I see, you are interested in the little running figure on top of every page. (If you don’t see it, you might need a bigger browser window!)
Very well then!
Her name is Misaki Yaotome (八乙女 御前), the mascot (or the Moonlight Greatsword) of Fukafuka Seika.
This is how she looks like from years ago (the very first design):
A 17-year-old girl, and the last successor of Yaotome-Ryu Archery. Yaotome-Ryu uses a bladed bow, blending melee techniques with precise archery.
You may want to invite her on a date, or maybe not. But if you actually do, then sadly, she’s no longer alive.
Perhaps let’s hear the story from herself, the fateful night just before her 18th birthday.
Misaki::(sigh) I don’t really want to talk about it.
Every time I try to remember, everything gets... tangled up in my head.
It was supposed to be the best night of my life.
The festival was right down by the foot of the mountain where the dojo was. It was the first time I’d ever really gotten to leave.
I remember running out as soon as the sun dipped behind the mountains, wearing the clothes I’d wanted to wear for ages.
Finally! My first real festival.
It was so different, so alive.
There were sounds I’d never heard before. Music that felt like it was from another world.
The crackling of fish grilling, that sweet, smoky smell mixing with something warm—maybe sake?
Steam rising from soup pots, and lanterns glowing everywhere.
Then, out of nowhere, a huge flame shot up into the sky. It exploded into colors.
Another. And another.
It was like the whole night was alive with light.
For a moment, I felt like I was a part of it. The excitement. The freedom.
But then everything changed.
I felt this sharp pain in my chest.
An arrow. Where did it even come from?
People started screaming, running.
And then, this group in black stormed through the village, trampling everything in their way.
I couldn’t think. I couldn’t breathe.
I think... I think I knew it was over.
And that’s how it ended.
The small village caught up in a bloody confrontation between two clans, with one of the clan planned to use the festival as a distraction.
She turned into an Onryō, but she doesn’t really know what’s her “unfinished business”, nor does she know exactly who to hate. Therefore, she just wanders around the village… and you would always see her in festivals (she still enjoys attending festivals, strangely). Luckily, she doesn’t really do any harm unless you try to recall her memory of the horrific night. If that happens, expect to see an arrow mysteriously appearing, penetrating your chest…
You might have seen her on some other occasions. But it’s quite obscure… Here’s an example:
Oh, you mean… you want to know about me? But… isn’t the running figure more interesting…?
I’m kind of a game dev (indie & pro), know something about graphics, and do weird things that I hope would impress in the future. You can probably derive these from all my posts. And to be honest, I prefer leaving my presence as a mystery… Please don’t dig, I really hate that.