't have much strength, but Kuzaki Jr. was literally blown off the bed... on the futon that was originally intended for the guest.

"Oh, Rinko, I'm sorry!" Finally, Hiroe's expression took on a meaningful expression and she saw who she had hit. "I didn't mean to!"

"Intentionally or not, it doesn't matter now!" The kendo champion of the school and the district promised ominously, grabbing a pillow from Kaname's futon and jumping onto the bed. "I'll show you what a swordsman can do even with a pillow in his hands!"

"It seems to me, dear, that our daughter should invite her friends home more often." Kuzaki Sr. said as she closed the door to her and her husband's bedroom. Rinko and her friend are so energetic and funny, and with us, our girl is just a model of gentleness and calmness. Confirming her words, gambling shouts and screams could be heard throughout the house. After that, it's not surprising that both of them showed up at the Amakawa house at eight: Rinko — to cook Yuto's breakfast, and Hiroe — just for company (and for a free breakfast). But there was a surprise waiting for them!