Work Text:
Eyes of the Border (1)
“Hey, Merri!”
Meeting Renko Usami’s eyes, filled with slight condemnation, Maribel Hearn found herself daydreaming again. Renko slid the microparticle displaying screen to Merri’s side, tilting her head.
“Merri has been a lot more absent-minded recently…What are you thinking about?”
“I myself also wonder.”
Maribel murmured her reply, glancing at the colourful dishes on the menu of the café, but not exactly looking through. She frowned.
She has indeed been daydreaming more and more often, but she knows that this is totally unintentional. Since they have paused activities as the Secret Sealing Club due to stress over end-of-year exams, the 8-hour sleep Merri has been getting is more than enough for the undergraduate of Relativistic Psychology, so she should not be dozing off from dawn to dusk. She is also very healthy; the latest check-up report does not reflect any abnormality.
It seems that her brain-her unconsciousness tries to see something through Maribel Hearn’s beautiful golden eyes. And this is alarming.
Taking her hand off a book, Merri toggled between pages of the electronic menu, and casually ticked a serving of Lemon Lamington and a cup of Caramel Macchiato. She turned to Renko Usami, whose bright brown eyes were glaring at her.
“…It is kind of scary if you look at me like that. Want to say anything, Renko?”
“Please, the holy A+ excellent student of economics, Miss Hearn, please lend me your notes for Basic Economics for one night. Just tonight. I will return tomorrow morning.”
“Oh, so your college is having economics exam tomorrow?”
“Yeah…” Renko admitted reluctantly, “At 8 a.m.”
“Well then, good luck.”
Merri sighed, pulled out a think notebook under her elbow, and passed it to Renko. Renko accepted it with two hand-with much respect and relief, and started flipping the pages.
“The COVID-19 pandemic starting at the end of 2019 had definitely impacted the traditional market economy…Erm, what do you think, Merri?”
So accustomed to such abrupt conversations, Maribel took a sip of her Macchiato and slowly replied.
“Well, I think the oldest form of market economy was already on the verge of extinction before this pandemic. What I meant is literally the market, where ownership was exchanged. From barter economy to economy with a medium of exchange, our understanding of ownership was still quite clear, although the circulation of currency had definitely blurred the lines in some way. From the pandemic till now, our currency has been gradually converted to virtual ones-just flows of data. Although we still trade like we did in the market economy, the meaning of ‘market’ has already been deconstructed and reconstructed. It is unknown that in the future, what kind of currency we will have. Or we may not need currency anymore; we will return to a neo-market economy. From my knowledge of Economics, though, the concept of ‘ownership’ may also disappear under all sorts of possible political, economic or societal transformations.”
“I suppose you mean some communist or communal global economy achieved under a certain Marxian Economic structure?”
“Yep. That will be talked about in later chapters of the book. Take it as revision for you.”
Maribel relaxingly took another sip of her drink and blinked. Usami nodded, quickly noting down their conversation just now.
-The Goddess of Market?
-Hm. As you have seen, this incident linked to market and commerce. Tenkyuu has lost most of her power, and can only recover in Gensokyo. The Hakurei shrine maiden has talked with Moriya and the Tengus. There is possible agreement of the Kappas and Yamawaros to have a market near the Human Village.
-Reimu did a good job.
-I was initially worrying about possible overthrowing of Gensokyo’s power balance, as Tenkyuu is a new Goddess, you know. But as for now, she is with the Moriya Shrine. I’m still afraid of any more trouble, though. Reimu cannot really interfere matters on the Youkai Mountain…
-You are asking me to monitor Moriya. What a kind Oni you are, Kasen.
-…Don’t ever say that. You know what to do?
-Of course. I’ve been watching.
“Done with your exams, Renko?”
“I’m done.”
Renko Usami walked out of the exam venue with such obvious despair on her face, threw herself into Maribel Hearn’s arms and whined a little. Maribel petted her shoulder with a smile.
“There is an ongoing exhibition in Kyoto Museum, about history. You want to have a look?”
“History?”
“Yeah, they got some new discoveries from the Asuka Period, in Nara, I believe.”
“Sure. I got Super String Theory test on Friday, how about going on Saturday?”
“That’s it! I will get the tickets.”
“Ah- then now I’m not in the mood for revision.”
“This is not an excuse though, Renko.”
“Tonight, wanna meet at the café?”
“I’m afraid I can’t. My professor wants to see me for my future specialisation. Well, all these are decided for you right, Renko?”
“Yeah. It will be String Theory even until my Ph.D. It’s not that I don’t like it…Just thinking about spending so long on this without a result…”
The pair strolled in their campus. Renko twisted her hair. Merri looked at her, thinking of how to comfort her.
“Ha? It’s all 3D projection? Wasting my ticket money for this?”
Renko had her hands on her waist, standing in the magnificent modern hall of Kyoto Museum, complained with much indignance. Maribel Hearn soothed her with a helpless smile.
“Well, it is difficult to move all the stuff from Nara to Kyoto just for one exhibition, right? Not to mention those are quite ancient…from the Asuka Period, right?”
“With technology nowadays, is it that difficult? It’s just-”
“Alright, Renko, chill. The projection is realistic enough already. And, you still cannot touch the objects even when they are physically here, right?”
Renko nodded, still frustratedly enraged. Merri led her to the exhibition room, and Renko took out her notebook.
“Hmm. The cultural symbol of the Asuka Period is quite centred around religions…”
“No wonder why you are a science student. Didn’t you take History in high school?”
“Nope, didn’t. Only did some readings out of interest-and most of them are about social history after Meiji Period.”
“Well, in a feudal society, religion have been an important tool for politics, in both the oriental and occidental world. There were still Caesaropapist countries in the Middle East in the 21st Century. If you have ever heard of Joan de Arc, she was one of those that advocate for the divine right to rule of the kings. Asuka Period was even before her time. So, whether it is politics or social culture, Japan was naturally heavily influenced by religious beliefs.”
“I remembered something about conflict between Buddhism and Taoism…If I were right…in the later years of Asuka Period?”
“Right. But after the clash, they infused with local beliefs and formed unique indigenous religious cultures, such as Onmyōdō.”
“Oh, now I remember, Merri.” Renko took out her phone to check something, and then bowed to examine a Buddha statue. “The Emperor at that time was said to be the puppet of Sōga no Umako and the Prince Regent, Shōtoku Taishi. It is still, using the spread of religion to reinforce the idea of ‘Mandate to Rule’, controlling people’s minds. Of course, there had been oppositions to Buddhism then. They thought that it would threaten the native beliefs.”
“Yet they integrated with each other ultimately. The essence of religions…Renko? Any thoughts as a science kid?”
“Me? I think it’s just something that people can rely on emotionally and spiritually. Not so related to me as a science kid, though. But as technology advances, more and more people are joining the wave of Atheism and Materialism…I don’t know if it is a good thing…I don’t think so.”
“Same.” Merri nodded, reading off the portrait of Shōtoku Taishi under the projector, “Due to the close correlations between religious beliefs and history, if it is really like what you are saying, it will definitely lead to some extend of revisionism-or even historical negationism. Shōtoku Taishi-there has been quite a lot of rumours about how he is not a real person. I of course despise such sayings…What I mean is that, under such cultural influences of time, it is reasonable to kind of deify historical figures. But that does not mean that they are completely mythical. Just like Saint Joan…When I first read about her, I also thought that she was some schizophrenic blasphemer, and all the miracles and wonders she created were all coincidences unexplainable by science. In hindsight, she might be a nationalistic heroine who was deified, canonised or whatsoever. Well…isn’t this some sort of historical denialism as well? You see, Renko, we all cannot escape.”
They looked at each other and giggled.
-You have been pretty stubborn on winning over belief among the humans, Miko-san.
-Hmph. I have never ever promoted Taoism’s superiority as a religion, but as a belief. I am neither a god nor a magician. I am a politician, Byakuren Hijiri, and you ought to know this better than anyone else. I am different from all of you.
-Certainly, Miko-san. And Hijiri-san. You don’t need belief to exist, right? For Miko-san, belief is a political tool. But for Hijiri-san, belief is a saviour upon all. I don’t really care, but for Suwako, as a native god, she needs belief to live.
-Oh, yes.
-But we have talked about this when the human magician girl was here last time, right? We all agree on this. Kanako mentioned a lot of happenings in the Outside. That is exactly what we think. Except for Byakuren Hijiri, you, Suwako and I are all denied by the Outside, and consequently entered Gensokyo, right?
-Yeah, but it’s been a long time since then. New gods and goddesses have arrived. People in the Outside are more and more lacking in belief…They do not understand the essence of religions and beliefs. They just insist that those are frauds.
-Having said that, the beliefs in Gensokyo are much purer. They exist for the purpose of purification and enrichment of souls…bringing happiness to humans and Youkais.
-Wait. What do you have here, Yukari Yakumo? Joining our discussion all of a sudden…Such an unpleasant presence.
-No, nothing here. I’m just listening. I have already seen what you are talking about.
-Aha, and here comes the Youkai Sage of Borders and Gaps.
“Merri…this is bad.”
“Yeah…”
Renko Usami banged her head to the table, rambled with a muffled voice.
“This is the freaking spring break! Why is there a snowstorm going on…”
Maribel Hearn turned to the cherry blossom tree outside the café. The pink branches were covered by a think dirty pile of whiteness. She nodded, slowly.
“Either El Nino or La Nina.”
“Isn’t it strange? Environmental problems remain unsolved despite technological development…”
“How about we go deeper into this topic? Since we really have nothing else to do.”
“Why not! Where should we start then, Merri?”
-To be Continued.