Chapter 167: Mind Reading

Mind Reading (読心, Dokushin) is the 167th chapter of the Kekkaishi Manga written and illustrated by Yellow Tanabe.

Summary
Sen Kagemiya and Kei Sazanami walk through a forest, discussing mind reading. Kei assumes that Sen hasn't been practicing on anyone, and tells him to work on developing a better poker face. Kei warns Sen to be careful when training around the rest of the Night Troop, as he might give away his true intentions. However, he is satisfied that each of them has convincing camouflage: Sen is a receptive person with sharp senses, and Kei is talented at hypnosis and brainwashing. Kei is confident that no one suspects that they can both actually read what lies in the depths of people's minds. Sen admits that he has practiced reading the minds of random strangers, but he could only read surface thoughts that would be easily guessed simply by looking at their faces, and that anything he picked up would still be in jumbled bits and pieces. Kei stresses that this is why he must practice: to be able to screen out unimportant information and obtain the important information. He adds that they also can't read everything, so it is important to be able to fill in the rest with their own deductive skills.

They spot a troubled woman nearby, and Kei decides they will practice on her. They move closer because the range of Kei's mind reading is about ten meters. Sen has reached as far as about fifty meters during training, and thinks he can expand it even further if needed. He admits that demons are easier, but humans are difficult to read. Kei tells Sen to start, and moves to a bench closer to the woman so she is within his range. Sen watches as Kei quickly and easily begins reading the woman's mind, and is so impressed that he nearly forgets he is supposed to be doing the same. After Sen takes his turn, they return to the forest to compare results. Sen picked up two images: meat and potato stew, and sweet and sour pork. He guesses that she was trying to decide what to make for dinner that night. Sen also saw a middle-aged man, and guesses that they are married, but that there is some distance between them. He is unable to guess what was bothered her, since he focused on the food. Sen notes that the stew seemed burnt but that the woman felt positive about it, while the pork was well-made, but she felt negative about it. Kei fills in the blanks: the woman's husband is returning from a far-away job, and she wants to make a dinner that he likes. However, she is bad at cooking, and while the stew is what she makes best, the pork is store-bought and reheatable.

Kei tells Sen to keep practicing, but warns him not to do it around Masamori, because Kekkaishi are very attuned to anything odd happening around them. He admits that other than fellow mind readers, Masamori is the only person that has been able to truly sense his abilities. Sen wonders about Yoshimori, and worries he has already revealed too much around him. Kei tells Sen not to hate his timid nature, because being cautious is what keeps them alive. He warns Sen that no one trusts a person who can read their hearts, and that alone, people like them are nothing. This makes Sen wonder why Kei leaked information on the Night Troop to enemies, and worries that Masamori has called Kei back to settle the matter. Kei admits this is correct, but isn't worried because he has made several outside contacts. He says Masamori is too young and soft to deal with him properly. Sen is alarmed when he realizes that Kei is planning to leave the Night Troop, and Kei invites him to come along, since it will give Sen more chances to improve his powers. Kei admits that while his position in the Night Troop is comfortable, he can't stand working under a man he can't read at all.

Kei goes to meet with Masamori, but the moment he opens the door to the room where Masamori and Kurohime are waiting for him, he is struck by the amount of powerful malice he senses. Masamori admits that Kei has been a great help to him in founding the Night Troop, but asks him directly if he is an enemy. Kei begins to panic. Meanwhile, Sen seriously considers Kei's offer, and wonders if it will really allow him to improve.

Characters (in order of appearance)

 * Sen Kagemiya
 * Kei Sazanami
 * Troubled Woman
 * Yoshimori Sumimura
 * Kurohime
 * Masamori Sumimura