"Everything I've told you is common knowledge for most people outside of Gensokyo.” You state, your voice curiously flat. “Children spend at least twelve years learning these things simply because knowledge and technology is, in this modern world, crucial to our lives.” Looking away from Marisa, your gaze sweeps over the tower blocks you can see peeking over the outer walls of the zoo. “ I spent over eighteen years myself, and even then I don't know everything there is to know about the world - not even a fraction of it in fact. You're a magician, perhaps you understand how amazing it is for you to discover some new kind of magic?” The girl nods at your question, though you only see her do it out of the corner of her eye. “It is a similar thing here. People are just as zealous for learning about the world, what it's made of, what lives in it, the history of it and of course - how everything came to be - as you are for learning magic.”

“I won't claim to know everything,” you whisper, “But I will say that I was chosen by my government, the people who run this country, because I know the common knowledge which you need to learn in order to get by out here in this world." You frown slightly, you suspected there were other reasons as to why you had been chosen, what with your family being a long line of priests and shrine maidens, but it was true that you knew everything they needed to know.

Actually... why not show off a bit?

"If you really must know,” You begin, adopting a lecturing tone, “These big guys only eat plants because its more energy efficient for them to do so. Plants get their energy from the sun, but converting sunlight's energy into something they can survive on takes a lot of work and other nutrients, such as water and minerals leeched from the ground. So in the end they only get a fraction of the energy they absorb from the sun.” You notice that Keine has perked up considerably and seems to be listening in interest, while Marisa's eyes appear to be going blank. Nevertheless you keep going in your explanation. “Animals that eat plants have a similar problem, they have to convert the plants they eat into energy they can use. They're gaining perhaps only ten percent of the energy the sunlight originally gave to the plants, with very large animals and very small animals this is generally an economically sound manner of survival - mid sized animals need to be a bit more efficient in extracting the energy though.” You nod to yourself, then smirk slightly at Marisa's slightly awed blank look of confusion. “Of course then we must consider their predators, you see animals that eat other animals get perhaps only one percent of the total original energy - on a weight for weight basis of course. In an equal weight of meat and plant, a plant may contain up to five or six times the nutritional energy. So when you compare eating a couple of plants or couple of animals, plants make more sense for something so large it needs a lot of energy - don't you think?" You smirk to yourself, then grin at Marisa, “Besides, you don't have to chase down a plant to eat it, so you don't waste energy catching lunch.”

“B-but...” Marisa begins, then shakes her head and glares at you. “There are huge youkai in the forest of magic!” she declares, “bigger than any 'ri-no' or 'ell-ee-fant' you have! How do you explain then then, if you're so smart!” Folding her arms she smirks at you, easily confidant that you wouldn't be able to explain creatures so closely tied with magic.

Well. She'd be surprised.

“Indeed, that is a difficult question.” You begin, “But based upon the information I have received from you all over the past few days, I can lay out a reasonable hypothesis as to how large youkai are capable of surviving despite seemingly breaking the natural order of biology.” Marisa stares at you in horror and even Keine seems somewhat shocked by your declaration. By now the other three girls, curious as to what you were discussing, had wandered over to listen in.

“First three facts must be established; the fact that youkai require belief - or magic created by belief - to survive, and the fact that there is an ambient field of this magical belief in the world. The third fact is that only recently has the belief outside your Gensokyo become high enough for youkai to survive.” Keine, as well as Komachi and Meiling, nod - this was all pretty obvious after all. “Now, taking these into account my hypothesis is that youkai use the ambient magic of an environment as a supplementary energy source of some kind, perhaps using it to provide them with energy - like plants in the sun - or perhaps using it to shore up certain bodily functions so that they don't need to expend their own energy on them, this would be like a reptile using the sun to heat itself rather than making it's own body heat.” moving into full on lecture mode, you continue. “In fact I believe a few simple tests and questions could pin down the answer further, if youkai are capable of existing without eating at all then we can safely assume the first scenario - that youkai absorb energy directly from the magical field of belief they are inhabiting. On the other hand, if youkai do need to eat now and then we can instead assume that youkai use the ambient magic to replace several body functions and use what energy they gain from consumption to power the remaining functions instead. Naturally this leaves some scope for discussion, as it was implied to me that youkai need belief about themselves to live also - though this could easily be explained as a youkai needing a particular 'flavor' or 'wavelength' of belief-formed ambient magic in order to survive.”

You lean down and stare Marisa in the eye.

“Or,” you say, “It could all just happen in some way that no-one knows of yet, that's how science and, I assume, magical knowledge is - just because we don't know what's happening it doesn't mean it isn't happening.”

“You...” Marisa mutters, her face red. “You... You stupid-head!” she yells, reaching down for something in her pocket... only to stop and pat her pocket frantically before seemingly remembering something and instead delivering a vicious kick to your shin before turning away and crossing her arms in an evident sulk.

“That was most...” Keine pauses and frowns slightly, “Well, I can't say I agree with your theory on youkai survival - not without at least hearing from someone such as Lady Patchouli or perhaps Ms. Margatroid - the two more, ah, knowledgeable magical researchers I know of.” She nods, “Perhaps Doctor Eirin would be worth speaking with also - as much as I dislike the arrogant woman she is admittedly the most well versed in medical understanding of humans and youkai in Gensokyo. Though I doubt she would deign to enlighten anyone of a lesser standing than that which she perceives herself to possess.”

“I... is that so?” You mumble, a little surprised at the look of anger on Keine's face when she mentions this 'Doctor Eirin'. “Well... any hyphothesis should be peer reviewed, yes, that's just good science, but this is the only one I can come up with based on what I know at the moment - and I must say I don't have the slightest clue where death gods or ghosts would fit into it.”

“I think,” Meiling pipes up, causing you to glance at her, “Maybe we should... uhm... see something else?” She glances over at Marisa, then back at you before mouthing the words “I don't want to get blasted!” at you. Frankly you know exactly where she's coming from...

Fine. It wasn't like you couldn't bring the more interested members of your group back to the zoo another day if you had to. For now you had better find something to hopefully distract Marisa from being angry...


Pick one. 1 choice remaining.
[ ] Visiting Snakes and Lizards in the 'Reptile House'.
[ ] Going to see the excellent plumage on offer at the 'Thousand Birds Apiary'.
[ ] Seeing the 'Big Cat Safari' with Lions and Tigers, oh my.
[ ] Looking in on the Bugs and Butterflies at the 'Insectarium'