"...Yakumo. Or Yukari."
"Of course, of course. So, Yukari, do you have a dream?"
"..."
Yukari was speechless. Every question felt like a trap. She had a dream, of course, but it was being realized through her own efforts—or rather, it was already manifesting. And then there was that strange word.
"Space?" Yukari repeated, confused. What did that mean?
"Space."
Sū ěr repeated the word and pointed toward the ceiling. Since they were indoors, Yukari upward gaze met only the wooden rafters.
"...Have you ever thought about taking a trip to the moon?" After a moment's hesitation, Sū ěr gave up on talking in circles.
"The Moon?!" Yukari pupils dilated, her mouth falling open in shock. She finally realized what all this beating around the bush was about. "You've found a path to the moon?! Has the Heavenly River begun to flow again?!!"
For Yukari, this was the worst possible news. She knew that a walking natural disaster like this man would always cause unpredictable consequences that affected everyone.
If the Heavenly River resumed its flow, it meant the deities of Takamagahara [高天原 - The High Celestial Plane] could once again set foot upon Ashihara no Nakatsukuni. Even the Land of Yomi [黄泉国 - The Underworld] would reopen. The embers of Yamato, which had just been snuffed out, would flare up once more. Those gods would never allow the yokai to establish their own sovereign nation.
Ashihara no Nakatsukuni was vast, but not a single inch was surplus. Her ambition...
"Hey, hey, Yakumo? Yukari? Hello? Wake up!"
Her dilated pupils snapped back into focus as she saw the man's finger waving in front of her face.
"...Ah, I'm listening."
"Then finish listening before you start panicking. The Heavenly River has not resumed its flow at all; you can put your heart back in your chest," Sū ěr rolled his eyes. This woman had spiraled into a mental earthquake before he could even finish his sentence.
"Truly?!" Yukari slammed her hand onto the table in excitement. Realizing she had lost her composure, she sat back and let out a long sigh of relief. "That is wonderful. So, you have found a shortcut that bypasses the Heavenly River to reach the moon? As expected of you; such power is truly reliable."
Yukari was naturally curious about Takamagahara and the moon. If there was a way to sneak up and take a look, she wouldn't refuse. In truth, for a yokai, her curiosity was unusually strong.
"..."
Unable to meet that expectation, Sū ěr silently took a sip of tea.
"Is there a ritual required? Or did you carve out a new path through raw might?" Yukari continued to speculate. "Every yokai capable of flight has tried to approach that Heavenly River once they attained enough power. But no matter who it is, they cannot close the distance by even half a step once they reach the edge. It isn't an illusion or a maze; the distance simply refuses to change."
Yukari sighed with regret at this point.
"Does 'every yokai' include you?" Think asked, raising an eyebrow.
Things were looking grim. They had specifically sought Yukari out so she could use her unique ability to subvert logic and reach the "outside" of this world.
"Naturally. When I first learned to manipulate Gaps to reach high altitudes, I approached that beautiful river. The result was no different from those of the old yokai," Yukari sighed even harder, unaware of their plan. "It is somewhat embarrassing. In my youth, I believed that the unique nature of my ability would allow me to reach that moon—the one that so generously bestows power upon all demons. Looking back, I was quite immature."
"Bestows power?" Sū ěr interrupted, sensing a major secret.
"Indeed. Have you never felt it? Whenever the moon is full, all yokai bathed in its light experience an increase in strength. In fact, this is the primary way many lesser yokai grow stronger," Yukari said, looking even more puzzled.
"..."
He wasn't a yokai, so how could he feel such a thing? Besides, it likely only applied to yokai born of this specific world.
"Just out of curiosity, was your method back then simply flying upward?" Sū ěr didn't care about how yokai grew stronger; he just wanted a positive answer from her.
"What else?" Yukari tilted her head, even more surprised than Sū ěr. "In fact, I considered opening a Gap directly on the moon, but the Heavenly River blocked even the Gaps. They simply cannot be opened on the other side."
"So the only method you tried involved the Gaps?" Sū ěr eyes lit up.
"...Otherwise? Oh, does flying incessantly into the depths of the river count?" Yukari racked her brain before a sudden realization dawned on her. "Wait... If you are asking such questions, does that mean you... haven't?"
She didn't finish her sentence, but pointed politely toward the sky.
"Of course not," Sū ěr admitted his zero-percent progress frankly. Once he accepted his own weakness, he was invincible. "In fact, the reason I invited you here is to ask you to use your ability to take us to the moon."
"...But I can't do that either?!"
She had expected Sū ěr friendly attitude to come with a request, and she was prepared to go all out to make this walking disaster owe her a favor—an opportunity like this was rare. But she never imagined he would ask for this!
If she could go up there, she would have done it ages ago!
It looked like this was going to be a very long persuasion session.
"No, you really can."
"No, I really can't... I am deeply sorry. My ability has given you far too much expectation. It is entirely due to my own lack of strength. I will surely work hard to improve myself in the future—but right now, I truly cannot do it!!!"
It was the first time Sū ěr had heard Yukari speak so fast, and the first time he'd heard this perpetually fake-smiling woman shout until her voice cracked... He couldn't help but wonder if he and Think were pushing her a bit too hard.
"It actually isn't as difficult as you imagine. Calm down," Think said, refilling Yukari tea. "What you need to do is simply change your way of thinking."