Аннотация: A house in Noihara. Return to Takamiya. Rinko goes to the dojo. Yuto buys a computer.
Chapter 6. The family estate.
8.
An interesting place. So where is everyone? I half expected that a guy or guys in black glasses and three-piece suits, what's their name, would gently wrap me up near the house? Ah, the Public Committee. Or not? It's a strange name for the mago police. That's right, the Social Committee that the woman who helps me in the library was from. There are no spirits either. The house, by the way, does not look abandoned. The yard is swept. And... silence. Only the trees creak occasionally, and the wind rustles the leaves.
I'm sick of using manga as a travel guide! I only remember it in chunks, and there was about five percent of the plot. What about ninety-five? So fanservice is the same. Beautiful curvy spirit fools, yeah. Body memories, ow!
There is no fresh food in the kitchen. Thanks for the electricity. And he even picks up his cell phone - Rinko called and reported that everything was OK. I went to remember my relatives for her. I have a small altar right at home. And even aromatic sticks are lying...
Where is this fucking brownie, that is, the "spirit of the place that keeps the house"? Yes, yes, the same fool who threw knives at me in the canon. I mean, not at me, but at Yuto, but I'm Yuto now. I want to eat. No, I want to e-e-at! Am I the head of the clan, or where? Just let me deal with the blood inheritance ("kekkei genkai" translates that way), and someone will dance! I doubt very much that the vassalage oath for the spirits was strictly voluntary. Have you ever seen a chained cat? Surely the conquered spirits were "ferried", how will it be in the series about Shinobi? Oh, they applied a control genjutsu. Or they "flashed" - it's probably much easier to influence a purely energetic entity than a human being, but you can influence human consciousness with a "ferry": I'm kind of an example of this here. Or here: how did Noihara's "blades" come out of deranged ayakashi cats?
Yes, I did find something useful in the clan scrolls-ugh, books. Interestingly, the house is not even locked: come who you want. On the other hand, there's nothing particularly valuable here except the house... Right, or am I being dumb? The magic is the same: maybe there's a barrier with a selective filter around the house. Hmm, and in the manga, there's a lot of people hanging around the house. Or was the barrier stupidly discharged by my sixteenth birthday? That is, it will be discharged in seven years? It's bad to be the blind, untrained last member of a powerful clan that needs to be revived. That is, a typical HG Senen. Ahem...
Ginko's pov.
Today, a child of about nine years old came to the house, and not the usual types in black glasses and three-piece suits, as it was when Yuto-chan's parents died.
He went inside the house and rummaged through the home library and refrigerator. He complained about the lack of food and sat down to chew on a candy bar.
Is this interesting for Yuto-chan? Kaya refused to let her out of hiding, saying that Gennosuke-sama said after his death, until his grandson came of age, to sit quietly and keep a low profile at home.
Yuto-chan must come by himself after removing the concealing amulet. Or Himari will bring him.
9.
It looks like I shouldn't have run into a brownie. She's not here. Apparently, there is a matryoshka doll: an ordinary barrier protects the house from ordinary people and weak-willed ayakashi. The magical police inspector who arrives through the barrier will see only an empty house. But if something strong comes to life, the spirit of the place will manifest itself. I remembered there was this technique in the manga. "Virtual house". Oh, no, the Mystical House.
A complete copy from the real world, right down to the internal organization of the space, and the spirits are sitting there. I wonder if Ayakashi will appear if the house is damaged? Or will I get a knife first, and then the spirits will figure out who was killed? Somehow I don't want to check. Am I identified as the heir in the spiritual spectrum or not? And does this very "spiritual spectrum" exist, or did I just invent it for myself?
You can remove the amulet... I'm just not sure if the barrier around the house will hold back the emanations of my energy... and the arctic fox to the kitten. I mean, not Himari, but a arctic fox for me. By the way, according to the manga, Yuto did meet a fox, that is, a nine-tailed deranged kitsune, and I do not even know how they took her down. And for all the big-eared and tailed ones, insanity is a trump card, it seems...
10.
I took a couple of the most interesting notebooks from the library (the library, pf! There were about two dozen hand-filled albums). I'll think about it. I wonder if there are real descriptions of techniques in the virtual, ugh, mystical house? Yuto didn't find them in the manga, but he wasn't looking for them either. And mizuchi, who is the "goddess of rivers," might not have read it. "Only the third stage of sharingan is able to read the writing from the plate..."Damn, it's getting into my head again, but I don't rule out the eye cipher. Or the cipher of the hands? Activation is there by aura... Maybe a drop of blood? Damn, I feel like I'm in my own lab. "Here's a sample for you, do whatever you want, but find me a resonant frequency." But the visible text is also interesting to read between the lines.
Hey, ancestors, what have you found so dangerous? If it's about demon cats, then it's called, if not wagging, not "instilling duty", but "a full-fledged artificial personality". Awesome! Can you do that to people? Otherwise, in the future, my fiancee will come to me. Kues, I don't remember the clan. She stayed with us for a while as a child, we even kissed. Funny. My hormones won't start working for two or three years. Grandpa was messing up, oh, messing up. And the parents? According to the manga, they refused to live as exorcists, but did they give up their own power? I doubt it very much.
Rinko's POV
Rinko stopped at a pastry stand. Her eyes immediately clung to the bright packaging, but she needed not just "something", but something that would immediately stop sucking in her stomach after a mountain road. She missed the sweet anpans and melonpans: not now.
"Nikuman and karepan, please," She said to the cashier, handing over the money.
The buns were placed in a paper bag, and Rinko hugged it to herself: there was still warmth inside. Nikuman - to be gentle, calm, and homely. Karepan - to immediately feel the taste of the city, sharp and cheerful.
Fifteen minutes later, the train from Noihara arrived.
When Yuto opened the bag, the smell hit first: hot steam, spices, fried dough. He didn't even wait for everything to cool down, he just took a bite of the carapace. The crispy crust cracked, and a thick, spicy curry flavor spread from the inside. Yuuto squeezed his eyes shut for a second, as if this taste was the password that opened the door to his home.
"It's... unbelievable," he muttered with his mouth full, and was surprised at how simple it sounded. Rinko smiled as she watched him eat greedily but carefully, trying not to spill the crumbs.
"You're as hungry as a wolf from these mountains. Hold nikuman still - he's softer."
Yuto took the warm bun and squeezed it in his palm, as if checking if it was real. Thank you," he said softly, and there was more to the "thank you" than the food. It was about the fact that they were waiting for him and knew what he needed.
11
Poor Rinko, she was all scared. Does he really think I'm going to jump off a roof out of grief? We've been friends for a couple of years since we moved here. She warmed up my dinner. And your mother wasn't waiting for you, was she? Your grief is... uh, mine. And why is she sticking to me so much? Unless... Okay, paranoia, scram, scram. I'll think about it tomorrow.
Rinko's pov.
I go to the kendo dojo twice a week. So far, no sparring, just practicing handstands and punching. Sensei advised me to buy protective gloves for now so that the hilt of the sword does not rub my hand. By the way, she grumbles that I started studying late, saying that professionals start at five.
12
Both Rinko and her relatives definitely treat me strangely. They dote on their souls, they feed and water them, but they don't bother either. There's an adult here, but not here. I want to come - we are always welcome. Yes, I myself swing back and forth on the scale of adulthood. The child's body is affecting, and the remnants of Yuto's personality have fused with me.
Rinko makes breakfast. Nine-year-old Rinko, a kid girl who has "running around until you drop" and "be more fun, whatever-you-do." Suspicions are gradually turning into certainty. By the way, we have an interesting neighborhood: it's just an exemplary order. The neighbors don't make any noise, the cars are always clean. The shops have angelic service... However, this is most likely a feature of the entire service here in Japan. A kind of circle of close people who constantly cross paths with a lonely, sullen child. With me. I'm not sullen, I'm calm, but against the background of the same neighbor, an electrician...
Rinko's POV
Yuto was waiting for her at the exit of the dojo.
Rinko stopped at a street lamp, where the light fell in warm circles on the asphalt,
"I realized one thing today. My movements are not the same as everyone else's." I have different body mechanics because of who I am and where I come from. Both Sensei and the older guys didn't force me to move "properly." They helped me make my own movements stronger. Can you imagine? Now I'm building my technique on that. And you know, it's... great. It's like I've finally found a place where my "not like everyone else's" is a plus, not a minus.
And they went on, feeling that even their steps had become a little more confident: not wider, not faster, but more confident. It was as if the earth was holding her a little more securely now.
"Rinko, can we go for a walk somewhere else during the holidays?" - Yuto sounded tired. He said that he had to walk from the train stop to Noihara through a mountainous area on foot along the path to the family estate.
"Yuto, you need to walk more. And you're such a stay-at-home guy."
"I'll walk around the block with Taizo while you're busy at the dojo."
"Yuto, did you go to Hishima-san's shop? I hope he has taiyaki."
"Come on, I hope he'll bake me a creamy fish."
"What didn't you like about the azuka cookie? It should be eaten with tea."
"I'd rather have a creamy one, and you take it with beans."
13
They were sitting in the kitchen: Yuto was fiddling with the edge of his T-shirt, Rinko was frowning, as if she was afraid to hear "and now you've spent everything," and Aunt Naoko took three clear glasses out of the drawer and put them on the table.
"Look, Yuto. Is this your jug" She tapped the largest glass. "Someone from the clan pours water here every week. Just as long as you need to live in peace."
Yuuto nodded, but his fingers were still nervously kneading the fabric.
"What if I... if I pour almost everything on my sneakers?"
Aunt Naoko didn't wince or sigh. She just took a marker and drew a black line on the glass just above the bottom.
"This is the threshold. The lowest boundary. The water should not fall below it. Because down below we have the most important things: light, water, rice, a roof over our heads. You can't pour it out.
Rinko leaned forward:
"That is, if he buys sneakers and the water gets below that line..."
"...the system sees it right away," Aunt Naoko finished calmly. And then the social committee comes in. They don't shout, "Aw, aw, you've spent it all." They just take the second jug, and that's the tranche. And they top up just enough to be above the threshold again."
Yuto stared at the black line as if it had suddenly become the most important thing in the world.
"So... even if I buy three pairs, will they just add water?"
"Exactly. And they do it quickly. The courier picks up the notification from the store every day, looks at the social network for a day. To you, it looks like "nothing happened."
Yuuto breathed out a sigh of relief. And then he just looked at the glasses and suddenly asked quietly:
"And if I don't buy sneakers, will the water stay?"
Aunt Naoko smiled a little:
"No, Yuto. Water does not accumulate. Every week, the old jug is emptied and a new one is poured. This is done on purpose so that you don't have to sit and count the drops. Just so you know, every week you get exactly what you need again."
Rinko, as if afraid that he still didn't believe her, quickly added:
"Do you remember last month you took those high-top sneakers, and I thought that now you will only eat rice without miso? But there was light. And there was rice. And there was miso."
Yuuto nodded slowly. Damn, I thought I'd have to eat rice alone. The sneakers were expensive. I spent half of my pocket money on them.
"Because someone added more water." He whispered, looking at the black line.
"Yes," Aunt Naoko said, putting the glasses back in the cupboard as if nothing special had happened. "Someone always refills it. It's their job. And your job is just to live. And if you need sneakers to run on rooftops when magic tugs at your heel, take them. The house won't stay in the dark. I'm telling you as a lawyer.
End of Pov
I bought a computer. More precisely, I bought components and assembled something like that. Rinko is in shock. He opened the lid, showed it, and told me what was what. Rinko is completely shocked. I bought a DSL modem and stretched a network cable around the house. The Internet is still cheaper than buying books. Especially foreign ones - you can go broke for one or two. Yes, you can borrow literature from the library, but the children's section is mostly comics and manga. Kuzaki came (this is Rinko's last name) - the browser showed. Afraid to use the mouse. Japanese, motherfuckers!
And her phone calmly receives and sends emails, it's like normal, but the computer is scary and only for specialists. The hand is the face.
Rinko's pov.
Yuto bought a computer today in the technicians' quarter, from the Polytechnic Institute. There's a neighborhood of dorms with cheap housing and small shops for their own. Yuto walked between the shops for a long time with a large bag, and chose good spare parts from the junk they sell.
I returned home and assembled a computer from the parts. Is that how it is? Then I asked my mother to contact the social network and sign an agreement with an Internet provider on his behalf. No, Yuto tried to explain to me how everything works in the computer, but I didn't understand anything except to press this button and then enter the password *****. Then I will have my own account to select a user. But I'm scared as hell that I might break something. And I'm afraid to use the keyboard, as well as the mouse. Well, what if an electric shock hits, it's much more convenient to use phone mail.