Аннотация: Departure of the Tsuchimikado group. The Marines' hunt for the committee. Ageha's meeting with the patrol. The agreement with Yuto.
143.
"Yuto Amakawa has never felt so Stirlitz before." I mean, after a pretentious presentation to the "self-defense forces of a particular branch of the Social Committee," we proudly and mysteriously left... by bus. A great finishing touch, I would say. No, actually, it was possible to take a taxi, but why? All interested parties know where I live. They know, but they don't bother - thanks to the sensor system, I can track it. More precisely, I could, because I have no idea if the sensors would register through the overwhelming field of hastily made concealing amulets for committee members. If the amulets had been properly worked out, they definitely wouldn't have been able to, but this way... There are practically no gaps between the feet of the amulet's owner, the soles of his boots and the road surface - the actual sensor material - which means that if you look from below, there is no protection in the area of the feet. I should check it out, I'll push it to Shizuka... No, on Yu. Damn, after the not very successful tests of Shimomuro's collection of magical ingredients, I didn't give the girl any tasks at all. More precisely, the task was to prepare a place for research and finish it. At least, I made and charged small amulets for her. Even Yu, along with the same snake, helped me figure out the "Mystical House", but here, rather, it was from the series "while I was explaining, I understood myself." And, since our "Magic Director" is idle for now, it will be necessary to load the future headman with something else. As they say, he called himself Gruzd...
While I was thinking and writing down my plans, the bus was slowly crawling from one stop to another. During the day, in the city, except for the center, buses run almost empty, and therefore no one stared at our unnecessarily attention-grabbing trio, except maybe the driver. But that one has convenient cameras in the cabin, and therefore I couldn't detect the process of looking at it. Dofu and I sat opposite each other, and from time to time the spirit of writing asked me various questions about the landscape slowly passing by in a quiet, calm voice. If it weren't for the snow-white robes, pale white skin, and waterfall of snow-white hair, even the most biased gaze wouldn't have seen anything special about the quiet and polite girl...
Ginko, on the other hand, was the exact opposite of the envelope: I don't know how much effort it took for her to behave calmly and confidently in front of the social committee magicians, but now she was having a blast! The only thing that stood between complete happiness and a wolf was a ban on licking my beloved in public and in public places. Ginko compensated for such a heavy loss with double hugs, that is, taking into account the fact that she herself looks about twenty years old, and I am eleven years old, I was naturally squeezed! Moreover, although yokai measured her strength, but human girls of the same complexion were far from her. By the end of the trip, I felt like I had received a three-hour wrestling lesson from the Nanai boys. True, I won't say about the crowd of Nanai girls, but the constant pressing of me into the elastic girlish breasts also did not remain ignored by me and my body, although from the outside everything probably looked very innocent, like the scene "the elder sister walks her beloved younger brother after a year of separation."
As a result, I returned home slightly disheveled and rumpled, a little confused and in a completely non-working mood. It's good that after the memorable story with the Polytechnic and the inspection of the Committee, the teachers overlook my absenteeism for no particular reason: the director brought the appropriate instruction to them. And it's good, because sometimes I just sew myself up, solving my numerous managerial, educational and scientific tasks, for example, I go to the same Polytechnic for public lectures for the benefit of my native school. Hiroe and Yu, in addition to jumping around the "epic action movie", also did a good job on the school press, as a result, Physics and Aircraft Modeling clubs are now reading all sorts of fiction like Sheckley's "Watchbird" and are trying to make inexpensive "air patrol" even cheaper and more versatile than used quadrocopters. I even "persuaded" a couple of students from the Department of Precision Engineering to participate in the development of the "urban aerial drone", ensuring the final strength of the "theory (university) - development (school of two clubs) - experimental area with pilots (Mutual Assistance Unit)" bond. For such help with the graduation topic, the guys sketched out a website for us (or rather, they found someone to strain from the Faculty of Computer Science) to "account for good deeds," to which Yu is now screwing a hand-designed design. And now, in addition to the regular squad members, all their friends, relatives and acquaintances are competing in the set of points for mutual assistance.
"What a wonderful house the Master has! Only a small one." Ginko had managed to run around my city property in just a few minutes and was now twirling around in her chair, waiting for her portion of tea and sweets. After looking at the she-wolf "in her natural environment," I began to guess why she was so impenetrably calm. If you find yourself trapped with such a restless creature, or quickly reach zen... Or you'll just go crazy! Fortunately, the four "principals" did not linger at school today and saved me from the overly close attention of the electrician pretending to be a yokai. Yu and Hiroe saw the "old" Amakawa vassals for the first time today... and I suddenly felt that my habitually empty house was slowly but surely turning into a courtyard, albeit "only for my own people."
"Are you thinking of settling them here too?" Mizuchi asked me softly as she helped prepare the third and last bedroom on the second floor for the guests. Not yet. I don't know what zashiki-varishi can do after sitting alone for a couple of weeks, but he can still get here from Noihara in just a couple of hours. And Ginko has nothing much to do here at all: the city is not the most convenient place for a wolf.
"It makes sense, you know... It's hard for you to be with us, Yuto, isn't it?" The snake suddenly asked.
"With us, is it with yokai? Or are you talking about the "directorate"?" About everyone! I recently remembered how our acquaintance began... It's only been six months, you know. But it seems to me that I've known you for many years, and our camp in the mountains seems like something far away and forgotten... You have brought us all a new life, to all those who followed you. Even Rinko, even Yu. Unbeknownst to everyone, you have become very important and needed, Amakawa Yuto. Don't let anyone push you off the path, and we will support you in everything, Amakawa-dono.
And Mizuchi bowed in a vassal-to-suzerain bow... and straightening up, she wrapped her arms around me and hugged me to her, burying her face in my chest.
"Don't let... us... to lose you... Yuto..." with great difficulty, I could make out individual words.
We stood like that for two minutes, while Shizuka hugged me, and I stroked her head, not even trying to say anything... Fuck, there are no such words... and then we were interrupted by an unusually serious Ginko who silently flew up the stairs: pointed ears stuck out of her hairstyle, enlarged fangs flashed in her mouth.
"Amakawa-dono, there's a faint splash of magic in the city. This is Hinoyonma, she's pretty strong. Fifteen kilometers east-northeast."
"Do you know how to determine the direction of the aura? Just feeling it passively?!" Mizuchi was surprised.
A nod. Ha, but Grandpa's lip is not stupid! Another unique item, no worse than an envelope.
"It's a little early for a Blood Drinker to show up here. None of the spirits know yet that the Tsuchimikados are gone for a long time..." The Goddess of Rivers spoke absently, following me into my room. So, the radio on the patrol channel. Shinji's group is back on schedule. Great!
"Center-A calls the C group. Welcome!"
"In touch."
"There's a weak signal for two hours from my base, about fifteen kilometers away. There is no signal network coverage. How do you understand?"
"Got it!"
"The target is presumably Hinoyonma, be careful. Don't take off your disguise. Be ready to fight."
"Roger that, I'm moving out."
"End of communication." I let go of tangent and looked at the Goddess of Rivers. So let's see if we've got anything worthwhile. Come on, it turns out we have a live radar, let's try to back them up... and aim at the target. Ginko?"
"I am with you wherever you go, my Master." the wolf grinned predatorily.
Interlude 26. Night Takamiya. Part 1
[Yuki Shibato]
For quite a long time, Shibato Yuki considered himself to be the most ordinary person - well, there were no yokai in his small town, no sorcerers with magicians, even the most annoying amulet had not been dropped in a series of centuries. The desire to study failed - as soon as the young man came to attend university in Kyoto, he immediately ran into the inspector, right at the exit from the platform.
That is, they literally collided head-on, or else it was unknown how long the weakest magician would have gone unidentified. But what happened happened. The inspector, as an "apology for his awkwardness," offered lunch, during which, between chatting about the weather and teaching about life in a big city, he ran a simple psychological quiz on a young potential magician. After making sure that the candidate was very suitable for the profile, he took the coordinates, and literally a year later Yuki-kun was already studying not to become an economist, but even a psychologist and had a part-time job.
We won't count how much water has flowed since then, but the life of the "magician" flowed in its very ordinary course: he studied, fell in love, got married, after graduating from university and an internship five years ago, he was transferred to Takamiya and prepared for another fifteen years to jostle among the lower ranks until he was thrust into the analytical department due to his seniority or something else - Jinguji's corporate ethics was very consistent with those who consistently and accurately performed their work. Actually, there was only one condition - to survive. And Shibato was fine with that! The weakest spirits who might be interested in his weak background were firmly deterred by the Tsuchimikado police, and those who were stronger simply did not notice him. But the inspector noticed the yokai interventionists quite well: there were half a dozen relatively weak creatures and one strong one on his personal account. The scanning spell and the low background of his own made him short of a pretty good sensor... just not when there's a suppressive amulet hanging around his neck, a bunch of which, according to rumors, the head of their department got it from somewhere unknown. Or even Mr. Kouji himself. Anyway, the amulets were ordered not to be removed. The move with the amulet by the leadership of the Regional Office was fully justified: combined with the folding of the aura, the amulet provided an ideal concealment of the power carrier from those who could covet this power. After all, even relatively strong magicians who are shot down by the order of the Controller in the office self-defense squad cannot be on guard for twenty-four hours... But, as always, there were pitfalls. The amulets have not been tested. Actually, the very issue of disguises received from Amakawa, so early relative to the predicted mass influx of yokai, was a field experiment: to see what and how, to identify unknown weaknesses... Who knew that one well-informed and troublesome person would arrive in the city just five days after the departure of the police combat team?
[Ageha]
"I need a number." The girl said shortly, laying out a credit card on the counter. "For about three weeks."
"We are glad to help you, madam!" Bending over in a bow, the receptionist deftly tidied up the credit card and swiped at the reader in the cash register in one motion. "Do you have any special requests?"
"I have a sea view." Hinoyonma casually said, admired the expression of the "template break" and deigned to clarify: "This is a joke. A large bed and a second or third floor will suit me."
"Siste-e-er, isn't that too brazen? Just like that, you can settle almost in the center of the city...
"Sasa, stop whining right now! You should also ask if a girl needs to wear makeup when going out for an evening walk!"
Sasa wisely kept silent: he had already asked Ageha a similar question once, after which he had to run around the city in his pants all day! Br-r! The one-eyed Blacksmith shook his head, pushing away the terrible memory, and decided to go from the other end:
"Ageha, how are you going to find men who have magic?"
"Hmm?" the girl was surprised and listened to herself: cyclops could be accused of whining and chattering, but what he never did was not just talking. Here it is again: the millionth Takamiya in the yokai supersensibility seemed almost extinct! And where are the power carriers? No, well, of course - the auras are rolled up, disguised, but previously hunters began to hide only after they started trying to eat them. We got used to it and relaxed. In addition, the cabinet "magicians"-committee members usually just disgustingly wielded their own small forces and the disguise either fell off during sleep, or faded with sudden outbursts-prominences, plus active amulets, artifacts... protecting the building itself, finally. And where?
Ageha chuckled again, opened her laptop and quickly Googled the address of the regional office of the Social Committee. She looked at the map. I figured out which side the house I was looking for should be on... and I went to the roof of the hotel building. It didn't take long for her to look for the right building from the roof - despite the approaching darkness, she could see very well, and a photo of the Committee's office was posted on their website. Aren't they assholes? On the other hand, why keep secret information that anyone, even the weakest of intelligent spirits, can extract in a couple of hours of questioning the townspeople? However. Silence and darkness were on the magical spectrum, but the building looked quite functional: the windows were glowing, and the movement of people and cars could be guessed. Chuckling for the third time, the blood lover called a taxi, and half an hour later she and one-eye were watching the building almost point-blank: what is a kilometer and a half distance for the spirit of the air, even if you are sitting in a half-empty diner on the embankment. Closing her eyes and at the limit of her supersensibility, the girl waited... and she waited. One, two... The seven sources of power, in a compact group, seemed for a moment like a single flame in the autumn void, and Ageha instantly dispersed her tentacle from the air, playing the role of a receiving antenna. Yeah! The path of two cars traveling in a group, with some difficulty and little risk - after all, Hinoyonma was a professional in her favorite business, unlike many others - she tracked. At the same time, I saw the composition of the "magnificent" seven (some men, they say!), along the way making sure that one of the sources of lights is somewhat stronger than the others. If it's a well-coordinated group, even she may have problems. For example, the mascara will smudge from sudden jumps. In short, she didn't want to come into conflict with a potential blood source. Let them split up first... ...After an hour of leisurely movement across the rooftops (fortunately, it was finally dark) through half of the city, the newly-minted "Takamievsky bloodsucking monster" made sure that the magicians from the accepted ones in Jinguji did not plan to separate - another small hotel, even smaller than hers. Wishing the reinsurers in her hearts to discover that the hotel staff was saving on toilet paper at a bad time, Ageha went back to her favorite observation post, the cafe... to make sure that there are no more magicians in the building at all. And there's no one around. What the hell?! It's really starting to annoy!
[Yuki Shibato]
For those who regularly use aura convolution, the "flicker" effect is well known, which occurs as soon as the disguise is removed: the flattened energy shell spreads out and trembles, throwing even more mana into space than usual. The same process occurs if the magician has spent all the reserves of energy. The source of power inside the manauser's body begins to pump the energy shell in jerks, causing it to flicker, radiating mana outward. Several years of constant practice help to almost get rid of this reflex process, and experienced magicians, coming out of disguise, practically do not lose the stability of the aura.
Unfortunately, not only was Shibata-san not experienced, he never used concealment of his meager powers at all. Besides, he didn't know that the Amakawa amulet drained mana from him a little faster than it regenerated naturally, and none of the employees of the regional office of the Social Committee had such weak abilities. Thus, after three days of continuously wearing a flat bag with a cherry image, Inspector Yuki developed energy exhaustion and a whole bunch of side effects: hunger, headache, and a desire to hide somewhere [to restore mana in a calm environment - I'm telling you, reflex!].
Since the Committee employee was an adult and responsible person, he did not succumb to provocations from his own body, but decided to fight the approaching autumn depression (as he decided) with a well-known and well-known method: he invited three fellow colleagues from work (not magicians) to sit in a bar in the evening, drink and chat. Colleagues, who mostly have some kind of psychological education, responded. However, the body, which continues to experience discomfort, with the help of the subconscious, nevertheless found the probable cause of the discomfort: the amulet, it appeared - unpleasant sensations appeared, and the subconscious began to signal intensely: "remove the nasty object." Alas, adults and responsible people usually do not know how to listen to the subconscious...
... Shibata Yuki suddenly discovered that the thin braid of the amulet around his neck was constantly and irritatingly rubbing his skin, and he himself was lying on his chest, as if made of lead. Normally, he would have tried to ignore such feelings if he had had time to drink more - he just didn't notice anything. That's why he found himself in a dilemma - he couldn't take it off, and the evening could be ruined by fighting with himself. Hmm. What did they say about the action? A sphere with a radius of two meters? The inspector pulled a leather work briefcase towards him and put the amulet there...
..After the eighth serving of sake, Yuki-san didn't even think to carry his things with him - why? He simply forgot about the removed amulet: psychologists call it "displacement." Alas, psychologists are also people, even if they are magicians... ...The source, having freed itself from the pulling shackles of the amulet, began to rapidly inject everything it had into the spreading, trembling aura. In magical vision, it was like a match lighting up. How far is the tiny light visible? On the other hand, if it's pitch dark around...
[Sasa]
Sasa rolled his eyes: sometimes Ageha got it, and Hinoyonma stubbornly ignored the voice of reason... or just wanted to get some "yummy" stuff... While the blacksmith obediently trailed in the wake of his friend, the defender, and remained silent under the threat of wearing trousers, but when she suddenly hooted and took off, he stopped, sighed, and sauntered towards the hotel. It's not often that you get the opportunity to walk around a human city at night.
[Ageha]
Maybe it seemed like impulsive behavior, but a little annoyed by the first failure, the bloodsucker decided to stupidly comb the area of the most likely settlement of local committee workers. It's not that difficult: discard the working-class neighborhoods, discard the expensive, inconvenient city center, and voila - the wide horseshoe of neighborhoods for middle-class families turned out to be the only suitable search area. You can spend the night on this, anyway, the proofreading has not yet been sent for the "human" work... There is!
Ageha, for whom the distant fluctuation of mana sounded like a barely audible harpsichord note, broke into a run without hesitation... and after half a minute, she realized that the source was moving away. The girl ran across the intersection and raced at a right angle... Late. The source is missing. Slowing down to a steady pace, she walked in the intended direction, listening from time to time... An hour and a half later, Hinoyonma was ready to give up on everything, but then the unknown string struck a high note again, and Ageha broke into a run again... and again, she missed the direction: supersensibility, unlike an active spell, gives only a "cold-hot" effect...
After the third time, Hinoyonma's nerves broke down, and she jumped onto the nearest roof and sent a circular air wave to determine the target's location from the reflected signal... damn it! He's just kidding! Empty again!.. It was this surge of energy that the wolf's sensitive ears detected.
[Ginko, accompanied by Master Amakawa and Mizuchi]
The she-wolf ran swiftly through the deserted streets of the sleeping city: it was one o'clock in the morning, and all the respectable burghers were asleep and dreaming a second dream. On either side of her ran the Master and the master's strong vassal, the water spirit, terrifying for its invulnerability to blows from claws and fangs. Nice, nice hunting! She will drive the prey, and the leader will cling to her with his fangs... or he'll do something else. Amakawa-sama is the best leader. It's a pity, you can't howl in the city! She caught a trace of magic, a clearly visible response from Hinoyonma's power twice more, and now the squad was rapidly moving towards the point of possible intersection of their trajectories...
[Hawk-nosed, Pachi, Takahashi (turtle yokai)]
..But not nearly as fast as the Squad's patrol. Unlike Amakawa-dono, the spirits had raced through the rooftops in recent weeks and were now confidently keeping pace, ahead of the group with Suzerain and snake, although they had started from a more distant point...
[Ageha]
..She rushed past a man walking slowly with a briefcase in his hand so quickly that he reacted only to a whipping gust of wind - he was distracted from admiring the stars, lanterns and the sounds of night cicadas...
[Yuki Shibato]
..Meanwhile, he was solving a difficult moral and ethical problem. On the one hand, it's still a twenty-minute walk to the house, but on the other hand, he's a cultured man. He is a decent citizen, a good worker, and, as a father, he should not set such a bad example, especially when the beauty of the frozen night world is all around, shaken by the thunder of insect song... but then a third party reminded him that the volume of liquid had reached critical values, and either Yuki was getting rid of it somehow, or his not-so-sober body was no longer responsible for the safety of his pants. Shibato walked home on purpose to clear his head before going to bed, although he honestly warned his wife why and where he would stay.
And on the right, such a tempting little square with dense bushes began... In short, he carefully placed his briefcase on the curb and went behind the living screen...
[Ageha]
..was surprised to find that she made an intricate circle around the city and returned to the same hotel where I was staying. "It's fate." She even took a few steps towards the hall when the weak source reappeared. Harder! Close. Back? It's getting stronger! Let's go! In a fit of excitement, Hinoyonma threw herself up in a gust of wind and literally flew over the street...
[Sasa]
... with surprise, he felt his "sister-o-onka", unfolding her aura, rushing away from the hotel. What's going on out there?!
[Hook-nosed]
"There is! The bearing is at two o'clock, close! Restore your disguise, Patchi - you leave us two hundred meters behind and look for a suitable point!"
The octopus Spirit nodded and sent a bullet cone into the barrel of the railgun.
[Ginko]
"The Master! I found it!"
[street next to the park]
The inspector picked up the briefcase and only then noticed that he was no longer alone on the street: a flushed girl who had appeared from nowhere was moving her head from side to side, as if looking for someone... and she didn't pay any attention to him at all. No, she did. She whispered, "then Shibato suddenly realized that the cicadas were all silent, " "I don't believe it, it can't be," and then a powerful gust of wind hit him in the chest! So powerful that he could barely stand on his feet.... ...The overstressed cloud of steam around the amulet could not withstand the deformation and burst with a soft clang, destroying the storage... ..And the next thing Yuki-san felt were unladylike strong hands, possessively squeezing his neck, and fangs reflecting the light of the lanterns... and the terrible feeling of a strong spirit next to you!
"Gotcha, asshole! Well, now you're going to tell me how you were so good at leading me around the city for three hours! And how did you hide so skillfully! Well, can't I hear?!"
"..I'm not an asshole, I'm in the bushes in a small way... I really needed to, sorry!"
The weakest magician whispered and fell into a life-saving faint, sagging in Hinoyonma's arms.
Interlude 26. Night Takamiya. Part 2. The meeting place cannot be changed!
"So what am I supposed to do with you?" Ageha asked the unconscious body and shook it slightly by the shoulders.
The body was silent, smelled of sake, and seemed about to start snoring - the body's energy system, which had gotten rid of the press, was rapidly generating mana, taking resources from other systems. In general, "tired, do not wake up." Hinoyonma looked at the "victim" with some doubt - such a weak magician could give her as little strength boost as beer diluted with water. On the other hand, she had been chasing him for so long that compensation for moral expenses was absolutely necessary! The girl tried on the neck of the "sleeping beauty" and frowned. She's also sweaty! I had to reach into her purse (yes, yes, Ageha was running around the city with her purse, makeup, and even had time to comb her hair! And what's the big deal?!), get out the right bottle of cleansing tonic (it smells like violets!) and a cotton pad and wipe the bite site. Maybe we should give the guy a lift to the house- he probably lives somewhere nearby? If you are married, then the moral compensation for lost time will be provided by 150% - it doesn't matter to smell someone else's women's perfume, returning home at two o'clock in the morning. Hinoyonma tried on the neck of the half-magician again...
"Hinoyonma Ageha, what an unexpected meeting in an unexpected place!"
Ageha, mechanically holding the man in front of her chest, turned sharply at the voice. WHO AND HOW?! I don't feel anything... Oops! In front of the bloodsucker stood an interesting couple: a man with a prominent nose and a vaguely familiar voice and a humanoid turtle dressed in blue ribbons and glasses and clutching a short pole in his hands. Uh-uh?.. But then the girl finally remembered where she had heard that voice and, most importantly, remembered the prominent nose:
"The hawk-nosed one from the Kashi gang, how adorable! I did not think that you would decide to visit this town so quickly..."
Patchi cursed silently from the roof of a six-story building - the damned bloodsucker continued to hold the unconscious committee member in front of him, preventing him from making a well-aimed shot. His colleagues experienced approximately the same problem: the remote stunner in Takahashi's hands was useless in the presence of a human shield. It's not that they were going to shoot right away, according to the conditions, the patrolmen had to announce a specially memorized text... But it was Ageha! The bloodsucker had returned to the Islands relatively recently, and her fame was already dragging on. Thirteen years ago, she joined the Corpse Eater group (which was noticeably large at the time), and although they parted peacefully, Patchi and Hawk-Nose remembered the "vampire" well. They say she even managed to get a Blacksmith to accompany her.
Ageha, in turn, was also in a certain oh... surprised by what he saw. It's not every day that a well-known and not the strongest yokai meets you in the middle of the city (how did they find out that the city was safe, the second question is, Kashi's brain is fine too, and it's possible that the gang has its own specialized scout, even if she didn't meet him then). The question is why these two decided to interrupt her so brazenly... Hmm, a libation? Even if we assume that the turtle can be at least half of what it remembers from the Hawk-Nosed one, it's still not just too tough for them - it's dangerous. With sticks on hinoyonma, it's not even funny! And the main thing is one hundred percent concealment of power: no way at all. So the "sticks" may not be simple at all... And the girl decided to talk first:
"I didn't think that the aura could be completely disguised. Would you share a secret,
colleagues?"
"Come on, there's no secret," Shinji replied with a sugary smile. "just a little help from our partner. You see, we've decided to take over this town."
The senior member of the squad pointedly pointed to his dark blue armband on his right sleeve with lighter hieroglyphs: a compromise between night camouflage and an acceptable badge of honor for patrolmen. By the way, Takahashi had the same one.
"Ha!" choked on Ageha's impudent statement. "This is an application! And your lip is not stupid. So what's with the "little help"? I wouldn't mind getting that kind of "help" too."
Now it was Shinji's turn to think. Kashi and Amkawa-dono discussed with him the process of bringing the city "under protection" by a Mutual Aid Unit, including the mention of an amulet-"passport", which is personally customizable to the wearer with one of the functions - hiding the power of the spirit, so that they can feel safe on the streets of the city. This is a kind of "bun". Another thing is that none of the planned things were ready... but he can honestly promise the amulet to the bloodsucker if she agrees. However, she would have to talk to Yuto for that... But he's coming here anyway.
"Perhaps we can come to an agreement." The patrolman ended the conversation diplomatically. "Our boss is coming here now... You've inherited a lot, and we've spotted you. He will suggest the conditions for receiving it... Hmm, "help." In the meantime, could you leave this loser alone?"
"This is something new, Yokai stands up for the committee member," Melancholic, as Ageha said to herself and smiled. It won't work, boys. This is MY prey. And why did you start ripping an honest piece out of someone else's mouth? Somehow not according to the concepts, ne?"
The hawk-nosed man sighed. Begins...
"Okay, I'll explain it to you now, if that's what you want. Do you see the inscription on the armband? Our "Mutual Aid Squad" is designed to control the situation in the city so that both spirits, magicians and ordinary people can live here peacefully... as long as they follow the rules common to all. OUR rules. It is allowed on the territory..."
Hinoyonma listened and got more and more fucked up, although, it would seem, there was nowhere else. What kind of nonsense is this? Although the nonsense is, of course, slender and complete, and the Hawk-Nosed one seems to believe in it - that is, he knows something that made this cynic decide that a rather complicated process of segregation of sane personalities among spirits is not only possible, but will also be brought under control. The question is how? Oh, damn it! An amulet or a seal-whatever they have there hides the power. Such an effect doesn't seem very possible either? But the fact that they, apparently, somehow came to an agreement with the local henchmen of Jinguji, (otherwise why would they care so much about the "trophy") tears the template to shreds! How, how did they get the exorcists to at least listen to themselves? I wanted to talk to their boss, and at the same time, the main ideologist, more and more. He must be an extremely interesting comrade! But before playing by other rules, you need to protect your own. Moreover, she felt Sasu approaching and the aura of another, unknown yokai, also curled up. However, she's the only one who shines half the city here, so you should also be more modest.
"Okay, okay, I get it. But why on earth should I give you my loot?" The spirit was shaken by the restrained body. "I got him, I want blood. And you can't take it away from me. You can't, can you? So your rules don't mean anything to me yet." And, seeing how the squad members tensed up badly, as if before jumping, she shook her head: "But you can try to persuade me... for an exchange."
"Do you want us to take your word for it like that?" The big-nosed patrolman chuckled.
"Not for me. Sasa, stop hiding! You will act as an intermediary. Would you believe the blacksmith?"
"To my siste-e-e-er..." Cyclops drawled sadly. "You're in some kind of weird mess again..."
"Don't whine! Moreover, the promised boss of the "city holders" has arrived. Heh, which one of you is?"
From the darkness of the alley behind the men and...A tortoiseshell?.. Another colorful threesome appeared: a girl with sharp predator ears and two children. A girl with a long braid and a short-haired guy of the most ordinary appearance.
"Heh, bloodsucker!" The wolf grinned. "You guessed it! And now..."
"Ginko, I'll do it myself," the boy held the girl's hand and stepped forward. "Beret, fashionable blouse... Ageha, as I understand it?"
"You guessed it, kid!" She smiled fangily. "Are you the "boss"? Heh, you're interesting... colleagues... and the abilities are interesting. It's just, I'm sorry, but I can't read your power level with these secrets of yours. You don't look like Kashi, so at least you were able to bend him under you. Yes, and "nakama" dragged him to his service. Who are you? I can't guess your appearance like that, maybe you can introduce yourself too, because I'm just beside myself with curiosity.
"It's easy," the guy replied with a grin, adjusting his glasses, which made the glasses flash in the light of the nearest street lamp. "Only you'll probably be disappointed. I am a human being, or rather, an exorcist. My name is Yuto, and my last name is Amakawa. Oh yes, I'm also the head of the clan of the same name, and these cute people around me are my vassals. I hope we can talk seriously now, Hinoyonma?"
144
I was prepared for any reaction she might have to my words, from disbelief and disdain to aggression, but reality surprised me again- Ageha jerked as if she'd been slapped.
"Am-m? Problems?"
"Are you sure you're Amakawa?" Hinoyonma asked warily.
"Exactly. They'll confirm everything. And why such a reaction?"
"Because the Amakawa are actually all extinct."
"Well, sorry, not all of them." I spread my hands.
"Tell me, why do they serve you, little chief?"
"They wanted to because, big and scary aunt vampire!" I mimicked Ageha. What kind of farce is this?! I found the place and time to find out the details.
"I'm not a vampire!.." the girl was offended, very "logically" castrating elongated canines.
"It's true, you know." Mizuchi interrupted her, overloading her amulet protection, and her beautiful "water" aura momentarily eclipsed the light of the lanterns. For those who can see it, of course.
"Yes, that's an argument," the "not vampire" snake appreciated the power and immediately became much more polite, "But I didn't find your rules convincing. It's like some kind of utopia, in the oriental manner."
"You don't have to share our beliefs to be in Takamiya territory, just don't break the minimum set of rules, and that's it."
It was obvious that Hinoyonma was hesitating with a choice: whether to send everyone and escape, or try to bargain for something for himself. In the end, she apparently made up her mind.
"An amulet of concealment, I think... If it's an Amakawa, it means an amulet... I won't get anything for this little thing..." The girl outlined her position aloud, squinting at me from head to toe.
"Amulet - only for cooperation, or only in Takamiya territory" I confirmed it.
"And in that case, I choose blood for blood. It's going to be fair. Yuto Amakawa, are you ready to pay with your blood for..." She weighed the committee member, who had begun to snore, in one hand.
"Is fifty milliliters enough?" I asked busily, pulling out a flask I'd brought with me, the same one I'd used in Noihara. No, well, we went to catch an unknown, but most likely, an intelligent spirit. Now I have to carry a flask until I'm sixteen, if I suddenly need to prove that I am me. By the way, it's convenient, and the measured risks are painted on the glass.
"One hundred milliliters, and it's yours." I didn't miss the opportunity to reserve the last word for Ageha. I shrugged my shoulders, cut a vein in my wrist, waited for the blood to fill the tank for the second time, and while the snake habitually tightened the cut, I steamed the liquid for better mana retention and poured in half of the reserve.
"Sasa, take it from him and bring it to me," Ageha commanded sharply. Sasa? The boy in the skirt? Oh, wow, there are the same addictions here as in the manga.
Sasa approached me fearlessly and picked up the container. As soon as I let go of the bottom, the red liquid glowed with mana, and Ageha leaned forward!
"Hehe, it seems like the deal is good anyway, now-really-for-sure-Amakawa-san," She winked at me, sniffing at the container, "Oh, what a fragrance! I recognize your clan, boy. And the taste..Gulp, gulp! Ahh! Angelic nectar!!!"
The brightness of the non-vampire's aura began to increase rapidly, and a flame of Power began to flare up in the middle of her stomach, right inside her body.
"Ageha, you promised to give the uncle back," the blacksmith reminded of himself.
"Yes, take it," the blood lover, without opening her eyes, literally threw the exorcist into the bushes. The committee member snored, but did not deign to wake up. I wonder if it was Hinoyonma who hit him, or was he just fainting from fear? They say that fainting easily turns into sleep...
Meanwhile, Sasa stared incredulously at the girl, who began to sway without opening her eyes.
"Hey, little sister! Are you all right?"
"Ah ha ha, it couldn't be better, nasty!" Ageha burst out laughing and... the mana in her body, accelerating and accelerating the movement, blinked dazzlingly, abruptly dimmed, and hinoyonma fell flat on the asphalt, as if cut down.
Damn, what was that just now?!
145.
"Does she do this a lot?" I asked, looking doubtfully at hinoyonma lying on the road surface.
"In my memory, for the first time" Sasa said worriedly, squatting down next to the girl. I also came over and bent over the victim. It seems to be alive: breathing is visually determined, the pose, despite a somewhat harsh acquaintance with the road, is quite comfortable, the eyes are closed.
"It's called greed," Shizuka chuckled as she joined us, "She would have limited myself to half, as suggested... You know."
Damn it! The blacksmith has already moved away from me, and his eyes are big and round. Yeah. Hiroe's typical trick, and how naturally Mizuchi pulled it off! With one phrase, turn the outcome of negotiations on the release of a hostage into almost a handout for poverty from the royal shoulder. After all, we have a strong influence on each other.
"Chief, where should I put the committeeman?" While we were examining Ageha, the patrol fished an unlucky half-magician out of the bushes. Yeah, and not a single scratch or bruise, sleeping like a baby.
"Find his phone number with his wife's number in it. Tell me that a colleague at work (and let at least one bastard say that the Hawk-nosed one said it wrong!). Specify the address, drag the "comrade" from the Patch to the nearest busy street and unload it in a taxi. Let them figure it out for themselves. And come back."
And something interesting continued to happen to Ageha. Her mana... Leaking out? And it seemed even uncontrollable. As if the body's conductivity had increased many times... But only the total volume did not seem to decrease. I bent down even lower, examining the channels in my body, the real streams of energy, then I just knelt down to take a closer look.
"I wonder if hinoyonma feeds on blood, why..."
"Little sister doesn't feed on blood!" The Cyclops Blacksmith abruptly interrupted me.
"Then why is she drinking it?" The Goddess of Rivers reasonably objected.
"This... blood is like strong sake to her: it intoxicates and adds strength. She gets stronger for a while and gets a little bit stronger forever. I don't know why, she calls it "rocking." Today, for the first time, she really swayed while standing on her feet..." Sasa explained, offended and confused.
Hmm, it turns out Mizuchi doesn't know everything about spirits either...
"Don't be a whiner, you one-eyed pervert," the girl suddenly muttered softly but clearly, as they say, "without regaining consciousness." And I barely had time to "catch my tongue" so as not to exclaim joyfully idiotically something like "the patient is alive soon!"and, 'Oh, isn't she going to die of energy exhaustion now?'
"Little sister! Ageha!" The Blacksmith tried to shake the bloodsucker awake, but all he got was an inarticulate grunt. Involuntarily bending over after the One-Eyed Man to try to make out the words, I heard "nasty" and "cold", after which Sasa grabbed a natural bream (all without opening my eyes), and I suddenly found myself not sitting, but lying on top of Ageha, and she was pressing me to her luxurious... hey!
Trying to free myself by pushing off the girl with my hands led to the fact that I was in this very one... luxurious... They naturally poked my nose! And they pinned him down.
"Good...." I heard hinoyonma whisper.
"Well, you know!" Shizuka opened her arms with one hand, and with the other she literally yanked me off the "non-vampire" by the scruff of the neck. "Yuto, you know!.."
"It's cold!" and I was pressed into Ageha again with lightning speed. Am I a rolling prize?!
"Ginko likes hugs too!" the wolf, who, it turns out, did not follow the patrol unit, but was hovering nearby, jumped on top of me, completing the "Yuto-yokai burger." Now the One-eyed Blacksmith took part in the pulling apart: however, Ginko, whose elbow he grabbed, quickly reminded him of the rules of behavior with unfamiliar girls by showing off her wonderful fangs. And claws. And the snake stood between hinoyonma and me to make sure, looking at me... That's promising. Some of the idiocy of the fuss, which took only twenty seconds, gradually reached everyone... not counting the individuals who prefer asphalt to a normal bed. Well, yes. I thought this only happened in manga! And now...
"It's cold!" the bloodsucker declared clearly and loudly, and in one movement she was on her feet. Without opening my eyes. And she started falling again. Damn social reflexes! And I know that a beautiful girl's only appearance is here, and I still grab first, and then I think! Well, yes. And it's good that the other three unexpectedly picked up the heavy Ageha with me - I wouldn't have held her alone.
"I suggest we wait for Shinji and let the guys take her to the hangar", I suggested the obvious. Of course, we almost caused a battle here, but leaving a yokai (ESPECIALLY a yokai) lying in the street in this state... And you won't be able to bury it on the spot either - the mana flow was clearly slowing down, after a while Ageha will most likely come to her senses. Although a hangar is also not the best idea. There's a lot of people always hanging around, not at night, but in the morning for sure... But I'm not going to take her home, am I? I couldn't help but remember that pre-trial detention cells are specially made in police stations for such cases. There was no sadness! I somehow didn't think that yokai could be in the same state of inadequacy as humans... But here, nothing human is alien, so to speak...
"Ageha took a room over there," Sasa pointed to the illuminated hotel building, the upper part of which towered over the trees of the park.
"Accepted," I nodded curtly, "Let's go."
And we led the way: slowly and sadly. It was good that the bloodsucker was somehow walking on her own... and that the Japanese, including the spirits, are usually short. Hinoyonma was only a head taller than me now. Oh, where are my sixteen years... and one hundred and eighty centimeters tall. The same place as the PhD... eh. Okay. And the girl is clearly returning to our world. So she goes almost by herself, and...
"Amakawa-san... your rules are not like that... Mm-hmm... stupid, I thought... I will even observe them while on your territory... Mm-hmm..." The girl, whom I had carefully and correctly supported by the waist, was now leaning on my shoulder... By the way, only on mine. Oh, and she's leaning on her chest! Hey, that's pressure in the negotiations!.. But I think I'll be patient...
"Mm-hmm..." Ageha sounds melodious... almost purring, yes. "And tell me, Yuto, I was told that you can get the same wonderful amulet..."
"Distributed to all vassals." But her vassalage definitely won't suit her, I thought melancholically.
"I am a free wind!" The girl giggled. "But we can switch... for a while... I'll give Sasa to you, and you'll give me a hiding amulet..."
"Hey!" I was indignant, but somehow not too zealously, the Blacksmith. "Little sister!"
"Shut up! You'll be fine here... It's temporary!"
Ha! What do I care about a one-eyed man of indeterminate orientation? Although-ah... the fact that the bloodsucker actually kicked him out of her entourage into mine... Is this an apology for being too greyhound-like?! Two times kha! Ageha is strong! By the way, there's also a giant with her in the manga - Dz... j... damn, I don't remember... In short, the spirit of the stone... Or was there a spirit of the mountains?
"Add a second of your retinue and you're done."
On the spirit of the stone... or mountains... growing into a nice twenty-storey building, I suddenly had a vacancy! I'm the one who successfully entered! Agreed, Amakawa Yuto. - in order to shake my hand in the European manner, Ageha even stopped... and she even stopped leaning on it... although, to be honest, I didn't mind at all... Damn, hormones! That's how it works, huh?
"Maybe you'd like to freelance, so to speak? One-time tasks for a specified fee?" Hinoyonma already has something to offer me...
"This," the girl said with even more purring intonations, "requires a separate discussion."
And she picked me up in her arms with lightning speed. Feelings... there were some ambivalent ones. Even the threefold ones. A girl! Dragging me! On herself hands! Well, you know! Shizuki's aura opened up again, and I saw Ginko crouching down, preparing to jump.
Ageha swore on her blood that Amakawa Yuto was safe with her. Her word is spoken.
It seems that this was another problem of yokai's, otherwise why would Shizuka and Ginko abruptly stop straining. Why drag me around?.. With a sharp leap, so that the surrounding landscape was blurred by the speed, Ageha and I were in her arms... Knocked up?... through the window of the third floor of the hotel... by jumping... by flying over?.. above the roofs of nearby houses. Four hundred meters!
"It is forbidden to correct the memory of the human population without a critical need for it", Ageha quoted to me a piece of our own Code, which, it turns out, she almost memorized from the words of the Hawk-Nosed man. Holy cow! - So it was easier to look out the window than to explain why I was dragging a child with me to the room... I'm sorry, Yuto, but you're a child in people's eyes... Don't create a "critical need" from scratch, right?
"Right. And where are you taking me?"
"Here. In our family, it is customary to consolidate such transactions with mutual blood..."
"I don't think you should do that anymore for now..."
"Exactly. But there is another way... which suits both of us, Yuto Amakawa... And I don't want to... to be ungrateful to someone who forced me... It is such a bliss to experience me... No need, I'll do it myself... After all, be a man!"
[Two hours later]
Leaving the unconscious Hinoyonma in bed again, I got dressed and confidently went to the kitchen. The familiar smell of tea and muffled sounds... Of course, Shizuka.
"I promised to protect you, you know." She reminded me, even though I didn't ask anything. They were silent. And what can I say. Then Shizuka got up, walked over to me... and... either slapped me lightly, or abruptly ran her elongating tongue across my cheek, leaving a wet trail. Whether it's a slap in the face or a kiss, take it as you like.
"It was necessary... but try not to bring it to that anymore... You know." I was visibly relieved. Just to quarrel on the ground... providing attention... I didn't have enough. We just need to find out...
"If you were against it, why didn't you stop it? I will always listen to YOU."
"Because you are the head of the clan and our leader," Suddenly, she slapped Mizuchi hard, but then she added more calmly, "You had to go along with the bloodsucker, freeing the committee member... sign up for weakness in front of her... Don't interrupt! Yes, I now know that people call this a "reasonable compromise," but the yokai environment is different. Many people value strength, and that's all... That's why your girlfriend ran into the patrol. Catch the spirit of the air... the task is a little easier than catching the air, you know. So that's the way of your final reconciliation... In fact, the bloodsucker recognized your power over herself by giving herself up."
"No one knows about it anyway, except you, me, and Ageha."
"You're wrong, you know." The snake suddenly grinned. "THAT was LOUD! And it could be heard just as well under the windows... at least for yokai. I didn't think you had such talents, Amakawa Yuto."
It cost me a lot of effort not to blurt out "clan power, you know!". Perhaps Shizuka might not understand such a joke... or understand it verbatim! You won't wash off later. Damn, what can I say? Ageha, of course, practiced foreplay with some experience... but I completely forgot or didn't know that an organism as young as mine couldn't last at least a little longer. At least a minute later, when I was "done," Hinoyonma's face was pretty surprised. No, she quickly changed her expression to one of contentment, but I had already taken the situation into my own hands... Hmm, literally. I know, I even met one such girl "there" who is not at all satisfied with using a limb instead of a specialized organ... Fortunately, my partner wasn't one of those people. Huh, it looks like I wasn't quite right about the experience. At first, the "non-vampire" was confused... and then I just relaxed and had fun... either the explosion of mana from my blood had pretty much "pumped up" Ageha's nervous system, or she herself... then, however, the amount of, uh, experience is unclear... in general, it was almost the first time I observed female multiorgasm. Although... I found an "experienced" one. Of course, I had more girls "there" than fingers... on one hand... for one... Although, according to statistics, the average score is generally "3", so I'm still a hell of a ladies' man! Oops! He thought about it, and Shizuka was waiting for the answer with increasing interest.
"Well... I was interested... with this question... He was engaged in self-education..."
Damn! It was necessary to blurt it out! On the other hand, seeing Mizuchi rolling on the floor in a fit of silent laughter is also a result. Cami, why am I like always?!