Twenty Years Later- Bunbunmaru Spirit News archives

Mysterious Scientist of the Subconscious confirmed to be wandering Satori!

Like, this is Hatate Himekaidou, and, like, you'll remember that in, like, last week's issue, I wrote an article about a super-cool science fair with lots of awesome exhibits. However, there was one scientist who I, like, didn't remember at all, the one which was giving a presentation on the subconscious mind. All I remembered of her was that she was mondo weird and like, totally forgettable!

Anyway, I ended up having a totally super brain-wave a while later, and, like, thought... there's a story in this! Like, if I, a tengu who prides herself on having a good memory, could forget her, then probably lots of people forget her!

I, like, decided to consult an informant of mine on who could possibly make herself so forgettable that people don't remember her at all when you look away, Miss Byakuren Hijiri, and she was all, like, vague about her...

...she said her name was Koishi Komeiji, a Satori of all creatures, and that she was, like, close to enlightenment! She seemed, like, super impressed with her, but I, like, didn't know why, or how she was able to remember her...

All she said to answer that question was that the closer you are to enlightenment, the more likely you are to remember the mysterious satori. Apparently children also find remembering her easier, so I decided to ask some human children in the village about her...

They, like, all said the same things... adults can't see her, that they think she's an imaginary friend... she's, like, nice to the children, and plays cute games like patty-cake with the girls and kisses the boys to make them happy...

However, there was, like, something that bothered me... like, how was a Satori walking around outside of the Underground, and, like, why? In the end, the only conclusion I could come to was that like, she was getting away with it because she was getting forgotten by everyone who saw her. She must be, like, super-clever to trick us like that... although, whenever I asked any of the children if she read their minds, they, like, said that she didn't. They also said that she had weird veins around her, but they were, like, purple, as if they were dead and had no blood flowing through them...

...I have come to the conclusion that the reason she is, like, so easily forgotten is that she, like, injured her third eye. I think her third eye doesn't work, and so, she like, can't remember anything as well as not being remembered... but... then... like... how did she make the presentation? I don't, like, understand...

Also, like, I remembered the name 'Koishi Komeiji' from somewhere else... like... it was strange, but it was from a super-raunchy guilty pleasure of mine... a book called 'the Forbidden Love of Yukari Yakumo'. Like, one of the reviews of the book was by a Miss Koishi Komeiji, and it was at the time when a super-handsome human named Jean Franc Levoisier was typing for it! So, like, I figured, if he could remember her name, perhaps he could, like, know more about her and give a unique adult human viewpoint on the runaway satori... and probably speak in a less confusing way than Byakuren.

So, like, I totally dragged him to my house, and we, like, had coffee and biscuits, and then we got to talking about Koishi. This is, like, what he said to me...

Jean: Miss... er... Himekaidou, is it? I appreciate your kindness and your feeding of me, but I was perfectly happy assisting Miss Hijiri in the Temple of the Myouren, what is your purpose for taking me to your house?

Hatate: I'm like, here to seduce you!

Jean: Sacrebleu! No! I am not interested in youkai women!

Hatate: Like, I'm just kidding, silly! I'm here to ask you about a very special youkai, one which you might have seen when typing for a certain... lizard youkai?

Jean: Which lizard woman? The kind one or the mentally disturbed one?

Hatate: The one with the green hair.

Jean: Ah, the one that always calls me Michel... Miss Himekaidou, I do not wish to revisit those memories, they were most disturbing...

Hatate: Like, don't worry! I'm not, like, gonna talk about how you were most likely raped by that crazy girl...

Jean: I WAS NOT RAPED!

Hatate: Like, denial, it's always the first stage in trauma. Anyway, I'm, like, here to talk to you about Miss Koishi Komeiji, a mysterious satori girl...

Jean: Ah, yes. The young-looking girl with the veins around her? She is in the book that the mimicking youkai gave to me for...

Hatate: Like, she's in other documents too? Like, is that how you remembered her?

Jean: Um... am I not supposed to remember her?

Hatate: Like, most people who see her forget who she is once they turn around... it's, like, really weird. So... you, like, remember her?

Jean: Well... er... yes. She has the light green hair, yellow and green clothing, and she appears out of nowhere, staring through you with her strange eyes... she often appears at the Myouren Temple...

Hatate: Oh, so she's, like, a Buddhist... Byakuren said she's, like, close to enlightenment.

Jean: I... don't know about that. She mostly skips around the area with a smile on her face. She kissed me once, for no reason at all. While she is without troubles, I would not say that she is... how you say... enlightened...

Hatate: Oh, and, like, Byakuren said that only children and people close to enlightenment can remember her... does that mean you're enlightened?

Jean: Er... I do not feel enlightened. Miss Hijiri is much more enlightened than I am... or at least, she acts that way.

Hatate: Like, if you are, what do you do to be enlightened? I can't get a straight answer out of that silly-billy Byakuren...

Jean: Heh heh... I... I think you are making a mistake... perhaps I can remember Koishi because she kissed me? Or perhaps you are forgetful?

Hatate: I'm, like, a reporter! I'm not forgetful!

Jean: ...if you say so. I never realised I could be enlightened, or even close to it. Miss Hijiri claims that I am on the same reincarnation line as her deceased brother, and while I do believe it, no matter how enlightened he was, I cannot simply inherit that... how you say... er... oh, I shall just use the same word... enlightenment.

Hatate: Like... maybe that's a thought only an enlightened person would think. That each member of a reincarnation line is unique and enlightened in their own way...

Jean: I thought that was... how you say... self evident...

Hatate: Like, we're getting off topic... like, what do you know about Koishi?

Jean: Well... very little. She visits the Temple of the Myouren occasionally, Byakuren tries to talk to her, but she usually just wants to play. I have played... what is the name... patty-cake with her. She is very good at it, and she also told me that she likes to look at the world from the top of the Youkai Mountain. She is a strange person, half of what she says makes no sense...

Hatate: Is that so? So, like, do you think Byakuren is trying to learn from her?

Jean: Most probably. She said that she hides many secrets. I do not know what she means by that. She once asked me to skip with her, and I did, and then the other members laughed at me for skipping with no-one... now I understand why... they cannot see her either.

Hatate: So, like, what would such a playful girl want with entering a Science Fair?

Jean: She probably just thought it would be fun. That seems to be the only reason she does anything. I must admit, I do envy her... perhaps Byakuren does also, and that is why she sees her as enlightened. She does not want to admit that she desires what she sees in the girl... because, if I recall, traditional Buddhism sees the desire as stopping the enlightenment.

Hatate: So, like... you don't know how she remembered all of her presentation on the subconscious mind?

Jean: Hmm... she seems fine remembering my name. And Miss Hijiri's... perhaps she remembers those that can remember her... and perhaps... um... a textbook on the subconscious... remembered her?

Hatate: Like, you're totally useless!

Jean: You are the one wasting my time, I was happy sweeping leaves for Miss Byakuren...

Hatate: Like... sorry, I guess this was totally pointless. Oh well, thanks anyway...

Jean: Goodbye, Miss Himekaidou. Be sure to visit the Myouren Temple when you can!

At this, I, like, accepted that I probably wasn't gonna find out much about the weirdo Satori named Koishi, and decided that if I ever do see her again, I would, like, treat her like I'll never see her again, or something, because, like maybe she sees it that way...

I wonder if she's sad... I guess I'll never get to interview her. I kinda want to be her friend, like those lucky kids, Byakuren, and the handsome human guy. She seems like a friend worth having, someone to remind you that the only thing that matters in life is being happy...

Article written by Hatate Himekaidou

Present-day hindsight: Hmm... Hatate is a strange girl. She doesn't focus on scandal, but instead on a variety of topics... she's quite interesting, I'll give her that. Unlike that stupid Science Fair article, this one is genuinely interesting. Style still needs work, but no-one's perfect.

It's a shame that every Tengu already knew about Koishi anyway... that's Hatate's biggest flaw, she usually ends up discussing the obvious. Although, it is interesting that that human man, the one that lives with Marisa, is so enlightened that he can remember her...

...people can surprise you in many ways... far more than any Karakasa could.