Аннотация: Going back to school and Hiroyo's mega plan. Introduction to Yu Shimomuro. Scheduled visit of the Social Committee to the school.
chapter 114
Naturally, it took us a lot of time to move the yokai squad into the rooms of two dormitories for workers and construction workers, if only because none of us had such an experience, and this social group usually does not write detailed reports on forums. Fortunately, they have foremen, and foremen have senior engineers who are forced to vent their frustration with their subordinates somewhere... Well, why not a blog?
I blamed Hiroe for checking the documents for adequacy: whether their owner was wanted as a missing person or for some other reason (from criminal offenses to non-payment of utility bills), since many women in Japan have high-pitched voices so that a haircut does not stand out when talking. Kaname had to drive around the city a lot, spend several thousand yen in pay phones and use the services of about twenty computer clubs.
Unfortunately, Rinko was completely useless in terms of working with documents or studying information to create an impression of something. It's just that no one prepared her specifically, and it's quite difficult to face this side of the issue with normal parents. But she was the only one of us who was engaged in raising our combat readiness... society? Communities? Fuck it, with the name, let it be "band". So, Rinko raised the combat readiness of the group by raising the combat readiness of herself: I modified the system of turning on/off the magical reinforcement of the musculoskeletal system with a ferry. Yes, yes, ODO, not just the muscles. I was extremely lucky that when I applied the "steam of light" to the Kuzaki, I automatically blinded it in the same way as in hamsters - not by the muscles separately, but affecting both bones and internal organs - as much as the previous "update" made by my parents allowed them to be affected. Fortunately, in irreversible tissues, such a "magic booster" simply "tightens" the structures of bones and tendons, adding strength to them (like reinforcing concrete with iron), otherwise we would not get off with bruises and aching joints. Actually, as I count the number of times we missed the metaphorical "arctic fox" that day, it gets so bad, I won't think about it.
Shizuka was trying to close the last gaps in her education at a rapid pace, and, naturally, these were the remaining most difficult pieces for her, such as ideas about the atomic structure of matter or the features of the structure of the earth's crust: even at the school level, this knowledge was so in conflict with the "naturally formed" ideas over so many years that the snake literally fought to win back I have the opportunity to understand what I have memorized. One day, I even had to give up on business, take Mizuchi to school and open a laboratory with "experimental machines": centrifugal forces, experiments on the speed of falling in a "vacuum" (if you can consider a vacuum of 10 at minus four to be a vacuum), blocks and levers - they killed the whole day, but after that, Yokai there was literally a breakthrough. As she confessed to me in the evening, she even "really managed to believe that our planet is round, and can really be in the void." After this conversation, I seriously bothered to do something about the education of the rest of the yokai from the Amakawa group, because even if a water snake scout has such problems with thinking flexibly, what about the rest?
Speaking of the others. That's exactly what took up most of my time tinkering with them. To begin with, I had to hammer into the heads of the "employees" that protection should always be worn, ALWAYS. Except maybe the shower, which I'll handle in the dorm. I forced them to learn their social roles thoroughly, using printouts from the "diaries" of civil engineers and contractors as material, as well as personal impressions of the two days that Rinko and I spent observing. However, "officially" I was looking for suitable dormitories in the quarters of "jamshut's" and stamped mago-control sensors, but that's another matter.
In general, Father Rinko enlightened me about the "jamshuts" from the Japanese society: it turns out that a significant part of real estate transactions concerns such "working quarters". By the way, the "jamshuts" there are, of course, Japanese themselves - it is very difficult for Gaijin to obtain a residence permit, and illegal immigrants are caught very strictly. Getting Kuzaki Sr. to talk turned out to be quite simple - after all, people like to talk about their favorite job... Well, all I had to do was get the information I needed. Then came the actual "settlement". The hawk-nosed one, accompanied by Rinko's "sister," went to negotiate with the commandant of a "guest house for builders," and I accompanied Kashi. No matter how much I spin the idea of "handymen" in my head, I'm more and more convinced that it was just an epiphany... or the result of watching a bunch of anime, where the hero earns something-important-but-expensive by moonlighting like this: in a yellow helmet, with a shovel, jackhammer, or in the form of a construction supervisor. The oldest earthly principle of the "gang" worked to the fullest in this Japan: if the future workforce does not come by itself, but as part of a brigade, and with a sane "senior" foreman, she is much more welcome. They can even suggest a job right on the spot. In short, everything worked out, the owners of the real estate were dealt with (Kashi was hitting, and I was "studying" as a "younger relative"), and the operation to relocate and move valuables began.
The sorted jewelry (there weren't that many of them) was put in an anonymous safe deposit box, access to which could be obtained by having a key, paying a not-so-expensive rent for 25 years. Naturally, I got one of the keys. The total amount of money collected in several deposits for the members of the "group" amounted to almost three and a half million yen. It's not enough for ten people, but it'll do for rural areas to start with. I also had to participate in the purchase of work sets of clothing, protective helmets and other stuff, such as reflective stripes for night time: despite the fact that the customer had to issue uniforms and protection, for obvious reasons it was necessary to make do with their own uniforms, so hired workers were paid more, but now these things had a chance to be demolished quickly. much less.
I've been worried for a while about the "simple" yokai from the group, but... here, when they were settling in, I "talked" with the local quite human contingent, and made sure that my yokays were almost a model of sanity and trustworthiness о_О! Now it's clear why students find these "different" jobs so easily - among all these drunks, buffoons, and just not very quick-thinking people, even people like the spirits from the two artels, there were at most twenty percent. As I said, I stopped worrying about work right away. And I started worrying about school. There were literally two days left. And we never managed to get to the bay, where the seasonal current will soon change, and in November and December, the spirit road dam will become functional again. Something will need to be done about this, too... Later.
chapter 115
And again, "hello school." I don't remember that at least once in my life, "there" and here, I went here with the realization "well, I'm finally going to rest," but - it happened! Actually, it's a great morning, great company, what more could you want for happiness? Put plans and analysis, experiments (which are worthwhile) and fears out of your mind for at least an hour, and just turn your face to sunlight. You can even take off your glasses for a minute. And maybe Rinko, after refining and two weeks of training, she learned to draw mana from the accumulator in the solar plexus area only when necessary. I got a good ferry, I must admit.
Another thing that makes me feel better is that I'm not going to school alone: Rinko is walking on one side with a bokken wrapped in a case in his hand, and Shizuka is on the other, also in a school uniform, with a "scythe to the waist." The braid is braided with blue ribbons, but Rinko doesn't have any ribbons - we didn't get to the summer festival, and there's no reason to offer - Kuzaki doesn't behave like a "kid in a skirt" now, he hasn't behaved for a long time. And I would be the last person to say that she was wrong: when you know for sure that a person is just ready to entrust his life to you, you really stop paying attention to the little things.
And the sun is shining right in your face, and the trees are green-green! Cicadas are squeaking, butterflies are flying, and individual students or, more often, companies are walking along the road just like we do. However, judging by the faces, they are "trudging" rather than walking - the first day after the holidays. Damn, I wish I could take a camera and film us walking from the side - it's like a ready-made animecha opening video! Or better yet, adjust the quadcopter - the camera angles will be more interesting.
And here is the school gate, and Hiroe is waiting for us at the gate. School uniform, briefcase, glasses on his face. And a predatory smile - the students who met Hiroe lay long loops to get around her.
"You look beautiful, I've already looked at how you walk."
"Yeah, I liked it myself. I even thought about taking a keepsake... Hiroe?"
"..."
"ER-er-er, Hiroe?" Rinko cautiously took a step back. "What are you talking about?"
Kaname has regained her normal, or rather "normal" expression, otherwise with a dreamy half-smile and eyes looking "into the horizon" she really scares. Those who know her, of course.
"THE I-D-E-A!" Kaname practically sang and squinted at us. "I'm in my senior year, I got Midori started in high school, it's time to make the project more interesting for myself."
"Is it really that scary?" Mizuchi grunted, behind which Rinko and I involuntarily retreated.
"You're participating too!"
"It's really scary, you know!"
"Yeah, there you are... Damn it, Yuto! Why are you surrounded by a bunch of girls again and all wearing glasses?" And this Taizo "crept up unnoticed." "And you... uh... Will you study with us too?"
"Chidori," Mizuchi introduced herself with her "passport" name. "But you can call me Shizuka, I prefer it that way."
"Okay! Yes, that's why I came up to you. There's another "girl with glasses" over there by the gate, isn't she from your group by any chance?"
The girl with glasses, who seemed to be our age, had apparently also decided that all bespectacled people were brothers in mind, and was already striding briskly towards us. More precisely, to Shizuka.
"Hi, I saw you in the staff room the day before yesterday, aren't you new too?" She turned to Mizuchi, and I saw in her hairstyle a silver hairpin in the form of an oblique cross - well, or the letter "X", whichever you like. A very familiar hairpin! "I'm in Class A on our course, aren't you too? By the way, hi everyone, I'm Yu! Shall we get acquainted?"
"Will be." We gave our names, including Taizo, and moved to the entrance of the building. Yu settled in next to Shizuka, she seemed a little uncomfortable walking alone to strangers like that.
"Listen," she couldn't stand it fifteen seconds later, "why are you all wearing glasses?"
We all pretended to be "surprised", "really?", then looked at each other... and they laughed together!
Taizo, looking at this, pointedly bumped his forehead against his shoe drawer a couple of times.
chapter 116.
Which was exactly what had to be proved. I am the president of the Physics club, unanimously. As if I don't have enough "administrative" work with those who have begun to master the hard work of the yokai builder and paver from the Amakawa Group. Now there's this. We must urgently look for a deputy. At least the guys had prepared the RepRap calculations, and even a double set of gearboxes for the heads had been turned out. Actually, you can just "print" them if you have at least one 3D printer available, but it's not there yet. Having spread out the printouts of drawings and parts on the table, I began to explain the assembly process (it is quite simple), and at the same time touched upon the programming of the controller...
"Is Yuto Amakawa here?"
"I'm here," - wow, the deputy president of the school committee himself came.
"The director wants you to come to his office."
"I'm coming." I waved my hand so that they could sort it out without me. What does the director want from me?
"Good afternoon?"
"Amakawa-kun, have a seat. I have a conversation for you."
"I'm paying attention, Mr. Director."
"Mmm. What I want to tell you... You're very... an enthusiastic young man. It's good to do something like this, from a young age... useful, necessary people. This is a very correct character trait, your passion and your thirst for knowledge. I recently received a call from the deputy head of the Department of Precision Machines and Mechanisms, who was very interested in our students from the Physics club. They really liked your flying camera at the University Youth Exhibition, and the aircraft modeling club managed to register... Anyway, that's what I'm getting at. They would like our school to establish cooperation with the city Polytechnic University. It is prestigious and very honorable for a junior school to receive such an offer... you probably don't know, but participating in such projects greatly raises the school's rating in the municipality. Therefore, I would like you and Rino-sensei to visit the university next Saturday, and you will be excused from classes. And your Taizo classmate will go, they were personally interested in him after participating in the glider competition.
"I'll do my best, Director-san!"
"Great. I never doubted you. Try to make an impression there... Harder, well, you can."
"I'll do my best, Mr. Director!"
"That's good. For my part, I'll try to settle your differences with the chemistry teacher. Otherwise, it's not a good idea to be one of the best students and get a negative review in your personal file. You can go now."
Bowing and walking out the door, I stopped in the middle of the school hallway. And who can tell me what it was?
Chapter 117.
However, the unexpected events did not even think to end. On my way out of school, Hiroe caught me by the elbow and pulled me aside.
"I just found out that her next "best friend" told her mother not to see them for a century. All city schools are being shaken up by the student work commission, which says the number of accidents involving pyrotechnics and self-made explosives has increased. They give review lectures to everyone, and a psychologist works with the "unreliable" ones.
"Damn, it's not a good time. Why such strictness?"
"Yes, it seems that several cases of citizens' appeals for low-power explosions of unknown causes have accumulated, so they decided on schoolchildren and students: who has access to reagents or laboratories."
"Well, it doesn't seem to concern us."
"Yes, it does. The commission has a full-time psychologist. During the lecture, he will monitor who reacts, then conduct private conversations with those who have shown unusual reactions."
"So what?"
"And the fact that psychologists are provided by the staff of the Social Committee! This is their full-time responsibility, along with monitoring the implementation of social norms for children and adolescents."
"Damn it! Are you thinking about what I'm thinking?"
"Exactly. Our Mizuchi will probably get burned on something. We need to prepare her for the conversation somehow."
"Maybe I just didn't come to school that day?"
"Then an invitation will be sent to the committee itself... What are you?"
"I've got a hunch here... Do you know when the check will be with us?"
"Who do you think I am? Of course I know, Dad has all the events already listed in the database. We're in line this Saturday."
"Fuck! I knew it!"
"What did you know?"
"The principal just sent Taizo and Rino-sensei and me to a meeting at the polytechnic to demonstrate the "face of the school. Saturday, as you guessed. And I was wondering what a reservation about a personal matter meant..."
"And what will you do? I can try to influence the transfer of the commission through my dad..."
"Don't make such sacrifices. I'll just try to be careful. Damn it, I got it!"