Mentioned Characters: Nue

"She still hasn't become anything. That is why she's called a girl. This is explored in the theories of shrine maidens, girlhood, and neoteny-something-or-other." Nue Houjuu is an unidentified youkai. Thus, anything said about her must be taken with a grain of salt. She is one of the most difficult types of youkai to talk about. She could be anywhere, except where you expect her to be. You are also an enigma to me.

Naked Singularity As an authority on cosmic censorship, I feel I must warn you. Further observation will not be permitted. However, this doesn't necessarily apply to dimensions above the fifth. Are you that desperate to know what's inside a black hole? Is there a warp zone to other universes? An archive of every universe? Perhaps. And perhaps this archive looks like a cozy theater or a music room.

Veiled Nuclei An element's properties are determined by how its electrons behave. Gold shines and mercury has an extremely low melting point because their electrons follow the principles of relativity. However, electrons can only be observed as if through a haze. This is because, instead of existing in any one place, electrons exist across a probability distribution, making them appear to have illusory clones. Like a lamp in the fog, the nucleus faintly flickers. To observe it properly, you must get closer. This is very similar to youkai. Youkai are essentially a mishmash of half-remembered impressions of a thing or phenomenon that cannot be observed at leisure.

In a Box The Fermi paradox. The Drake equation. There should be others, but by all accounts, we are alone. One possible explanation for this is that we are filtering for the wrong information. Since humans evolved from marine lifeforms, they can only see the extremely narrow range of electromagnetic waves that can pass through water as visible light. These same limits apply to the other senses, too, which compound to cast a dark shadow over any attempt to perceive other lifeforms. However, the others might not have evolved under the same conditions. In fact, it's much more likely that they didn't. They could be invisible, ethereal, or beings entirely composed of thoughts. And maybe they consider their own way of life to be "normal." It's possible that humans simply feel alone because that is what their observations have shown. Perhaps they have already received a friendly transmission.

She Was the Unknown A wise human once said, "I know that I know nothing." Knowing that you don't know means you know something. This isn't a dig at those who claim to be wise but aren't, nor is it foolish sophistry. However, it should be noted that this philosopher left no written records. This saying is merely attributed to him by his student. Nobody knows the truth. "Knowing" and "not knowing yet" are not mutually exclusive. Rather, you can't have one without the other. She is unknown. This means she will always appear before those who seek her, as if to comfort them. You can't avoid all the bullets? Don't give up so soon.