“After losing the match, I wrote my name in a piece of paper and never learned her name. I see… so it’s Reiko. Her name was Natsume Reiko.” — Aokuchinashi upon learning Reiko Natsume’s name thanks to Natsume Takashi. Aokuchinashi (青クチナシ) is an old, divine being that once had a shrine and is currently living all by herself. She has an old cherry blossom tree near her place and when an evil spirit lived on it, she decided to find a mirror to get rid of them. In her quest, she met Reiko who later got her name and banished the evil spirit for her.
Appearance[]
Aokuchinashi is a shrine god that takes the form of an old woman with gray hair and closed eyes. She wears a traditional pink kimono and covers it with an extremely long, green haori. She carries a long staff to help her stand up and walk and was later seen having a cherry blossom flower in her hair to show off.
Personality[]
As she was a divine being, Aokuchinashi doesn’t have many friends. However, she was extremely kind and gentle towards the things she cares about. Although she was very stubborn and impatient, she became friends with Reiko whom she thought was a youkai. Throughout the story, it was observed that she was also grateful to those who helped her in her problems as it was shown how dedicated she was to find Reiko so she can return the mirror she borrowed.
History[]
Nothing much is known about Aokuchinashi aside from the fact that she once had a shrine. When an evil spirit possessed the cherry blossom tree near her, she decided to find a mirror to get rid of them and met Reiko in her quest. Thinking that the young lady was a youkai, she became friends with her and told her about the possessed cherry blossom tree near her place. When she invited Reiko to her home, she noted that the latter showed a disappointed face and soon afterwards, the girl got her name and banished the evil spirit from the cherry blossom tree.
Plot[]
Aokuchinashi introduced herself in the series when by tripping herself on a road while she was looking for someone. There, she met the grandson of the person she was looking for and asked him to help her. She threatened him that she will kill him if he refused but Takashi freaked out and ran towards his house instead. When he arrived, Nyanko-sensei told him that he was cursed and became extremely wary when Aokuchinashi followed him on his way home. As he doesn’t want her to enter his room, Takashi gave up and finally accepted the latter's request.
On their way, Nyanko-sensei told him that Aokuchinashi was a divine being who once had a shrine. That’s why even though he’s fine in her presence, he cannot get rid of her. He also added that although gods like her are sick or weakened on this age, he should just go with her for a bit and just take care of it. Upon arriving to the place where they agreed to meet, Takashi saw a beautiful cherry blossom in her hair and told her that it smelled nice. Aokuchinashi laughed and told him that she wore it to show off before showing the path to the place where she met the person she was looking for. The path eventually led them to a peaceful grass field with lots of butterflies flying around. She explained to Takashi her circumstances and asked him to find the owner of the mirror she borrowed in the past. However, a youkai suddenly appeared while they were talking and ambushed Takashi in an instant. She was concerned that the young man’s shoulder was eaten but thanks to a certain Kagejawan, his shoulder was safe— something that she was also thankful to.
Takashi eventually realized that the person she was looking for all this time was his grandmother, Reiko Natsume. When the Book of Friends reacted to her, Takashi returned Aokuchinashi’s name right away and made her remember of the moments she shared with Reiko in the past. Decades ago, she met his grandmother in her quest to find a mirror so she can banish the evil spirit possessing the cherry blossom tree near her place. She noted that the young lady was hurt because of a child of man and told Takashi that the latter wanted to go to a place that is very far away. When she invited his grandmother to her place, she said that the girl displayed a pretty, disappointed face after seeing her shrine. When she tried to ask for their name, the young lady proposed a challenge instead and made her write her name on a piece of paper after winning the match. Aokuchinashi stated that the girl never told her what her name was and suddenly stopped coming after that.
Upon learning that the latter’s name was Reiko Natsume, she became extremely satisfied and thanked Takashi for all his help. The grandson asked her to keep the mirror she borrowed from Reiko and told her to take care of it. Aokuchinashi then showed him the path towards civilization and bid him farewell. On his way back, Takashi and Nyanko-sensei came across the beautiful cherry blossom tree that Aokuchinashi mentioned and realized that his grandmother banished the evil spirit for her despite of being disheartened that the friend whom she thought was a human, was a youkai instead.
Relationships[]
Reiko Natsume[]
Aokuchinashi accidentally met Reiko, whom she initially thought was a youkai, while looking for a mirror to banish the evil spirit from the cherry blossom tree that she’s fond of. She became concerned when she found out that Reiko was hurt because of a child of man and kept of talking to her every time she sees her. When Aokuchinashi decided to return the mirror as she failed to get rid of the evil spirit, Reiko told her to keep it because she hates looking at the mirror. The young lady also told her that they wanted to go to a very far place so she invited them to her place. Unbeknownst to Aokuchinashi, Reiko mistook her for a human and became extremely disappointed when the latter saw that her place was a shrine. When she asked for her name, the girl challenged her to a match instead and got her name afterwards. Reiko banished the evil spirit from the tree Aokuchinashi mentioned and never came back. Decades after, when Takashi Natsume gave her name back, she learned that the young lady’s name was Reiko and was no longer in this world.
Trivia[]
- Aokuchinashi's name means "Blue Gardenia" in Japanese.
- According to Nyanko-sensei, she is incredibly dangerous to low-ranking youkais as they will get cursed if they tried to touch her.