"Oh, how did...?
"Please don't speak, it's tiresome. Let me save you some time. No need to introduce yourselves. I'm Satori Komeiji, master of the Palace of the Earth Spirits. I know you've already heard about me from the oni and the tsuchigumo. Yes, I am in fact a satori. Yes, this is what satori look like. Yes, I can read your minds. Yes, even those thoughts. And those ones. I don't know what 'Murota's Wiretap' is, but it's probably not like that, no... I... what are you doing? Word association? Now you're imagining punching me... 3.1415962... Yes, miss Usami, I can still read your mind even if you try to think about a dozen different things at once or try to think of nonsense associations, though I wish you wouldn't, it's rather distracting. Are you performing experiments to test if I can really read your mind or not? Oh, you are. Please don't, it makes it hard to have a conversation with you thinking over everyone so loudly."
Much as Yamame had warned us, the girl continued to ramble on, responding to unspoken thoughts before they had even finished forming and talking steadily without leaving time for anyone else to speak. It was surprisingly frustrating, as having an answer before you even spoke a question made it hard to follow the thread of my own internal monologue.
"Now, miss Maeribel. You seem to have met my little sister. Yes, the girl in the black hat. Her name is Koishi. Koishi Komeiji. Oh, you seem to be able to notice her quite often, and you've heard her voice too. That's rather uncommon. Yes, that's right, my third eye can see images in your head. Oh please, don't bother being ashamed or trying to hide it, I've seen all sorts of things. I assure you there's nothing in there that will scandalize me at this point."
Satori pursed her lips for a moment, as if thinking. It felt somehow unbalanced that she was able to close her mouth and think internally while the two of us couldn't help but broadcast our every perception and thought process to her. After a brief pause she clapped her hands. The cats surrounding us dispersed as one, mostly returning to their shadowed heaps to sleep. I wonder if she was also a telepath of some sort or if she had merely trained the cats to behave in a certain way in the past. Turning around, she shuffled back toward the archway she had come out of, down a corridor that lead off to the side of the main hallway, her fuzzy slippers scuffing softly on the stone floors. Seemingly as an afterthought she turned and spoke over her shoulder. "Come this way please, we may as well all have a seat."
I looked over at Renko, who flashed a mischievous grin at me then proceeded ahead. I followed quickly behind. "A real mind reader, Merry. This is pretty exciting. She doesn't seem to know what Yu Yu Hakusho or Jojo's Bizarre Adventure are though."
"Just because you found some of those manga in the Scarlet Devil Mansion's library doesn't mean every youkai in Gensokyo is going to know about them Renko. More importantly, are you worried? You can't rely on your usual linguistic tricks or fabrications here. You probably won't even get a chance to say anything."
"Well, I guess I'll have to rely on you to save the day then, Merry. She seems to be more interested in you than me right now anyway."
"It's not me she's interested in, it's the girl who brought us here."
"Right, her younger sister. An older sister in charge and a younger sister cloaked in mysteries. This takes me back. This almost feels like the Scarlet Devil Mansion case all over again, doesn't it?"
"Somehow this all seems a little lower key than that case, despite the fact that it's happening in a former hell. Maybe I've gotten too used to things here."
Satori lead us down to the end of the corridor, where it terminated at a door that turned out to lead into a large office or private study. The far wall of the room, opposite the door was almost completely taken up by a large and intricate stained glass window, displaying the same abstract geometric motifs as the panels in the corridor. Directly in front of the window was a large wooden desk with a small lamp, a blotter and a fancy black quill pen sitting next to an inkwell. One wall of the room was taken up by bookshelves stocked with thick volumes in several different languages, both human and inhuman. Opposite this wall and to the side of the desk was an overstuffed easy chair wrapped in rich, walnut-colored leather and a comfy-looking couch of similar make. Satori made her way to the chair and gestured us toward the couch, swiveling her seat around on its base to face us. I took a seat on the couch, which let out a sigh as it conformed to my body, and tried to read the spines of some of the books on the shelves. I was able to make out a few Latin titles, but none that were familiar, and many of the spines were decorated with characters I couldn't recognize in the dim light.
"If you're interested in those books, I can let you read some later. Some of them are mine. Yes, by that I mean I wrote them. I do that sometimes, when I can find a moment to spare. Who is this 'Rohan Kishibe' that you're comparing me to? Oh, I see. No, I don't think I'm much like him at all."
It was impossible to try to have a conversation with her. I can see why Yamame found it so difficult to be in her presence.
"Oh, that tsuchigumo hates me? Well, that's not unusual, most people down here do. Yes, I am going to keep reading your mind rather than waiting for you to speak, it's extremely aggravating to me to have to hear someone repeat themselves time and time again with everything they say. Now, what purpose brings two humans down to a place like this? I don't imagine you came here just to find my sister for me... what? Earth spirits are escaping from a geyser? Well, you haven't seen them yourself, but several people all seemed to agree... Vengeful spirits like that are supposed to be managed by Rin. She at least doesn't hate me, so why would she be shirking her duties like this? She's usually quite competent."
The conversation proceeded rapidly, without me having to so much as open my mouth. I suppose I should be grateful that there was no need for small talk or unnecessary beating around the bush, but the pace was such that I felt completely left behind, even though Satori was ostensibly conversing with me.
She turned then to Renko, seemingly answering an unspoken question. "...You want to go see some of the vengeful spirits? That's an exceptionally foolish idea under normal circumstances. If I were to go with you, I suppose you would probably be safe from possession, but there's still the issue of the fact that the spirits are all sealed down in the Hell of Blazing Fires. That's not a place for humans to go - it was literally created to incinerate them. You'd die instantly. No, you couldn't go just for a little bit. No, there's not a visitor's entrance. Hell is not a tourist destination, miss Usami. You'd simply fall in and be reduced to a pile of bone ash before you hit the ground. I can show you the entrance later, if you don't believe me. Yes, further discussion of that route is pointless. Are you the sort of human who works as a youkai exterminator or something? Who would willingly want to go to a place like that? No, you're not. You're still curious though? Well, alright. I will take you to the entrance of the Hell of Blazing Fires if you do me a favour first."
"What sort of favour?" I blurted. It was something of a relief to hear my own voice and have had time to vocalize a question. Satori turned her attention back to me, shooting me an unimpressed look. The eye on her chest squirmed as the pupil rolled to face me.
"It concerns my sister Koishi, whom you were both chasing not long ago. She's always wandering aimlessly about, and most of the time I have no idea where she is. You, miss Maeribel, seem to be better at detecting her presence than most. In fact, I'd say you're better at it than I am. If you can find her and bring her here, I'd like to see her face again. It's been some time now since she last appeared before me, and I worry about her."
I let out a breath. Being able to see Koishi was one thing, but I had no idea how to locate her.
"Don't worry about that. It seems like she's taken an interest in you. I wouldn't be surprised if she were to come and find you once you go back out into the city. How is it that you're able to see her so well though, you're just a human, aren't you? Oh I see. Yes, your eyes do look rather unusual. I think your ability must allow you to see more than just boundaries though, if you can see her. Koishi has, rather unfortunately, placed herself in the realm of the unconscious. That makes her very difficult for most people to perceive, only rarely rising to a level detectable by the conscious mind. She's not invisible, but being a creature of unconscious thought, most people are simply unable to notice her, paying her... yes, you have it exactly, no more attention than they would a pebble on the side of the road. That's exactly what she's become."
Satori said all of that matter-of-factly, and with the same rapid fluency as always, answering my questions even as I conceived them, but although it was difficult to notice at the time, it occurred to me after our 'conversation,' if it can even be called that, that there was one question of mine which she never addressed. She must have been aware that I was thinking it, but it had been rather conspicuously ignored. How exactly would one 'place oneself in the realm of the unconscious?' Satori was still continuing to talk though, too fast for me to concentrate on the missing answer in the moment.
"In her current state, I also can't read her mind, which makes it difficult for me to track her down as well. If you two were to go and look for her though, I think she would be amused by your novelty. It's likely that she would seek you out. You might have to be careful though. Despite her looks she is still, like myself, a powerful youkai and compared to humans like you, quite dangerous. Being a creature of unconscious thought, she can be easily swayed by her impulses in a way that you or I wouldn't be. So do be careful not to get yourselves killed. Find her, gain her trust, and bring her back here to see me. Do that, and I will look into this issue with the vengeful spirits for you, and answer any other questions you might have. Yes, that includes taking you to see the entrance to the Hell of Blazing Fires, Renko." She let out a weary sigh and rubbed at her eyes.
"Now, as it seems you understand your assignment, I'm afraid I must ask you to leave. I find being around others, especially those with minds as busy as yours, rather taxing. Allow me to show you to the door."