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Suzuran (鈴蘭) is one of the supporting characters in the Kakuriyo no Yadomeshi series. She is a geisha and the younger sister of Akatsuki.
Appearance
Her normal appearance is as a young woman. Her hair and eyes are both violet-red. A tan-colored diamond shape is present in the middle of her forehead. She has long hair but keeps two sections of chin-length hair to frame her face. Two matching hair ornaments are worn above her ears, each comprising first of a large, peach-colored orb above a fluffy golden orb with golden tassels.
As a geisha, she paints her lips red and adds red accents at her eyes. Her hair is also worn up high in the butterfly wing-like yoko hyogo, a traditional style for high-ranking courtesans. The two "wings" are tied together at the base with a pale pink ribbon. A rectangular golden ornament with three hair sticks on each side rests on her crown in front of her hair.
Suzuran’s ayakashi form is the youkai tsuchigumo, or earth spider. The size of this form becomes much larger than a human and includes six, thin legs. Her cephalothorax (upper body) is pinkish-white. Her abdomen is striped with pinkish-white and a truer pink. Her antennae and underbelly are red, much like her geisha make-up. Her eyes and labium (crown) appear a tangerine color.
Personality
Suzuran is a kind and hard-working ayakashi.
History
Suzuran and her brother, Akatsuki, are ayakashi from the Apparent Realm. While constantly looking for shelter for the two of them, Akatsuki used to attack humans. These circumstances led them to meet Shiro Tsubaki approximately forty years ago. Shiro defeated Akatsuki in a fight and came upon a cowering Suzuran, who was hiding inside a small shrine in the woods. Shiro took in the siblings. Suzuran both likes Shiro and feels indebted to him, even after all these years.
Shiro asked Odanna to take Suzuran and Akatsuki back to the Hidden Realm, which Odanna did. While Akatsuki stayed to work at Tenjin-ya, Suzuran went on to the capital, Youto, to train as a geisha. Shiro often went to Youto to enjoy Suzuran's dancing and listen to her play the shamisen. The last time Suzuran saw Shiro was ten years ago.[1]
Plot
Suzuran is a popular geisha in the capital. When Odanna brings Aoi to Youto, he takes her to dinner at the geisha house, and introduces them. Odanna requests Suzuran to play the shimasen, which she does beautifully, much to Aoi's delight.
Shortly after Odanna and Aoi leave, Suzuran is sold to and ordered to marry the young master, Tannosuke, of Yahata-ya, a kimono shop which is well-established and has both money and power. Apparently, a large sum of money was exchanged and the dealing had been in progress for some time before the announcement. Tannosuke has an ill reputation with woman and his advances have troubled Suzuran in the past. Suzuran is quick to flee. She is pursued by the ittan-momen youkai who work for Yahata-ya. Aoi helps Suzuran hide before they reconvene with Odanna on the streets of Youto. In the following confrontation at the docks, Suzuran boards the airship while Aoi and Odanna face off against Tannosuke and his youkai.
Odanna announces that he is taking Suzuran back to Tenjin-ya so that she may have some bonding time with her brother, Akatsuki, who works there as the desk manager. Not expecting Suzuran's arrival, Akatsuki shows brotherly concern during their reunion. While Suzuran is smiling at first, all she is able to say is that Odanna saved her before breaking down into tears.[2]
The next day, however, finds Suzuran and Akatsuki fighting in their earth spider forms. Suzuran was granted a large and luxurious room at the top of the inn, but the siblings destroy it. The basis of the argument is that Suzuran wants to return to the Apparent Realm--even though she now knows that Shiro is dead. She has been working hard for years to save up money so that she can return to the Apparent Realm, to where she used to live with Shiro. Suzuran wins the fight against Akatsuki by throwing him out the window.[3]
Powers & Abilities
Shift into a large spider
Relationships
Akatsuki
Akatsuki is Suzuran's older brother. When they were younger and lived in the Apparent Realm, he would fight humans in order to protect her and their home. They lived with Shiro for a time before being taken in by Odanna. After that, they lived apart for decades--Akatsuki at Tenjin-ya and Suzuran in Youto. Akatsuki is still concerned for her safety, and may still be treating her as the younger sister he knew back in the Apparent Realm. He strongly objects to in her returning to the Apparent Realm, thinking her blind for wanting to go when Shiro is no longer there. Suzuran, rightly insulted after all of the hard work spent in saving money for this trip, wants him to leave her alone.
Shirō Tsubaki
Suzuran speaks of Shiro quite fondly. She feels grateful for his help in taking Akatsuki and her in when they were alone in the Apparent Realm. While she trained as a geisha in Youto, Shiro regularly visited her. By the time Aoi arrives in the Hidden Realm, Suzuran has not seen Shiro for ten years. Nonetheless, she still wishes to use the money she earned to return to the Apparent Realm so that she may be closer to her memories of him.
Ōdanna
She speaks politely with him, but their relationship appears friendly and close. She goes to him for protection and he respects her hard work. Odanna was the one to bring Suzuran and Akatsuki to the Hidden Realm at Shiro's request. He is also the one that took her to the geisha house in Youto, as seen in the flashback. When she escapes the geisha house, it is unclear if she meant to find him in particular, but she does immediately asks for Odanna when she comes upon Aoi and Oryo. Odanna uses his arm to physically shield her as they rush to the airship. Unlike her brother, Odanna has no intention of persuading her to remain in the Hidden Realm. He acknowledges that her hard work has earned her the money for her travels, so she can do as she wants with it.
Aoi Tsubaki
At the geisha house in Youto, Odanna introduces Suzuran to Aoi, and the two get along. Suzuran mentions early on that Aoi resembles her grandfather Shiro somehow, which bodes well. Aoi is quick to help Suzuran flee when she comes across Suzuran being chased in the streets of Youto, and further defends Suzuran at the airship docks. The day after Suzuran arrives to Tenjin-ya, Aoi attempts to bring her homemade ice cream. As Suzuran is busy fighting Akatsuki at this time, however, she is not made aware of this welcoming gift.
Trivia
- The siblings Akatsuki and Suzuran are voiced by Yuuma Uchida and Maaya Uchida, who are also siblings. Suzuran is Akatsuki's younger sister while Maaya is Yuuma's older sister.
- Akatsuki and Suzuran share a character song, Toki no Suna. It was used as the ending theme for the fifth episode.
- Her Japanese Voice Actress is best known voicing as Rikka Takanashi from Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions.