Cursed 34: Changes in Blessings

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Chapter 34: Changes in Blessings

I woke up, feeling the most rested I had ever felt in a long, long, long while.

Turning off my alarm, I checked the time.

6:00 am.

Well of course, that’s what I set my alarm for, na~.

Even though I’m not tired, the morning sun dyes everything in a sleepy-feeling mood, and I luxuriously debate going back to sleep.

It’s Saturday, after all.

Although the uniforms look like they’re from a private school, Tsunatou High is a public school, so weekend classes are supplementary.

Or more like, if you need supplementary classes this early in the school year, you’ve got to be some sort of special case.

In the end, I get out of bed.

Even if it’s a holiday for me, that’s not true for Daiki-san, after all.

Breakfast, breakfast, bentou, bentou – ah.

Clatter.

Last night I had just left my clothes lying on the ground after changing into sleepwear, and when I tripped over them and put out my hand to brace myself, I bumped into the portable Blessings scanner lying on my desk.

Ahh, right. How long has it been since I sent in my Blessing data?

Better do it before they send a notice.

Heaving a little sigh, I booted up my laptop and hooked up the scanner.

Un, I’d better do it, ne. Later.

Now, what for breakfast…

As I hear Daiki-san get up, going to take a morning shower (we didn’t draw a bath last night since it was so late), I grill some fish that was leftover from the tempura party.

It’s a Japanese-style breakfast~.

Although we usually have toast, since it’s faster, making rice isn’t bad once in a while.

As for the bentou…

There are leftovers from last night, but not a lot left of each ingredient.

Since it’s so random…

“Ooh, onigirazu?”

“Aah, un. Pick what you want. There’s salmon, cutlet, karaage, and fried shrimp. And then I’m making egg salad and tuna mayo too.”

Since I don’t have enough of everything to make a full dish, I place what’s left with fresh vegetables and sauce on one side of a sheet of nori lined with rice, then fold it in half and wrapping the excess nori around.

When you cut it in half, the onigiri sandwich, the onigirazu, is complete.

There is one salmon, three cutlet, one karaage, and one shrimp.

Although it would be fine to give them all to Daiki-san, I wanted tuna mayo onigirazu myself, so I made egg salad and tuna mayo, enough for everyone to have one of each.

Daiki-san picked two cutlets and the karaage. When you add the egg salad and tuna mayo ones, that’s five of them.

Can you really eat that much for lunch-?

Well, it’s Daiki-san, so I guess I shouldn’t worry about it.

Sending Daiki-san off with his bentou, I reluctantly go to scan my Blessings and send in the data.

Haah… this always stresses me out, and now, with everything that went on last night, I have no idea what to expect from doing this.

After receiving the pop up that assured me my data had been successfully transferred, I stretched, then gathered up my clothes and headed to get the laundry hamper from the bathroom.

By the way, last night, Saru-sama altered bestowed some Blessings to Daiki-san.

His Blessings have turned into something like this:

[Social]Lv3
|Sub-Blessings>
||> [Cooperation]Lv4
||> [Tact]Lv3
||> [Observation]Lv2

[Calculation]Lv1
|Sub-Blessings>
||> [Estimation]Lv1
||> [Arithmetic]Lv1
||> [Logical Reasoning]Lv1

[Japanese Language]Lv1

[Kinetic Vision]Lv4
|Sub-Blessings>
||>[Perception]Lv3
||>[Sharpshooting]Lv6
||>[Reflexes]Lv4

[Physical Ability] Lv3
|Sub-Blessings>
||>[Stamina]Lv4
||>[Flexibility]Lv3
||>[Strength]Lv3
||>[Balance]Lv2

[Involved in Mysteries] Lv3
|Sub-Blessings>
||>[Revealing Sight] Lv3
||>[Supernatural Powers] Lv2

[Shooting Mage] Lv1
|Sub-Blessings>
||>[Charged Shot] Lv1
||>[Ricochet Bullet] Lv1
||>[Magic Shells] Lv1
>Sub-list||>null

Everything below [Physical Ability] isn’t shown to the mundanes on that side of the Veil, though.

Anyway, Daiki-san got a modest boost to his [Physical Ability] Blessing, but since he was kind of superhuman to begin with, I kind of wonder if it even matters if he had an increase in Sub-Blessing level here or there.

[Involved in Mysteries] and [Shooting Mage] are brand new.

[Involved in Mysteries] is a Blessing that’s kind of like a complete mundane’s gateway Blessing to this side of the Veil.

Its Sub-Blessings make it so Daiki-san will be able to interact with this side of the Veil safely.

[Revealing Sight] lets him see youkai and people trying to hide themselves with supernatural means. At Lv1 you can only see them if you’re certain beyond a doubt that they’re there. Daiki-san’s Lv3 makes it so Daiki-san can see them if they’re effecting the mundane world, he’s informed something’s there, and if he’s attacked.

The reason Saru-sama didn’t give him a higher level was because, well, if you stare into the abyss it stares back at you and all that.

Many youkai can only see things on this side of the veil, like most people nowadays can only see on that side. But if you can see them, they’ll start seeing you… basically, it’s for Daiki-san’s safety.

At the same time, the reason Saru-sama gave Daiki-san such a high level was because… well because he’s involved with me.

Somehow, I feel a little sorry about it.

[Supernatural Powers] is kind of a weird one, to me.

It sounds straight forward, because it’s a Sub-Blessing that gives Daiki-san the ability to manipulate spiritual and magical powers, but…

I mean, I don’t have it, and most people who were naturally born with magical and/or spiritual powers don’t have it. But we can manipulate supernatural powers all the same.

When I asked,

“Asthma isn’t a Blessing, and food allergies aren’t listed as Blessings. Neither is being double-jointed,”

Was what Minerva-sama had said, but even though being double-jointed isn’t a Blessing, [Flexibility] and other physical attributes are?

Everyone has at least a small amount of spiritual power, Minerva-sama had said, but many people are unable to use them after the Veil fell … it’s kind of like a birth defect?

I still don’t really get it, but … okay.

Anyway, at Lv2, Daiki-san has quite the control over supernatural powers, but it’s not like it gives him supernatural powers. It just let’s him manipulate them.

With this, Daiki-san will be able to start to learn how to use his own, apparently pretty small, spiritual and magical powers, as well as be able to use magic tools and spiritual formations.

The last Blessing, [Shooting Mage], has a really RPG-ish feeling to it, and its sub-blessings all sound like game skills.

I mean, I get that it’s a Blessing that compliments Daiki-san’s natural abilities well, and apparently it doesn’t require that much magical or spiritual powers due to its use of a medium (that is, it’s used through a ranged weapon and can be activated through spells), but…

… what kind of sci-fi fantasy is this? – is how I feel about it.

Daiki-san, you’re turning more and more into a chuunibyou’s ideal.

Everything’s set at level1 for [Shooting Mage], since Saru-sama said it was better to level up through real experience for skill-based Blessings.

So it IS a lot like a game…

The kami suggested that Daiki-san ask Unit 2 for suggestions on how to train supernatural power manipulation and the [Shooting Mage] ‘skills’, as well as methods to increase his personal supernatural powers.

There are definitely ways to do it, and the kami know about them, but … eh? The kami have their own types of restrictions?

I guess it just means that, in the end, we can’t get everything ‘free and easy’ just because we know some kami.

But … haaa… with this, Daiki-san’s been completely pulled to this side, huh?

I sigh a little as I finish sorting the laundry and carry it towards the laundry room.

As I pass Honoka’s room, her door slides open sluggishly.

“Good morning, Honoka. It’s rare that you’re up so late.”

Although it’s not really that late.

The lazy fox stretched out an arm.

“Yo~. Iyaa, I was taking the opportunity to fix some of my meridians, since some of the spiritual trauma from my imprisonment was healed last night~.”

At that, Honoka’s stomach growled loudly.

“…There’s breakfast in the kitchen.”

“Hooray!”

I guess whatever she’s doing to ‘fix her meridians’ consumes a lot of calories.

Last … that’s right, in my dream she had said something about having her traumas being healed in that quiet place.

It seems like what happened in my dream last night really happened… or like, it was a lucid dream that both Honoka and I shared.

“Hey, Honoka, does that mean I won’t be having any real dreams from now on?”

I ask, calling into the kitchen from the laundry room.

“Well, if you want to go to your soul realm you’ll end up in your soul realm when you’re not conscious, so theoretically, it’s possible. I don’t think it’s a big deal, but there are some people who become addicted to their soul realms since it’s a place that only allows things that you want into it.”

“… That’s worrying.”

“Not really. You aren’t really much of a megalomaniac, so it’s fi~ne. And anyway, unless you put in a great deal of effort to keep me out, I can always get in to drag you out of there. Perks of being in a soul pact.”

I don’t really get it, but I guess it’s fine.

Right when I finish the loading the washer and was about to join Honoka for breakfast, the phone rang.

“…? Who’s calling at 8:30 on a Saturday?”

I mutter under my breath.

“Hello, Manabe and Ishikawa residence.”

“Hello, this is Kimura from the Blessing Association, Kanagawa Branch. Is this Ishikawa Kousei-kun?”

Ah, crap.

“Y-yes?”

“We just received your data you sent earlier. There is a significant difference from all of your previous records. Do you have time to discuss this?”

Every fiber of my being is screaming, “NO,” but I reluctantly say, “Yes.”

“Then, Ishikawa-kun, can you please confirm that the data you have for your most recent scan is as follows: [Social] Lv1, [Calculation] Lv1, [Japanese Language] Lv1, [Throw] Lv1, [Domestic Chores] Lv3, end list.”

“Yes.”

“Thank you. Currently, your Blessings have been reduced from six Blessings to five Blessings. This is not a common occurrence. Has there been any abnormality with any of your Blessings within the past six months?”

“No.”

My mouth moved on its own, but I just realized; technically, there was that extremely abnormal increases in what’s now [Abnormal Soul] when I first got to this town… Oh well. I wouldn’t have admitted it anyway.

“I see. Are there any abnormalities or changes in your body or mental state?”

“I don’t think so?”

“I see. Can you think of any reasons that your sixth Blessing may have disappeared?”

Yes.

“No.”

“I see. … … Ishikawa-kun, there seems to be no real need for concern, but we would like for you to scan and send your Blessing data in once a day in order to check for any abnormalities. Although we are not certain why this phenomenon happened, our hypothesis is that a Blessing that had not fully manifested, resulting in faulty data, has now disappeared during the process of maturation. We will be continuing to monitor the situation, but do you have any questions or concerns? We can set up an appointment at your local hospital if you would like.”

“No, it’s fine.”

“…Alright. If there is anything you need, feel free to call your local Blessing Association branch.”

“Th-thanks.”

I hang up the house phone and stare at it for a bit.

Uuuuurgh…

Although I’m kind of happy that the garbled mess is officially off my record, what’s with this feeling of annoyance?

Send a scan every day?

What a paaaaaain!

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<a/n:

Sorry, super busy week, then an 18 hour drive… and then computer… things.
After 5-7 hours of updates the start menu doesn’t work anymore, but all the major registry issues (that I effed up badly myself) are fixed, so I’m just going to put my executables on the desktop and call it good.
(Yes I know there are ways to fix it and I tried them, but it seems nothing short of reinstalling windows will work, and I just can’t be arsed to do it since the only thing that doesn’t work is the start menu, so whoop de doo. Wiping and replacing 3 yrs of settings and files and programs and sht is really not interesting to me.)
Anyway, the hinge is breaking on this laptop, among other issues, so I already bought a new one, but I’m using this one as a photoshop monkey until it goes kaput, so it’s really no big deal to put the, like, 3 programs I’m using on it on the desktop.
It’s just, I left the new one… 18 hours away at home, so it was agonizing waiting for this one to finish its updates so I could translate.

And so, of course, because I was super stressed out, I thought of another story.
Also, Fluvia 32 up>