Seija Kijin
Seija Kijin's Fantasy Rebirth Story
...Seija.
Seija
I thought it was about time you came to see me.
Seija
I bet the princess told you where to find me, huh? Go on, take a seat.
It's a great view.
Seija
Uh-huh. You can see all of Gensokyo from up here.
Seija
One day, it's gonna be MY Gensokyo, so I wanted a place where I could see as much of it as possible.
But the Lost Word Incident is here...
Shouldn't you be more concerned about that?
Seija
...
Seija
No. That just gives me an even bigger reason to focus on my own ambitions.
I don't follow...
Seija
I'm a youkai.
Seija
Except I'm not like those sages or the oni. I'm weak. No one fears or respects me.
Seija
But I can see things others can't precisely 'cause I'm the lowest of the low in Gensokyo.
You're always saying stuff like that, Seija.
Seija
Uh-huh.
Seija
And I say it out of pure spite. I wouldn't be me otherwise.
Seija
Good and evil are meant to be opposing forces.
Seija
But the difference between them is relative.
Seija
"Good" is something that supports the community you belong to, and "evil" is everything else.
Seija
No one actually cares about what's right or true.
Seija
It's all about the strong dominating and controlling the weak to create an illusion of safety... That's all anyone really wants.
Seija
That's why "evil" only exists...
Seija
...as a punching bag for "justice."
Seija
Gensokyo is the last paradise for youkai. But our lives have already been managed, planned out, and adjusted...
Seija
That goes against our very nature as youkai, making us no different from the animals humans keep as livestock.
Seija
All right, I'm gonna let you in on a little secret.
Seija
This'll probably go right over your head. But try and remember it, OK? It might help you later on.
Seija
...and adding to the list of things humans always get wrong...
Seija
They think time flows in a straight line from the past to the present!
Seija
It's not like they don't notice all the inconsistencies with time―they just choose to ignore them.
Seija
They trick themselves into believing that time is something constant and logical.
What inconsistencies? It seems pretty constant to me.
Seija
Haven't you ever felt that time passes more quickly when you're having fun or that it feels slower when you're bored?
Huh?! B-But that's just a feeling.
Seija
So? How else are you gonna interpret time?
Seija
The speed of time changes depending on the observer and the situation they're in.
Seija
Haven't you heard that before? It was actually one of your human sages in the outside world who said that.
Seija
I really don't get humans sometimes.
Seija
They know the future branches out into infinite possibilities, but they refuse to acknowledge that the past is the same.
But the past is a single path. We've already followed it.
Seija
No, that doesn't hold up.
Seija
There's the past you remember, and then there are the pasts that other people remember.
Seija
They're all different. Not to mention how the past you remember changes when you forget things.
Seija
New impressions and experiences can also change your memories, and there's no sure way to change them back.
Seija
That's the thing about memories―from the moment they're created, they're constantly influenced by your feelings.
Seija
Unfortunately, the only way to interpret and understand the past is through memories.
Seija
Even if there's a written record of past events, the info still gets filtered through your emotions as you read it.
Seija
So, after hearing all that, do you still think there's only one true past?
I dunno. I've lost my memory, so it's kinda tricky...
Seija
Sure, losing your memory sucks, but it's better than getting stuck with false memories.
Seija
I have multiple possible origins. Hebo, the god of the Yellow River...
Seija
Ame no Sagume spoken of in ancient Shinto texts, the villainous amanojaku from the Urikohime folktale...
Seija
And Amanozako, the 18th dawn youkai of the Night Parade.
Seija
I can't single any one of them out as my true origin, but this is the same with all youkai.
Seija
Youkai are beings formed from multiple―one could even say infinite―interwoven pasts.
Seija
Since ancient times, people have told stories of youkai, and each story changes with the telling, creating infinite variations.
Seija
You have lost all memory of your past self...
Seija
And, to me, you feel more like a fellow youkai than a human.
Seija
You should remember that sometimes, time CAN flow backward.
Seija
It's the same as a river. If the river's flow was always constant, it would never bend or divide.
Seija
These things are only possible because the flow, any flow, can be inverted.
...OK, I'll keep that in mind. Thanks.
Seija
...
Seija
All right, enough talk. Haven't you got stuff to do? You better get going.
Actually, I came here to give you something.
It's a present from the god of the back door.
Seija
...
Seija
To think you'd end up being one of the sages' lackeys... Honestly, it's a real letdown.
Since it's you saying that, by "letdown," do you mean―
Seija
Stop that! You're reading too much into it!
Seija
Whoa.
Seija
It's actually kinda...
Do you like it? You do, don't you? I can tell!
Seija
Argh!
Seija
N-Not at all!
Seija
That's all you're getting from me!
(She's so cute!)
Seija
...
Seija
Right. I get it now... If you invert something twice, you're back to where you started.
Seija
But if you invert the reverse, it's a contrapositive...
Seija
I see what you're up to, secret god.
What? Did you figure something out?
Seija
Nah, it's nothing. Don't worry about it.
Costume Presentation
Seija
You're being used. So become my partner. This time I'll turn everything upside down. I'll make a paradise... Helping me will benefit everyone, you say? Haha! Hilarious. Let me give you some advice. "Stop pretending to be a saint. You'll regret it." Hehehe!
