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Main Characters
Suzuko Hanabishi (née Takigawa)
The youngest daughter of the Takigawa family. She is the wife of Takafuyu Hanabishi, who proposed to her after the ghost Awaji no Kimi picked her as his bride. Her goal is to find the murderer of her adoptive family, who took care of her when she lived in an Asakusa slum.
- Deadpan Snarker: Has shades of this.
- Foil: To Takafuyu. While he's prone to self-pity and having secrets, she is more communicative and persevering.
- Ojou
- Phony Psychic: Played with. As a child, she worked as a clairvoyant to make money, but really just used her ability to see ghosts and her observation skills to get people to believe her.
- Proper Lady: Thanks to the efforts of Taka, she has become the model of a lady. Even Takafuyu calls her the "perfect lady."
- Raised by the Community: Ginroku, Tei, and Torakichi raised Suzuko together after her mother died when she was a baby.
- Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: She has dark hair and pale skin and is noted to be beautiful by the narration and the characters.
- Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: Downplayed, as Suzuko isn't very energetic, but she is more proactive than Takafuyu.
- Sole Survivor: She was the only one of her adoptive family who wasn't killed, because she was away from home at the time.
- The Stoic: Doesn't show much emotions, except when it comes to food.
Takafuyu Hanabishi
A businessman who is the head of the Hanabishi family and Suzuko's husband. Due to his position, he has the responsibility of feeding ghosts to Awaji no Kimi.
- Beneath the Mask: He looks and acts like the perfect gentleman, but hides a deep amount of trauma and self-loathing due to his past.
- Blackmail: Threatens to publicize Suzuko's past as a clairvoyant in the Asakusa slums if she didn't agree to marry him.
- Byronic Hero: A gentler version of this trope. Takafuyu is handsome, intelligent, emotionally sensitive and prone to brooding, but he's also a kind and considerate man.
- Devoted to You: He only has eyes for Suzuko.
- Keeping Secrets Suck: In the first volume, when he learns that his brother Saneaki might be a suspect in the murder of Suzuko's family, he gets very conflicted. He hates hiding it from her, but he doesn't want her to hate him.
- Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: Downplayed, as Suzuko isn't very energetic, but Takafuyu tends to be the one who hangs back.
- Stepford Smiler: He always has an amiable smile on his face, but it hides all his insecurities and troubled past.
- Tranquil Fury: When Suzuko is attacked by a drunk in Kouyoukan, she can tell just from observing his back that he's furious, even though he never raises his voice.
- When He Smiles: Suzuko prefers his genuine smiles rather than the polite, cold smiles he usually puts on.
Awaji no Kimi
A mysterious female ghost that is deeply connected to the Hanabishi family. She needs to be fed ghosts, or she'll curse the entire family. There have been many attempts to exorcise her, but no one has succeeded.
- Hungry Menace: She needs to eat ghosts, regardless of whether or not they were good or evil in life, or else the members of the Hanabishi family will be cursed to die. There does not seem to be any purposely malicious intent behind this.
- Mysterious Past: Very little is known about her, not even her name or why she died. Records about her seemed to be deliberately destroyed.
Takigawa Family and Servants
Yoshitada Takigawa
The oldest Takigawa brother. He is the son of Marquis Takigawa and his legal wife, who passed away.
- Big Brother Instinct: Towards Suzuko. He's initially suspicious of Takafuyu because of his family history and the fact that their father is a no-good womanizer, but approves of him after he sees how much he cares for Suzuko.
- Can't Hold His Liquor: Just a bit of alcohol makes him into a weeping, emotional mess.
Asako and Yukiko
The older twin sisters of Suzuko and Yoshimi. They are the daughters of Chizu. Both are already married, but frequently come back home for visits.
- Always Identical Twins: Downplayed. They're identical twins, but look just different enough that people are able to tell them apart.
- Cool Big Sis: They are this to Suzuko.
- Never Gets Drunk: At a dinner party, they were able to walk and talk just fine after drinking a lot of liquor. This is in contrast to Yoshitada.
Yoshimi Takigawa
The second oldest Takigawa brother. He is the son of Chizu and the younger brother of Asako and Yukiko.
Chizu
The mistress of Marquis Takigawa and the mother of Asako, Yukiko, and Yoshimi. Though she's a mistress, she was allowed to live in the Takigawa estate because she gave birth to a son.
- Geisha: Chizu used to be a geisha.
Taka
Suzuko's attendant. She followed her to the Hanabishi household after her marriage.
Marquis Takigawa
The head of the Takigawa family. He's rarely at home, preferring to spend his time in the entertainment districts.
- Disappeared Dad: Downplayed, but he rarely comes home. The one time he did come home to give his approval to Suzuko's marriage, he immediately left again. His children, for their part, have very little respect for him.
Previous Marquis Takigawa
The deceased father of Marquis Takigawa.
Suzuko's mother
Suzuko's mother, a maid. She left the household after giving birth to Suzuko and eventually settled down in an Asakusa slum, where she died when Suzuko was very young.
- Mysterious Past: Suzuko knows nothing about her past, such as where her hometown is or if she had any relatives.
Hanabishi Family and Servants
Shinichirou Yura
Takafuyu's butler. He once served Saneaki, Takafuyu's older brother, until the former's suicide.
- Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: He usually acts exasperated with Waka and scolds her for being too chatty around her mistress, but it's clear that he's cares a lot about her, as seen when he was hovering outside the parlor where Suzuko is interviewing Waka on her qualifications to become her maid.
Waka Tsushima
Suzuko's maid. She is Yura's childhood friend.
Saneaki Hanabishi
Takafuyu's older brother. He committed suicide for unknown reasons six years before the story began.
- Secret Relationship: He was in one with Raku, a maid who worked for the Kashou Orphanage.
- White Sheep: He was the only member of Takafuyu's birth family who was kind to him.
Takami Hanabishi
Takafuyu's grandfather who died of illness when he was young. He heavily favored Takafuyu as his heir over his own son, creating a deep rift within the family.
- Parental Favoritism: Takami heavily spoiled Takafuyu and ostracized Harumi and Saneaki.
- Parental Incest: A variation. He forces himself on his daughter-in-law in order to conceive a new heir.
Harumi and Yoshino Hanabishi
Takafuyu's deceased parents. They both drowned in the sea many years ago. In actuality, Harumi is Takafuyu's brother because Takami sired Takafuyu with Yoshino.
- Abusive Parents: They hated Takafuyu and adopted him out to another family as soon as his grandfather died.
- Disinherited Child: Takami disinherited both Harumi and Saneaki due to a religious dispute and decided to sire a new heir.
- Hates Being Touched: Takafuyu remembers his mother pushing him away and calling him filthy when he tried to touch her when he was little.
- Together in Death: As their bodies were found together, Takafuyu suspects that they committed suicide together. Volume 3 reveals that they both died while trying to save children from being drowned in a cave.
Deceased Characters
Ginroku, Tei, and Torakichi
The three people who raised Suzuko in the Asakusa slums after her mother died. They were horrifically killed by a mysterious assailant.
- Raised by the Community: They raised Suzuko together after
