>"The other alternative, I suppose, would be to rescue Utsuho."
>Sigh.
>You think you see Orin tense up. Satori simply continues to look at you impassively.
>"I really do not feel confident in that. At least coming here, I had a vague semblance of a plan. Unless either of you can give me some detailed information about the shrine? I do feel...that confident in being able to talk sense into Kanako. Though, perhaps she would listen to me..."
>"Sense?" Orin spits. "Damn god doesn't listen to anyone but herself. And why should she have to? No one knows better than her, anyway, right?"
>"I am not sure you can convince her that what she does is wrong," Satori continues. "I believe she honestly thinks she is doing what is best and what is necessary. It is difficult to convince someone in her position otherwise. But you know things that she cannot. Perhaps that could help you?"
>"Okuu's not at the shrine, anyway," Orin says, sounding a little less irritated. "Least I don't think so. Kinda hard to keep her out of sight there. The kappa and everyone've got this big factory place built inside the mountain. They've gotta be keeping her in there, somewhere. At least as far as I figure."
>Mull over things.
>It seems you have a few options before you, here. Utsuho seems like the easiest way to tunnel to the surface, if she were here, but rescuing her might be as hard or harder than reaching Eientei in the first place. The oni are another possibility to reaching Eientei, but convincing them to be concerned about surface affairs might be even more difficult. And you have a finite number of hours before you'd need to wait an entire extra month for this. Although history isn't going anywhere... And perhaps there are even other options you haven't considered yet?
>"I'd be a little sad if it were done for nothing more than pragmatic reasons," Satori comments, "but I cannot fault your hesitation. I am not sure even you would be able."