"Reisen Udongein Inaba.", Reisen introduced herself.
"That's a plethora of names. Is it fine to simply call you Reisen? I am not sure if I can keep track otherwise..."
How she was referred to was usually imposed upon her without any consultations, and the rabbit never really thought much about names and their impact on her state. Currently, as a result of Junko's unexpected question, a chain reaction was occurring deep in her memory, suggesting the right course of action. It's rather surprising how many ways to rebel one can find once such a decision finally leaves the preparation stage and becomes reality.
Bestowed upon her by Kaguya's complete and utter ineptitude when it came to viewing others as individuals and not slightly more troublesome furniture, "Inaba" stood for being completely expendable and not worth paying much attention to. "Udongein" - for the ill-fated purity of the Moon, as measured by some sort of fig tree. In which way could a tree measure metaphysical values was a mystery to the rabbit, and in part fuelled her distrust of religious institutions. Frankly, this mythical purity as a whole was pretty puzzling to her— nobody on the moon seemed to know what it's actually about. All that mattered to them was that whoever didn't spend their entire life in pursuit of it was clearly of inferior extraction. If she had to describe it based on her observations of the Watatsukis and their husbands, at the core of this idea were arranged marriages guaranteeing each Lunarian had ancestors simultaneously fulfilling multiple roles on the family tree. When it came to Eirin and other lesser Lunar sages, it might've been enshrining baffling Lunarian values as part of scientific truth (if scientific truth objected, sucks to be her). And finally there was the ever-present, overwhelming kind of purity which rendered Reisen's own ilk second class citizens. Or perhaps something even worse, as it was hard to talk about the concept of citizenship in the context of the Lunar civilization in the first place. There was either divine right to rule or the fate of something barely better than an object, with nothing in between. For majority of true Lunarians, the rabbits were essentially living sandbags meant to serve their purpose and die at a hypothetical front if the peace of the capital was to be endangered by an excursion from outside. For these few regarded as benevolent, they additionally could also be something akin to uncommon potted plants, displayed in their palaces and praised for rare physical traits. The more she learned about the paths people could choose from in the impure lands, the less appalling these options, available to her previously, seemed.
Taking all of that into account, there was no real reason to object to the rare opportunity to leave the most deeply rooted symbol of that philosophy behind in favour of only ever being referred to with her birth name, at least during her stay here. If anything, it might push her closer to her spiritual goal, making this hellish venture more than just a way to hide from any potential consequences of her recent actions. While not quite the same as being a master of own fate in the way the denizens of earth seemed to be, it surely was close enough for someone who only started trying to become like them recently.
"Yes, it's more than fine," she replied quietly.
"As you probably already know now, even though you didn't while we faced each other for the first time, I'm Junko. It's a shame we weren't formally introduced back on the moon. And that we couldn't chat a bit under less stressful circumstances. If we had, I'm sure you'd have realized we have a plenty in common", explained the spirit with a faint smile. Reisen tried to monitor the wavelength of her emotions, but it was nowhere intense enough to determine how sincere this declaration was. Or perhaps it was a matter of said powers gradually fading away ever since she decided Earth was her true home. Or both.
"Now that you know each other's names can we put the rest of this introductory routine for later? Or tomorrow? I don't have much time left today, and there's still... workplace health and safety training to do," Hecatia chimed in, unexpectedly nervously.
"Oh, of course, my bad. I'll go back to my flowers while you show her around, the rest can wait until tomorrow."
Junko disappeared inside the house as quickly as she arrived to greet the visitor before. How exactly did she plan to engage in gardening considering the impractical sleeves of her robe was a mystery to Reisen, but she decided to not question it.
"Phew, this went smoothly, I was a bit worried Junko will get angry after actually seeing the cause of her latest downfall in person again, but it seems she genuinely took a liking to you."
"You didn't actually know how she'll react to seeing me?" asked the rabbit, a bit less shocked than one probably should be in her situation. The bout of silent revolutionary fervor was not over yet, which slightly hampered her need to pay attention to anything else.
"Of course I knew. Or at least I had a decent enough guess", replied her employer. "Anyway, I'll show you your room, and will explain everything you need to know on this job. Follow me," she said, pointing at the door opposite to the one behind which an entity eluding conventional classification presumably engaged in the joys of gardening.
"This is – well, was, now that we'll have you staying here – where I usually spent the night when I didn't sleep at own home. Hope you'll like it, I know it's nothing special, but it should do the trick."
The room was small and was decorated much differently from what Reisen had expected to find inside the medieval building she entered a few moments ago. What must've been a walled-up large round window seemed to be the only part of the room hinting its original character, everything else was presumably meant to reflect the goddess' more modern sensibilities. In one corner, there was a wardrobe, and in the other corner a sturdy bed— covered in sheets that had the same morbid pattern as on the first of Hecatia's t-shirts that Reisen had the questionable pleasure to witness. A desk located between them and a lamp hanging from the ceiling above it completed the room's fixtures.
"There's electricity in Hell?", asked Reisen, surprised by the contraption hanging above her. She wasn't entirely unfamiliar with electric light, but it was fairly uncommon on the Moon, and despite Moriya shrine's efforts, it didn't catch on in Gensokyo either for the most part. At least in the regions available to her, that is— it was hard to tell what the tengu and kappa do in their houses.
"Why wouldn't there be? We don't really have enough sun... suns... for solar panels thanks to the efforts of our dear friends over at the moon, but there's still more than enough geothermal power to go around", explained Hecatia as she floated across the room, opened the wardrobe and handed Reisen a folded black shirt – seemingly one of a pile of many.
"Back in Gensokyo I noticed you have only one change of clothes with you. On top of that your outfit might send some fairies into... overdrive of sorts, due to recent events. They're still unusually hostile to anything related to the Lunarians, I hope you understand. So it's for the best if you'll use the work clothes provided by yours truly."
Reisen nodded silently. The shirt, as it turned out, exclaimed its wearer is impure. In about a dozen living and half a dozen dead languages. The text was arranged chaotically. She sent Hecatia a questioning glare.
"It's an exclusive sample of the next collection I designed, inspired in part by our confrontation. I would actually ask you to model for the adverts, but based on the contract we signed it's impossible for now, I'm afraid. Even though you definitely have the right kind of charm for this. Don't worry though, there'll be plenty of opportunities in the future!"
"I'm overjoyed," she mumbled in response. "Speaking of our agreement, are you going to leave me any... instructions? I don't want to feel like I'm constantly about to diffuse a ticking bomb, even if that about sums up my career until now. With all due respect for your friend, of course."
"Yeah, yeah, of course. Everything you need is in the desk's drawers, including a compilation of information about Junko. I'll leave the contract with you too, just in case."
"Thank you, I will. And starting with tomorrow I'll try my best. I don't really have a choice," sighed the rabbit.
"That's the spirit. I'm sure you'll do well. Now pardon me, duty calls, and I still have to say goodbye to Junko," stated Hecatia and left the room.
After examining the new shirt again and deciding it too can wait until the next day, Reisen sat down at the desk in order to familiarize herself with whatever awaited her within. Due to focusing on Hecatia's overwhelming presence, she didn't notice until now there was a small cork board above it, with multiple newspaper clippings attached. A few were familiar. Presumably the goddess was a fan of the foremost tabloid press titles from Gensokyo. However, the rabbit couldn't recognize any of the other clippings. Some appeared to be from Earth and focused on broadly understood trendsetting, fashion and lifestyle. Tragically, they did not resemble the deeply thought-provoking tomes of earthly knowledge Reisen familiarized herself with during her visits at Kourindou. They undeniably lacked the philosophical finesse she experienced in what must've been the work of the philosopher-kings of the human civilization. Thus, tragically no further ideological revelations pertaining the parameters of ignorance and selfish genes and other such matters were to be made, for the time being, at the very least.
In addition to the generally mundane clippings originating in Gensokyo or elsewhere on Earth, there were a couple rather puzzling ones. Nearly all of them were written in scripts Reisen had never seen before. Most featured photos of Hecatia shaking hands with entities, contact with whom was probably enough for one to be excommunicated from half a dozen faiths at once. It'd appear even the deepest Hells were reasonably happy with the invention of printing press.
Having thoroughly examined the board, Reisen turned her attention towards the drawers. Just as Hecatia said, it turned out they contain resources meant to help her with adapting for a new environment. Plan of the house. Hastily handwritten schedule of Junko's regular day – thankfully it seemed like the average day in hell lasted exactly as long as on Earth. Notes on talking to any officials who might show up to question her. And, last but not least, a softcover book with poorly designed illustration on the front. Not exactly what she expected from a tome of mystic wisdom unavailable anywhere else. A scroll, sure. Grimoire would be fitting, too. But a book akin to these she saw many times in the bargain bin at Kourindou, usually critically surveyed by that weird girl from the village? Unheard of. On the other hand, perhaps this was the chosen form of important tomes on Earth nowadays? After all, the ones which influenced her worldview more than any other work didn't look much different, though obviously their poorly composed covers were meant to be thought-provoking rather than awkward. At least in Reisen's mind.
"Life and Habits of Sagacious Spirits", exclaimed the front cover. "Compiled by Hecatia Lapislazuli". The last two words were glittery.
The back cover featured a profile of the author, explaining to any reader who somehow managed to avoid anything related to Hecatia while living in hell – a feat that at the present seemed to be impossible for Reisen, given the overwhelming nature of the goddess – that she's an accomplished designer, social media influencer, scholar, novelist, philosopher, sorcerer, conqueror and philanthropist. And very humble at that. It additionally informed the unfortunate souls reading it that the printing of exactly 108 numbered copies was published through a company named Kalasutra Vanity Press, which is always keen on finding new, paying customers. "Paying" was similarly glittery as Hecatia's name on the front cover. Some of the glitter fell off under touch, raising many doubts about the quality of the services provided by her benefactor's publishing house of choice.
She flicked through the book, not expecting much from it. Most chapters seemed to cover topics which didn't interest her in the slightest. In excruciating detail at that. Witnessing Junko's danmaku firsthand was more than enough, the philosophical ideas behind it were not needed to understand the accompanying murderous intent.
However, one chapter unexpectedly captivated the attention. The description of Junko's ability, while vague and raising more questions than it answered – questions that without a doubt will be covered by another self-published Hecatia tome, peer-reviewed by the most trustworthy authority there is— two more Hecatias— in due time. This specific kind of purification seemed to vastly differ from the religious purity of the moon. It was, as far as Reisen could tell, rooted in sound, scientific principle. Basically the logical extreme of refining metals. Sure, there was a lot of talk about internal true nature of things and about binding power of names and about spirits entrapped in matter and so on, but it's clearly just Hecatia's writing style. The art itself didn't seem bad. Pretty trustworthy, as far as arcane arts used by ancient Chinese spirits trying to kill her as part of a political conflict she had no direct stakes in go, at the very least. The book vaguely alluded to the possibility that it might also work on living beings, but did not provide any further information.
Reisen's heart started to beat faster as she recalled some of the events which recently unfolded at the moon. Didn't the horrifying fairy mention she was purified, too? Is this why despite lack of anything resembling habitats fairies are usually found in, the ones she had to fight there were all behaving like typical specimens of their kind? Because deep in their hearts, all fairies see themselves as the essence of fairyhood? Following this logic, what would she become under the effect of the same force?
A plan was forming in her head.
Despite her qualms, she had to befriend Junko. Friends, after all, can ask each other for favours. Favours such as experimentally checking if a supernatural force almost used to kill her could instead be used to solve her identity issues, for example.
That must wait, though. For the first time in well over a week, she was finally in an environment enabling her to rest. Reisen turned off the lamp, undressed and folded her clothes carefully, and picked up pajamas decorated with pattern from the wardrobe. She had no clue how time passes in Hell as it was exactly as dark outside now as when she arrived in Naraka, but it didn't matter much – it was definitely late enough for her to sleep.
Elsewhere in Hell, Eiki Shiki, at this moment uncommonly just a civilian on her way back from work, rather than the Yamaxanadu, opened the door to her apartment, one of 108 identical suites in the building. Expansion of the Ministry's area of jurisdiction due to constantly growing number of human souls awaiting reincarnation necessitated urban development on a scale unseen before in any otherworld.
Today's shift lasted 48 hours. The law of hell officially only permitted two consecutive shifts within its boundaries. However, as Higan was not exactly a part of any hell proper, despite being under Ministry's supervision, there was practically no limit to the time she could have to spend judging the souls there.
"You weren't home when I arrived", exclaimed a voice from inside. "But don't worry, I found a way in anyway."
"L-lady Hecatia?", asked Eiki, closing the door behind her. Were they supposed to meet today? Time was getting hard to keep track of.
"No need to be formal, I'm off duty", announced the goddess of Hell and her on-and-off collaborator, currently sitting in front of an ornate desk, an exact copy of the one the judge used at work, but with marginally less jizou serving as glorified paperweights on it.
"Why are you here? I thought you're going to visit the frontiers to negate the risk of open conflict? That's what you promised earlier...", asked the yama, carefully hanging her hat on a peg next to the door. A scroll hanging right next to it depicted a significantly smaller Eiki alongside two regular, unanimated jizou, serving as memorial of her ascension.
"Oh yeah, that." The haphazard orrery attached to Hecatia's choker seemingly synchronized its movement for a brief moment and in no time the Moon orb replaced the one representing Earth. In a flash of light, two of her bodies, separated from each other by dozens of individual hells, swapped places. Save for the hair colour – pale yellow instead of the intense blue which long ago granted her the title she now used in place of a surname – her appearance was exactly the same. Eiki witnessed this many times before, but still couldn't help but applaud the effort the goddess put into always maintaining full consistence between the outfits worn by all three of her bodies, no matter how many world were they separated by at the time. Her fashion preferences were unruly and not entirely fitting for one of the most powerful rulers of hell, but still had some degree of order to them, and the yama appreciated that.
"Check this out, already got two treaties signed. Only took me a single night. I'm good at this," she smiled, raising her right hand to show the clerk an elegant scroll written in red ink and a clay tablet covered in what appeared to be rather crude cuneiform. Rulers of most hells were not particularly deeply invested in keeping up with the human world. "Would be much simpler if someone didn't spend last few centuries believing a bunch of oni with inflated sense of importance are the most fit for representing the Ministry's interests at the frontier. Seriously, who came up with this?"
Eiki knew exactly who did – the same people who thought 6 full shifts one after another are a good idea – but assumed there's no point in stating the obvious. While she firmly believed anyone should be able to join the ranks of the Ministry, the oni – or kishin, as they decided to name themselves – did not seem fit for the job. The heavy focus on subjugation of territory and punitive, rather than rehabilitative, justice didn't sit well with her. Neither did the constant talk about some lost Golden Age of Hell, which they were supposedly bringing back. She wasn't sure if she was simply too young to remember it, or if the older yamas had vastly different views on what constitutes a Golden Age than she did. The abandoned old capital, Youdu, wasn't a particularly pleasant place in her memory. It was a place of punishment rather than justice, and not enough attention was paid to individual souls due to lack of space needed to house them. Seeing the potential relocation of the administrative heart of the Ministry presented squandered in pursuit of mirages did not sit well with her. Thus when Hecatia, an on and off associate of the Ministry, started visiting her office under the pretext of gathering information about the small otherworld under her auspice, she didn't protest. Deep down she already pondered on some level if Hecatia wasn't more fit to run the Ministry than the Ten Kings were. While she'd never admit it, becoming more familiar with her strengthened that impression.
"Great job, lady Hecatia. Sights like this are why I would trust you even without being able to tell the rights and wrongs apart with absolute certainty..."
"Oh yeah, that ability of yours. It's like you're custom tailored to run this circus, huh? I genuinely have no clue how come you spent over a thousand years as jizou secretary third class."
"However, now that you're unexpectedly here, I wanted to voice a few concerns about the plan I agreed to take part in, and which we set in motion... earlier. My authority is at stake here, if this backfires somehow. I have no safety net to fall back on."
"I'm your social safety net. As you know already, the alternative to the Ministry's inept nepotism and authoritarianism is the laissez-faire meritocracy of most other hells. While it's not perfect, it works in your favor if something backfires. Since, you know, I'm in position to evaluate that merit myself as I see fit. This being said, I would prefer you to stay at your current post, so be cautious just in case", sighed Hecatia. The planets orbiting her head switched positions again, sending her earth body and the treaties back where they came from. Now it was the main, red-haired body talking, the true host of the goddess' consciousness. "While I value you as a person, what I need right now is someone who can push my… or rather our ideals through the Ministry, the way you prefer to do it."
"I am aware. The major sections of our organization were recently shaken by a bribery scandal involving some official from Earth and bid to control reincarnation of completely unrelated religious authority. This probably means I won't be investigated closely for the time being, but I will make sure everything happens according the the letter of the law anyway," Eiki explained slowly. "In theory, one example shouldn't be enough to make it possible to start pushing for the reform you want to see. However, given the special status of this case, I'm fairly sure it can qualify as a particularly valuable example. Especially if I'll keep track of the progress Miss Inaba makes in the line of duty."
"Good to hear. I trust you with the legal aspects of the case, I know I picked the best professional for this," replied Hecatia.
"I'm just one of many who help with advancing moderate progress within bounds of the law..." mumbled Eiki. She was not accustomed to being praised for doing her job, and the goddess did it a lot whenever they met. It was by no means unpleasant, but will take a few more decades to get accustomed to, most likely.
"You're absolutely one of a kind. Nobody else could help me with comping up with a way to potentially change the way hell works, ease the suffering of my dearest friend, and push that poor lagomorph towards true freedom," said the goddess, observing the yama's embarrassment caused by her accolades with a faint smile. "It was nice as usual talking to you, but I need to get going. More policy failures to take care of await!"
Hecatia dematerialized from the chair in order to gather all of her bodies in the same place again, far away from the apartment blocs where most of the lowly employees of Hell's self-proclaimed official judiciary lived. Hopefully she did enough to reassure her associate. There obviously were risks, and no real guarantee that she'll be able to prove that sometimes letting in people from outside roam Hell more or less freely can be beneficial. Or letting people from Hell roam freely outside, for that matter. Though this was less concerning, Clownpiece surely will be able to handle this on her own.
All things considered, what's the point of believing in something without trying to prove it?
***
Reisen wasn't sure for how much she has slept, but as she noticed after changing clothes and leaving her room, the sky looked exactly the same as yesterday. The Sun was hidden behind identical ashen clouds.
The two fairies Reisen saw at the gate yesterday were now bickering in front of the door to her right, which lead to a kitchen and bathroom, according by the plan Hecatia left her. At her sight, they both stopped and turned around.
"Why are your eyes red?" asked the smaller entity.
"Come on, it's obvious. She's a communist!" exclaimed the presumably senior fairy, with absolute certainty. She was currently undergoing her McCarthyist phase, as expected from a bizarre simple-minded entity with morbid interest in Cold War America. "Clownpiece told me all about them."
"Are you a communist?" asked the other fairy, seeing no reason to abandon collection of empirical data just due to a single appeal to authority.