Kongiku

Kongiku was originally a present from Mizuki given to his younger brother, Haruki, at a very young age. Being the wise older brother that he is, Mizuki was fully aware of the fox's hidden potentials given the unusual appearance of the fox's face. While Kongiku was still young, not even a year old yet, he appeared to be nothing more than a fox with a peculiar face that held three eyes and different colorations from his overall fur. The small fox imprinted on Haruki as his family member at first but as the two grew up together and Kongiku hit his first year of existence the fox began to mature more rapidly than his master. After his first year he was practically ten years old, at least his knowledge was and the strange face had popped off which created a mask and the more human features became apparent in the once fox-like creature. From there Kongiku entreated Haruki to enter a pact with him and become his new master as a way of thanking him for raising and taking care of him up until this point.

During the first year of raising Kongiku, he nearly starved to death because Haruki did not know what to feed the kit. His master religiously tried to bottle feed him with milk and meat that was left consistently untouched every day leaving the poor tiny creature in a constant state of hunger and Haruki feared for the worst. It wasn't until Mizuki realized what was happening that they brought Kongiku up to the nearby temple where they were performing a ritual to send a dying soul off to be judged that Kongiku was able to perk up and regain his strength. The fox had lifted his head and, showing signs of hunger and interest in the dying man, left to eat his meal in peace. The monks were surprised to find that the corpse was left untouched but there was a much more peaceful expression left on his face than after any of their former rituals which was meant to put the dying or troubled at ease. They also saw that the fox's condition had greatly improved, so Kongiku and his master were given free reign of the temple thereafter.

Since Kongiku was raised by Haruki, a small priest with pure intentions, he has developed from only eating the souls of either the dying or troubled individuals seeking relief. He only devours a fair amount: enough to sate his hunger and allow him to develop his abilities and nothing more.

He is very modest because of his upbringing, but tends to be quite lazy and a bit rebellious towards his master's demands. Especially because he is still young and has a lot of similarities to a youngster despite his older appearance. He is mischievous but not malicious and overall tends to be very kind to those who show him equal tenderness.

He really likes herbal teas, but his favorite will always be green tea or anything with matcha flavoring. He does not feel full unless he eats human souls though and only eats food as a luxury...

He also has an attraction to bonbori and chōchin (decorative paper lanterns). In fact even as an infant fox he had been found with one tied around his neck and it was kept thinking it was merely for decorative purposes. Mizuki did not know the significance of the lantern to the small fox at the time but he was left with it by his parents in hopes that he might be found or possibly to guide lost spirits/souls to him so that he could grow up strong. Due to the sentiment of having a lantern with him from birth, he has learned to appreciate it as an extension of himself and greatly loves to decorate himself with them. His favorite festival is the O-bon Festival because of the lovely lanterns that paint the streets in vivid colours and bright lights along with delicious foods, but his favorite event is the Tōrō Nagashi (Lantern Cruise) where the lanterns are sent adrift down the river expecting them to guide lost souls to the spirit world.